The Puritan era was extremely important in the formation of the English consitution and its affect upon the church. It gave us tradition of pastoral theology unsurpassed in the history of the English-speaking world.  Today, a significiant proportion of the church has decided that its ministry today should be carried out pragmatically rather than theologically. ‘what works’ is more important than ‘what is more biblical’. If we want to be effective in the 21st century then we need to sit at the feet of the Puritans.