Not going to lie here-- I'm a Lord of the Rings nerd. This had to come out at some point in the blog. A few groans are heard around the family (along with fewer murmurs of agreement) when I insist on hanging the map of Númenor above my desk, or when I add another volume of the Histories of Middle earth to my bookshelf. Tolkien's world fascinates me with its broad, sweeping history, races, lands, languages, and stories. The vastness is almost never-ending.
Zoom into this world with a microscope and you'll land on the Shire, a small region in the North-western corner of Middle earth. It is a quaint green country with close resemblance to rural Ireland, England, or New Zealand. The little people who live there are called Hobbits. I'll spare you a lecture. In a word, they are a unique race because they have no kingdoms; no Kings, Queens, Knights, or lords and ladies. They govern themselves, living peaceably in small homes burrowed in the ground and cultivating the bounty of the land.
J.R.R. Tolkien had a particular fondness for Hobbits, and it seems I do too. This may be an attraction to the concept more than anything else. There is something so pure about a life where community is close, family is closer, and the small beauties of the world enjoyed and celebrated in innocence and fervor.
This reminds me of my latest study in Church history- the Puritans. The Puritans are in no way related to Hobbits, I'll assure you (insert laugh track) but my considerations on the simple life reminded me not only of them, but of something important I read lately:
I Thess. 4:10-11 But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
This verse isn't urging us to keep to ourselves to the neglect of helping and blessing others. That assumption would be entirely contrary to the spirit of Christianity. Rather, it is instructing us to live a peaceable life, not relying on others for our welfare (no pun intended), but rather working with our hands and relying on the Father for the meeting of our daily needs.
I find the Puritans so inspiring for many reasons. I'm reading a book called A Quest for Godliness by J.I. Packer. It is fascinating. Even though I haven't yet managed to get too far in the pages, already I'm pulled in with no chance of return. In this important study Packer points out several reasons why the world of Christendom would benefit from looking back at the Puritans for inspiration, renewal, and revival. Some of these reasons are outlined as follows:
1. The integration of their daily lives.
The Puritans did not create a disjunction between the sacred and secular. Every activity was integrated for the single purpose of honouring God.
2. The quality of their spiritual experience.
The Puritans understood that people are creatures of the thought, affection, and will. They took deliberate steps in keeping these three components under the control of the Spirit. They practiced discursive and systematic meditation, always keeping the word of God close to their hearts through reading and memorizing.
3. Their passion for effective action.
The Puritans had no time for the idleness of the passive, apathetic, idle person who leaves it to others to change the world. They longed to be effective change agents for God. Cromwell and his army made toilsome prayers before each battle, and preachers prayed long and hard in the pulpits. They asked God to enable them to use their powers, not for their own glory, but for the furthering of His Kingdom.
4. Their program for family stability.
"The Puritan ethic of home life was based on maintaining order, courtesy, and family worship. Goodwill, patience, consistency, and an encouraging attitude were seen as the essential domestic virtues."
The Puritans were aware of the impact their family would have on the succeeding generations, and that drove them to paying diligent heed to raising up godly men and women of valor. Parenting was viewed as a mission- not the burdensome, tedious task the Western world sees it as today.
5. Their sense of human worth
"The Puritans' appreciation of man's dignity as the creature made to be God's friend was strong, and so in particular was their sense of the beauty and nobility of human holiness."They also maintained a balanced idea of our fallen nature's depravity and unholiness, and thus knew that our ability to please God through any earthly merit is entirely impossible.
As I endeavor to more fully study the Puritan vision of the Christian life, I do warn myself against falling into hero worship. It is all too easy to do. The Puritans had a fallen nature too, and The Bible is all-sufficient for our daily lives. We need not emulate the Puritans jot for jot, but there is a wealth of rich truth to be gleaned from them. I am inspired by men like Thomas Goodwin, John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, and John Knox-- who had huge hearts on fire for God.
Though many of these men and women lived their lives in simplicity and quiet devotion, but there is no end to the influence they had over the Church.
