In their day, the "Established Church" was the Church of England. This state-run church had a formal liturgy, and very little tolerance for those who did not agree with its formality and traditions. Those who voiced their displeasure with the unbiblical trappings of the English Church were variously labeled as "Independents," "Separatists," "Non-conformists," "Dissenters" and "Puritans."

Today, we in the United States do not have an "established church" in the sense of a national church. Nevertheless, there are certain features which the vast majority of modern churches hold in common... features which are both unbiblical, and also contrary to the Puritan tradition.

• Arminianism ... Better known, perhaps, as free-will theology. This is the popular notion that God has made salvation available for everyone, and that individual men and women are able, by their own "free-will," to place their faith in Jesus Christ and be saved.

In contrast, the Puritans were Calvinistic in their theology... they believed in a God who exercises sovereign rule over His universe. They believed in the total, universal corruption of man and that man has neither the ability nor the desire to love or trust a holy and sovereign God. They believed that salvation is entirely the work of the Triune God... the Father choosing certain ones to be saved, the Son dying as their Substitute to purchase their forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit giving spiritual life to these who were chosen and redeemed. They based these beliefs on the plain teaching of God's holy, infallible and authoritative Word, the Bible.
 

• A deficient concept of God ... Arminianism reduces God to a pathetic figure who can only plead with men to turn to Him, but who has no actual control over the outcome. Arminianism implies that God is shown to be a failure each time, despite God's best efforts, an individual dies in unbelief. By contrast, the Puritans affirmed that...

  "God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass..."
  (The Westminster Confession of Faith, Ch. III, article I).

  
  
• An exalted concept of Man ... Likewise, Arminianism exalts man, teaching that man is not so corrupted by the fall that he cannot at least decide to believe in Jesus Christ and be saved. Also, churches often mimic the society in teaching the intrinsic worth of man, and teaching that happiness is to be found in self-love or self-realization.

But the Puritans agreed with the Bible that true happiness is to be found only in esteeming God above all else, and that self-love is at the head of a list which contains some pretty serious sins (2 Timothy 3:2-5):..

lovers of self lovers of money boastful arrogant revilers disobedient to parents

ungrateful unholy unloving irreconcilable malicious gossips without self-control

brutal haters of good treacherous reckless conceited lovers of pleasure     rather than lovers of God

• Holidays ... Christmas and Easter are so ingrained in our culture that we are generally suspicious of anyone who does not observe these holidays. Yet, these holidays had their origins, not in Christianity, but in paganism. When Constantine was emperor of the Roman Empire in the 4th Century A.D., he decided to make Christianity the national religion. One of the means he used to bring this about was to copy some popular pagan traditions and give them "Christian" significance. The Puritans, as a rule, would have nothing to do with these holidays.

 
• Inappropriate forms of Worship... The old Puritans were opposed to clerical attire, kneeling at the Lord's Supper, the sign of the cross, etc. The modern church has its own failings: it is run like a business or a theater rather than adhering to the Biblical pattern of a family, or gathering of redeemed people bonded together by their common faith in Christ and love for one another. Churches today are often more interested in filling the pews than in following the Biblical standards of doctrine and worship. This has engendered a modern tradition of salesmanship and entertainment which has supplanted the true worship of God.

 
• Performances ... Our culture is so enamored with entertainment that we have come to expect to be entertained in the church. Consequently, the "worship service" includes, not only congregational singing, but also performances ... so-called "special music" and choirs ... music which is performed in front of the congregation, and to which the congregation generally responds with applause (either literal handclapping, or vocal "Amens"). The Puritans were opposed to choirs, and it is doubtful whether any music other than congregational singing was practiced in their meetings. The church is a place where God, not man, is to be exalted.

 
• Abuse of Christian Liberty ... This was a major issue with the Puritans, since the Church of England often suppressed contrary views. This was also a major issue with the Protestant Reformers, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, who had experienced the censure of the Roman Catholic Church.

Churches today generally fall into two camps...
 
1. Traditionalists, who tend to place unscriptural obligations upon Christians, expecting them to formally join the local church, to attend all church activities, and to "serve" in the local church by participating in unscriptural activities, such as singing in the choir, helping with "Vacation Bible School," "Sunday School," "AWANA programs," etc. Traditionalists often turn their misunderstanding of certain scriptures into legalistic demands or taboos, such as requiring women to wear "prayer hats", forbidding Christians to drink even small quantities of wine, making Sunday into a Sabbath day, ostracizing Christians who are not baptized in a certain manner, insisting that Christians "tithe", etc.
2. Antinomians, who exercise no Biblical discernment, allowing all manner of unbiblical practices into the church. This seems to be a reaction against Traditionalism, but it swings to the opposite extreme.

While both camps often claim to follow the Bible, neither camp seems to take the Bible very seriously. Traditionalists have little tolerance for those who hold differing convictions, while Antinomians have so much tolerance for various opinions, it seems they have scrapped conviction and Biblical principles altogether. Both camps are also alike in that they bring unscriptural practices into the church... which, over time, become so accepted that no one even questions whether these practices are scriptural.

There is a middle ground, where serious-minded brothers in Christ can kindly discuss their differences. They can respect the convictions of one another... not demanding things which the other cannot in good conscience do. But this does not mean that we must allow things which are clearly forbidden in God's Word, or which have their basis only in worldliness or fleshly desires.

This web site sets forth a Puritan-call for today's church...
calling all people to a living faith in Jesus Christ, and
calling Christ's people to true Biblical purity in faith, life and worship.

• the New American Standard Bible, published by the Lockman Foundation.
• the English Standard Version, published by Crossway Bibles.

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