Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary?

[Josh]

Current culture warriors could learn from early Quakers about how to be faithful and effective.

Why can't we learn from present-day Quakers? Hmm...

[Josh]

There is a growing acceptance that secular rule and law must be dictated by the church.

I'm not sure how you can say this is "growing", considering it used to be standard belief as recently as 50 years ago. The idea that one's religion should not influence the public sphere at all is a relatively recent one.

[barnhart]

There is a growing acceptance that secular rule and law must be dictated by the church.

Growing acceptance by who exactly? Who are you actually talking about?

Churches around me that I would have considered small "o" orthodox ten years ago.

[Josh]

There is a growing acceptance that secular rule and law must be dictated by the church.

Growing acceptance by who exactly? Who are you actually talking about?

Churches around me that I would have considered small "o" orthodox ten years ago.

This has been a orthodox belief for most of Christianity’s history, plus most of the Protestant era.

[Valerie]

Growing acceptance by who exactly? Who are you actually talking about?

Churches around me that I would have considered small "o" orthodox ten years ago.

This has been a orthodox belief for most of Christianity’s history, plus most of the Protestant era.

It seems it was God's design. I don't think He wants ministers of the sword to be motivated by satan.

[Josh]

Churches around me that I would have considered small "o" orthodox ten years ago.

This has been a orthodox belief for most of Christianity’s history, plus most of the Protestant era.

It seems it was God's design. I don't think He wants ministers of the sword to be motivated by satan.

If secular rule and law isn’t dictated by God’s church…

… who is it dictated by?

[Ken]

This has been a orthodox belief for most of Christianity’s history, plus most of the Protestant era.

It seems it was God's design. I don't think He wants ministers of the sword to be motivated by satan.

If secular rule and law isn’t dictated by God’s church…

… who is it dictated by?

The Constitution, and by extension "we the people" ?

[Josh]

If secular rule and law isn’t dictated by God’s church…

… who is it dictated by?

The Constitution, and by extension "we the people" ?

Except the Constitution and "we the people" is actually not the right source to find out right and wrong. I mean, the Constitution says that slaves were 3/5s of a person and explictly allowed slavery.

That's not a source of morality nor what I want guiding me to the common good. The only source of truth and guiding light for mankind is God, the Bible, and the words of Jesus. The church may speak into many spheres, including the public sphere, to explain right, wrong, good, and evil.

[PetrChelcicky]

"Puritan" has mostly been used for the political side (or arm) of the reformed Churches. The typical instance being the Puritan movement around Cromwell.
As an opposition, Puritanism has meant a holy (civil) war against the "sinful" government.
When in government, Puritans are occupied with definig "sins" and organizing social crusades for to erase those "sins". Typical instances were abolition in the 19th century, prohibition in the early 20th century. Nowadays we have a complex crusade against a complex group of "sins": sexism, racism, fascism, nationalism, (domestic) terrorism etc (sins are mostly designed by words with -ism).
The common denominator: Puritans see themselves as the army of God who fights against an opposing army (which is by their logic the army against God).
I always quip that Americans are so infected that they have to have an outbreak of the Puritan disease every thirty years.
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Nevertheless,I see that "reformed" has become so wishy-washy that people who would have been content to call themselves "strictly reformed" will now call themselves "puritans", without referring to politics.

[Josh]

"Puritan" originally was people who wanted to "purify" the Anglican church. They eventually migrated to America and formed what is now mostly Unitarian-Universalist and United Church of Christ - Congregationalist churches.

I would agree with Petr that I see them continuing the original work, that is, trying to reform society apart from the saving power of the gospel.

Nowadays we have a complex crusade against a complex group of "sins": sexism, racism, fascism, nationalism, (domestic) terrorism etc (sins are mostly designed by words with -ism).

This is exactly what was started in Massachusetts and it hasn't really ever stopped.