Church History

Church
History
A SURVEY
Church History
Introduction
Why would you want to study a bunch of old, dead people?
Well, why do you read and study the Bible? Doesnt it tell you the story of a bunch of
old, dead people? True, its central character, Jesus Christ, is still alive, but everyone
else has long since passed away. But we desire to learn all we can know about Peter,
Paul, James, John, and Priscilla. Why not others?
Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us
run with endurance the race that is set before us,
There is this great cloud of witnesses watching us run our Christian race. Maybe, just
maybe, if we look back upon the lives of some of these witnesses we can run a better
race.
Christianity itself is deeply rooted in history. It involves two central groups of people
the Jewish nation and the body of Christ, the Church. The central figure of Christianity is
Jesus Christ, God come to earth as a Man. The Person and Work of Jesus is a realtime historical event. The birth, sacrifice, burial, and resurrection of Jesus are historical
events and form the cornerstone of your faith.
The entire story of the Bible is the unfolding of Gods plan in history. The Gospel offers
redemption for a hurting world. A study of church history is the study of God at work in
the world carrying out His plan for mankind.
You are a member of Gods church body. The history of the church is the story of your
family. Studying the church over the ages helps the modern church understand
controversies and heresies. Cults were present in A.D. 200. the same as they are
present today. To understand Christian doctrine in its context of history helps us to
separate fads and falsehoods from the truth of the Bible. The cults of today have
already been dealt with in the distant past.
As a general comment, no two histories will view all events in the same fashion nor
place emphasis in the same manner. What follows is a general survey of church history.
Refer to the various sources, as well as many others that exist, for a more detailed
study.
So, why study church history? Because it is the story of your family tree. All of these
great cloud of witnesses are your distant brothers and sisters!
Jim Arthur
January 2004
Bibliography
And Other Information
Unless noted, all Scripture taken from The New King James Version. Nashville:
Thomas Nelson, 1996, c1982.
Century Events are taken from Church History Institute, at
http://www.gospelcom.net/chi/index.php
One Hundred Key Events in Church History taken from Church History Institute, at
http://www.gospelcom.net/chi/index.php
Suggested Sources for Further Study;
Cairns, Earle E., Christianity Through the Centuries, Revised & Enlarged Edition,
Grand Rapids: Academie Books, a division of Zondervan Publishing House,
1954, 1981.
Jones, Timothy Paul, Christian History Made Easy, Torrance, CA: Rose
Publishing, 1999.
Noll, Mark, A., Turning Points, Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity,
Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1997.
Schaff, P., & D. S. Schaff. History of the Christian Church. Oak Harbor, WA:
Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.
Shelley, Bruce L., Church History in Plain Language, Dallas: Word Publishing,
1982.
Vos, Howard F., Introduction to Church History, Nashville: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 1994.
Church History
Lesson 1
The Church Commences
to about AD 177
Acts 1:4-8 (NKJV)
And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart
from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, which, He said, you
have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be
baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 6 Therefore, when they
had come together, they asked Him, saying, Lord, will You at this time restore
the kingdom to Israel? 7 And He said to them, It is not for you to know times or
seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive
power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to
Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
4
Acts 2:1-4 (NKJV)

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty
wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared
to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they
were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the
Spirit gave them utterance.
1
Acts 2:14 (NKJV)

14
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, Men
of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my
words.
First, lets make clear of that which we speak
The Church is the universal, century spanning, body of Christ comprised of all
believers of all ages between Pentecost of Acts 2:1 and the Rapture yet to come.
1 Corinthians 12:27 (NKJV)
Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
27
Ephesians 4:12 (NKJV)

for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ,
12

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of
Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
16
Romans 7:4 (NKJV)

Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the
body of Christ, that you may be married to anotherto Him who was raised from
the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.
When we speak, then, of church history, we are discussing the historical events
and decisions that surround the people of Christ, those who are true believers or
members of His church. We cannot judge if all members of this groups as
defined by history were truly saved, but all of the events form the historical
foundation of the church as it exists today.
For example, the Crusades were a series of events championed by the Church leaders
of the day, but hindsight demonstrates the Crusades had little or nothing to do with the
gospel of grace. Great cathedrals have been built with church funds adored by
masterpieces of art, yet, where is the gospel of grace? Was God or money the force
behind their creation? Again, we do not know the answer to this question, but the
artwork exists for our pleasure, use and enjoyment. The chart below demonstrates one
possible method of breaking down the centuries into manageable units of time for
studying church history.
Periods of church history
Ancient Apostolic 30-100
Ante-Nicene 100-313
Nicene 313-590
Medieval 590-1517
Age of Reformation 1517-1648
Age of Reason and Revival 1648-1789
Age of Progress 1789-1914
Age of Ideologies 1914-
What we are about to study, then, involves the history of the church of Jesus Christ as it
actually existed throughout the past twenty centuries. You will not agree with all of the
theology expressed during this period nor will you approve of all the people involved.
However, a clear understanding of these events will help you to understand how our
doctrine developed, why we have denominations, why the Roman Catholic Church is
both a cult and a major influence of church history, and many more similar questions.
So come along and join us on this exciting trip . . .
The Apostles
The enemies of their Master insulted all of the apostles. They were called to seal their
doctrines with their blood and nobly did they bear the trial. Tradition says that:
Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword at a distant city of

Ethiopia.
Mark expired at Alexandria, after being cruelly dragged through the streets of that
city.
Luke was hanged upon an olive tree in the classic land of Greece.
John was put in a caldron of boiling oil, but escaped death in a miraculous
manner, and was afterward banished to Patmos.
Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downward.
James, the Greater, was beheaded at Jerusalem,
James, the Less, was thrown from a lofty pinnacle of the temple, and then beaten
to death with a fuller=s club.
Bartholomew was flayed alive.
Andrew was bound to a cross, whence he preached to his persecutors until he
died.
Thomas was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel in the East Indies.
Jude was shot to death with arrows.
Matthias was first stoned and then beheaded.
Barnabas of the Gentiles was stoned to death at Salonica.
Paul, after various tortures and persecutions, was beheaded at Rome by the
Emperor Nero.
The Apostles were not the only ones to move about the world with the Gospel message.
Acts 8:1 (NKJV)
1
Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose
against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered
throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Those scattered were the new believers. As they moved across the country-side, they
took the Gospel message with them, delivering it to their neighbors and others they
encountered along the way. One example of this spreading of the Gospel is found in the
book of Acts with the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:5; 26ff). While it
cannot be stated with certainty, it is likely that visitors to Jerusalem who were converted
at Pentecost started the church at Rome. They took the Gospel message back home
with them.
The pattern of the Apostles may be seen in the missionary journeys of Paul outlined in
the book of Acts. While many of the Apostles appear to have settled and ministered in
one location, others traveled from town-to-town, as did Paul, spreading the Gospel
message. Indeed, it is possible that Paul undertook one final journey following the end
of the Book of Acts.
Nothing is actually known about Pauls life after Acts 28 except for a few stray traditions
that have survived and the wishes he expressed in his letters. It is reasonably clear that
one cannot fit the events of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus into the events recorded in Acts.
5
Therefore, it appears Paul was released from prison after Acts 28, only to be later
arrested. 1 Timothy and Titus were written during this period of release and 2 Timothy
written after the apostles second arrest. A comparison of Titus 3:12 and 2 Timothy 4:21
requires that at least two winters are involved in the time frame covered by the Pastoral
Epistles. Assuming that Paul more or less kept to the itinerary laid forth in his letters, the
4th missionary journey would be approximately like this:
Timothy is immediately sent to Philippi with news of Pauls release (Phil 2:19-23)
He went to Crete, leaving Titus behind (Titus 1:5)
From there, he went to Ephesus
Then to Colosse to see Philemon (Philemon 22)
He then probably returns to Ephesus
Timothy joins him either at Ephesus or Colosse and Paul asks Timothy to stay in
Ephesus (1 Tim 1:3, 4)
Then to Macedonia (1 Tim 1:3)
This may have included Philippi (Phil 2:24), Nicopolis (Titus 3:12)
The winter having passed, if Paul went to Spain as he wished (Rom 15:24, 28) it
would have been in the spring. Clement of Rome, writing around 100, talks of
Paul come to the extreme limit of the west. This could mean Spain. Some
commentators view this as meaning Britain. There is a tradition that says Titus
accompanied Paul on this journey, wherever he went.
He would then revisit Timothy in Ephesus (1 Tim 3:14, 15).
He would then have passed through the seaport of Miletus where he had to leave
an ill Trophimus behind (2 Tim 4:20)
Next to Troas where he stayed with Carpus and left his cloak and some books
behind (2 Tim 4:13).
From there to Corinth where Erastus left the party (2 Tim 4:20; cf Rom 16:23).
And on to Rome from where he sits in prison and writes 2 Timothy.
His arrest could have occurred anywhere along this route commencing perhaps
at Miletus, although Troas is a better suggestion, explaining why the clothing and
books were left with Carpus.
A comparison of Acts and 2 Timothy shows the second imprisonment was not as
comfortable as the first. Paul was restricted to a cell in chains (2 Timothy 1:16;
2:9) and Onesiphorus had to search him out with great difficulty (2 Timothy 1:17)
In addition, we may note in the Acts the pattern of dispute resolution used by the Church
during the first several centuries of its existence. Acts 15 records the events of the
Jerusalem Council, a meeting of church leaders to resolve the question of whether or not
a new believer needed to be circumcised. Several times during the 400 years, the
church would meet to hold councils to resolve major theological issues.
With the exception of the Apostle John, the first generation of church leaders had died
by A.D. 70. The second generation includes Timothy, Titus and many others named in
the epistles. These are the disciples or students of the Apostles. All of the Apostles
would have had their Timothys, even if we do not know their names. Those who
preached in the First, Second, Third, and, perhaps, Fourth centuries earned the name
Church Fathers. To a great extent, these are the men who formed the systematic
doctrine of the church as they fought for the Apostles doctrines and clarified meanings
of terms found in the Scriptures.
Church Fathers
In general, the references to church fathers are broken down based upon time periods
and their method of protecting or defending the Gospel. The first group is the Apostolic
or Post-Apostolic Fathers (c.95-150, Clement, Ignatius, Papias, Polycarp). The second
group is the Apologists (c.140-200, Justin Martyr, Tatian, Tertulian), followed by the
Polemicists (c. 180-225, Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Tertulian, Cyprian), with the fourth group
being the Scientific Theologians (c. 225-400, Augustine, Origen, Cyril, Athanasius,
Jerome, Ambrose, Theodore, John Chrysostom). The Fathers are also referred to
relative to their time relationship to the Nicene Council (A.D. 325), resulting in the
Apostolic Fathers (second century), the Ante-Nicene Fathers (second, third centuries),
the Nicene Fathers (fourth century),and the Post-Nicene Fathers (fifth century).
We know from Scriptures that the persecution of Acts 8 is Jewish in nature. Likewise, it
is Herod who undertakes the persecution in Acts 12 that results in the death of the
Apostle James, brother of John. Both of these persecutions send Christians out of
Jerusalem.
It also appears that by A.D. 45, there were Christians along the Mediterranean coast in
places like Antioch, but aside from Jerusalem the only other pocket of Christians
appears to be in Rome. Pauls missionary journeys commence around A.D. 50. His
letter to the Galatians was written around A.D. 49. At the same time that Paul moves
Christianity along the Mediterranean coast into Asia Minor (Turkey) on across toward
Greece and Rome, persecutions in Rome would move Christians outward in all
directions from that city.
In the summer of A.D. 64 Rome burns. While many stories exist about this event, the
citizens of Rome blamed Nero, who, in turn, blames the Christians and persecutes them.
This is the first clear indication within the Roman Empire that Christianity is a separate
religion from Judaism. Many Christians die, but many more flee the city. The Christians
believed in only one God, while taking no note of social status. This belief excludes the
emperor from being deity. This offended the Romans. As such, the emperors would
view Christianity as an attack upon the existing social structure of Rome.
While Nero was busy attacking the Christians in Rome, the empire was also attacking
the Jews in the Holy Lands, first through the office of the Roman ruler Florus (A.D. 64)
and then through the offices of General Vespasian. Nero ordered the General to take
full control of Galilee and Judea. At Neros death, Vespasian returned to Rome to
become Emperor, but sent an army back to Jerusalem to stop all of the revolts the
Romans discovered. The net result of this was the scattering of Jews and Christians
alike. This also had a chilling effect upon relationships between the Jews and the
Christians, with the Jews once again directly persecuting the Christians.
With Vespasians son, Domitian, becoming emperor around A.D. 81, the empire once
again persecuted the Christians. Domitian claimed the title Lord and God, an obvious
affront to the Christians. It should be noted that Domitian also persecuted the Jews.
This persecution continued under Trajan.
The church fathers of the time took the approach of attempting to prove to the Romans
that Christianity was not a threat to the empire. These scholars were called apologists
from the Greek word apologia, meaning a formal justification or reply, that is, a reasoned
argument. They did not attempt to convert the Romans, merely prove to them the
Christians were not criminals and should not be persecuted. The best known of this
group was Justin, who was beheaded in A.D. 165, earning him the name of Justin
Martyr.
Ironically, while the apologists may have helped shape later doctrinal statements of the
church, it was the attitudes of the Christians towards morals, the social standing of
people (or, rather, the ignoring thereof), and the outward personal relationship with a
caring God that won individual Romans over to Christ. Many Romans became
disillusioned with the moral / social fabric of Roman and converted to Christianity during
this period.
First Century Events

