Puritan Spirituality and American Evangelicalism

Yesterday in a tribute to the Puritans and thanks to God I posted that I would be giving three particular Packer-produced points of contrast between the Puritans and American evangelicals. The first is this:

We cannot but conclude that whereas to the Puritans communion with God was a great thing, to evangelicals today it is a comparatively small thing. The Puritans were concerned about communion with God in a way that we are not. The measure of our unconcern is the little that we say about it. When Christians meet, they talk to each other about their Christian work and Christian interests, their Christian acquaintances, the state of the churches, and the problems of theology—but rarely of their daily experiences of God. Modern Christian books and magazines contain much about Christian doctrine, Christian standards, problems of Christian conduct, techniques of Christian service—but little about the inner realities of fellowship with God. Our sermons contain much sound doctrine—but little relating to the converse between the soul and the Savior. We do not spend much time, alone or together, in dwelling on the wonder of the fact that God and sinners have communion at all; no, we just take that for granted, and give our minds to other matters. Thus we make it plain that communion with God is a small thing to us. But how different were the Puritans! (A Quest for Godliness, Packer, 215-216).

This was written in 1990. And while I think the point stands strongly, I do think that there has been an awakening in certain quarters to the life of communion with God. I also think, however, that there has also perhaps been a worsening of the situation in other quarters.