Why I Thank God for the Puritans

If you've read much of what I've posted here in the past, you'd see a common topic repeated.  I tend to write a little more frequently about the Puritans and their theology than contemporary Christians or authors, because of my admiration of them.

Not all of them have the same theology, and some did shameful things.  They are generally considered in a very negative light by most people, but there were many great and godly Puritans who lived some amazing lives.  Those that had a love for God and His people left us with some tremendous insight to glean from.

A Radical Devotion

A radical devotion to the Lord will gain respect, when accompanied with grace and peace.

Of course there are exceptions around the world, but in our Western culture, this is generally the case.

Atleast that's some insight I've gleened from reading "The Gentle Boy," a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  It's a work of historical fiction.

It centers around a young 6 year old boy who lives in Boston during the 1650's.  He and his family are Quakers, and have been in prison for that "offense".  In 1656, there was a very real event of 4 Quakers being executed for their faith at the hands of the ruling Puritan government.  The story is based on these deaths, with one of the men being this boy's father.  The boy's name is Ibrahim, and his birth mother, after being arrested, was "discarded" into the wilderness.