The words and sayings of Jesus are collected and preserved. New Testament writings
are completed.
A new generation of leaders succeeds the apostles. Nevertheless, expectation still runs
high that the Lord may return at any time. The end must be close.
The Gospel taken through a great portion of the known world of the Roman empire and
even to regions beyond.
New churches at first usually begin in Jewish synagogues around the empire and
Christianity is seen at first as a part of Judaism.
The Church faces a major crisis in understanding itself as a universal faith and how it is
to relate to its Jewish roots.
Christianity begins to emerge from its Jewish womb. A key transition takes place at the
time of Jewish Revolt against Roman authority. In 70 AD Christians do not take part in
the revolt and relocate to Pella in Jordan.
The Jews at Jamnia in 90 AD confirm the canon of the Hebrew Scriptures. The same
books are recognized as authoritative by Christians.
Persecutions test the church. Jewish historian Josephus seems to express surprise
that they are still in existence in his Antiquities in latter part of first century.
Key persecutions include Nero at Rome who blames Christians for a devastating fire
that ravages the city in 64 AD He uses Christians as human torches to illumine his
gardens.
Emperor Domitian demands to be worshiped as "Lord and God." During his reign the
book of Revelation is written and believers cannot miss the reference when it proclaims
Christ as the one worthy of our worship.
AD 100 (TWO GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
Percent Christian: 0.6%
Breakdown: 70% nonwhite, 30% white
Evangelization: 28.0% of world
Scriptures: 6 languages
Total martyrs since AD 33: 25,000 (1.2% of all Christians ever; rate 370 per year)
Source: David Barrett.
10
Second Century Events

The Lord has not returned as soon as expected, so organization is needed to continue
the ministry, resist persecution, oppose heretical teachings, and spread the word. Thus
the office and role of the bishop becomes stronger.
While persecution continues intermittently from without, heresies pose major dangers
from within and must be answered. Heresies include:
GNOSTICISM -- A kind of New Age movement that claimed special knowledge.
MARCIONISM -- An attempt to reduce the Scriptures--both the Hebrew and Christian
Scriptures -- to a few select books
MONTANISM -- A charismatic movement that got carried away with new revelations,
prophecies, and judgmental attitudes toward other Christians.
Apologists, or explainers of the faith, emerge to combat heresy and answer the
church's opponents. Key apologists include Irenaeus and Justin Martyr.
The churches are not legal and have no public forum or church buildings. Local
persecution can break out at any time. A profound public witness emerges as Christians
are put to death because they will not deny the faith at any cost. Examples: Martyrdom
of 84-year-old bishop Polycarp (AD 155) and a whole group mercilessly tortured at
Lyons in AD 177.
The strongest centers of the Church are Asia Minor and North Africa. Rome is also a
center of prestige.
The church continues its amazing spread reaching all classes, particularly the lower.
Callistus--a former slave--actually becomes bishop of Rome and makes claims for
special importance of the Roman bishop.
AD 200 (SIX GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
Evangelization: 32% of world
Total martyrs since AD 33: 80,000 (0.5% of all Christians ever; rate 48 per year)
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One Hundred Key Events in Church History

Part 1: From Nero to the Battle of Tours
Details from the arch erected to honor Titus' triumph over the Jews
Year and event

64
Fire ravages Rome. Emperor Nero blames Christians and unleashes persecution.
70
Titus destroys Jerusalem and its temple. Separation deepens between Christianity and
Judaism.
about 150
Justin Martyr writes his First Apology, advancing Christian efforts to address competing
philosophies.
about 156
Polycarp, an eighty-six-year-old bishop, inspires Christians to stand firm under
opposition.
177
Irenaeus becomes bishop of Lyons and combats developing heresies within the Church.
about 196
Colorful and cantankerous Tertullian begins writings that earn him the reputation of
being the "Father of Latin Theology."
about 205
The gifted North African Origen begins writing. He headed a noted catechetical school in
Alexandria.
251
Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, publishes his influential work Unity of the Church. He was
martyred in 258.
12
270
Antony gives away his possessions and begins life as a hermit, a key event in the
development of Christian monasticism.
312
Constantine is converted after seeing a vision of the cross. He becomes a defender and
advocate of the oppressed Christians.
325
The Council of Nicea addresses debates perplexing the Church and defines the doctrine
of who Jesus really was.
367
Athanasius' Easter Letter recognizes the New Testament Canon, listing the same books
we have now.
385
In Milan, Bishop Ambrose defies the Empress, helping establish the precedent of Church
confrontation of the state when necessary to protect Christian teaching and oppose the
state.
387
Augustine of Hippo is converted. His writings became bedrock for the Middle Ages. The
Confessions and City of God are still read by many.
398
John Chrysostom, the "golden tongued" preacher is made bishop of Constantinople and
leads from there amidst continuing controversies.
405
Jerome completes the Latin "Vulgate" version of the bible that becomes the standard for
the next one thousand years.
432
Patrick goes as a missionary to Ireland--taken there as a teenager as a slave. He returns
and leads multitudes of Irish people to the Christian faith.
451
The Council of Chalcedon confirms orthodox teaching that Jesus was truly God and truly
man and existed in one person.
529
Benedict of Nursia establishes his monastic order. His "rule" becomes the most
influential for centuries of monasticism in the West.
563
Columba goes as a missionary to Scotland. He establishes the legendary monastic
mission center at Iona.
13
590
Gregory becomes Pope Gregory I, known as "the Great." His leadership significantly
advances the development of the papacy and has enormous influence on Europe.
664
Synod of Whitby determines that the English church will come under the authority of
Rome.
716
Boniface, the "Apostle of Germany," sets out as a missionary to bring the gospel to
pagan lands.
731
The "Venerable" Bede completes his careful and influential Ecclesiastical History of the
English Nation.
732
At the Battle of Tours, Charles Martel turns back the Muslim invasion of Europe.
14
15
Church History
Lesson 2
They Had Cults, Too!
AD 90 to AD 250
1 John 2:18-19 (NKJV)
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is
coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the
last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been
of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be
made manifest, that none of them were of us.
18
Why a fish?
Why is a fish the early symbol of Christianity?
If you carefully review the letters of the New Testament, you will quickly discover that the
major purpose of virtually all of them is to combat some type of false teaching that has
invaded or is about to invade the churchs teachings. The Bible is not a book written in
the format of what we would call systematic theology. Rather, it is written as letters to
existing churches, about existing problems of the time. The New Testament writers took
the teachings of Christ and explained to the local churches how to uphold Christs
teachings within a given set of circumstances.
Systematic theology is a uniform statement of belief on a given topic. For example,
nowhere within Scripture is the doctrine of the Trinity explained or defended. This task is
the world of systematic theology. As we look at the first several hundred years of the
churchs life we will discover that systematic theology was born in response to the ongoing problems of cults and false teachings that invaded the church. As false teachers
produced false doctrine, the Church Fathers defended Christianity by providing a
correct statement of the doctrine involved in the controversy. Thus, systematic
theology was born in the cradle of false doctrines.
Terms to Remember
THEOLOGY is the study of God. This, in turn, has led man to define
beliefs in God in general catch-all terms. There is some benefit to
understanding these terms, at least in broad concepts. It will help us
place religions together as to their overall worldviews of God.
ATHEISM, outright denial of the existence of God, is a position that many
claim to hold. If you are an atheist, you believe that man is alone and life
is meaningless. This is the Soviet cosmonauts view of the universe (I
cant see God, so He must not exist.). It is contradicted by evidence in
nature, the conscience, and the spiritual makeup of the individual, as well
16
as by biblical teaching. At heart, it is a rejection of the self-revelation of

