On fire for God--a sweeping history of puritanism in England and America Begun in the mid-sixteenth century by Protestant nonconformists keen to reform England's church and society while saving their own souls, the puritan movement was a major catalyst in the great cultural changes that transformed the early modern world. Providing a uniquely broad transatlantic perspective, this groundbreaking volume traces puritanism's tumultuous history from its initial attempts to reshape the Church of England to its establishment of godly republics in both England and America and its demise at the end of the seventeenth century. Shedding new light on puritans whose impact was far-reaching as well as on those who left only limited traces behind them, Michael Winship delineates puritanism's triumphs and tribulations and shows how the puritan project of creating reformed churches working closely with intolerant godly governments evolved and broke down over time in response to changing geographical, political, and religious exigencies.

A comprehensive history of the Puritans and Protestant Nonconformists, providing insight into their beliefs, practices, and struggles throughout history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Diana Newton provides a survey of the religious changes arising from the challenges to the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century. The book examines the political and social impact of religious change on England, Scotland and Ireland from the mid sixteenth century to the beginning of the eighteenth century. An account is given of the fate of Catholics living in a Protestant country and there is an assessment of state attitudes towards Protestant non-conformists. While concentrating on Britain, the book explores how religion and religious controversy influenced relations with the continent throughout the period. Papists, Protestants and Puritans contains a selection of primary sources.