Not Peace But a Sword

"Not Peace But a Sword" examines the rise of Puritan radicalism during the English Revolution of the 1640s. Based largely on readings of the sermons preached during the Long Parliament, Stephen Baskerville analyzes the link between Calvinist ideology and the revolutionary zeal which culminated in the Civil War. In a world where preaching offered an alternative to the coercive power of the state the sermon became a source of political understanding and social consciousness. Godly speech defined a godly life which challenged traditional assumptions, appealing to the needs of a people caught up in the problems of rapid social and economic change. "Not Peace But a Sword" explores the social psychology behind the rise of Puritanism through textual criticism of the sermons, placing them in the mental context of their time, and offers a new understanding of the link between the language of religion and act of revolution.