the personal God of the Bible, who has on innumerable occasions
communicated with human beings for their benefit. Many people are
practical atheists because they have not bothered to inquire about the
existence and character of God.
AGNOSTICISM, the belief that one cannot know if God exists or not,
amounts to a suspension of knowledge. As with atheism, it rejects the
many self-disclosures of God. It is an affront to the God Who has
spoken, is based on pride, and offers no hope for life now or after death.
Both positions are contrary to the basic makeup of human beings, who
desperately need contact with their Creator and have the spiritual
capacity to interact with Him.
PANTHEISM is an often sophisticated but actually illogical view of God.
It denies the existence of a personal God who interacts intelligently with
human beings. Instead, God is the same thing as the universe, and, in
turn, the universe of God. Of course, in this view we are part of God and
He is part of us. If you are a pantheist, then you have to conclude that at
any given moment you are sitting or standing on God! It actually
sacrifices Gods personhood for His infinity, and, in some forms of the
view, makes God physical, although in some variations everything is
supposedly nonmaterial and spiritual, including the universe. Pantheism
is an attempt to reduce God to identity with His creation.
POLYTHEISM, the belief in a plurality of gods (equal or differing in rank)
is prevalent throughout the world, as is pantheism. This view clearly
contradicts the biblical teaching that there is only one deity and that He is
unique in power and position. In polytheism in general, the adherent can
never know if he has pleased the right god. We might call this the AlkaSeltzer view of God. Like a medicine that covers all the bases,
polytheism, by encouraging placating all the gods to obtain favor,
assuages the conscience, or at least it attempts to!
DEISM is the view that God exists and can interact with human beings,
but has withdrawn from contact with them. In some forms it involves
denial of the Trinity, the incarnation, miracles, and other orthodox
doctrines.
MONOTHEISM is the belief in only one God, a God who is active in the
universe. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are the only monotheistic
religions.
MONISM is the belief of all-in-one. It is the unity of all reality, not the
belief in a single God. It is similar in results to pantheism.
APOSTASY is generally defined as the determined, willful rejection of Christ and
His teachings by a Christian believer (Heb. 10:26-29; John 15:22). This is
different from false belief, or error, which is the result of ignorance. The problem
is whether or not a true believer can reject Christ. A better view is that apostasy
17
involves long-time members of the professing church, those who declare with
their mouths they are Christians, a position not supported by their hearts.
A CULT, then, is a perversion or distortion of biblical Christianity. It is a rejection
of the historic teachings of the Christian church. A cult is a group of people
based upon someones interpretation of the Bible and is characterized by major
deviations from orthodox Christian beliefs. This deviation is particularly
concerned with the Trinity and the Person of Jesus Christ.
The church cannot defend the faith unless it understands the faith. The history of the
early church is the story of the church leaders and members coming to understand their
statement of faith.
ORTHODOXY is the method of referring to the standard of beliefs held by the
Church of Christ. It is the list of doctrines believed to be truth.
DOCTRINE is the body of beliefs about God, humankind, Christ, the
church, and other related concepts considered authoritative and thus
worthy of acceptance by all members of the community of faith. A copy of
Calvary Roads statement of faith, as found on the church website, is
attached as an exhibit to this chapter.
ORTHODOX comes from two Greek words which mean right and honor. Thus, the
term orthodox in Christian usage means to rightly honor God. It may be viewed as
meaning that one should rightly accept and obey all of the foundational teachings of the
Bible.
Those who corrupt the foundations of orthodoxy are called heretics. The Greek words
from which we get HERESY and HERETIC simply mean to act of choice or an
attachment. Thus, in Christian terms, a heresy is a false doctrine, but not just a false
doctrine. Rather, it is a false doctrine so important to those who believe it, that it must
be considered an abandonment of the faith.
The story of the early church may be viewed as the battle between Gods people who
define and defend the proper statements of faith as against Satans people who would
abandon the faith by changing the statements of belief.
The seeds of this battle are found in the New Testament letters. Galatians speaks to
those who are called Judaizers. This group would impose a requirement of circumcision
upon persons wishing to become Christians. The rite of circumcision comes from the
Jewish rituals and was the covenant sign between God and Abraham. By requiring a
person to be circumcised, the Jewish covenant was being placed upon the requirements
of faith.
Paul writes against this imposing of Jewish rites in his letter to the Galatians. The
Jerusalem Council, found in Acts 15, demonstrates the entire church leadership body
resolving this conflict by rejecting the requirement.
As you read the New Testament letters, with the exception of the imposition of the rituals
of Judaism, you will not find any definite, full-grown cults. Rather, the letters suggest the
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seeds of cults who would grow to maturity in the following centuries. You will find many
of these cult foundations still present with the modern church.
EBIONISM was the continuation of Judaism into the second century. It rejected
the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, and the efficacy of His suffering. They taught
Jesus was the natural child of Joseph and Mary. Their goal was to retain a true
monotheism, thus, Jesus could not be God (teaching there was no Trinity).
Jesus was Messiah as a reward for His adherence to the Law. The Ebionites
rejected Paul as an apostle and venerated Peter. It disappeared by the Fifth
Century and had no lasting effect upon the church.
GNOSTICISM: From the Greek gnosis, meaning knowledge, taught the belief
that the physical world is evil and that only secret knowledge can free persons
from the physical world. If this is so, Jesus as a human could not be God, for
being human or physical, Jesus would have been evil. This leads most Gnostics,
but not all, to be . . .
DOCETISTS, those who practice Docetism. This name comes from the Greek
docein meaning to seem. Their teaching was that Jesus only seemed to
possess a physical body, so He only seemed to be crucified.
Although the seeds of the Gnostic teachings will be found in the New Testament, the cult
did not become truly functional until the second century. Christian Scientists are a
modern version of the Gnostic movement. Mormonism also has Gnostic elements.
Montanists, also called the New Prophets, existed from around 150 to about
220. They preached a return to the New Testament emphasis on the dynamic
acts of the Spirit. They exhibited a series of harsh moral standards and issued
many prophecies that did not come true. These two factors resulted in their
rejection. Their teachings may be found in many of the fringe charismatic
movements of today, such as the World Faith movement. Oddly enough, one of
the major leaders of the Montanists was Prisca (died prox. AD 190). A review of
the cult movements of the last two hundred years shows that many of our
modern cults have female leaders. Prisca prophesized that Christ would return
to Phrygia during her lifetime.
Along with fighting the cults, the leaders of this time period were faced with the need to
organize the church. Like any entity, the larger it grows, the more difficult it becomes to
manage. While one might not think God requires help running His church, there has
always been the practical side of church life. This was found in Acts 6 where the
Apostles had to appoint deacons to oversee some of the practical matters of the
church.
Jude 3 (NKJV)
Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common
salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly
for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
During this period, elder, overseer, presbyter, and bishop all referred to the same
role, one community preferring a given term to another. Christians met in homes and
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ordained elders to oversee the local groups. Baptism occurred as people trusted in
Christ, a pattern established within the New Testament.
As one moves into the third century, the church bodies within a city began to appoint an
elder or bishop to oversee all of the churches within that community. Congregations, or
groups of congregations, began to purchase property for their meeting halls. Two other
changes occurred during this period.
First, some groups started to baptize infants. Second, baptism was postponed until the
believer had been trained. These practices arose out of a deep-seated desire to
properly defend the faith.
All of these changes arose as the means to defend the church against Gnosticism!
One of the prominent Gnostics of this time period was one Marcion. The son of an elder
in charge of churches around the Black Seas southern coast, the young Marcion
forsook the church in favor of ship-owning and sailing. He returned home after
developing a distaste for the world. After being unrepentant over an affair with a young
member of his fathers church, the young Marcion was excommunicated from the
church.
Upon fleeing to Rome, Marcion became a member of the church at Rome, contributing
some two million dollars to the church! Here, Marcion developed his own theology.
While not one to seek secret knowledge from the Scriptures, he preached that our loving
God the Father would not resurrect a natural body from the grave nor was the New
Testament Father connected with the wrathful God of the Old Testament. God the
Father being spirit, Jesus was spirit and only seemed to be human (an early form of
Docetism).
Viewing all physical things as evil, this group drank water with the Lords Supper,
thinking wine might lead to physical pleasures. In fact, the group banned all sexual
relations, including those between spouses.
Marcion perceived that many of the writings of the Apostles contradicted his position, so
he resolved this issue by defining the New Testament to his own liking. He accepted
parts of Luke and ten of Pauls letters. From Luke, he removed the story of Jesus birth
and from Pauls letters he removed all mention of the Old Testament. By rejecting the
Old Testament and purging Pauls writings the God of the Hebrews did not exist for
Marcion!
Polycarp is the Church Father most responsible for dealing with Marcion. In the end,
Marcion was removed from the church in Rome. He formed his own congregations in
Italy and Asia Minor.
Although most Gnostics would eventually voluntarily withdraw from the local churches,
forming their owning groups, the Gnostic teachings had settled into Christianity and will
surface in various forms over the centuries. Another Church Father, Origen, serves as
an example.
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From Alexandria, Egypt, Origens major contribution to the church is an extensive study
of the biblical manuscripts. He strongly preached against Gnosticism, but renounced all
physical comforts himself. Believing Matthew 19:12 to be a literal command, Origen
castrated himself. He drank only water and wore no shoes. He urged Christians to
diligently search the Scriptures, suggesting they would find mystical messages within
their pages.
The net result of those who followed Origen ultimately leads to a variety of groups who
promoted physical discomforts and limited sexual lives as a means of following Christ.
In addition, when faced with difficult passages, these leaders would explain them by
looking for secret, hidden meanings. Consider the strong acceptance of the Bible
codebooks and arguments in the last few years.
What does it mean to be a Christian?
This is the question that faced the leaders of this time period.
The answers came, ultimately, in three forms.
A Rule of Faith, that is, the start of the formation of doctrines.
A Priesthood of overseers to preserve the Statement of Faith.
A Canon of Scripture, that is, a statement of the books of the Bible in response
to Marcion and others.
While we will look at the Bibles history next week, it is important to remember that at this
time, much of the teaching was by oral tradition. Letters, and copies of letters from the
New Testament writers existed and were circulated, but not every church had copies of
all the letters. Some placed more emphasis on the Gospels than on the letters. Others
placed more emphasis on the letters. Some letters were accepted in some locations,
but not others. By around AD 200-250 most churches accepted:
Four Gospels
Acts
13 Letters of Paul
1 Peter
1 John
Revelation
Revelation of Peter
Shepherd of Hermas
It would take time before Hebrews, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, and Jude are added and the
Revelation of Peter and the Shepherd of Hermas are removed. The initial point to
remember is that it was the dispute with Marcion that forced the church to focus on the
issue of what books should be in the Bible.
In addition, because of these various groups offering false teachings, the approach to
baptism was changed. The churches developed a Rule of Faith as a series of baptismal
questions to be answered prior to being baptized. Some churches would take as long as
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three years to teach the new converts these rules before allowing the convert to be
baptized. Again, the rise of cults and false teachings made the church focus on assuring
itself that its members understood the full impact of the question, Have you trusted
Jesus as your Lord and Savior?
One version of the basic Rule of Faith reads:
Do you believe in God the Father, Ruler of all? Do you believe in Christ Jesus,
Gods Son, who was born by the Holy Spirit through the virgin Mary, was
crucified under Pontius Pilate, died and was buried, and rose again on the third
day, alive from the dead, and ascended into heaven, sat at the Fathers right
hand, and will come again to judge the living and the dead? Do you believe in
the Holy Spirit, the holy church, and the resurrection of the flesh?
Apostolike Paradosis
These rules would evolve into widely used Creeds, such as the Apostles Creed, that
would be used as a mechanism for teaching doctrine and the faith.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy *catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
Lastly, the professional priesthood was taking shape. Someone had to develop and
protect the Rule of Faith. This was left to the elders of the church. During the second
century, Gnostic teachers circulated tracts supposedly written by Thomas. To combat
this influence, elders of the church began to trace both their teachings and their authority
back to the Apostles.
As such overseers became the keepers of the faith. They were viewed as the official
trustees of the Apostles teachings. In larger cities, their powers grew and their
geographical sphere of influence grew as well. Since they exercised authority over large
regions, they began calling one another fathers. The Latin for fathers is popes.
Before you apply your modern views to the above and arrive at conclusions that are not
yet applicable, it is important to understand that the work done by the Church Fathers
did protect the faith. Many controversies would arise over the years that would be
22
defended by the Church Fathers, men who were part of the this groups of overseers or
popes. But, as with any office, power is always subject to abuse.
At this time in history, the authority of the overseers still rested solely within the spiritual
walls of the church. Their teachings would influence the morals of their followers, thus,
indirectly influencing society, but their power did not control governments. Theirs was
the world of the church and nothing more.
Other controversial seeds were being planted during this time period. Marcion and
Gnosticism were not the only issues.
Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna. The churches in that region (Eastern) celebrated
Easter during the Jewish Passover. However, the churches in the Roman area (the
West) celebrated Easter the Sunday after the Passover. While in Rome debating with
Marcion, Polycarp and the then bishop of Rome, Anicetus, debated the date of Easter
without conclusions. They parted friends.
Some 30 years or so later, Victor became the overseer in Rome. At Victors request,
churches around Jerusalem commenced observing Easter based upon the Roman
reckoning. When other Eastern churches did not follow suit, Victor excluded them from
Christian fellowship. While this action was widely protested, Victor did not relent and
viewed the Eastern churches as cursed of God. Victors position was ignored following
his death, but the wound remained infected, as we will observe later in our study.
Another issue facing the church involved the question of what held the local bodies
together as a group. We have seen one answer already the Rule of Faith, the Canon
of Scripture and the body of overseers. In the Eastern churches, the Montanists arose
who claimed that dynamic gifts of the Holy Spirit were also necessary. This group was
ultimately excluded from the church because of a disproportional reliance upon the gifts
of the Holy Spirit and their prophecies instead of reliance upon the Scriptures.
The Montanists position was determined, to a great extent, not upon the issue of the
gifts of the Spirit, but upon the relative position of the individual believer verses the
overseers of the church. Who did God talk to? The leaders or the laity?
Today, we know that the answer is that God speaks to all believers and that for a church
to be in harmony, He will speak the same general message to all members. It is God
who makes the Church holy and it is God who provides the path the church is to travel.
The time period of the second and third centuries was a time when the church was
attempting to learn this lesson. History will suggest that the church was only partially
successfully in learning it.
*************************************************
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Why a fish?
The early Christians spoke mostly Greek. The New Testament was written in Greek.
The Greek word for FISH (3O1KG) became an acrostic of the life of Christ.
Greek Letter
3
O
1
K
G
Greek Acrostic
Iesous
Christos
Theou
Uios
Soter
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English Acrostic
Jesus
Christ
Gods
Son
Savior
Calvary Road Baptist Church

What We Believe
As Found on CRBC.ORG January 2004
We believe the Bible is God's Holy Word. It is unique from all other literature in that,
without error, it is the final authority on truth. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21) We
believe in only one living and true God. We believe that in the Godhead there are three
personal distinctions: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. (1 Peter 1:2; Matthew
28:19)
We believe they are co-equal in power and glory, identical in their essential natures,
characteristics, and perfection and that they are co-eternal. (Genesis 1:2; John 17:5)
We believe the Bible reveals Jesus Christ as "being the eternal Son of God, became
man" (Hebrews 2:16; John 1:14; Luke 1:35)
We believe that Jesus reveals to us the nature of God and teaches us about our own
nature, which is utterly sinful. Our sin separates us from God, who created us to have
fellowship with Him. The Bible teaches us that no amount of "good works" will ever make
us acceptable to God (Romans 5:6-8)
We believe the Bible teaches that God extends grace, though we do not deserve it, can
not earn it, and can never repay it, through the death and resurrection of His Son (John
3:16)
We believe that Jesus Christ is God born a man. We believe that He lived a sinless life
and died to pay the penalty for our sins. He rose bodily from the grave and gives eternal
life to those who believe in Him. (Acts 16: 31; Romans 10:9,10)
As believers, we depend upon the Holy Spirit to do what we could never do before; bring
glory to God and love and serve men. (Ephesians 5:23; Ephesians 2:8-9).
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Third Century Events

At beginning of century, Edessa (Urfa in modern Turkey) becomes first Christian state.
Emperor Septimus Severus (202-211) persecutes; forbids conversion to Christianity.
Then a generation of peace for the church. Amazing growth and spread of faith
continues and church buildings begin to be built.
North Africa a key Christian center. Egypt alone has a million Christians by the end of
3rd century. Carthage and Alexandria leading centers of Christian theological
development with such figures as Origen, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria.
AD 248 the 1,000th anniversary of Rome but all is not celebration as threats to the
empire increase from neighboring populations on borders.
The first empire-wide persecution instituted under Decius in AD 250. Everyone must
offer pagan sacrifice and show certificate of proof.
Church has to deal with the difficult problem of how to handle the "lapsed"--those who
relented during the persecution and now want back into the church.
Church problems not only political. Intellectual attacks must also be answered.
Porphyry writes Against the Christians attacking apostles, church leaders, Gospels and
Old Testament. Origen around 245 answers attack of Celsus written 70 years earlier and
apparently still a threat to the church.
The role of the bishop continues to grow in strength.
Before 300 Anthony goes into desert as a hermit, an important early step in
development of monasticism--which will be a kind of protest movement against worldly
Christianity and an alternative approach to spiritual commitment.
AD 300 (NINE GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
Breakdown: 66.4% nonwhite, 33.6% white
Total martyrs since AD 33: 410,000 (0.5% of all Christians ever; recent rate
1,540 per year)
Source: David Barrett
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Church History
Lesson 3
The History of the Bible
Revelation 1:11 (NKJV)
saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, and, What you
see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to
Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to
Laodicea.
11
What is the Word of God?

How important is it to you personally?
Are the Scriptures the sole, ultimate authority for your faith and life?
While the Bible is the Word of God, it goes without saying that there are many different
views of the Bible in todays world. It is my belief that for the Christian, there is only
ONE proper view of Scripture. THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD!
The Bible represents the written revelation of God given to mankind as a means of
learning about God, sin, mankind, creation, and a variety of other things ("doctrines") for
which we all crave knowledge. Written by over 40 different authors over a 1600-year
period, the Bible is written in varying literary styles and types. The Bible is a single work,
unified in its story - and that story is the salvation of God to fallen, sinful man through His
Son, Jesus. The entire Bible, at least from Genesis 3:15 through the end of the book of
Revelation, is about Jesus Christ.
Our word Bible comes from the Greek biblion, meaning book or roll. The word
"scripture(s)" comes from the Greek graphe, meaning writing. The original manuscripts
were written in Hebrew (the common language of the Jewish people), Aramaic (the
common language of the Near East until about B.C. 300 and the language of the Jewish
exile), and Greek, the common world language during the first century.
I hold the view that the original manuscripts or autographs of the Holy Bible were without
error (inerrant). I also believe that there are many good translations in circulation
today. The original Old Testament was written almost entirely in Hebrew, although a few
sections were written in Aramaic. The original New Testament was written in Greek.
Over the centuries, both the Old and New Testaments have been translated into
numerous languages. And, in many languages, such as English, there is more than one
good translation.
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In discussing the application of the Bible to our lives, we must understand the
differences in terms used to describe how the Bible originated and operates in our lives.
Revelation refers to the content of God's truth as it was revealed to the Old
Testament and New Testament authors of Scripture.
Inspiration refers to the accurate transmission of that content to men, first
verbally (as with the prophets) and then in written form (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2
Peter 1:20, 21).
Canonization refers to the recognition and collection of those inspired books into
an agreed upon collection, the canon, the Bible.
Illumination refers to the understanding of the Bible's message. This is primarily
an action that occurs only in the lives of believers. Unbelievers can only
experience this work as it pertains to His convicting ministry in relation to the
gospel message (John 16:8-11).
How did God produce the Bible?
God through the Holy Spirit caused the writers of Scripture to record exactly what God
wanted recorded. He did not do this by dictation, but through the movement of thoughts
and actions, to produce manuscripts written in the personality and language of the
authors.
There are, of course, several theories presented as to how inspiration occurred.
The theory of "natural inspiration" says there is no supernatural element. Great
men, who often erred, wrote the Bible.
Some believe in a theory of "partial inspiration." Here, the Bible contains God's
words but man must sort through the verses, "demythologize them," to find those
that have been inspired by God. The rest are man's creation and may be in error
Some find the thoughts of Scripture to be inspired but do not find the actual
words used are to be inspired. This is called "conceptual inspiration." The
concepts are from God but there are factual and scientific errors in the bible.
Some believe in a theory of "dictation." The writers passively recorded God's
words without any participation of their own styles or personalities. If so, God
must be a Person of many personalities, for a simple reading of the Bible will
demonstrate a wide range of styles and personalities.
The theory of verbal, plenary inspiration means that all of the actual words of the Bible
are inspired and without error. This fits the Bible's own description.
What views or evidence may we put forth for the concept of verbal, plenary inspiration?
Well, first, the Bible claims it for itself.
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2 Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Second, this is the method described in/by the Bible.
The writings are "God-breathed" (2 Tim. 3:16). "God-breathed" is the literal

translation of the word the NKJV and KJV translate as "inspired."
The writings are "spirit-enabled"
2 Peter 1:20, 21
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but
holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (KJV)
This verse also shows that God-superintended the writers as well as their
writings
Third, Scripture shows the interaction of "God-Spirit-Man" in the preparation of Scripture.

