Though much has been written about Cromwell in the past 400 years there are many tantalizing hints that simply do not finalize who he was spiritually. He seems to have been a friend to Christians and this was highly unusual in 17th Century England.

Oliver Cromwell was born in the last 4 years of the reign of Elizabeth I on 25 April, 1599. He was the son of Robert and Elizabeth Cromwell of Huntingdon, England, and though of median means, claimed to be of noble lineage. According to Antonia Fraser, author of "Cromwell - The Lord Protector" he could easily have descended into "yeoman mediocrity" rather than soared to the heights of acclaim that he did. As an adult he owned a fair amount of land and was involved in farming it and managing it till the end of his life no matter where his political and military pursuits led him.

A gospel preacher, Keith Sisman, of Cambridge, England has researched Cromwell and his time and gives the following account: "In Cambridge, England during the 1550s the religious movement known as the Puritans started inside the Anglican Church of England. The term 'Puritan' was a name given by their opponents and refers to their return to the Purity of the Gospel and Christian living. In the strict sense the Puritans were a party opposed to the Anglican party in the church of England. The Anglicans who were high church ultimately won with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 and from then on the CoE returned to many Catholic beliefs and ceremonies. In a broad sense the Puritans also included the independents such as the Church of Christ although no organisation was ever established to share views of the various dissenting parties. The CoE Puritans were largely Calvinistic and Presbyterian. Their beliefs came from the reformed churches of the continent. Their Bible was the Genevan version and they had a major influence on the 1611 King James Bible. They were opposed to the use of the Altar for Communion and often used kitchen tables to serve the Lord's Supper. They attacked the use of costumes for the priests, the use of the sign of the cross, organs, ecclesiastical courts, the episcopacy and religious days and holidays such as Christmas and Easter. Under the Puritans much frivolity was banned such as the pagan practise of dancing round the May Pole. The Puritans advocated preaching and the Bible as being the sole authority as opposed to tradition." One of the main struggles which was wrapped up in the problem of the monarchy that brought about the English Civil War was between the Puritans and the Church of England. As a champion of the "Independants" Cromwell is best remembered for his religious tolerance and especially for those who were not aligned with a state religion like the Church of Scotland (Presbyterians) or the Church of England (Anglicans).

Of course, we know that Cromwell and his forces finally overthrew the king, who was ultimately executed for treason against the nation. Cromwell was then named "Lord Protector" and ruled for several peaceful and prosperous years. However, shortly after Cromwell's death, the monarchy was restored and the Church of England severely oppressed all of the Independants, causing multitudes of them to leave the country for America. History is always written by conquerors, so it should be no surprise that Cromwell is usually depicted as an unrelenting tyrant.