The Puritan Pulpit

Was identifying the Pope as the "Man of Sin" just a 17th-century insult, or a technical theological necessity? This week on The Puritan Pulpit , host Nick Reddin explores the radical convictions that defined a movement. We’re diving into why the Puritan divines viewed any human claim to supreme authority over the Church as " spiritual high treason " and why they branded the Roman system a "spiritu...

In this special episode of The Puritan Pulpit , host Nick Reddin moves beyond the 17th-century perspective to trace the long, turbulent history of the encounter between Christianity and Islam. From the desert sands of seventh-century Arabia to the besieged gates of Vienna, this episode explores the fundamental theological and historical wedges that have defined thirteen centuries of conflict. Join...

In this minicast episode of The Puritan Pulpit , host Nick Reddin explores the sophisticated and often apocalyptic worldview of the 17th and 18th-century Puritans regarding the global rise of Islam. Far from seeing it as a mere political force, figures like John Owen and Jonathan Edwards integrated the Ottoman power into a meticulous "History of the Work of Redemption." Join us as we examine how t...

What happens when the "priesthood of all believers" meets the "Law of Nature"? On this episode of The Puritan Pulpit , host Nick Reddin explores the meticulously constructed world of conservative Puritan ecclesiology. We’re moving beyond modern soundbites to examine how figures like Thomas Goodwin and Jonathan Edwards reconciled the absolute spiritual equality of the soul with a strictly gendered...

Has the modern pulpit traded its spiritual fortress for a performance stage? In this episode, Nick Reddin explores the meticulous and fiery world of the Puritan divines. We’re drawing a line between the “Tinseled Trappings” of today’s casual church and the "Plain Style" of the 17th century, a method designed not just to inform the mind, but to put God’s truth into the very soul. It’s time to move...

If the power went out, would your worship still exist? ⚡️We live in an age of "worship experiences," but what happens when you strip away the production? In this episode of The Puritan Pulpit , Nick Reddin takes us back 400 years to a movement that viewed church music through a lens most modern Christians have never even considered. It’s a perspective that challenges every light, every chord, and...

Think Puritan evangelism was just fire and brimstone from a pulpit? Think again. In this episode of The Puritan Pulpit , Nick Reddin digs into the "Art of Manfishing" a systematic, house-to-house, street-level movement that transformed entire cities. From Richard Baxter’s 4-step visitation model to the "Heart-Anatomy" of the Plain Style sermon, discover how the Puritans used the Law as a needle to...

To the Puritans, the spirit world was no myth; it was a high-stakes battlefield where the air itself was thick with the presence of unseen powers. In this episode of The Puritan Pulpit , Nick Reddin explores the "Invisible Combat," a world where the Devil operates as a "chained dog" restricted by divine sovereignty. We dive into the crucial distinction between demonic possession and the "obsession...

Forget the "witch-hunter" caricatures. For the Puritans, the real danger wasn't just spirits, it was superstition , a "will-worship" that traded biblical truth for human fear. This episode of The Puritan Pulpit explores how these rigorous thinkers used the Doctrine of Providence to stabilize a supernatural world. Join Nick Reddin as he dives into William Perkins’ war on "white magic" and the momen...

To the modern mind, Puritan church discipline sounds harsh. To the Puritan mind, a church without discipline wasn't a church at all, it was a garden without a hedge, soon to be reclaimed by the wilderness. On the latest episode of The Puritan Pulpit , Nick Reddin explores why they believed that without the "hedge" of discipline, the sacraments would be profaned and the name of God blasphemed. List...

When life falls apart, is it bad luck or a divine plan? 16th-century pastor Arthur Dent believed that attributing anything to "fortune" was practical atheism. In this episode, we step back to 1608 to hear Dent’s A Platform Made for the Proof of God's Providence . This isn't dry academic theology. It is a warm, pastoral defense of the idea that God is as involved in the death of a bird as He is in...

Join host Nick Reddin for a special episode featuring Leonard Ravenhill’s A Cry for Revival . Discover why this 20th-century preacher, despite theological differences, is often called a "Methodist Puritan." A powerful call to holiness, prayer, and the "agony" of true intercession.

Can you claim the Head (Christ) while rejecting the Body (the Church)? In our era of megachurch anonymity, "The Lone Wolf Christian" has become common, consuming sermons as religious commodities without ever submitting to pastoral oversight. But to the Puritan mind, an unattached Christian was a theological impossibility, a "wandering star" drifting toward darkness. Drawing on the rigorous ecclesi...

