Puritan Paperbacks!
I am at that stage in my life, it seems, where I am bound to receive a lot of mail for other people. Mobile and living in housing for mobile people, I have seen mail for at least six other names come to this address. Usually they are not the kinds of missives from which one can glean much as to your ghost-lodgers character: packets of generic coupons, misplaced DMV missives - but the other day I received something truly remarkable.
“Your briefcase or beachbag,” proclaimed the flyer, “a PURITAN PAPERBACK is a perfect fit this summer.” No, this is not a line of romance novels; when they say “Puritan Paperback” they are actually talking about, um, Puritans. Seriously. Among their suggestions: “Acceptable Sacrifice, Bunyan, $8″, “Mortification of Sin, Owen, $9″, and “Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, Brooks, $9″.
Now, I have a great deal of fellow-feeling for anyone practicing a faith known to most as a historic curiosity. Still, of all the holdovers to revive, Puritanism? I may have grown up one town over from Cromwell, but I was under the impression that Puritanism in America has been pretty thoroughly transmuted into Congregationalism. But no, the Puritans are (or were) alive and well, and living (to judge by this mailing) in my house.
I actually find it refreshing to see someone willing to admit their Puritanism.
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:02 pmDon’t you think it’s just another revival of romanticized historical figures?
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:22 pmA latter-day anti-Scarlet Letter?
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:23 pmThat’s kind of awesome. I’d be tempted to order one, but then I’d worry that they’d start hounding me to convert.
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:58 amPuritan-admiring site TheAmericanView.com
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:44 pm::hopes that puritanism doesn’t become the new veganism for the straight-edge christian indie set::
June 23rd, 2008 at 5:01 pmHB: Who romanticises John Bunyan anymore? Who’s even heard of him? The Marches of today aren’t playing the Pilgrim’s Progress on rainy days, they’re playing Grand Theft Auto (and that’s not as much of a condemnation as at least one commentator on this thread would take it for.)
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:14 pmPeople who like to think they’re smart and educated because they know about things others don’t.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:49 pmRichard Baxter’s “The Reformed Pastor” — one of the most formative books of my young priesthood. Do not mock.
June 24th, 2008 at 3:47 pmUnfortunately, the men newly promoting Puritanism (that I know about) are neither Puritan experts nor Puritan enthusiasts. They are “Christian Dominionists”, who invent politico-theologocial theories as they go along and loudly hint at historical antecedent without bothering actually to demonstrate it. God gave America the tradition of the groom feeding the bride cake at their wedding reception to show that only through a husband can a woman ingest eternal life, right? Right? Here, buy a Geneva Bible from us — it’s the one George Washington used when he discovered God’s cake-feeding sacrament!
(No, I am not making any of this up — dear God, I wish I were.)
June 26th, 2008 at 2:32 am“The Marches of today aren’t playing the Pilgrim’s Progress on rainy days, they’re playing Grand Theft Auto …”
Good lord, child — who are you calling the Marches?
June 27th, 2008 at 2:17 amThe Alcotts were radical progressives, whose upbringing partook in various living, religious, and educational experiments. As such they were a lot more like your or my family (well, we were radical regressives), or other counter-cultural families, than like McKid down the street.
Which almost certainly has nothing to do with your comment — I can see it has not — but I felt a compulsion. Sorry.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:11 amI was just thinking of Jo, who, being the geeky one, would probably be a player of video games, and of Amy, who, being the popular one, would play what her friends were playing. I doubt Beth would enjoy it, though.
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:47 pm