Chapter 4 Flashcards
English Reformation
Reform effort initiated by King Henry VIII that included banning the Catholic Church and declaring the English monarch head of the new Church of England but little change in doctrine. Henry’s primary concern was consolidating his political power.
Puritans
Dissenters from the Church of England who wanted a genuine Reformation rather than the partial Reformation sought by Henry VIII. The Puritans’ religious principles emphasized the importance of an individual’s relationship with God developed through Bible study, prayer, and introspection.
Separatists
People who sought withdrawal from the Church of England. The Pilgrims were Separatists.
Calvanism
Christian doctrine of Swiss Protestant theologian John Calvin. Its chief tenet was predestination, the idea that God had determined which human souls would receive eternal salvation. Despite this, Calvinism promoted strict discipline in daily and religious life.
predestination
Doctrine stating that God determined whether individuals were destined for salvation or damnation before their birth. According to the doctrine, nothing an individual did during his or her lifetime could affect that person’s fate.
visible saints
Puritans who had passed the tests of conversion and church membership and were therefore thought to be among God’s elect.
antinominas
ndividuals who believed that Christians could be saved by faith alone and did not need to act in accordance with God’s law as set forth in the Bible. Puritan leaders considered this belief to be a heresy.
Puritan Revolution
English civil war that arose out of disputes between King Charles I and Parliament, which was dominated by Puritans. The conflict began in 1642 and ended with the execution of Charles I in 1649, resulting in Puritan rule in England until 1660.
Halfway Covenant
A Puritan compromise established in Massachusetts in 1662 that allowed the unconverted children of visible saints to become “halfway” members of the church and baptize their own children even though they were not full members of the church themselves.
Quakers
Epithet for members of the Society of Friends. Their belief that God spoke directly to each individual through an “inner light” and that neither ministers nor the Bible was essential to discovering God’s Word put them in conflict with orthodox Puritans.
New Netherland
Dutch colony on Manhattan Island. New Amsterdam was its capital and colony headquarters.
King Philip’s War
War begun by Metacomet (King Philip), in which the Wampanoag Indians attacked colonial settlements in western Massachusetts in 1675. Colonists responded by attacking the Wampanoag and other tribes they believed conspired with them. The colonists prevailed in the brutal war.
