ABSTRACT
ChristianitywascentraltoBritishsocietyonbothsidesoftheAtlanticintheearly modernperiod.Itprovidedpeoplewithfundamentalconceptsaboutthenatureof existence,andwithwaysofunderstandingthemselvesandtheirlives.Butchurch andfaithwerecharacterizedbydiversity,unrestandconflict.Bytheseventeenth century,thereformedProtestantchurch,establishedagainstCatholicisminthe earlysixteenthcentury,andnowdominant,containedawiderangeofreligious opinions,doctrines,practices,andlifestyles,manyofthemfiercelyatoddswith eachother.Forthemoreferventandradicalbelievers,reformhadneverbeentaken farenough,andtheyworkedwithextraordinaryenergyandsingle-mindednessto bringaboutfurtherchange.Thisputthematloggerheadswithmoreconservative Protestants,andoftenwiththemoderatestoo,andinevitablybroughttheminto conflictwiththeauthoritiesofchurchandstate,especiallyinEnglandduringthe 1630sandaftertheRestorationin1660,whenthoseinpowerwereparticularly hostiletoreligiousradicals.Theconflictoftenhadimportantconsequences.For example,manyhistoriansarguethatitwastheenmityfeltbybothradicalsand moderatesforthereactionaryreligiouspoliciesofArchbishopLaudduringthe 1630sthatwasamajorcauseoftheCivilWars(DoranandDurston1991:8-9,268).Additionally,Laud'sreversalofthemovementtowardsreformwascertainlyone ofthestimulibehindthegreatmigrationtotheNewWorld,whichbeganinearnest atthistime.However,inEnglandduringthe1640sandespeciallythe1650s,when royalandepiscopalauthorityhadbeenoverthrown,radicalreligionthrived;numeroussectsflourished,andhundredsofindependentcongregationscameintobeing (Hill1972,McGregorandReay1984).Buttheinfightingamongthedifferent persuasionscontinued,andthemoreextremereligiousgroups,suchastheFifth MonarchistsandtheQuakers,stillfellfoulofcentralandlocalgovernment,and alarmedmostofthepopulation.
