Puritanism[i] in America
©2026 Victor R. Claveau, MJ The term Puritan began as an epithet hurled at church reformers in England, whom others perceived as annoyingly precise, exacting, and meddlesome in the practice of their faith. Puritans were predestinarian Calvinist dedicated to living according to “primitive” scriptural rules.[ii] Timeline 1608 Separatist Pilgrims[iii] flee England for Holland. 1620-1640 The Great […]
Puritanism in America
©2026 Victor R. Claveau, MJ I. Origins and Historical Context The term Puritan originated in late 16th-century England as a term of reproach directed at reform-minded Protestants who sought to “purify” the Church of England from what they perceived as lingering Catholic elements. These reformers were heavily influenced by the theology of John Calvin and […]
Do You Read the Bible Literally?
TIM GRAY Do you take the Bible “literally”? It is one of the great litmus tests of our day. The question is dangerously loaded. Answering “yes” or “no” puts you in an extreme position. Do you take the Bible “literally”? It is one of the great litmus tests of our day. The question is dangerously […]
Catholic Answers to Fundamentalist Attacks
Background: Fundamentalists are not really looking for answers. They believe they already have one – the Bible. However, the Church existed for three centuries before the New Testament canon was discerned. The Bible is far broader than some selected texts handed down from a fundamentalist anti-Catholic conditioning. We are not questioning the sincerity of their […]
Fundamentalists
PETER KREEFT No Christian group is growing faster than the fundamentalists. And many of their converts are coming from the Catholic Church — mainly, badly educated Catholics. To halt this “soul drain,” to answer the fundamentalist challenge and, most of all, to understand our faith better, Peter Kreeft looks at five major points of conflict: […]
What is Fundamentalism?
According to James Barr (Fundamentalism, London, SCM Press LTD. 1977) the most pronounced characteristics of fundamentalism are the following: The word fundamentalism appears to have been derived from a series of booklets entitled “The Fundamentals”, which were published in the U. S. during 1920-15. In them the term ‘the fundamentals’ was used for the elements […]
Catholics and Fundamentalists
Karl Keating At times Fundamentalists talk as if they thought no case could be made for the Catholic faith. That’s understandable. After all, if you’re a Fundamentalist instead of a Catholic, it is because you reject Catholicism. You reject it because you think it is false. But make sure what you’re rejecting is Catholicism, not […]