24 Anglicans and Puritans
Anglican theology, which is the theology of the English Reformation, retains some Catholic sacramental and ceremonial practices (as evidenced in the Book of Common Prayer) but is based on a largely Reformed theological foundation (as evidenced in its chief confessional document, the 39 Articles). For this reason it is often called a via media, a middle way between Catholicism and Protestantism. The Puritans began as Anglicans who desired a more thoroughly Reformed church, divested of popish ceremonies and devoted more seriously to biblical preaching and effective church discipline. Their most important document is the Westminster Confession. They disagreed about church government: Most were opposed to the Episcopal government of the Church of England, and a majority advocated Presbyterianism, but there were also influential Congregationalists, including those who founded the New England colonies.
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