The American Puritans

“There has been a gap in the vital industry of reprinting the superbly relevant studies written by Puritan theologians and preachers. A survey of the leading American Puritans has been deeply needed. They have lived in the shadow of the extraordinary Jonathan Edwards. There are many others, and they are important to us in the United Kingdom because they lived before the American Revolutionary War, and so they are our Puritans as William Shakespeare is also America’s playwright. In the eighteenth century, English Puritanism had been wiped out, destroyed by Unitarianism and yet revived by George Whitefield and the leaders of the Great Awakening. But Puritanism continued across the Atlantic in New England and in the English colonies. To freshly introduce Christians on both sides of the ocean to their spiritual fathers is an enormous achievement. May we grow as familiar with them as we have become with the English Puritans. May God bless their testimony today to revive the witness in the Old Country, which is wilting in the weakness of historic Christianity, which is under constant attack and denigration even in the professing church itself.”

“I am personally excited to see this excellent work, The American Puritans, written by two gifted authors and historians, Dustin Benge and Nate Pickowicz, appear in print. These men have made an important contribution to our understanding of the spiritual leaders who laid the theological and moral foundation for the early American colonies. Four centuries later, we continue to stand on the sturdy shoulders of these giants who first brought the Puritan way of life to American soil. This is a book containing nine concise biographies that I urge you to read. I believe it will both encourage and challenge you in your faith as you study these Puritans of the past.”

“The tale of nine American Puritans, each with distinctive personalities and backgrounds, is vividly portrayed with attention to fascinating details and is written with candor and care. There can be no doubt that their influence on the British colonies shaped the future direction of the United States. The tales sail through rough seas—the Salem ‘witch trials’ and the potentially legalist approach to assurance, to name but two. Dustin Benge and Nate Pickowicz, however, always have the measure of things, and this delightful book is fun to read and instructive to subsequently ponder over—a book to be enjoyed and savored. As they currently say in the land from which these Puritans came, this book is ‘a cracking good read.’”

“With clarity, wisdom, and infectious enthusiasm, Dustin Benge and Nate Pickowicz introduce us to nine inspiring heralds of Christ. The Puritans are a hoard of treasure for all who want spiritual riches, and this book throws open some bulging but hidden caskets. Read and be enriched!”

“In the quadricentennial of the Pilgrims’ arrival in Plymouth (1620–2020), The American Puritans is a timely reminder of the heroic courage and abiding faith of New England’s spiritual founders. What makes this collection special is that it includes not only the lives of the leading governors, ministers, and Indian missionaries but also a biographical essay on New England’s ‘Tenth Muse,’ Anne Bradstreet, who gave poetic expression to her lived faith as a daughter of Zion, mother, and grandmother. The American Puritans is a deeply moving book about the legacy of the Protestant Reformation, American Puritanism, and the quest of sincere believers who risked everything to worship God in the ‘howling wilderness’ of North America. Anyone interested in the men and women who made it possible should read this wonderful book.”

“In the history of Christianity there have been particular times when God uses a particular group of people at a particular place for a particularly great work. Puritan New England is a vibrant example of such a time, people, and place. Between Cape Anne and Cape Cod, huddled close to the coast, lived a concentration of highly educated, thoughtful, and pious people intent on living as Christ would have them live. History ever after cannot be understood without an eye on their influence. The American Puritans is an excellent introduction to these vibrant Christians.”