Congregational Puritans

[Doug Millison]

I posted this back with the GRGR(32) notes I put together. Here it is 
again for Uncle D:

682.6 "Congregationalists" were there with Slothrop's (and Pynchon's) 
ancestors in the Massachusetts Bay Colony:
http://www.ucc.org/aboutus/shortcourse/congo.htm
"In New England, congregations determined the politics and social 
organization of communities. Only church members could vote at town 
meetings, and until 1630, one could become a church member only by 
the minister's endorsement. Most colonists were not church members. 
The majority of immigrants came for social, political, and economic 
reasons, not to found a more perfect Christian society. Nevertheless, 
Puritanism was dominant. Biblical injunctions were specific guides 
for spiritual life and church organization; biblical law was common 
law. Puritans undertook a holy mission to demonstrate the "right way" 
to order church and society. John Cotton (1584-1652), considered the 
leading Puritan pastor in England, joined the Massachusetts Bay 
Colony in 1633. His "True Constitution of a Particular Visible 
Church," describing Congregational life and polity (organization and 
government), was read widely in England and influenced John Owen, 
chaplain to Oliver Cromwell, to embrace Congregationalism. As a 
result of reading Cotton's work, five members of the Presbyterian 
Westminster Assembly, "the Dissenting Brethren," would sign, in 1643, 
what was to become the manifesto of all Congregationalism, "An 
Apologeticall Narration." [...] The colonists displaced Native 
Americans and invaded their ancestral territories. At first, because 
of their nature and because land was abundant, many Indians received 
the newcomers with charity and shared with them land and survival 
skills. Later, the proprietary aggression of some settlers kindled 
fear in the hearts of Indians. The colonists brought not only their 
religion, government, and social patterns, but also diseases against 
which Indians had little or no immunity. During the 17th century, New 
England Indians were plagued by a smallpox epidemic. There followed 
further decimation of their numbers in wars and skirmishes for 
possession of land. Distressed by wanton disregard for human beings, 
convinced that their mission was peacefully to carry the good news of 
Christ to their Indian neighbors, there were others like John Eliot, 
who was ordained as a pastor so that he might pastor and teach 
Indians. His concern for Indian neighbors was not only for their 
conversion to Christianity, but to raise their standard of living to 
a level enjoyed by the settlers. For 30 years, Job Nesutan, a 
Massachusetts Indian, was employed by Eliot as a language tutor and 
chief assistant in the ministry to Indians. With his help, the Bible 
was translated into the Indian language and Indians were taught to 
read. By 1646, John Eliot drew increasingly large congregations each 
time he spoke. Churches in the colony were encouraged to support 
Eliot's work and Oliver Cromwell urged Parliament to help the 
movement financially. The "Corporation for the Promoting and 
Propagating of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in New England" was the 
result. A sum of £5,000 was sent to the colonies, much of this given 
to John Eliot for his work. Many Indian converts returned to the 
practices of their indigenous faiths, but others were filled with 
Christian missionary zeal and prepared the way for Eliot with the New 
England tribes. The chiefs and councils tried to discourage the 
spread of the gospel, and his aides used underhanded tactics to 
retain "converts." As a result, Eliot's work suffered. Finally, the 
Massachusetts General Court passed a law prohibiting the use of 
threats or force to ensure Indians' conversion to Christianity, but 
at the same time, required all Indians living within the colony to 
refrain from worshiping "false gods" and from conducting native 
religious services. Roger Williams became the advocate of Indian 
freedom to worship as they saw fit."

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