In 1608, John Smyth baptized himself in Amsterdam. He had been a fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, but as a Separatist fled from the harsh rule of James I's England. After his death one of his associates, Thomas Helwys, led back to England a group that had split from Smyth's former congregation. They formed the first General or Arminian Baptist congregation in England at Spitalfields, London, in 1612.

By 1638 at the latest there were also congregations holding a Calvinistic theology in London who practiced believers' baptism ("Particular Baptists"). These Baptists grew out of the first congregation of English Independents; although it is not know exactly when they adopted full Baptist views. A radical look at church principles, in the Puritan manner, led first to the understanding of the church as a gathered community, and then to a realization that only the baptism of believers fitted such a view.

(1603-1642)

King of England. Charles was determined to put into practice his father James' theories about divine rights of kings. No law and no parliament would restrain him and to make matters worse in the eyes of the Puritans, his wife, Henrietta Maria, was a French Roman Catholic princess. Charles reintroduced stained glass windows, crosses, even crucifixes. They elevated the Communion table and called it an altar and they insisted that worship be conducted according tho the Prayer Book and no other. He eventually tried to force his high church brand of Anglican religion upon the Presbyterian Scots. When the Parliamentarians beheaded his Archbishop Laud, Charles tried to punish the leaders of this opposition and civil war erupted. By 1646 Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentary army forced Charles to surrender. Eventually resentment against Charles broke out anew and in 1648 another war erupted. Finally in January of 1649 the king was tried and

A Bible translation which was the work of several English exiles in Geneva during the reign of the Catholic, Queen Mary. Miles Coverdale, who had translated the first complete Bible into English in 1535, was in this group. Once printed during the early years of Elizabeth's reign, the Geneva Bible's numbered verses, lucid prose, improved scholarship, extensive prologues, and marginal notes gave it wide popularity. Until its eventual replacement by the King James Version (1611) it was the most widely distributed Bible in English and was the one the Puritans carried to America.

[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, Geneva-Bible, history, James, Miles-Coverdale[/tags]

At the Conference, under the reign of King James I of England (formerly James VI of Scotland) in 1604, some leading Puritans had a chance to present to the king their ideas for change in the Church of England. But James dismissed most of their opinions rather rudely. On only one point did he consent to the demands of the Puritans. He was willing to have a new translation of the Scriptures made. From this decision came what we call the King James version of the Bible.

[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, Church-of-England, ChurchRodent, Hampton-Court-Conference, history, James[/tags]

A Jew, one of the first martyrs. Of the first company of believers. Judas, his son. He is the son of Zebedee. Was murdered by Herod Agrippa in A.D. 41. One of Jesus' closest followers.

[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, history, James, Jesus, martyr[/tags]

In 1603, when Queen Elizabeth died without an heir, James VI of Scotland, the son of Mary Queen of Scots, became James I of England, uniting for the first time the two kingdoms. When the Puritans presented their ideas for change in the Church of England at the Hampton Court Conference in 1604, King James rejected most of their opinions, but did consent to have a new translation of the Scriptures made, resulting in the King James Version of the Bible.

[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, Church-of-England, ChurchRodent, Hampton-Court-Conference, history, James, James-I[/tags]

Author of the Gospel According to St. John. A Jew, he was one of the Lord's first disciples. Son of Zebedee, and brother to another disciple, James, John was called the "beloved" disciple. He may have fled Jerusalem shortly after his brother was murdered by the order of Herod Agrippa I, king of Palestine from A.D. 41-44.

[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, history, James, John-the-Apostle[/tags]

At Hampton Court Conference in 1604 the Puritans presented to King James I their ideas for change in the Church of England. He consented on only one of their points, he was willing to have a new translation of the Scriptures made. From this decision came what we call the King James version of the Bible.

[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, Church-of-England, ChurchRodent, Hampton-Court-Conference, history, James, King-James-Version[/tags]

The Moravians were the spiritual descendants of Jan Hus. Driven from their homeland during the Thirty Years' War, they were scattered throughout Europe and lost many members. But a few remained to hold services in secret and pray for the rebirth of their Church of the United Brethren. In 1722, a little company of Moravians settled in Saxony, on Zinzendorf's estate, to escape widespread persecution. The party was led by Christian David, a convert from Roman Catholicism, who is said to have "burned with zeal like an oven".

The Community on Zenzendorf's land was named Herrnhut (The Lord's Watch) and became a haven for Protestant refugees from all parts of Germany as well as from Moravia and Bohemia. Count Zinzendorf himself entered the community and played a major role in shaping the Moravian influence and growth.

There are clear links between the renewed Moravian community and the Evangelical

Exiles who were forced to flee England under the reign of "Bloody Mary", returned under the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) to cry out against the "ease in Zion". They had read their Bibles and had developed their own ideas about a true reformation in England, differing from Elizabeth's establishment. We know these reformers as "Puritans", preachers of personal and national righteousness.

In its day Puritanism stood for change and a new day in England. The first Puritans had little confidence in traditional religion. Their plans for a new England arose from a deep conviction that spiritual conversion was crucial to Christianity. This rebirth separated the Puritan from the mass of mankind and endowed him with the privileges and the duties of the elect of God. The church may prepare a man for this experience, and, after it, the church may guide him, but the heart of the experience,