Short Synopsis
An innovative and compelling study of puritanism that follows the full sweep of the movement's history in England and America.

Full Synopsis
On fire for God—a sweeping history of puritanism in England and America.

Begun in the mid–sixteenth century by Protestant nonconformists keen to reform England's church and society while saving their own souls, the puritan movement was a major catalyst in the great cultural changes that transformed the early modern world. Providing a uniquely broad transatlantic perspective, this groundbreaking volume traces puritanism's tumultuous history from its initial attempts to reshape the Church of England to its establishment of godly republics in both England and America and its demise at the end of the seventeenth century.

Shedding new light on puritans whose impact was far–reaching as well as on those who left only limited traces behind them, Michael Winship delineates puritanism's triumphs and tribulations and shows how the puritan project of creating reformed churches working closely with intolerant godly governments evolved and broke down over time in response to changing geographical, political, and religious exigencies.

"Hot Protestants is a fine work of scholarship, written in a gracefully understated style, and is among the fairest and most readable accounts of the glorious failure that was trans-Atlantic Puritanism." -Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal

"This is a book deeply informed and informative, appealingly told through personal vignettes . . . [with an] ambitious reach across England, continental Europe and America, from the 1540s through to the 1690s." -Johanna Harris, Times Literary Supplement

"Michael P. Winship tells an ocean-spanning story with a light touch and an ear for compelling vignettes." -Alec Ryrie, BBC History Magazine

"A fresh interpretation . . . [and] a thoroughly researched, up-to-date narrative. . . . Hot Protestants is an outstanding read; it is well-researched and overflowing with detail. It is lively history at its best." -Robert W. Caldwell III, Christianity Today

"Winship has produced one of the best introductions to puritanism that currently exists. Here is an accessible narrative spanning 150 years that never bogs down while still providing enough detail to understand what the puritans were all about." -Abram Van Engen, Reading Religion

"Engaging and informative, this is a must-read for any student of Puritanism." -M. Reardon, Choice

"The rise and fall of transatlantic puritanism is told through political, theological, and personal conflict in this exceptional history. . . . With a clear narrative tied together with helpful clarifications, Winship's cogent work nicely lays out the history of how puritans emerged from Protestantism." -Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Hold on to your hats. Michael Winship has written one of the finest and most challenging studies of early modern Puritanism and this in a field replete with gifted scholars." -Jonathan Wright, Catholic Herald

"Winship has established himself as a leading authority on the history of the Puritans. While many works have focused on a specific aspect of Puritan history, . . . there are fewer works that show Puritanism as a multinational movement in Europe and the Americas. This book fills those gaps." -Jeffrey Meyer, Library Journal

Publishers Weekly Review