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An aspect of Puritan culture which needs to be defended is its intolerance. Yes, defended. No, tolerance is not always a virtue. G.K. Chesterton once quipped, “Tolerance is the virtue of those who don’t believe anything.” The Bible teaches us what is to be tolerated and what is not, and we must conform our own standards of toleration to God’s. So when we look at the Puritan’s toleration standard, we should not compare it to the modern evangelical’s, but to Moses’ and Paul’s. However, it must be noted that the modern image of the bigoted Puritan is far from accurate. Modernism slanders anything which is contrary to its own set of beliefs, and Puritanism certainly fits that bill.

Wonderful read..I always ask where we are taught to be "tolerant" in scripture? It has become almost a religious tenet of faith thanks to the American PC culture.

I am currently reading "A Godward Life" Vol II by John Piper as a morning devotional. This mornings reading was entitled "The Root of Mental Health Being Healed by God". Sub title "Not helping people be happy on their way to hell"

One of the points in the sermonette is that the whole "God doesnt make junk" or "I am lovable" makes two mistakes first the root of mental health is not "self esteem ,but rather an enjoyment of God" and second and what it means to be "perfect" as in perfectly fitted for God's purposes.

It seems our Puritan ancestors understood this.The root of all happiness is seeing God and knowing him..

Thanks for posting the paper!