Do you have a shepherd? Or do you just have a favorite speaker? In this episode of The Puritan Pulpit , host Nick Reddin breaks down the Puritan critique of the multi-site, mega-campus model. We discuss the peril of the "unwatched soul" and the urgent need to return to a biblical model where every sheep is known by name.

Join host Nick Reddin for a focused look at the Puritan doctrine of Spiritual Warfare. We examine the paradigmatic lens of war that defined their worldview, the specific strategies of Satan identified by Thomas Brooks, and the 'holy violence' advocated by Thomas Watson. A concise guide to ancient strategies for a modern battle.

Join host Nick Reddin on The Puritan Pulpit , where we examine the remarkable life of Welsh preacher Christmas Evans and his sermon "The Smitten Rock." Born on Christmas Day in 1766, this resilient, one-eyed figure emerged from a challenging upbringing, marked by poverty and perils such as stabbings and accidents that ultimately guided him toward a profound faith. He acquired literacy in his late...

Join host Nick Reddin on the Puritan Pulpit Podcast, where timeless Puritan sermons are re-preached with passion and fidelity. In this special episode, we step into the historical roots of the Reformation with Dr. Nick Needham’s compelling article, "Seeds of the Reformation," from the Sword and Trowel magazine. Explore how the Renaissance, the printing press, and voices like Erasmus and Savonarola...

Join host Nick Reddin on The Puritan Pulpit as we dive into Samuel Rutherford’s powerful sermon, The Worth and Excellence of the Gospel . Preached in 17th-century Scotland amidst religious turmoil, this message from 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 proclaims the gospel’s unmatched strength. Discover how Rutherford, a pastor shaped by personal loss and unwavering faith, rallied his Anwoth congregation to stand...

Join host Nick Reddin on The Puritan Pulpit as we journey to July 1, 1750, in Northampton, Massachusetts, to revisit Jonathan Edwards’ heartfelt Farewell Sermon. Cast out by the congregation he guided through the Great Awakening, Edwards preached with solemn grace and eternal truth, reflecting on the revival that transformed a Puritan town and the controversy that fractured it. From Northampton’s...

Join host Nick Reddin on The Puritan Pulpit as we revisit Octavius Winslow’s powerful 1863 sermon, The Man of God. Though not a Puritan by era, Winslow’s Christ-centered, deeply devotional preaching carries the Puritan legacy forward. Delivered amid revival in 19th-century England, this sermon calls believers to authentic faith—marked by love for Christ, holiness, and dependence on grace—in a worl...

Join host Nick Reddin on The Puritan Pulpit as we unearth a timely sermon from 17th-century Puritan Thomas Doolittle, Motives to Love Jesus. Delivered by a fearless preacher who defied persecution after the 1662 Act of Uniformity, this message is a call to love Christ above all. Through vivid metaphors and 28 compelling reasons, Doolittle urges us to forsake fleeting worldly pleasures for the eter...

In this stirring episode of The Puritan Pulpit , we explore The Revival Hymn —an arresting audio compilation that has stirred hearts toward a deeper longing for God. Though the voices featured—Ian Paisley, Leonard Ravenhill, Paris Reidhead, Duncan Campbell, A.W. Tozer, and T. Austin Sparks—are not Puritan's, their impassioned cries for revival echo the very zeal and urgency that marked the Puritan...

Dive into The Puritan Pulpit with host Nick Reddin for a captivating episode exploring Thomas Manton’s powerful sermon, Hiding God’s Word in Our Hearts , based on Psalm 119:11. This 17th-century gem, part of Manton’s renowned Psalm 119 series, offers timeless wisdom on how studying and treasuring scripture can anchor your faith, guide your decisions, and strengthen you through life’s challenges. M...

In this episode of The Puritan Pulpit , host Nick Reddin brings you Jonathan Edwards’s moving sermon, “True Saints, When Absent from the Body, Are Present with the Lord,” preached at the 1747 funeral of missionary David Brainerd. At just 29, Brainerd’s relentless gospel work among Native Americans cost him his health, yet his unshakable faith inspired Edwards to share this powerful reflection on l...

In this episode, we bring back Robert Murray M'Cheyne’s stirring sermon, Believers Not Ashamed of the Cross of Christ , rooted in Romans 1:15-18. We step into Paul’s shoes, boldly preaching the gospel to Rome—the world’s mightiest, most learned, and wicked city—unshaken by its grandeur or sin. With M'Cheyne as our guide, we unpack the power of Christ’s righteousness and the call to glory in the cr...