The term “Puritanism” was given to members of the Anglican Church of England in mid-16th century who claimed they wanted to “purify” the church. It was particularly strong in British North America. One of their strongest beliefs was that of “predestination.”
The doctrine of predestination argues that one cannot chose to be saved, nor can we achieve salvation simply by our actions. Whether we are saved or not will depend on whether God chooses to save us. This set them apart from other Christian groups of the same time period.
Another significant distinction were the concepts of:
Justification: When God elects those he will grant salvation.
Sanctification: The holy behaviour that comes with being saved.
Their belief was that God had already decided whether each person was going to be saved or not, and human behaviour could do nothing to alter it.
This belief, instead of making them despair, motivated the Puritans to try to find “evidence” of whether God had elected them. This evidence came in the form of their personal behaviour. Therefore, it prevented followers from falling into despair or temptation, and instead provided them with another reason to lead a righteous life.
A final characteristic that set them apart from other groups was their emphasis on "simple" prayer, and their preference for plain language in their bible translations.
