Puritans in the 21st Century, a day-long symposium, hosted by six of New England’s leading historical organizations, makes the case for 17th-century puritans—are they as important as we once believed? A stellar collection of scholars argues that they are, now more than ever. Held in honor of the historian Francis J. Bremer and open to the public, this symposium asks what 17th-puritan history in England and New England tells us about today’s politics and our understanding of religion and society. From Christian nationalism and the politics of slavery, from the 17th-century toleration debate to pushing puritan boundaries, this hybrid symposium brings together insights and new research of award-winning academics and public historians. Together they ask: what is the future of puritan studies? Why do puritans matter?
How to Attend
Saturday, November 7 8:30 AM - 5:15 PM ET (see a full agenda below).
If you registered for in-person attendance, please join us at:
American Ancestors
97 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
Find directions, parking suggestions, and more here.
If you are joining us online, please click here: https://zoom.us/j/96769822470
Note: Only presentations will be broadcast to a remote audience. If you are unable to attend the live sessions for any reason, you will receive a recording of the event.
Agenda
| 8:30 AM | Check-in and refreshments |
| 9:00 AM | Welcome |
| 9:10 AM | Francis J. Bremer: Teacher, Mentor, Scholar, Across Two Centuries Daniel Richter, Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor Emeritus of American History, University of Pennsylvania |
| 9:40 AM | Do the Puritans Matter? Francis J. Bremer, Professor Emeritus of History at Millersville University of Pennsylvania |
| 10:30 AM | Break and refreshments |
| 11:00 AM | Daniel Gookin and the Boundaries of Puritanism Adrian Chastain Weimer, Professor of History, Providence College |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch on your own |
| 1:30 PM | Puritans and Christian Nationalists John Coffey, Professor of History, University of Leicester, UK |
| 2:15 PM | More than Myth: Recovering Puritans Today Abram Van Engen, Stanley Elkin Professor in the Humanities and Director of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics, Washington University |
| 3:00 PM | Break |
| 3:30 PM | Panel Discussion: What's the Future of Puritan Studies?
|
| 5:00 PM | Concluding Remarks, Francis J. Bremer |
| 5:15 PM | End |
Session Descriptions
Puritan Word Play, Meredith Neuman
An attentive Puritan spent many thousands of hours in the meeting house listening to sermons. How did exposure to so much high-level scriptural interpretation affect the way the “average” Puritan thought about themself in relation to this world and the next? Learning how to talk about one’s self in relation to preached doctrine was crucial not only to one’s hope of salvation but also to one’s place in society. Breaking scripture down and playing with language (as they saw the ministers do) also turns out to have been a hard habit to break, as shown by all kinds of lay writing, especially poetry. When creative-minded Puritans turned their attention to verse, the results could be surprisingly playful (relatively speaking), even witty, often clumsy, but nevertheless earnestly pious. There was more at stake in poetry than rhymes, as ordinary people explored the capacity of human language to reveal spiritual truths. To a Puritan, pious word play was a means to test whether or not human language could aid in the elusive work of salvation. For us today, their curious verses about spiritual striving are a window into the psyches of people (not entirely unlike ourselves) constantly seeking to understand themselves in complex relation to the world around them.
Speaker Bios