For example
Zechariah 7:12
Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words
which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets.
Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. (NKJV)
Acts 4:24-25
24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and
said: Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that
is in them,25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said (NKJV).
It is true that God used several methods in the inspiration of Scripture. These include
direct dictation (Deut 9:10), human research (Ecclesiastes; Luke 1:1-4), and spoken
revelation (Gal 1:12). These methods show that God was in control of the recording of
His Word. Scripture also teaches that not only was He in control, but that the actual
inspiration of Scripture is "verbal."
1 Corinthians 2:12-13
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from
God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.13
These things we also speak, not in words which mans wisdom teaches but
which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (NKJV)
Galatians 3:16
Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, And
to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to your Seed, who is Christ. (NKJV)
The Bible comes from God. It is God's instruction book to us on how we re-create our
relationship with God. Only God could provide this revelation to us.
We have already noted that the Bible was written by at least 40 authors over a period of
some 1600 years. These authors came from different backgrounds and levels of
learning. They performed a variety of different tasks while they lived. Yet, they all had
29
two things in common. They shared a deep love of God and they faithful recorded His
Words.
The original manuscripts of the Bible were written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
None of the original manuscripts exist today. The Jewish nation so revered the Holy
Writing that as the scrolls wore out, they were buried so the Nation would not desecrate
God's Word. Further, God knows that man would turn the scrolls themselves into idols.
So, God under took to direct man's steps so that no original copies were preserved.
God's Word even provides an example of this type of behavior.
The list of books included in the Bible is referred to as the "canon." Canon is a
transliteration of a Greek word that means rule, rod, or straight line. In other words, the
books of the Bible are the "straight line of God." Other works that might claim some
divine origin are not part of this straight line. Being crooked, they do not represent God's
truth.
The Canon, then, is the collection of 66 books properly recognized by the church as the
complete authoritative scriptures not to be added to or subtracted from. In general,
certain semi-specific tests could be used to determine the Canon.
Does the work carry the concept of being authoritative ("Thus saith the Lord"?)
Is the work prophetic, that is, does the author set forth the "claim" of being a "a
man of God" (2 Peter 1:20)? A book in the Bible must have the authority of a
spiritual leader of Israel (Old Testament - prophet, king, judge, and scribe) or an
apostle of the church (New Testament - an original apostle. This does not have
to mean an Apostle actually wrote the book; merely that it is connected to an
Apostle in some fashion. Likewise, the same may be said for the books of the
Old Testament.).
Is the book fully consistent with other revelation of truth?
Does the book change lives?
Has it been received, accepted and used by the nation of Israel and / or the
Church? This test is not as simple as it may sound. Remember there were no
copy machines in those days. All of the manuscripts were hand copied. And
while for most of its life, the nation of Israel had the Tabernacle or the Temple as
a storehouse for the Old Testament scrolls, much of the New Testament is a
series of letters written to the early Church and circulated between cities.
How was the Canon actually formed? God the Holy Spirit formed the Canon (2 Peter
1:20-21). But, man being man, had to go through the motions of "forming" the Canon so
as to ultimately accept which books God meant to have in Scripture. Here are but a few
of the highlights:
As far as the Old Testament goes, the books were probably collected by Ezra
and appear to be intact by about 250 B.C. when they are translated into Greek.
The New Testament refers to Old Testament books as "scripture" (Matt.21:42, as
an example).
The Council of Jamnia (A.D. 90) recognized our 39 Old Testament books.
Josephus (A.D. 95) indicated that the 39 Old Testament books were recognized
a authoritative.
The early church determined the New Testament books (see below).
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The apostles claimed authority for their writings (1 Thess.5:27)

The apostle's writings were equated with Old Testament Scriptures (2 Pet.3:2,
15, 16).
We have seen that the controversy with Marcion forced the church to define its
view of the Canon.
The Council of Athenasius (A.D. 367) and the Council of Carthage (A.D. 397)
recognized the 27 books in our New Testament today as inspired.
As we saw last week, by A.D. 200-250, the church generally accepted the following
works as part of the New Testament:
Four Gospels
Acts
13 Letters of Paul
1 Peter
1 John
Revelation
Revelation of Peter
Shepherd of Hermas
It became clear over time that the Revelation of Peter and the Shepherd of Hermas were
frauds. The other letters were accepted in some areas but not in others. Differences
mainly existed on books circulated in the West verses those circulated in the East.
The two church councils mentioned above concluded the matter as far as the New
Testament is concerned.
From a practical viewpoint, six factors probably led to the actual development of the
Canon by the Church.
By A.D. 100, the Apostles had all died and the oral tradition was becoming
corrupt. The church needed and wanted a set of authoritative documents.
Custom was to read some portion of Scripture during the service. The church
understood the need not to read unauthorized documents as though they were
Holy.
Marcion forced them to consider what books should be in the Canon.
The Montanists claimed ongoing revelation. This tendency needed to be fought.
The church fought the Montanists by claiming revelation had ceased. This meant
the church needed to define what was that revelation.
New Testament apocryphal works were appearing. These needed to be set
aside as not being part of the revelation.
Persecution also led to a need to define the Scriptures.
It should be noted that in 1546 the Roman Catholic Church accepted certain books
generally referred to as the apocrypha as being part of the Bible. Protestants do not
31
accept these books as part of the Canon. Among the major reasons for not accepting
these books is that they frequently contradict parts of the Old Testament. Further, there
are other "gospels" and letters written after Christ. They claim to contain other
knowledge about Jesus. They, too, are not part of the Canon, for they have no apostolic
origin, nor are they consistent with the other books of Scripture, Old or New.
It should be noted that the apocrypha is never quoted as authoritative in scriptures.
Further in Matthew 23:35, Jesus says that the close of Old Testament historical scripture
was the death of Zechariah (400 B.C.). This excludes any books written after Malachi
and before the New Testament.
The Catholic position came, at least in part, as a response to the Reformation. The
move was relatively easy, for although not declaring them as inspired, Jerome included
these books in his Latin translation, the Vulgate, which served as the prime Roman
Catholic Bible until recently.
The books of the apocrypha are as follows:
Letter of Jeremiah (317 B.C.)

Tobit (250-175 B.C.)
Baruch (200 B.C.-A.D. 70)
Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) (190 B.C.)
Additions to Esther (180-145 B.C.)
Judith (175-110 B.C.)
Song of the Three Children (167-163 B.C.)
1 Esdras (150 B.C.)
Bel and the Dragon (150-100 B.C.)
Prayer of Manasseh (150-50 B.C.)
Wisdom of Solomon (150 B.C.-A.D. 40)
1 Maccabees (103-63 B.C.)
2 Maccabees (100 B.C.)
Susanna (100 B.C.)
2 Esdras (A.D. 70-135
The Hebrew Bible was written on stone, clay and leather. Most scrolls were leather
(animal skins). Ezra the priest most likely was responsible for gathering and arranging
all of the books of the Hebrew Bible around 450 BC. The Hebrew Scriptures were
originally arranged in three groups, the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings (or Psalms).
When compared to our Old Testament, there were fewer books, for books such as 1 & 2
Kings were a single volume. The older arrangement was not as straightforward as might
be expected. Daniel, for example, was part of the Writings, not part of the prophets.
Over time, the order of the Hebrew Scriptures evolved to match that of our Old
Testament.
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The Old Testament Scriptures were translated into Greek starting in 250 BC. Jewish
Scholars imported from Jerusalem did this in Alexandria Egypt. The translation was
brought about because of the large Jewish community in the region who spoke Greek or
other languages but not Hebrew. The translation is called the Septuagint (Greek
meaning 70). Tradition says that 70 or 72 scholars did the translation in 70 days.
Historical records suggest the translation was an on-going event taking, perhaps, a
hundred years. The name is often abbreviated as LXX, the Roman numeral for seventy.
This is the first known translation of the Bible.
During the time of Jesus papyrus became the preferred writing material. This is a plant
that is cut into strips that are pressed into sheets of writing materials forming either
scrolls or codex (books).
The earliest translations of the New Testament were into Latin, Coptic (Egypt), and
Syriac (Syria), occurring between A.D. 200-300. The consistency of the use of the
books is suggested by the fact that Origen lists 21 approved books while Eusebius lists
22. Constantine who legalizes Christianity in A.D. 313 spread the works throughout the
Roman Empire. The Council of Carthage finally approves the standard of 27 books in
A.D. 397.
Jeromes translation of the Scriptures into Latin was commenced in 410. It took Jerome
25 years to make the entire translation. As mentioned above, this translation is known
as the Vulgate.
Starting about this period, the Jewish Rabbis form a group known as the Masoretes.
This group was charged with developing a critical text of the Hebrew Scriptures to
assure their accuracy. Working for the next 600 years, this group developed a
meticulous system of counting the number of words and letters in each book of the Old
Testament and on each copied page. This system allowed for accuracy checks on the
copied works. Any copied work containing an error was buried.
The Hebrew written language to this point was composed of 22 letters of consonants
only. This Masoretes added vowels to the language by pointing the text with dots and
lines to symbolize the spoken vowels. The accuracy of their work was verified with the
discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the late 1940s. Portions of all OT books but Esther
have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The scrolls also help to verify the
accuracy of the Septuagint.
As far as English translations are concerned, we must start with the history of England.
Christianity appears to have reached England by A.D. 300, but the Anglo-Saxon pagans
drove the Christians into Wales (450 -600). In 596, Augustine of Canterbury began to
evangelize Britain again. In 676, an illiterate monk named Caedmon retold portions of
the Scriptures in Old English poetry and song. Other translations of portions of Scripture
were made by Aldhelm of Sherborne (709), Bebe (735), Alfred the Great (871-901),
Aldred, Bishop of Durham (950), and Aelfric (955-1020).
In 1066, the Normans conquer England and French becomes the official language. No
further English translations of the Scripture occur until the 1300s. The language we now
call Middle English emerged in literary works in the early 1300s (such as Canterbury
Tales).
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In 1382 the first English Bible is translated from the Latin Vulgate by the Lollards. It is
named in honor of the original leader of this group, John Wycliffe. The Bible included
Wycliffes criticisms of the then existing church practices. This Bible is banned in
England and burned. Forty years after his death, Wycliffes bones were exhumed and
burned for heresy for his part in the translation effort.
England makes it illegal to translate or read the Bible in common English without the
permission of a church bishop in 1408.
Gutenberg invents the printing press in 1455. The Gutenberg Bible is the first book to be
printed. It is the Latin Vulgate version.
A Greek scholar, Erasmus, publishes a new Greek edition of the Bible and a more
accurate Latin translation of the New Testament in 1516. This Greek text is underlying
text on which the King James Version New Testament is translated. Erasmus had
access to only a half dozen or so manuscripts, none of which were complete. In fact, in
places, the combined manuscripts were incomplete, such as Revelation 22:19 or 1 John
5:7-8. So here, Erasmus turned to the Latin New Testament. He translated the Latin
back into Greek which the translation committee formed under King James of England
then translated into English.
In 1522 Martin Luther translates the New Testament into German. In 1525 William
Tyndale translates the New Testament into English. He cannot get his work published in
England and moves to Germany, where he published the Old Testament in English in
1535. The Bibles are smuggled into England. Tyndales translations are from the
original languages (Greek and Hebrew). Tyndale is burned at the stake in 1536. Much
of his vocabulary and style will remain in all the following translations of the English
Bible, earning him the nickname Father of the English Bible. His translation forms the
basis of the King James translation.
Other English translations are made:
The Coverdale Bible in 1535 this is the first complete Bible to be printed in
England
The Matthews Bible in 1537 this is the first Bible to be published with the kings
permission. The New Testament is strongly based upon Tyndales translation.
The Great Bible in 1539 this version is placed in every church and is based
upon Matthews Bible by order of Thomas Crammer archbishop under King
Henry VIII. These are chained to the church pillars to prevent their theft.
Mary ascends to the throne and in 1555 bans English translations and burns
Thomas Crammer at the stake. Exiles from England flee to Switzerland and print
the Geneva Bible in 1560. This is a complete revision of the Great Bible. This
Bible contains theological notes from Protestant scholars John Calvin, Beza,
Knox, and Whittingham making it the first study Bible. The 1640 edition of this
Bible is the first to omit the Apocrypha.
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The Bishops Bible in 1568 this is translated under Queen Elizabeth by the
Church of England as an answer to the Geneva Bible.
Rheims-Douai Bible in 1582-1609 is a translation into English from the Latin
Vulgate.
The King James Version is published in 1611. It is called the authorized version
although James 1 never authorized or placed his royal approval on the finished
version.
Erasmus' text went through five editions. Others took up where he left off, but
essentially kept the text virtually the same. One of the editions of Theodore Beza, done
in the late 1500s, constituted the text behind the King James NT. By 1550 the third
edition of Stephanus' Greek text included in the margin textual variants from several
witnesses, but the text was still largely that of Erasmus. By 1633 this text had gone
through some more minor changes, but was stable enough that the edition published by
the Elzevirs was called in the preface the "the text now received by all," or the Textus
Receptus. Interestingly, this was more publishers' hype than consensus, for many if not
most New Testament scholars of the time had long noted the inherent weaknesses in
this text.
It should be noted that the King James underwent some three published revisions.
Erasmus' text as well as the text of the English translation contained scores of footnotes
and marginal readings on possible alternative meanings and textual difficulties. Some of
these were incorporated into subsequent revisions. The edition most used today was
the 1769 revision.
The 1800s saw great discoveries of additional manuscripts. Today there exists over
24,000 New Testament manuscripts, of which over 5,300 are Greek. Compared to other
ancient manuscripts, the weight of authority favors the accuracy and reliability of the
Bible manuscripts. For example, only 643 copies of Homer's Iliad exist today. Homer
wrote in about B.C. 900, but the most ancient manuscript dates only to B.C. 400. As will
be noted below, the oldest New Testament manuscript is part of Johns Gospel dating to
A.D. 110-125. If one were to compare the manuscripts, noting differences, the Bible is
98-99% accurate, while the Iliad is only about 95% accurate.
Two British scholars, Westcott and Hort, undertook a study of these manuscripts and in
1881 published their own text of the Greek New Testament. Their critical text was based
upon a long string of preunderstandings about the original of various manuscripts.
What Westcott and Hort's study did was to prove that there were, generally speaking,
families of texts. If two copies were made in Jerusalem, one being sent to Antioch and
the other to Alexandria, Egypt, one could assume that each was identical. But then
scribes in both locations copied and copied and recopied these texts. Over time, human
errors were made. But the scribes in Antioch made different errors than the ones in
Alexandria. Subsequent copies reflect these errors. Over the 1400 years before the
printing press eliminated some of these problems, new family lines were created, i.e.
copies sent to Rome were recopied with new errors being introduced. Westcott and Hort
analyzed the manuscripts and assigned them to families. Rather than following the
majority of manuscripts (number wise), they "recreated" the ancestors. Using a variety
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of assumptions as to how errors occurred, they created a set of rules for choosing
between the variances in these ancestors. On this basis, it is clear that all of Erasmus'
texts belonged to what Westcott and Hort called the Byzantine manuscript family or text.
This text, according to the study, was itself probably a critical text created about 400 or
500 AD.
Today there are manuscripts of a much early age available for study to which Erasmus
did not have access. One fragment of the gospel of John has been dated to 110-125
A.D. Since John wrote between 90-100 A.D., this is a very early copy, perhaps a first
generation copy. Such close copies are unheard of when one looks at secular
manuscripts. This just adds to the miracle of the survival and authentication of the Bible.
Which leads to the second important event, a discovery in 1885 by Adolf Deissman. His
single volume, Bible Studies, revolutionized much critical thought. In this volume,
Deissman discussed his reading of early Greek manuscripts - not biblical texts but
letters, business contracts, receipts, marriage contracts. What Deissman conclude was
that these papyri contained the common Greek language of the first century, the same
vocabulary as is used in the New Testament! This is the first modern scholarly study of
parallel language to the NT. It dispelled the view that the Greek of the NT was a
language invented by the Holy Spirit. Since the NT is written in the language of the
people, the people will be able to understand it.
For example, Christ's Words "It is finished" (John 19:30) is also found on receipts and
means "paid in full!" The death on the Cross paid our sin debts in full. They were not just
canceled or annulled but PAID IN FULL.
Also, words at which the KJV translators had merely guessed now had meaning. John
3:16's "only begotten" really means "one and only" or "unique."
These are the type of factors that have created an abundance of new translations of
God's Holy Word. The modern critical texts used by most scholars for study are the
result of pain staking work based, in the case of the NT, on the initial work of Westcott
and Hort.
It should be noted that there are a group of scholars who would still use the "majority
text," that is, the composite text prepared on nothing more than numbers. In the last
decade a handful of scholars has risen in protest of textual criticism as normally
practiced. In 1977 Pickering advocated that the wording of the New Testament
autographs was faithfully represented in the majority of extant Greek manuscripts. This
view had been argued in one form or another since John W. Burgon in 1883 sought to
dismantle single-handedly the Westcott-Hort theory. To be sure, the Majority Text
stands much closer to the Textus Receptus than it does to the critical text. According to
one writer's count there are 6,577 differences between the Majority Text and the critical
text. But that does not tell the whole story. Not by a long shot.
One might note the following when discussing "errors" in the various manuscripts. Out
of the 150,000 variants, only 400 materially alter the sense. Among these no more than
about 50 have real importance for any reason whatever; and even in the case of these
50, not one touches on any article of faith or any moral commandment not forcibly
supported by other entirely clear passages, or by the teaching of the Bible as a whole.
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The Textus Receptus (Received Test) of Stephanus, Beza and Elzevir and our present
versions teach exactly the same Christianity as the oldest manuscripts."
So then, one might ask, why if all this is true, do we have differing interpretation of
passages? Why do we have so many different Bible versions?
Does anyone here speak a foreign language? Does anyone here have a lot of contact
with teenagers? For that matter, consider the problems of talking to someone in a
completely differing line of work - "geeks" have a different set of slang phrases from
medical doctors.
The problem of language lies in both the meaning of words and the use to which they
are placed, their context. "To strike" means one thing in a fist fight, but something
different in baseball or some other sports (strike the football with the foot, not with a bat),
and yet "to strike" has still another meaning in a labor dispute.
If Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible as tradition holds, and if scholars'
timelines are accurate, Moses wrote these books during the Exodus that occurred
between approximately 1445 BC and 1405 BC, that is, almost 3500 years ago. What
kinds of "slang" did they have then? Consider some of the archaic problems of the King
James:
charity in 1 Corinthians 13 means "love"

