Nobody had expected it when young Princess Elizabeth had exceeded to the throne.

But as the years passed, Catholic practices simply fell into disuse.

Old Catholic priests who were trained in the old ways died out.

And soon the only theology that pastors could access was Protestant.

Soon the only Bible that people remembered was in English.

And knowledge of it, ownership of it,

filtered into even the most rural areas.

And so Elizabeth's long reign ensured that the nation was Protestant.

What it could never do was ensure that the nation was filled with people

who were themselves evangelical.

It seems to be fallen human nature to put our hopes in the next leader, the next ruler.

And with all the reform that had come with Elizabeth,

the Puritans thought the next monarch, James the first,

the one who would authorize a new version of the Bible, the King James Version,

would bring even more reform. But would he?

You're listening to renewing your mind,

and I'm glad that you're joining us this week.

Yesterday Michael Reeves introduced us to Richard Sibbs, the Puritan.

And today he is going to zoom out to paint the picture of what was happening in Sib's world.

James the First is about to become king, followed by his son Charles the First.

So let's see if all the Puritans hoped would happen under the reign of King James

actually came to pass. Here's Dr Reeves.

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