Puritan casuistry is a genre of British religious literature, in the general area of moral theology, and recognised as founded about 1600.
[1] The underlying theological trend is said to be visible in George Gifford: evidence from life accentuated as "proof of election", to be obtained reflectively, and matching "biblically promised effects".
[2] In line with the tenets of Reformed theology, the assurance of salvation could produce dilemmas on a spiritual level, and Puritan casuistry in part was a response to the need to address these issues as practical problems.
Perkins, Richard Greenham, William Ames and Joseph Alleine were noted as authors who wrote in this area.
When Reformed theologians adopted casuistry, it was in a distinctive style: concise and biblical, and largely denying the separation of moral philosophy from theology.