bowels in Philippians 1:8; 2:1; Colossians 3:12 means tender mercies or
tenderhearted affections
What about today's slang, how will it be viewed a thousand years from now (assuming
Christ tarries that long)? As my daughter would say, cool man.
This is where historical, cultural, and ancient language studies play such an important
role in our understanding of the Scriptures.
Formal versus Dynamic
So then, how do translators approach these problems? This is part of the issue that
leads to multiple versions. Most people today, if asked what makes for a faithful
translation of the Bible would say that it should be a word-for-word account. If the
original has a noun, one would expect a noun. If the original had sixteen words, they
expect to see sixteen words in the translated sentence. This is call "formal equivalence."
The King James, the American Standard, and the New American Standard versions are
the translations that come closest to this ideal.
At the other end of the spectrum is the dynamic equivalence or phrase-for-phrase
translation. If my daughter wrote her phrase "cool man," a translator using the formal
equivalence approach might translate it as a cool or cold man. But one using the
dynamic approach would use words meaning neat or awesome or ok, depending upon
the context. The dynamic equivalence approach is not so much concerned about the
grammatical form of the original language as it is about the meaning of the original. This
approach is, by nature, more interpretive, but it is easier to understand. To a great
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extent the NIV is a dynamic equivalent translation, although the New English Bible is a
better example.
In reality, no translation can be completely formal or dynamic. For example, in the King
James, the Hebrew in places such as Psalm 76:7 and 1 Kings 11:96 and 17:18 literally
reads "God's nostrils enlarged." KJV translates this phrase as "God became angry," an
example of dynamic equivalence. Another example from the KJV is found in the New
Testament, where in Matthew 1:18. Here the KJV tells us "Mary was found to be with
child." The Greek actually reads "Mary was having it in the belly!" Paul writes in his
letter (Romans 6:2; 7:7) "God forbid!" Literally the phrase in the Greek means "May it
never be!" Neither the Greek for "God" or for "forbid" appears in any of the texts.
So these differences in interpretative philosophy help to dictate the manner in which a
version is generally written. The formal equivalence translation lets the reader interpret
for himself. Often the average reader does not have the background or tools to interpret
accurately. This results in poor understanding of some passages. On the other hand, a
dynamic translation is usually clear and understandable, but if the translators missed the
point of the original, whether intentionally or unintentionally, a foreign or poor
interpretation will result. In my opinion, the New English Bible is an example of this
problem. Here the philosophy and theology of the Church of Scotland greatly influenced
the views on many passages, although it is written in beautiful, poetic language. At the
extreme, the New World Translation of the Jehovah Witnesses is an example of
theological doctrine at work in a dynamic translation. They, rather than writing their own
"addition" to God's Word like many other cults, simply reinterpreted passages to fit their
incorrect views.
This leads one to the ultimate question - Which translation is best?
The Holy Spirit is sovereign over even the worst translations. Even in extremely bias
translations, all the major doctrines are present. The Spirit can use these threads to
lead the sincere person to Jesus.
But, stay away from those prepared with an outright obvious sectarian viewpoint (The
New World Translation of the Jehovah's Witnesses). There is a corruption of doctrine in
such versions. And, as a Bible for serious study, stay away from those prepared by
individuals, Moffatt's, Weymouth's, J.B. Phillips, The Living Bible, Kenneth Wuest's
Expanded Translation, the Berkley New Testament, or the more recent translation by
Peterson, The Message, and Fox's translations of Genesis through Deuteronomy.
These may make wonderful devotional Bibles or comparative translations, but they are
not generally good for serious study. No one person can truly understand all of the
spiritual nuances intended in God's Word and, therefore, their own presuppositions and
preunderstandings will encumber such translations.
So, there is no single answer. Each translation has something to convey and bring to
the table. The truly serious Bible student should have one of a formal equivalence
translation and one of a dynamic translation. Two dynamic equivalence translations
would be even better. Read all of them for better understanding of the Scriptures intent.
Pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit upon the passage.
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THE TRANSLATIONS
King James -(KJV, 1611) - formal equivalence, but the original has undergone three
major revisions incorporating more than 100,000 changes. By the count of some there
are over 300 words in the KJV which no longer mean what they meant in 1611.
New King James - (NKJV, 1982) - formal equivalence, prepared from the same
manuscripts as the King James.
New International Version - (NIV, 1978) - dynamic equivalence, based upon a new
translation of the manuscripts, not a revision (as is the NKJV, the RSV, NASB). It was
prepared by an international committee of more than one hundred scholars whose
stated goal was to produce a translation midway between the literalness of a word-forword and the looseness of a paraphrase. Most consider it the best phrase-for-phrase
translation available today. The major flaw is that its language may be too simplistic. It
is prepared from an "eclectic" manuscript, drawing upon several different manuscripts
rather than a single critical text.
New American Standard - (NASB, 1971) - formal equivalence, probably the best wordfor-word available today. This is also its biggest weakness in that in places it becomes
stilted and wooden in its language. It uses the modern critical textual manuscripts as its
basis.
American Standard Version - (ASV) - a formal equivalence, word-for-word translation,
originally published by Goodspeed for the New Testament, with a small group of
scholars publishing the Old Testament companion. When the New Testament portion
was first published around 1923, it was highly criticized.
Revised Standard Version - (RSV) - formal equivalence, completed in 1952 and
designed to be a revision of the KJV. It used the ancient manuscripts. The New
Revised Standard Version (NRSV, 1990) follows the same principle but is "genderinclusive" in its approach. It is to be noted that the English Standard Version was the
fore runner of the American Standard Version. The Revised Standard was the initial
revision of the English Standard Version. The NASB is the revision of the ASV and the
NRSV is the further revision of the RSV. All, in the minds of the translating committees,
were designed to be replacements for, and revisions of, the King James.
Note: The NASB exhibits three major differences from the RSV (and NRSV). First, its
wording is less archaic. Second, its translators are more conservative theologically.
Third, as mentioned, its language is wooden in places in an effort to adhere as closely to
the wording of the original as possible.
New English Bible - (NEB) - completed in 1971 (the same general time frame as the
NASB and slightly ahead of the NIV), this is a dynamic equivalence translation, but the
biases of the translators (a joint committee, lead by the Church of Scotland) show in the
text. The Revised English Bible (REB, 1989) follows the same pattern.
The Living Bible - (TLB, 1971) - the Living Bible is a paraphrase, not a translation. It
represents the views of one person as to the meaning of the American Standard
Version. It is, in essence, the work of one man paraphrasing the work of another sole
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translator edition (at least as to the NT). The Living Bible is easy to read and is a
wonderful tool for first learning the Bible. It is not a study Bible. The New Living
Translation is much more of a translation, the translators referring to the original
language manuscripts during its preparation. The translation basis of the New Living
Translation is dynamic equivalence
Good News Bible: Today's English Version - (TEV, 1976) - dynamic equivalence,
published by the American Bible Society in 1966. It attempts to present the Scriptures in
idiomatic, modern, simple language.
The Jerusalem Bible (1966) is an English effort based upon a French translation. The
Bible was translated from the original languages, while its study notes are translated
from French. In many places the translations are freer than its counterparts, such as the
Revised Standard. The Jerusalem Bible was revised by the New Jerusalem Bible.
The New American Bible is the first American Catholic Bible to be translated from the
original manuscripts.
The Contemporary English Version - (CEV) - was first translated as a work for early
youth. Its aim is to be a functional equivalence by determining the meanings of words
and then expressing them in the most accurate and natural contemporary English.
The New Century Version - (NCV) - was originally published as the International
Children's Bible. The adult version was originally called The Everyday Bible. Both
versions emphasize simplicity and clarity of expression.
The Message - is a work by Eugene H. Peterson. This is an idiomatic English
translation of the Scriptures and does not exist as a complete Bible.
New English Translation (or NET) - this is one "in the middle." It is brand new having
been just completed (fall, 1998) and originally published solely on the Internet at
www.bible.org. This site is one composed primarily of graduates of Dallas Theological
Seminary. This Seminary has produced most of the critical studies on the manuscripts
in the last half of this century. T he NET is describe as more accurate than the NASB,
more readable than the NIV, and more elegant than either. I personally have not yet
read enough of it to have any opinion on the validity of this description.
The Amplified Bible (1965) This is not really a translation or paraphrase, but a unique
study tool. Based upon the KJV, RSV, and other similar manuscripts, The Amplified
Bible has expanded on alternate word meanings, providing these alternate shades of
difference right in the body of the text so that one does not have to resort to a lexicon or
dictionary to find the various shades of difference in word usage.
English Standard Version (ESV) is published by Crossway Books and is considered a
literal or formal equivalence translation. that seeks as far as possible to capture the
precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such,
its emphasis is on "word-for-word" correspondence, at the same time taking into account
differences of grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the
original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader
see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original. I have read the
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ESV cover-to-cover and find it to be good translation. The website for this is
http://www.gnpcb.org/home/esv/.
The New Living Translation (NLT -- originally mentioned above with The Living Bible)
is a dynamic equivalent translation, that is, a thought-for-thought translation. Its web
site (www.newlivingtranslation.com) describes it as In the New Living Translation, this is
accomplished by translating entire thoughts (rather than just words) into natural,
everyday English. The end result is a translation that is easy to read and understand
and that accurately communicates the meaning of the original text. With the adverse
publicity being captured by the Todays New International Version (see below), many
churches who previously were using the NIV have switched to the NLT. I am currently
reading through the NLT and find it to be a good translation that is easy to read. The
concepts used in translation do not make this version acceptable as a primary study
Bible, however, in my opinion.
Still an ongoing project is the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). Published by
Broadman & Holman Publishers, this work currently exists in a complete New
Testament. It is described as a fresh rendering of God's Word is translated directly from
the original biblical languages with a reader-friendly style geared to contemporary
English usage. The approach of combining accuracy and clarity makes the HCSB a
translation that any reader can enjoy (from
http://www.broadmanholman.com/hcsb/default.asp). I have read the New Testament
and find it acceptable.
Last, and most controversial, on this list of new translations, is Todays New
International Version (TNIV). Created by the International Bible Society, this
translation is based upon the very popular NIV, but has been edited to make it,
essentially, gender neutral in keeping with todays culture. The information site for this
version is http://www.tniv.info/. The other side of this story may be found at the TNIV
Response Center (http://www.no-tniv.com/), a site dedicated to convincing the world this
is an unacceptable version. While there are sufficient materials on both sites for you to
draw your own conclusions, I have great personal difficulty in reconciling the orthodox
statement of belief used on this translation with the changing of important terms in the
original languages from feminine or masculine to a gender-neutral term. This is not a
true rendering of the original languages and therefore is contra to what I read as the
statement of translation belief. The original Hebrew and Greek both have ample
pronouns, and noun and verb endings whereby the original authors could have used
gender neutral terms had they so desired. They chose, under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit not to do so. It is not the place of culture to re-edit the writings because it better
fits with someones view of the ways the world should operate. I would vote NO on the
TNIV.
I noted above a separate problem being raised by the TNIV. Many churches fearing, I
believe, that many in their congregation with associate the NIV with the TNIV
controversy, thus, concluding that the NIV is a poor translation as well. As a result,
many churches are moving away from the NIV. The current recommendations by those
who know are to move to either the NLT or the ESV. While there may be some merit to
this concern, I believe that each pastor needs to access the knowledge and
understanding of his own congregation. Further, care needs to be exercised in deciding
which version to use.
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It is interesting to note that after some 1500 years of use, the Catholic Church moved
away from the Latin Vulgate as its Bible. The New Jerusalem Bible appeared in 1966
and was based upon a French translation. The New American Bible is the first
American Catholic Bible translated from the original languages. Both of these are freer
than a word-for-word translation, and in places reflect the theological views of the
Roman Catholic Church.
As an aside, the major argument presented by that group known as the King James
Only-ers is based upon changes to wording in places that "reduce" or eliminate the deity
of Christ. While in the case of some individual passages this may appear to be true, on
the whole, translations such as the NIV and NASB have made changes the other
direction in many passages and, in the minds of many, have clearer language on Christ's
deity than does the KJV. For anyone interested in pursuing this course of study, I might
suggest The King James Only Controversy, by James R. White, Bethany House
Publishers, 1995. A second, newer book is that written by Philip W. Comfort, Ph.D., who
served on the translation committee for the New Living Translation. The book is entitled
Essential Guide to Bible Versions, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2000.
For those who advocate the KJV only position, one might ask, how could this be the only
true translation when it had to be revised so extensively? And, what about all those
other translations from Greek and Hebrew into Dutch, or German, or French or so on?
Are they not accurate? White's work address many of the arguments put forth in
publication that support KJV only.
From Zondervan Publishing Company, http://www.zondervanbibles.com/translations.htm
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Church History
Lesson 4
Church And State
- 247 to 420
Modern events and ancient persecutions have a peculiar way of intersecting in our lives.
Consider,
The overseer of Terni was martyred in 269. The church designated his feast day
as February 14. His name? Valentine!
Another overseer imprisoned during this time period was Nicolas of Myra Saint
Nicholas, better known as Santa Claus!
During this period the church survives, in part, by its union with the state. This helps the
church in many aspects of its life, but it will ultimately weaken the church as the church
and state merge into a single entity in the eyes of many during various periods of history.
At the same time, there were great periods of Roman persecution of the Christians. The
combinations of these events create a difficult time for the church, a time where heresy
mixes with state views.
For all practical purposes, there are only two truly key players in this chunk of history
one good, maybe, and the other truly bad. But, to get to them we need to review a
couple of other steps.
The Roman Empire turned 1,000 in A.D. 247. An endless, great party mixed New
Years, Mardi Gras, and every Super Bowl party into a single long feast. Living up to
their moral standards, many Christians did not participate.
Irony follows. A great plague broke out in Rome following the party. The Romans
blamed the Christians for angering the gods by not participating in the anniversary party.
Emperor Decius started another round of persecution. The period was shortened by
Decius death in 251, but many Christians died, including Origen. The period left behind
an ongoing problem for the church.
While the majority of Christians had not participated in the feast, many Christians had
participated. One of the events of the feast was sacrificing to the Roman gods, so these
Christians had participated in the pagan sacrifices. The new issue was whether or not
these Christians could re-enter their churches.
The basic church position was that if the believer repented, he could re-enter the church.
Since not all of those trying to re-enter were repentant, the issue could be stated as one
of discernment. How could you admit those who were sorry for their actions without
admitting false believers who claimed repentance but were not sincere in this actions.
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This battle would be fought, in all places, in Northern Africa by Cyprian of Carthage.
Cyprian himself hid during the persecution, returning to a church in confusion. Cyprian
felt that a believer could show his repentance by prayer and fasting. His opponents
were known as Donatists. This group believed that anyone who had avoided martyrdom
was a false believer. While they would not go so far as to exclude all of this group, they
developed a position that said overseers who had cooperated with the Empire should
not be allowed to confer the rites of the church ordination, communion, baptism.
This battle would continue without a complete resolution until the next wave of Roman
persecutions took Cyprians life. This wave of persecution came under the reign of
Diocletian who became emperor in A.D. 284. Under the hand of Gods divine
providence, Diocletian made a practical political decision that would influence the church
for many centuries to come.
Diocletian understood the vastness of the empire and the inability of one person to
properly maintain control. As such, he divided the empire into two parts. He appointed
administrative assistants for each part, establishing a rule that upon the death of the
emperor, the assistant would become emperor. Effectively there were two emperors,
one in the East and one in the West.
Diocletian established his throne in the East and named Galerius as his assistant. Both
of these men persecuted the Christian. Further, Galerius dreamed of ruling over both
parts of the empire. To accomplish this he kidnapped the Western emperors son. In
305, when the co-emperor became deathly ill, Galerius allowed the son to return to his
father. The son was Constantine.
Upon his fathers death, Constantine demanded, and received, co-emperor status.
During Galerius remaining lifetime, Constantine strengthened his position and became a
great military leader.
Meanwhile, the dying Galerius came to his senses and realized his persecution against
the Christians had not accomplished anything permanent, other than to drive the
Christians to their God. Galerius issued a death bed decree that allowed Christianity so
long as it did not disturb the public order.
Meanwhile, Constantine had met his opponent, another power hungry solder named
Maxentius. The winner would rule the empire. Maxentius retreated to Rome and
Constantine approached for battle. The miracle came the night before the battle in
A.D. 312.
Legend says that as Constantine prayed about the battle, he saw the above cross in the
sky with the words By this sign, you will win. The legend claims that Constantine
dreamed that Jesus Christ commanded him to place a Christian symbol or Cross on his
mens shields. The cross sign represents the first two Greek letters of the Greek word
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Christ. In English these letters are x-p. The legend also claims that Constantine added
this sign to his personal battle-flag.
Without worrying about the details of the battle, Maxentius drowned attempting to
escape and Constantine marched into Rome under the sign of the Cross. The following
year Constantine and his co-emperor, Licinius, issued the Edit of Milan whereby
Christianity essentially became the state religion in the Roman Empire. Constantine
claimed to be a Christian, although history does not completely support this claim. He
did grant the church leaders widespread favors and powers.
Rather than unify the empire, Christianity created problems for Constantine. The
Donatists called upon Constantine to settle the ongoing dispute over who could ordain
an overseer or elder. Constantine decided against the Donatists, but the church was
now tied to the state and would remain so for the next 1200 years! Constantine helped
to preserve the church and spread the Gospel message, but was he good?
It should be noted that the Donatist controversy existed in Rome as well. A
presbyter named Novatian also argued that those who had renounced their faith
during the persecutions should not be allowed to re-enter the church. The result
in Rome was the formation of a minority position that would last for many years.
It appears in general terms that the Novatians ultimately merged with the
Donatists.
Novatian did aid the church in fighting the Monarchians. This group denied the
Trinity, claiming essentially that only God the Father was God. Novatian defend
the orthodox position of the Trinity, but this heresy would arise again in the
future.
Another minor heresy was that of Manicheism. This was Gnosticism with
Oriental elements. As a religious movement it died under its own lack of
structure, but in the process, its levels of beings found followers who put the
teachings to work in a different setting. It sounds vaguely similar to Mormonism.
Manicheisms lasting effect was that it assisted the church to argue for the
separation of clergy and laity.
Constantine also had his Marcion. His name was Arius, an elder in Alexandria Egypt.
At issue was the issue of Jesus divine state. To understand the issue, one must
appreciate that the early church did not believe that God could experience emotions.
However, if Jesus was fully divine and fully human then He did experience emotions.
Thus, God the Father through the Son experienced these same emotions. While most
of the church accepted this position, Arius went a different route.
Arius taught that Jesus was not God! Arius taught that Jesus was a created being.
If this sounds familiar, you will find a similar modern day teaching in the doctrine of
Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormons.
Arius put his claim to music Once the Son did not exist. The church learned to play
this same game. The Christians wrote a chorus to offset the effect of Arius song we
know the chorus today as the Gloria Patri.
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Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the
beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Constantine did not rely solely upon the power of music. To maintain the unity of the
church and peace in his empire, the Emperor invited all of the overseers in the known
world to Nicaea, a village in northern Asia Minor (Iznik, Turkey). The date was July 4,
325. Constantine declared himself an overseer and apostle and oversaw the Council.
More than 300 overseers and 2,000 elders and deacons attended.
The history of the council suggests that most in attendance did not understand the issue
at hand. One small group attacked Arius while another small group defended Arius.
This later group made the mistake of explaining Arius position in simple detail. When
the collective body discovered that Arius truly meant that Jesus was not God, charges of
Blasphemy filled the air.
A statement of faith, a Creed, was drawn up and signed by all but two of the overseers in
attendance. While the phrase of one essence with the Father created concern for the
Eastern churches, the overriding need to oust Arius carried the day. The Eastern
churches were concerned that this phrase suggested that somehow the Father and the
son were not distinct.
Constantine excluded Arius and anyone who refused to sign the Creed from the church.
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things visible
and invisible, and in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the onlybegotten of the Father, that is, of the substance [ousias] of the Father,
God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not
made, of one substance [homoousion] with the Father, through whom all
things came to be, those things that are in heaven and those things that
are on earth, who for us men and for our salvation came down and was
made flesh, and was made man, suffered, rose the third day, ascended
into the heavens, and will come to judge the living and the dead.
The key to the Creed is the homoousion stressing that Jesus is not merely like the
Father but is of the identical substance as the Father. This term would create ongoing
controversy for the next 50+ years.
In an effort to make peace, Constantine attempted to restore Arius to the church. His
efforts were battled by Athanasius of Alexandria. Athanasius refused to restore Arius,
clashing with the emperor. Ultimately, Constantine exiled Athanasius on the charge of
treason.
Constantine died in 337. His body was baptized by a follower of Arius and the Roman
Senate declared Constantine to be a God.
Constantine was followed by his nephew, Julian. Constantines son had killed Julians
parents when the was a young child, creating a great deal of hatred in Julian for
Christians. Julian cancelled all of the civil privileges of the Christian clergy and restored
all of the exiled overseers in an effort to create chaos in the church. His plan backfired
as the churches of the East and the West actually started to talk to each other.
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Athanasius called a council at Alexandria to deal with Arius. All in attendance support
the position of the Nicene Creed. The group further understood the concerns of the East
and proclaimed that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were three separate Persons who
shared the same essence. The controversy was not finally put to rest until 381 under
the rule of Emperor Theodosius. The West favored Athanasiuss view, whereas the East
wanted a modified statement. At the Council of Constantinople the Nicene Creed was
fully accepted by the church, reaffirming the homoousian clause.
Julian feared the power Athanasius had over the church and sought to kill him. The
overseer fled to the desert where he was hid by desert monks until Julians death. While
the monks had formed over the early years of the church as a means to abstain from
physical pleasures, the groups soon discerned that it was not correct for them to be
alone. As a result communities were formed where monks could live together and still
live a life of prayer and quiet service. These communities were called monasteries. The
female versions were called covenants. The females were called nuns, from the
feminine form of the Latin word for monks.
One of these monks was Jerome. His life of a monk was relatively short lived, as he
returned to Rome realizing God had not meant that he live alone. He was one of the
early defenders of the idea that Jesus mother Mary remained a virgin throughout her
lifetime. As we saw in the last lesson, he also translated the Scriptures into Latin.
Many people did not like the Latin language Jerome used. These people called his
translation vulgate, the Latin word for common or vulgar.
Clearly not all of Jeromes contributions were valuable, but this demonstrates the
importance of the movement we call monks. One group located in Cappadocia (Turkey)
was at the forefront of the fight to maintain and keep the Nicene Creed. This effort
helped to unify Christian theology in both parts of the Roman Empire. Their leaders
were Basil, his sister Macrina, his brother Gregory, and a family friend also named
Gregory. While many monasteries lived quiet, austere lives, this group worked rather
than meditating all day, sang songs, helped others, sold what they grew and gave the
proceeds to help the poor, and banned fasting and self-punishment. They started more
monasteries and covenants in the cities where their members taught doctrine to
thousands.
In addition, many of these groups were responsible for making copies of the Holy Bible.
It was there efforts that assured we have copies of Gods Word today.
As a closing note, lets consider Julian one last time. Julian grew up in an extended
family who claimed to be Christian. Yet, the Christians he knew were the ones who
killed his parents, imprisoned him, and forced him to learn the Scriptures without
providing him the reasons for doing so. This effort fueled his hatred of God and
Christians. Christianity cannot be forced upon people who are not ready to receive
Gods Word. It cannot be ordained by the state nor can it be force-fed to children. Think
about it!
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Fourth Century Church Events

