By Moses Oludele Idowu
“With Him are strength and prudence. The deceived and the deceiver are His.” (Job 12:16)
The Roots of Puritanism
Professor Osinbajo dwelt in his lecture mostly on the fruits of the work of the Reformers and the Puritans. He itemised the kind of Gospel they preached and how this Gospel revolutionized Europe and America transforming their societies.
Because of the time he had and the occasion he obviously could not go deeper and that is understandable.
However there is something we must bear in mind and which we need to emphasize. Because preaching the Gospel is good and excellent and is the power of God to salvation but we will be making a mistake if we think it is that easy or as simple as Osinbajo has stated.
This is one of the weaknesses of that lecture. In Christianity, being comes before doing . What you are comes before what you do. A man must first be holy before he can preach a holy gospel.
To preach the gospel of the Reformers you must know what the reformers know and believe what the Reformers believed. To live and act like the Puritans you must stand where they stood and hold what they held both theologically and intellectually. Merely knowing what they preached without knowing how they lived or what they believed won’t help us much.
This is one of the major ommisions of the lecture and why I feel compelled to write this.
We are wondering at the fruits of Reformation’s Gospel in the society of their day and even the Puritans. But as we know there cannot be fruits without roots. A tree is known by its fruits, said the Master. But – and He expects us to know without saying so not to take the intelligence of his hearers for granted – that a tree must first be rooted before it can produce any fruits.
So what are the roots of Puritanism and Reformation?
Understanding these is crucial to understanding their emphasis, their values, character, gospel, pulpit power, industry, doctrine… and why they were so successful and a blessing to the world of their day. Merely itemising what they preached without understanding their theological roots and emphasis is not going to help us and the Nigerian Church.
The Spiritual and Theological Foundations of Puritanism
A major impetus to the West in particular and the world in general was the Protestant Reformation. By introducing some spiritual values and ideas to Christianity this spiritual movement awakened latent consciousness and unleashed vital forces into the society.
We have mentioned what they preached and the role of universal education. One other important belief and value of the Reformation which is revolutionary in character and effect is the concept of “priesthood of all believers.”
More than any other principle of the reformation this one was a game changer especially in the world of 16th century and even the world of the Puritans. As heirs of the Reformation the Puritans took this to its logical conclusion and spawned innovation in their society. Historian Christopher Hill writes on the Puritans of the 17th century: –
“The Protestant doctrine of the priesthood of all believers opened doors to innovation, because it was ultimately an appeal to individual interpretation of the Bible, to the consciences of ( some) individual lay men and women ( The Bible and the 17th Century Revolution, p.416)
Puritanism as one of radical and faithful children of the Reformation was notable and grew out of three major emphasis or themes: “the New Testament pattern of personal piety, sound doctrine and a properly ordered Church- life and it is the blending of these together of all three of these emphasis which made English Puritanism the astonishment and the inspiration it was…” [ Peter Lewis, The Genius of Puritanism p.11]
It is futile to try to understand the great power of Puritanism and the great monumental changes it effected and great forces it unleashed into society without understanding these. Puritanism was a living force and dynamic movement rather than a set of rules or mere creed.
It was a vision and a compulsion which saw the beauty of a holy life and drew towards it with love and devotion marvelling at the thrilling possibilities of a God – ordained life. Because of its love to God it endures all things for His sake and bore discipline with satisfaction.
Like Jacob who laboured for 14 years for Laban and they seemed but few days to him because of the love he had for Rachel, the Puritans took personal discipline and ethical rigorism to dizzying heights because of their love for God and Humanity.
“Moreover iron discipline was combined with fervent devotion, saving the Puritans from a fitful mysticism on the one hand and a mere worldly religion on the other – and it was this marvellous marriage of law and grace which was not the least notable feature of Puritan piety.” (Ibid., p.12)
Take note of that – ” a marriage of law and grace.” To the Puritans there is no difference between Law and Grace, only a development. Like St. Augustine they agreed that the Old Testament was the New Testament concealed and the New Testament was the Old Testament revealed.
