Why remember the Pilgrim Fathers and Mayflower 400?

We had intended to include a session on the Pilgrim Fathers as part of the CViE National Conference 2020. Sadly, in the Lord’s purposes, this did not take place due to COVID. We provide some material here for your interest.

What is the relevance…?

It could be asked, why include a session concerned with something that happened 400 years ago. What relevance does it have today? Well, we certainly believe that it is relevant and would pose the question “why did 102 passengers made up of Christians and non-Christians spend 66 days in cramped conditions on stormy seas travelling from England to New England (America)?”

For the Christians, the driving force was the persuit of religious freedom and the ability to worship God according to their biblical beliefs and consciences. For the non-Christians, it was to further the business of the trading companies who employed them.

Looking more at the Christians on the Mayflower, who were they? They were simply a group labelled as ‘Separatists’ who would not conform to the laws of the Land regarding worshipping in the Church of England and conforming to practices that were against their consciences. They believed that every church congregation should have the right to choose its own pastor and officers, discipline its own members and decide independently how to run their local church. Having suffered persecution under Elizabeth I and James I – fines for not attending church, imprisonment, and death – the Separatists fled to Holland. However, they became increasingly concerned about influences on their children and consequently, in the Lord’s purposes, they determined to go to America and form a colony near the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia.

After many setbacks, the Separatists (or Pilgrim Fathers as they became known) set sail from Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620 and reached America on November 9, 1620. Whilst onboard the Mayflower, 41 men signed the Mayflower Compact and this document was seen as the first charter of freedom in America. It must be noted that they did not land in Virginia but, in the Lord’s purpose, at Cape Cod and settled at Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrims suffered much hardship during the winter of 1620 and into spring 2021, yet the Lord provided for them. In November 1621 their first Thanksgiving was held and this practice is still very much part of the American culture today – although how much of its religious significance is understood by many we do not know.

In considering the Pilgrim Fathers, the question does arise as to what would we be prepared to endure and suffer for the Truth’s sake and in our following of the Lord Jesus Christ. The current pandemic has meant we have not always been able to meet for worship in our churches and chapels. Yet we still have an open Bible and freedom of worship. What has been this inconvenience compared to having to flee the country and forsake all for conscience sake. Would we be willing to do that?

Find out more…

In a post such as this we cannot enter into the full details of the events that occurred in the late 1500s and early 1600s. However, there are number of sources that make interesting and helpful reading if you want to know more:

The Pilgrim Fathers and Their Bible: this is a well-written account, by Graham Chewter, contains a number of illustrations that emphasise the points made. The article considers the importance of the Bible to the Pilgrim Fathers – what of our Bible? Do we treasure it? Do we realise the sacrifices Christians were prepared to suffer to have the word of God in English? (There are still many today who are prepared to sacrifice all so that the Bible is faithfully translated and distributed in other languages – in many cases in countries where there is persecution – might we be helped to pray for those involved in this work.) We would acknowledge the kindness of the Trinitarian Bible Society (TBS) in making this article available to us from their current issue of the Quarterly Review.

10 places that Tell the Story of the Mayflower: this Is a factual and readable account of the background, voyage and arrival of the Mayflower at Cape Cod. The photographs and illustrations are helpful in painting a picture of the places and events surrounding the history of the Pilgrim Fathers.

The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts: This is an illustrated article written from an American perspective that includes the wording of the Mayflower Compact.

The following books may also be of interest:

The Pilgrim Fathers – The promise and price of religious freedom, Ian Cooper, Day One Publications: this book is part of the ‘Travel with series’ and takes the reader to the places that the Pilgrim Fathers were associated with. It also includes helpful supplementary information, maps and illustrations to help contextualise what has been written.

In Search of Freedom, JR Broome, Gospel Standard Trust Publications: this very readable account that will be of interest to anyone wishing to know in more detail the historical context and the spiritual leadings and life of the Pilgrim Fathers in following their Lord and Saviour.

Finally, in 2012, Dr E Pickles gave an address to CViE on the Great Ejection when on August 24, 1662 at least 1000 ministers were turned out of their living (churches), losing their income and homes, for what they believed. In her talk, Dr Pickles very aptly explained why we should have an understanding of our history and Protestant Heritage and made the point that “Freedom of worship may not be under threat, but freedom of religious practice, in many ways may be. Britain along with many other western countries in the late twentieth century and certainly increasingly in the twenty-first century are experiencing a period when our laws are being based very much on secular rather than on religious principles. That means that whilst religious people are free to worship as they like, it is expected that their religion should not interfere with their public life”. Further details of the address can be found by clicking here. The Lord grant parents, grandparents, teachers and others help to remind children and young people of the Hand of God in the history of our country, for if we do not do this then who will tell them?