The Wars of the Lord: The Puritan Conquest of America's First People

— —

Matthew J. Tuininga (Professor of Christian Ethics and the History of Christianity, Professor of Christian Ethics and the History of Christianity, Calvin Theological Seminary)

The Wars of the Lord

The Puritan Conquest of America's First People

Matthew J. Tuininga (Professor of Christian Ethics and the History of Christianity, Professor of Christian Ethics and the History of Christianity, Calvin Theological Seminary)

$63.95

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Oxford University Press Inc
30 June 2025

History; American War of Independence; Church history; Protestantism & Protestant Churches

The epic, tragic story of the Puritan conquest of New England through the eyes of those who lived it

Over several decades beginning in 1620, tens of thousands of devout English colonists known as Puritans came to America. They believed that bringing Christianity to the natives would liberate them from darkness. Daniel Gookin, Massachusetts's missionary superintendent, called such efforts a ""war of the Lord,"" a war in which Christ would deliver captive souls from Satan's bondage.

When Puritan armies slaughtered hundreds of indigenous men, women, and children at Fort Mystic in 1637, during the Pequot War, they believed they were doing God's will. The same was true during King Philip's War, perhaps the bloodiest war in American history. The Puritan clergyman Increase Mather described this conflict, too, as a ""war of the Lord,"" a war in which God was judging the enemies of his people.

Matthew J. Tuininga argues that these two ""wars"" are inextricably linked. Puritan Christianity, he shows, shaped both the spiritual and military conquests of New England from beginning to end. It is not only that the people who did these things happened to be Christians; it is that Christianity was the framework they used to guide, interpret, and defend every major act of peace or war. They made sincere efforts to treat Natives according to Christian principles of love and justice as they understood them, and their sustained missionary efforts demonstrate how serious they were about saving native souls. Yet they appealed to Christianity just as confidently when they subjugated, enslaved, or killed native peoples in the name of justice. A mission they saw as spiritual, peaceful, benevolent, and just devolved into a military conquest that was virtually genocidal.

This book tells the story of how this happened from the perspective of those who lived it, both colonists and Native Americans.

By: Matthew J. Tuininga (Professor of Christian Ethics and the History of Christianity Professor of Christian Ethics and the History of Christianity Calvin Theological Seminary)
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780197671764
ISBN 10: 0197671764
Pages: 464
Publication Date: 30 June 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Abbreviations Introduction - The First Encounter Part I - Settlement Chapter 1 - The Pilgrims Chapter 2 -The Puritans Chapter 3 - The Lord has Cleared Our Title Chapter 4 - War with the Pequots Chapter 5 - Massacre at Mystic Chapter 6 - Miantonomi Part II - Mission Chapter 7 - The Conquests and Triumphs of Christ Chapter 8 - Reparations Chapter 9 - Natick Chapter 10 - The Pocumtuck War Chapter 11 - God, King, and Land Chapter 12 - Praying Towns Chapter 13 - The Wampanoags Part III - War Chapter 14 - Who Are Friends and Who Are Foes? Chapter 15 - God Does Not Go Forth With Our Armies Chapter 16 - No Indians Can Be Trusted Chapter 17 - The Narragansetts Chapter 18 - New England in Flames Chapter 19 - Negotiations Chapter 20 - New England's Reckoning Chapter 21 - Turning Point Chapter 22 - Algonquian Defeat Epilogue Bibliography Index

Matthew J. Tuininga is Professor of Christian Ethics and the History of Christianity at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI, where he has taught since 2015. He is the author of Calvin's Political Theology and the Public Engagement of the Church: Christ's Two Kingdoms (2017).