Puritanism and Emotionalism

Verses:

Romans 12:9: Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

John 15:8: By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Philippians 4:4: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Thoughts:

A large sect of the ideology of American society today has caused me to wonder how exactly we got here. We started in the late 1700s, a burgeoning, young nation. America’s founding fathers, the ones with the white wigs and ringlet curls, believed in a creator god, whether this be the one and only God of the Bible, or a type of deism or theistic rationalism. 

Yes, we had issues as a nation, the most prominent moral one outlined today being slavery, but other practical ones were not even having a government or way of ruling that the regions agreed on. But, the leaders of the country did craft a foundationally Christian form of government and constitution. 

So, as my thought process goes, how have we have fallen so far from our outwardly Christian foundation?

Well, to put it simply, it’s because we are fallen. A system that could work in a perfect world doesn’t work the same on earth because us humans are flawed. This is why the idea of socialism simply cannot work. It is a delightful idea that everyone could just share and be happy, but someone will always be vying for power over others one way or another. 

However, I also think the state of our society today–of being so focused on emotions and self expression and rejecting true christianity–may be due to some of our puritan beginnings. Bear with me here for a moment.

I do love the puritans. I think many were strong and well-meaning Christians. But, overall, puritanism was quite strict.

And my hypothesis (now remember I am no historian, just someone playing with potential ideas) is that part of our overly expressive and painfully emotional society today is a strong reaction to that puritanism. It’s the whole, crawl out of one ditch (overly strict) and fall headlong into the other (overly emotional) scenario.

Now, granted, the puritans weren’t completely strict in the sense that they could not enjoy music or wear other colors. However, I do think the general idea propagated was that strictness and severity were to be valued over enjoying life.

Don’t get me wrong - being strict is so important. You cannot have order without rules. And in art, you have to first understand the rules to learn how to “correctly” break them to get your idea across.

But, God didn’t just create us in a black and white world with a rule book. He gave the bible that is filled with beautiful, poetic literature. He filled the world with stunning colors, sumptuous foods, and resplendent scenery. 

So yes, we are meant to enjoy life!

But also, the point of life isn’t just to enjoy it. Pure and especially immediate enjoyment often leads to long term depression and a lack of true joy.

We are to enjoy and be joyful in life because we are a light for God. We are able to ultimately be at peace because we are at peace with our great Father if we confess Jesus Christ as His Son.

We should not be overly strict, and be wrongly idolizing a perfection that we actually can never achieve ourselves. God forgives, and so we should righteously live with that knowledge that we are washed clean.

Summary: Neither being overly strict nor overly emotional are good. We must seek to find the balance. Ultimately, Christians can enjoy life because they know they are saved. We must seek to live in obedience to His law, rejoicing in His beautiful world, and waiting expectantly for His Son’s return.

Ask Yourself: Do I struggle with joy? Why is this? Where am I leaning too much into my emotions and not being self-controlled? Am I wrongly ignoring my emotions?

#33

13 Apr 2026