The fourth century, like the sixteenth, and perhaps our own twentieth, is one of those
periods in church history when momentous changes take place that stand out as pivotal
turning points in the history of God's people.
The century witnessed major changes and transitions in church relations with state and
society. Here are six:
Empire Persecutes Church -- At the beginning of the century the church went through
the "Great Persecution"--the last and the worst. Instituted by emperor Diocletian in 305,
it was intended to wipe out the church. It failed.
Empire Tolerates Church -- Emperor Constantine professed Christianity and the church
was given legal status. Often you will hear that Constantine made Christianity the official
religion of the empire. He didn't. But he did restore its losses and gave it favored
treatment as one among many tolerated religions.
Empire Challenges Church -- Paganism didn't give up without a battle. Emperor Julian
(361-363) attempted unsuccessfully to reestablish paganism.
Empire Adopts Church --Christianity was officially made the state religion under
emperor Theodosius IX in the year 381.
Church Challenges Empire -- In a dramatic confrontation that foreshadowed centuries
of church-state jockeying for position, Bishop Ambrose of Milan defied the emperor.
Church Persecutes Opponents -- It started off the century as a persecuted minority. By
the end of the century the persecuted church had turned into a persecuting church. Its
motives made sense. It saw itself as combating heresy, false religion and evil forces. In
many ways it was a different church and a different world at the end of this century.
Canon of New Testament confirmed. In the 367 AD Easter letter of Athanasius, and at
Councils in 382 and 397, final recognition was given. These do not create the Christian
scriptures but confirm what was already generally recognized and accepted.
Millions of new members pour in. Becoming a Christian is no longer a risk, but can
even be politically and socially opportune, so the church has to deal with a new laxity in
standards of belief and behavior.
Persecuted Church turns into persecuting church. By the end of the century the church
that had for so long endured persecution as a minority faith, now becomes a persecutor.
Major Councils - Church now needs to clarify and define what it believes. Long time
required to understand and explain person and nature of Christ. Under emperor
Constantine the first major council of church held in Nicea (modern Turkey) in 325.
Second major Council held at Constantinople in AD 381.
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Donatists Arise in 311 - No sooner does the church achieve toleration than a severe
rupture occurs within the North African church that would continue for three hundred
years. What had been one of the strongest early centers of the church is so weakened it
was eventually lost to Christianity.
Major Missionary Advance as Ufilias takes Gospel to the Barbarian Goths in midcentury.
Church Buildings Flourish -- After legalization the church gets big into real estate. Often
its great basilicas are built on the sites of what were formerly pagan temples.
Capital of Empire moves to Constantinople -- In 324 city founded. City dedicated on
May 11, 330. Rome no longer the center of power for the empire and church begins to fill
in the gap at Rome.
Eusebius' Church History --Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea becomes the first significant
church historian and gives us invaluable documentation on the early church.
Augustine converted in AD 386. He would become one of the most important
theologians in all of church history.
AD 400 (TWELVE GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
Total martyrs since AD 33: 1,950,000 (1.0 % of all Christians ever; recent rate
5,310 per year)
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Church History
Lesson 5
More Councils
AD 376 to 664
Beginning around 400, monks and priests would have the crown of the heads
shaved when they took their vows. For those with hair, this made their hair
appear as a wreath around their heads. This became known as tonsure. Pope
Paul VI abolished the practice in 1972.
We discussed in our last lesson the Council of Nicaea (325) and the Arian controversy.
This period saw a series of church councils meet to resolve a series of heresies and
attacks upon the fundamental teachings of the Church. It is during this period that the
practice of systematic theology truly has its birth as the church leaders (overseers) met
to reach agreement upon the meaning of various biblical passages.
This is also the period where the unification of church and state swings more to the side
of the church. The Roman Empire continues to crumble as a political entity and Rome
itself is saved, not by the Emperor, but by the Pope! Power comes to the church, and
with that power comes corruption. Indeed, during this time the Middle or Dark Ages
commence and one must marvel that Gods church survived. To read many of the
stories of the period and to review the lives of the leaders, one is almost forced to
conclude there were no Christians around! Yet, just as in the time of Elijah, God kept his
remnant (1 Kings 19:1-18).
It was mentioned above that the Council of Constantinople in A.D. 381 reaffirmed the
Creed from the Council of Nicaea. It is at this point in time that the people start calling
this creed the Nicene Creed. This council also dealt with the issue of Christs humanity,
declaring that He was fully and completely human. This renounced those who taught
that Jesus could not be sinless and still fully human. In particular, this council also offset
the false teachings of Apollinarius who taught that Jesus had a human body but no
human mind.
In the Western Church, Ambrose emerges as the hero of the moment. Ambrose
supported the Nicene Creed but claimed never to have personally confessed a belief in
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Jesus. Notwithstanding this lack of faith, he became overseer of Milan in a movement

