What’s the difference between Pilgrims and Puritans?

Not much. Both groups had their roots in the Church of England. Both groups had a deep commitment to the doctrines of grace. Both groups were filled with men and women passionate about the gospel and the Lordship of Christ over all things. Both groups were deeply troubled by the broad latitude within the Church of England. The difference between them was how they dealt with their concerns with the Church of England.

The Reformation in England was a profoundly messy affair. It was sparked less by a recovery of the gospel, more by a king’s pursuit of a male heir. England then flipped from Protestant to Catholic to Protestant depending on who sat on the throne. In the end the church became, as it is to this day a wide tent, with room for Roman Catholic doctrine minus papal authority, strong Calvinists and others including, in our day, theological liberals who deny the deity of Christ and more.

Both Pilgrims and Puritans were among the strong Calvinists. The former took the view that the Church of England was beyond saving and left the established church while the latter took the view that the Church of England remained part of the true church but needed to rid itself of every remnant of Romish doctrine and practice. Pilgrims wandered from the established church while Puritans labored to purify it. Both groups wanted the same thing, a healthy, faithful and thriving church. They simply disagreed on the best way to get there.

The caricature of these faithful believers, that they were sour faced killjoys could not be further from the truth. They recognized their call to gratitude for all that God had done, to redeem them, provide for them, bless them. They, as Thanksgiving reminds us, loved to feast before the Lord. While they sought theological and biblical clarity, they were never an austere people.

The same commitments that marked these two groups, as well as the same differences, remain with us today, even outside the immediate context of the Church of England. For a modern look at how this played out in the 20th century I commend to you the inimitable Iain Murray’s amazing book, Evangelicalism Divided. I would consider this to be one of the ten most important books I’ve read in the past 25 years. Murray takes the occasion of Billy Graham’s London crusade and its decision to align with Roman Catholics and compares how three influential evangelicals in the United Kingdom responded to this. Martin Lloyd Jones represents a more Pilgrim like response, J.I. Packer a more Puritan response while John Stott fills to role of representing the established church. The book is published by Banner of Truth.

Pilgrims and Puritans together served as the driving force of the colonization of what is now the United States. They were men and women of courage and conviction, who in turn lived daily in light of their dependence on God’s grace in Christ.