The Puritan Hope

Book excerpt: Views on the future prospects of the Christian Church in history have differed drastically during the various periods of her life since Pentecost. In certain eras of darkness and chaos Christians have anticipated no future save that to be ushered in by the imminent Second Advent of Christ, while at other times conviction has gripped the Church that the gospel in which she believes is yet to be a world-transforming power. It was owing to the Puritans that the latter outlook became dominant in British Christianity for over two hundred years. How this occurred and how widespread was the influence of their hope is the subject of this volume. After tracing some of the salient features of the Puritan revival age, the author goes on to show how their witness reverberated through the succeeding centuries. - Jacket flap.