The Puritans were motivated in their challenge against the Church of England primarily to seek biblical justification for their beliefs and practices. They were concerned with what they saw as the corruptions and unscriptural elements within the Church of England, which they believed needed reform. Their vision for the church was one that adhered more closely to the teachings of the Bible, emphasizing personal piety, moral purity, and a form of worship that they believed aligned closely with scripture.
This quest for a sincere, biblically based form of worship was central to their identity as a religious group. Rather than desiring complete separation from the Church of England initially, many Puritans sought to reform it from within, advocating for changes that they believed would return it to a true Christian ethos as prescribed in the Bible. Their motivations were deeply rooted in their interpretation of scripture, which they felt was being ignored or misrepresented in established practices.
In contrast, the options indicating a desire for total separation or support of the Catholic Church do not align with the Puritans’ goals. While some groups within the broader Puritan movement did ultimately advocate for separation, the primary motivation of the Puritans in challenging the established church was indeed to find a more authentic biblical framework for their