While some of his colleagues were moving away from predestination, Edwards defended the doctrine in 1734. Separate divine and human planes of existence need not violate the laws of each other. Edwards defended predestination in order to give praise to God even over the realm of human psyche. Willing souls press into eternal life by taking hold on Christ, as much as they are pulled into salvation by the Redeemer. The modern reader who assumes the role of the cultural relativist may appreciate Puritan literature, but at the same time, ironically, the reader must decouple religion from issues of ethnicity, heritage, tradition, and family.
Puritan religion is a quest to live a life in strict accordance with the Bible.
It strives to prioritize scripture above tradition and heritage. The popular twentieth century view of religion is often nothing more than an accessory to an individual's identity, personality, culture, ethnicity, and family. From that perspective it is easy to become an offended at someone who declares that there is only one way to salvation. Griffin, Edward M. Jonathan Edwards.