| Summary: | 碩士 === 淡江大學 === 美國研究所 === 91 === Colonial America was found as a biblical theocracy and “a city upon a hill”. Calvinist Puritans were the first British settlers to disseminate this value throughout New England in early Seventeenth Century. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was the most important biblical commonwealth during the colonial era and may also be considered as a cradle of Puritan culture. In order to foster true Christian worship, the Puritan pioneers of Massachusetts settlement had established a civil government in which only visible saints who covenanted with God were allowed to participate. They expected their biblical commonwealth and true church would endure forever. This thesis explores the roots of Puritan political thought and the impacts in adopting covenanted church membership during 1630-1662. In reality, Massachusetts Puritans were in various ways implementing direct democracy in their town meetings and Congregationalist churches. Puritans not only challenged the dominantthinking, divine right of kings, at that time in Europe, but also set a proto-democracy example in colonial America.
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