designed to remove tensions between the Arians and the supporters of the Creed. The
people of Milan effective appointed Ambrose overseer by unanimous proclamation! A
week later Ambrose had been baptized and made overseer. History, at least, suggests
he became a true convert somewhere in the process of his life.
Ambroses claim to fame was his open antagonism with Emperor Theodosius. First,
Ambrose stood up to the Emperor in a dispute over the church rebuilding or paying for
the rebuilding of a burnt Jewish synagogue. Having won this battle, Ambrose then
excluded Theodosius from the Lords Supper after the Emperor allowed his troops to
slaughter some 7,000 rioters. Ambrose required the Emperor to wear sackcloth and
ashes for several weeks before allowing him to partake of communion.
For better or worse, the Emperor thereafter supported Christianity with his political might
and power. The church and state grew even closer together and the church remained a
strong partner in the Western Empire.
In the East, Theodosius found an opponent in Olympias, an extremely wealthy widow.
She used her wealth to support the poor and to buy slaves so she could free them. She
was ordained as a deaconess by the church. When she rejected the marital advances
of the Emperors cousin, he seized all of her property. Her response was to thank the
Emperor from protecting her from backsliding into reliance upon material things! She is
reported to has said had I kept my property, I might have fallen prey to pride.
The Emperor returned her property. She gave it away. During this period she became
the patron of one of the great Church Fathers, the overseer of Antioch, Syria, John.
Because of his eloquent, flowery sermons, John earned the nickname Chrysostom
which means Golden-Mouth.
Chrysostom focused his preaching upon the original intent of the biblical texts. You may
recall this approach differs from those in Alexandria (Origen and Ambrose) who
searched for secret spiritual truths (spiritualism). Chrysostom made waves with the
empire demanding holiness in the church and society. During this period many of the
clergy remained unmarried but lived with spiritual sisters. One of Chrysostoms
arguments was that there appeared to be too many spiritual mothers in the group!
Since these sermons also were aimed at society, they were preaching against the
sensual lifestyle of those in authority.
Ultimately John and Olympias were both exiled where they died.
Other figures become important during this time frame. Throughout the period,
Barbarians moved toward or into the Roman Empire. The Barbarians as a general
group were simply people who lived on the edges of the Empire. The Romans called
them Barbarians because the Romans could not understand their speech and thought
they were saying bar-BAR-bar. This group included the Goths, the Vandals and the
Huns (an oriental group who pushed the other two into the Empire).
The Romans did not always deal in a logical manner with the Barbarians. For example
in 408, Alaric the Goth asked for farmland for his people. His request also included 18
tons of gold and silver and a ton of pepper(?)! The Emperor refused. The Goths
attacked Rome and plundered the city for three days.
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The Roman Empire had fallen and the Middle Ages had begun.
The fall of Rome created shockwaves throughout the Empire. From a theological
perspective those in the East were impacted less than those in the West. Africa was still
a large part of the West, however, and it is in this region where God raised up the next
large voice of Christianity.
The son of a godly, praying mother, Monica, a teenage Augustine dismissed Christianity
in favor of Manicheism. This group required that he reject sex, an impossible request for
the young lad. To find the truth, Augustine moved to Milan. There he was exposed to
Ambroses preaching. Ambrose, as noted above, allegorized the Bible searching for
spiritual truths. On a park bench, with children singing in the background, Augustine
gave his heart and soul to Christ. He became the overseer or bishop of the church in
Hippo North Africa.
One of the major controversies of the church has been that of how much man may
contribute to his own salvation. At one extreme today are those who we refer to as
super-Calvinists. They claim that man is so depraved he can do absolutely nothing.
This is such a truth that God chose those to be saved prior to the formation of the world.
At the other extreme are those who believe man saves himself. As might be gathered
from this comment, there have been a variety of encounters between these groups over
the years.
The first major encounter is that of Augustine and Pelagius. Pelagius preached that
people naturally posses the power to be holy. This is because, according to Pelagius,
people are not born sinful. Augustine argued that the first sin so corrupted men that no
one naturally loves and, thus, cannot on their own find holiness. In this area, a full
review of Augustines arguments follows exactly the teachings of Paul.
On the other hand, Augustine has his shortcomings. He believed that sin was sexually
transmitted. He also believed in infant baptism, finding that this purged primal sin and
prepared a person to receive Gods grace. And, Augustine followed Ambrose in using
the allegorical method of interpretation.
Augustine avidly preached and wrote for the church. His efforts helped sustain the
Western Church through the early period of Romes fall. His work the City of God is still
available to day and his teachings find their ways into the church theology for the next
several hundred years, still being quoted by scholars today.
And, while the fires of the Barbarians continued to burn, the church faced other
theological challenges.
The next controversy displays one of the more humorous series of circumstances in the
history of the church, showing the church has adopted too much the ways of the world.
The basic dispute is between Cyril, the overseer of Alexandria, and Nestorius who
became the overseer of Constantinople in 428.
Nestorius earned himself the nickname Fire-Brand in his efforts to burn down an Arian
chapel. He had hoped that without a chapel the Arians would leave town.
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Unfortunately, the flames got out of hand and Nestorius destroyed an entire block of the
town!
By this time in history, Mary the Mother of Jesus had acquired the common title of
Theotokos, which means God-Bearer. Nestorius criticized this title. He thought he was
preaching that Jesus was not only God, but also fully human. What people, including
Cyril, thought he said was that Jesus was two persons, one divine and one human and
that Mary only bore the human person.
In 431 a council was called at Ephesus. Cyril and his followers arrived, called a meeting,
condemned Nestorius, and adjourned the Council. Later, Nestorius and his followers
arrived, convened the council, condemned Cyril, and adjourned. Still later, the Roman
church representatives arrived. They called the Council to order for a third time. This
group sided with Cyril and Nestorius was exiled. But, the story continues.
The followers of Cyril became known as One-Nature thinkers. They were so eager to
protect the fact that Jesus was not two separate people that they started teaching that
Christs divine nature consumed his humanity. One-Nature theology became extremely
popular, especially among the Egyptian Copts. Another council was called.
In 451, the council of Chalcedon was called. Over 500 overseers met. Leo, the Roman
overseer had his hands full at home and did not attend. He sent a summary of his
teachings, called a TOME. Leo, essentially like what Nestorius thought he had taught,
believed that Jesus had two natures united in one person. The Council combined the
Nicene Creed, Cyrils writings and Leos Tome to produce a statement of Christ known
as the Two-Nature view which recognized Christ . . . [is] . . . recognized in two natures,
without confusion, division, or separation . . . but not as if Christ were parted into two
persons.
The exiled Nestorius stated that the council confessed what he had always taught!
Many Christians in Egypt and Syria still followed the One-Nature view. These groups
eventually divided from the West (Roman) and East Churches to form the Coptic and
Syrian Orthodox Churches. They still follow the One-Nature view. Another group of
Egyptian churches remained connected with the Eastern churches but followed the OneNature view. These are known as the Melkite or Imperial Churches.
It might also be mentioned that although Arius is mostly noted for his
position that Jesus was of a different essence than the Father, his
teachings also claimed that the Holy Spirit was yet a third essence.
Though this teaching was never of great controversy within the early
church, the Council of Chalcedon made it clear that all three members of
the Trinity shared the same essence.
As we mentioned above, Leo did not attend the Council of Chalcedon because he was
otherwise occupied. Attila the Hun was on his way to Rome! Rome was without
emperor, army, or defense. In 452, the Huns attacked Italy and marched toward Rome.
In a move without historical details, Leo somehow convinced Attilla to retreat from
Rome!
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The peace was short enjoyed. In 455 the Vandals marched on Rome. While Leo could
not convince them to retreat, he did persuade the Vandals not to rape or kill. Oddly
enough, the Vandals remained faithful to their agreement with Leo, although they did
loot and vandalize the city.
In 476, Odovacer the Barbarian disposed the last Western emperor and the empire was
truly dead.
Leo has one other note to his tenure. It starts with Matthew:
Matthew 16:13-19 (NKJV)
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples,
saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? 14 So they said, Some say
John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. 15 He
said to them, But who do you say that I am? 16 Simon Peter answered and said,
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 Jesus answered and said to
him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed
this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are
Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not
prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and
whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on
earth will be loosed in heaven.
13
At some and sundry points in time the church has declared that its overseer traces his
office back to Peter, using these verses, particularly verse 18 to support this position.
Obviously, this is not a true statement, but todays Roman Catholic Church maintains
this position, tracing the Popes authority back to Peter.
Leos claim to fame is that he is the first overseer of Rome who used or accepted the
title of Pope.
At some point in history, the Roman Church filled in the blanks of time and traced the
pope-hood back to Peter. If you would like to review a list of popes, as well as a list of
Christian history summaries from a Catholic perspective, visit Et Cum Spiritu Tuo,
http://www.cwo.com/~pentrack/catholic/chron.html.
The other developments of this time period will help the true church survive the Middle
Ages. As mentioned above, a review of the entire history of the church from here until
the Reformation will make one wonder how the church survived at all. One answer to
this question is that a few godly men and women established a mechanism that would
allow the church to endure.
Two of these were Benedict and his twin sister Scholastica. Born in Italy, this pair
established a monastery and convent near each other. In 520, in a remote region of
Italy, Benedict destroyed a pagan hilltop idol and built his monastery. He created a Rule
as the guide for his religious community. The Rule of Benedict had no extreme
demands. The daily routine included Bible reading, prayer, and work. The covenant
was operated under the same Rule.
Our friends the Barbarians destroyed the monastery in 589 and the monks fled to Rome.
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Gregory of Rome was a powerful politician who encountered God in 573. Giving up his
career plans, Gregory became a monk. When a plague ravaged Rome, Gregory left his
monastery to minister to the sick. The people repaid his kindness by helping to have
Gregory appointed the overseer (pope) of Rome. In this position, Gregory encountered
Benedicts monks and their Rule. In A.D. 599, Gregory sent 41 reluctant Benedictine
monks to England.
Although reluctant, Gods hand was upon this group evangelizing the Anglo-Saxons. By
Christmas 599 ten thousand English, including the King of Kent, had been converted
and baptized. Canterbury, Kents capital, became the center of English Christianity and
one of the Benedictine monks became known as Augustine of Canterbury.
Meanwhile, Gregory, deeply influenced by the teachings of Augustine of Hippo,
developed the doctrine of purgatory. This is the place between death and heaven where
God removes any remaining sin that might prevent total enjoyment in Gods presence.
Gregory also taught that forgiveness requires works of penance. This doctrine would be
expanded and greatly abused by later church leaders.
Gregory is most remembered by the people, however, for his music. Changing the
nature of church music forever, Gregorian chants may still be heard today.
While I believe Leo is the first of the Roman overseers to use the title Pope,
Gregory is the first to clearly posses and exercise the powers normally
associated with this office. He formed the structure that has led to the
establishment of todays office of the Pope. As such, many histories call Gregory
the first pope.
Until about 400, Haldrians Wall kept the barbarians out of southern Britain. Eventually,
the barbarians broke through this wall. The British battle-chief who won twelve battles
against the invaders was known as King Arthur.
The Celtic-Irish churches and communites were not reached by the Anglo-Saxons. After
the invasions, this group was cut off from the churches of both the East and the West.
There were no overseers and monks and nuns ran these churches. One of the long
term consequences was that Easter was not celebrated on a consistent date with the
other churches. This ultimately created a tension leading to a mini-council named in
honor of Hilda of Whitby. Hilda had trained hundreds of monks who helped to lead the
Celtic-Irish churches. At the council in 664, only Hilda and one of the overseers she
trained supported the tradition of the Celtic-Irish churches. The effect of the council was
to extend control of these churches to Rome.
Finishing tidbit:
In the 400s Irish pirates enslaved a young lad. He would later escape,
returning to his home. Later, the lad returned to Ireland as a missionary.
He is honored today as Patrick, the Saint of St. Patricks day!
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Fifth Century Events

