Puritan sermons often aimed at stirring the holy affections of congregants, and Van Engen writes, The imaginative work of sympathy, furthermore, constituted its own distinct practice. Puritan ...

If you're a fan of the public radio program "This American Life," or if you remember the sweetly sarcastic character Violet from the recent film The Incredibles, you're already familiar with Sarah ...

A Puritan funeral sermon sets death in its true perspective. Most people think about their own death as a fearful prospect, but the title of a famous Puritan funeral sermon offers a pleasing ...

On Thanksgiving Day, Americans often look back on the first English settlers in what is now New England. Since these Puritans fill the earliest chapters of the American story, they make plenty of ...

England in the 17th century was what’s known as a “confessional state” – everyone was supposed to practice religion in the way the government decided. But puritans didn’t much like the way religion ...

Many things influence human behavior, and I don’t claim to understand all of them. I have had the most experience with the early New England Puritans' influence on how Americans act and react to the ...