Unlike Nigerian pastors who gleefully quote the Old Testament when they needed tithes but avoid its draconian Mosaic enactments on the Moral Law and their members who hide under the New Testament and the liberty of Grace to free them from payment of tithes and other responsibilities the Puritans saw the whole Scripture as God- ordained and worshipped God with their actions.
“Every area of life came under the influence of God and the guidance of the Word. Each day began and ended with searching, unhurried and devout personal and family prayer. Each task, whether professional or manual, was done to the glory of God and with a scrupulous eye to his perfect will. Every relationship, business or personal, was regulated by spiritual principles.” ( p.12)
To the Puritans there was no duality, no sacred or secular, holy or profane acts, spiritual or worldly acts. Everything was done for God and for the good of your neighbor and for the glory of God. Hearing the Word and doing it is one and the same. They were men of action. (I shall come to this in a later series when I interrogate the author himself.)
These are the roots of Puritanism and the reasons for its greatest power and influence and why it did so much good for Humanity.
It is a weakness of Professor Osinbajo’s lecture that he did not once mentioned the very forces that triggered Puritanism and the values and doctrines that called fought this mighty instrument, even once in his emphasis.
He dwelt only on the fruits of their work and achievement but the roots – the spiritual, theological and intellectual forces – that made it what it was, is missing in the lecture.
To preach or do what the Puritans did you must know what they knew and live how they lived. Telling preachers or Nigerian pastors what the Puritans or Reformers preached and emphasized may be a good way to create “Nigeria of our dreams” but will be fruitless exercise as long as the Nigerian pastors lack the consecration, commitment to values, depth and total submission to the Word and personal piety that Puritans held. It is like asking a cobbler to mount an armoured tank to lead an attack.
The Real Power of Puritanism
In summary what is one major factor which gave Puritanism its great power in its day? And what accounted for the revolutionary changes the movement brought about? And why is the Nigerian Church – both clergy and laity – so weak as a factor in God’s work and and a force of societal regeneration?
The Puritans lived what they preached. They were not something in the pulpit and another thing outside. They embodied what they preached. Again I quote Peter Lewis:
” ..To a large extent Puritanism succeeded where other more cloistered ideologies failed, because here men embodied true doctrine so that Puritanism was made visible before men. Men saw on earth lives that were not earthly, lives that touched their own at so many points, yet which rolled on into a moral and spiritual continent of breathtaking landscape.”
That was it. Human beings are not fools. If they see true examples of good doctrine married to conduct they will follow them. That was the power of Puritanism and the weakness of Nigerian Pentecostalism in this modern day.
Pentecostals especially of the Nigerian variant say but do not like the Pharisees of old. They preached what negate their actions and they wonder why the nation is not following!
A bishop is known to boast of divine protection yet he goes about with body guards. It is a contradiction. Another General Overseer preaches about miracles and healing yet he went abroad for a medical operation and – as God would have it – a member of the medical team was a deaconess in his church. That lady was so shocked and felt betrayed that the man who speak so much about miracles and God’s healing is using the best of medical services to take care of himself.
The lady resigned and left the church denomination. I will protect her name. It is a pentecostal church and Osinbajo is close to the person I refer to whom I won’t name.
Another pentecostal bishop went to America for a medical treatment and came home preaching the next Sunday he has never been to hospital in his lifetime. The doctor who treated him was a member of the church and also heard that egregious lie. He too left the church with sorrow.
This is the major weakness of Nigerian Pentecostals: their messages are contradicted by their actions. That is why they are far apart from Puritans as the East is to the West.
Osinbajo should have used another historical model and context to address Nigerian pentecostal pastors but he himself stands incriminated in his own exposition. I shall come to this in the final part of this interrogation.
[ To be continued]
Follow me:
Facebook: Moses Oludele Idowu
WhatsApp Channel: MOI AND FRIENDS
WhatsApp: 08034697670
X: @MosesOludele
© Moses Oludele Idowu
September 16, 2025
All Rights Reserved