As the barbarians increasingly threatened the Empire, sacking the city of Rome,
Augustine wrote City of God (413-426), showing that the true movement of history was
the unseen conflict between sin and salvation, between the city of man and the kingdom
of God.
Nestorianism spreads in the eastern church, emphasizing a distinction between
Christ's human and divine natures. Chalcedon creed describes Jesus Christ as fully
human and fully divine, with the two natures existing together without confusion.
As the emperor's power declines, the Bishop of Rome's increases. Pope Leo I (440461) negotiates and saves Rome from Attila the Hun (452). He asserts authority over
other bishops, claiming bishop of Rome is successor to Apostle Peter.
Patrick (c. 390-460) sold as slave at age 16. He later escapes, goes to Ireland where
he undertakes monumental mission.
496--Frankish King Clovis converted to Christianity and baptized. Conquers half of
France and paves the way for Charlemagne's "Holy Roman Empire."
Church calendar with the Christian year begins to be in place. Cult of martyrs and relics
widespread, and glorification of Virgin Mary grows. Incense is first introduced into a
Christian church service in the West.
With upheavals and disintegration of secular society, church hierarchy becomes more
established and influential.
AD 500 (SIXTEEN GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
5,540 per year)
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Sixth Century Events

529--Responding to growing secularization of the church, Benedict of Nursia
establishes monastery of Monte Cassino and the Benedictine Order. Benedict's "Rule"
for monks (c. 540) will become the most influential over future centuries.
530-532--Boniface II, first pope of Germanic ancestry
Church and State are becoming more closely intertwined. Emperor Justinian (483-565)
closes 1,000-year-old School of Philosophy in Athens 529, issues Code of Civil Laws
reflecting Christian morals, sends missionaries as spies to China to smuggle out
silkworms, reconquers N. Africa from the Vandals.
Church buildings become more monumental. Justinian builds Hagia Sophia in
Constantinople, dedicated to Christ as the "Holy Wisdom." Constructed 532-537.
Dionysius Exiquus (d. c. 550), a monk in Rome, establishes modern system of dating,
using events after Christ as "Anno Domini," in the year of our Lord. (He missed the date
of Christ's birth by a few years.)
Columba (c. 521-597) goes as missionary to Scotland. Mission headquarters at Iona.
Conversion of barbarian groups continues. Recared, Visigoth King in Spain and an
Arian, becomes Roman Catholic.
By the end of century the Western church tolerates magic and other manifestations of
pagan spirituality as diverse cultures are incorporated into the church.
Pope Gregory the Great ((c.540-604) gives the mass much of the shape it has today.
AD 600 (NINETEEN GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
Percent Christian: 24%
1,000 per year)
58
59
Church History
Lesson 6
Dark Times
- A.D. 496 to 1291

Eastern Christians will frequently kiss icons as they enter their churches. They
believe that the past saints are still surrounding them. They welcome these
saints into their worship by kissing the icons.
Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us
run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Y1K?
Is all of the hype over Y2K still fresh in your mind? Solomon tells us in
Ecclesiastes there is nothing new under the sun. In the late 990s, many
Christians believed that the first year of the new millennium would bring the
release of Satan from his prison, a position based upon Rev. 20:7-8. This
release would be followed by a time of tribulation, after which Jesus would return
to judge the world. When the year 1,000 came and went without few disasters, a
wave of optimism and hope swept the churches.
This period is a continuing time of theological dispute and political unrest. The position
of the clergy is solidified, while a new threat to Christianity is born a threat ever present
today.
The Middle Ages, Dark Ages, or Medieval times, is the period following the fall of the
Roman Empire. During this period, much of Europe became the land of feudal
kingdoms. Every mans home was a castle at least if you owned the land. The
landowners became Lords and their homes became manors. Remember the pagan
lands of Palestine in the Old Testament. Each city had a king? During the medieval
times, each manor had a king!
The Lords hired knights to protect their lands. In some areas, several Lords would unit
in forming this private army, appointing a king as head of the group. Peasants became
servants or vassals of the Lords, for this was the only manner in which they could live.
Priests were paid by the Lords to serve the manors. Obedience to Christ took second
place to having a bed to sleep in and food on the table.
Since almost no one could read, the priests resorted to statues, stained glass windows
and other icons as teaching tools. The churches became known as Bibles in stone as
the written word was replaced with artwork. Over time, this would elevate the place of
art in both society and the church.
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The Eastern Empire did not turn to feudal systems such as those in Europe, but in the
early 600s, the newest, and longest running threat to the church was born. That threat
was Islam.
Just as the child of the promise, Isaac, brought forth the twelve tribes of Israel, so
Abrahams son of the flesh, Ishmael, was a great father of nations. Although sitting here
4,000 years later it is difficult to be completely dogmatic about the facts, for all practical
purposes, the entire world of the Arabs came from the loins of Ishmael. 1 Indeed, in
conversations with Muslims, I have been personally told that it was Ishmael whom God
directed Abraham to sacrifice, not Isaac (Gen 22)!
In the last fifty years, Islam has been the fastest growing religion in the world. As we
recited in the opening chapters, Islam has the third largest presences of significant
communities in the world. At the same time, with a total membership claim of close to a
billion people, Islam is the worlds second largest religion. Islam is a religion of nations
and governments. It was the cause of the Crusades of ancient history. For many, it
conjures up the thoughts of modern terrorism. It is clearly a religious force to be dealt
with.
The early Arabs were polytheistic in religious orientation. They worshiped many gods, of
whom the highest was Allah. The religion was very pagan in nature, including gods of
nature and people, with the gods being both male and female. It is against these
polytheistic gods that Mohammed revolted. Mecca was the center of polytheistic
worship. The town boasted some 360 shrines as well as a small temple that housed the
Black Stone. The stone was thought to have been given to Abraham by the Angel
(djinn) Gabriel. Most likely, the stone is a meteorite.
As with the Mormons, the Jehovahs Witnesses, and others, the Islamic religion owes its
origins and its sacred book to one man -- Mohammed. Born in Mecca in about A.D. 570,
Mohammeds birth name was Ubul Kassim. His father died shortly after his birth and his
mother died when he was six. Ultimately, his uncle raised him. Mohammed became a
camel driver on caravans, a profession resulting in contact with many peoples and
religions. At the age of 25, Mohammed married his employer, a wealthy widow 15 years
his senior. Although not particularly relevant to the development of the religion, none of
the couples children survived to adulthood, with the exception of one daughter, Fatima.
As the husband of a wealthy entrepreneur, Mohammed no longer worked on the
caravans and, thus, devoted himself to meditation on the meaning and purpose of life.
Mohammeds reflections brought him to a dislike of the polytheistic nature of the Arab
religion. Mohammed arrived at the conclusion Allah was the one true God. He spent
much of his time meditating in caves; particularly one on Mount Hira located a few miles
from Mecca. 2 Beginning in A.D. 610 and continuing to his death in 632, Mohammed
received visions from Allah that were accompanied by violent seizures. At the urging
of his wife, Mohammed submitted to the revelations and determined Gabriel was
bringing them to him. The angels instructions to Mohammed were to recite the words
1
The word Arab refers to nomads or Bedouins and may be connected with the word for desert or
wilderness.
Mecca is located on the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula, in what is now Saudi Arabia.
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he received to others. After his death, his followers recorded these revelations in the
Quran (Recitation). 3 Arguably, next to the Bible, it is the most esteemed and most
powerful book in the world. 4
Mohammeds new religion did not quickly catch on. It was contrary to the entire social
and moral order of Mecca, and, most likely, had an adverse effect upon the economics
of the region. Persecution followed and many of Mohammeds followers moved to a
nearby city called Yathrib. On July 16, 622, Mohammed barely managed to escape an
assassination plot, and he, too, fled to Yathrib. This escape is called the Hegira (Hijrah
or flight). This date is considered the official date of the formation of Islam.
Mohammed became the leader of Yathrib and the citys name was changed to Medina,
meaning the City of the Prophet. Mohammed established a theocracy in Median,
developing his interrelationship between politics and religion. He also started a harem
with some 10-to-12 wives. Mohammed attempted to win the Jewish population of
Medina and upon failing in this effort, he turned to persecuting the Jews.
Mohammed helped to finance his government by attacking and plundering caravans
going to or from Mecca. This led to continual warfare with Mecca, warfare Mohammed
won. He entered Mecca and destroyed the idols, but kept the temple of Kaaba, which
housed the Black Stone. Mohammed made Mecca the most holy city of Islam and the
Black Stone became the focal point of worship. When the Muslims of today pray, they
pray to the Kaaba.
The successors to Mohammed are called caliph. It is under the second, third, and fourth
caliphs that Islams reach was spread, via battles and conquests. During this time
period, Islam spread to Syria, Jerusalem (638), Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, India, north
Africa, and a part of Europe Portugal and Spain (711).
Islams spread was helped not only by the sword. The Muslims did allow some religious
freedoms. Christians were forced to were special clothing and pay higher taxes but
oddly enough all religions that had holy writings were protected by the early Muslims.
Also, with the rejection of many of the North African Christians by the Eastern Church
because of the One-nature theological position of these churches, there were a lot of
dissatisfied people and empty church buildings that were easily converted to mosques.
The defeat of the Islamic armies by Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours in A.D. 732
stopped the spread of Islam in Europe.
Meanwhile, another battle brewed in the East. As mentioned above, the arts were
invading Christianity. Icons, crosses, statues of the saints, and other symbols were
prominent. Since many of these icons were used in the worship service, Muslims
referred to the Christians as idol-worshippers. The Muslims found an ally in the form of
the new emperor of the Eastern Empire.
3
A variant or English spelling is Koran. There are also variant spellings of Mohammeds name
and of the word Muslim.
John Ankerberg & John Weldon, The Facts on Islam, The Anker Series, Eugene, OR: Harvest
House Publishers, 1991, 1998, 5, quoting Dr. J. Christy Wilson of Princeton University.
62
When a volcano rocked Constantinople in 725, the new emperor feared this was Gods
wrath upon the church for the use of the icon/idols. He ordered that the icons be
smashed. Those promoting the use of icons were known as iconodules or iconkissers. The emperor earned the name iconclast or icon-smasher. A 61-year bloody
battle followed.
In 780 Irene became Empress and called a council to resolve the icon issue. In 787,
more than 350 overseers gathered in Nicene. This council clearly denounced the
smashers but was equally clear about banning icon worship. They also banned threedimensional depictions of Jesus and the saints. The council promoted icon-reverence
an ill-defined term that allowed a high degree of personal affection for an icon so long as
the affection did not turn to worship. A special family Bible might be an example of such
an icon.
In the West, Europe remained an issue. The pagan Franks started the Dark Ages as the
strongest Western power. In 496 Clovis, the Frankish battle-chief, accepted the Nicene
Creed and led his people to accepted the Christian God. The Franks received a great
deal of support from the churches as they conquered Europe. The stronger, more
powerful, and wealthier the Franks grew, the more support they gave to the Roman
church.
In 754. Pepin III, king of the Franks, gave central Italy to the Roman church.
The Franks version of evangelism continued. Pepin IIIs son, King Charles offered
conquered countries the choice of converting to Christianity or death. It is not surprising
that more than 90% of the conquered people professed Christianity. The story is told
that when a group of Germans refused to be baptized, Charles killed 4.500 of them and
then went off to celebrate Christmas. By the beginning of the 9th Century, Charles
controlled what is now Germany and France.
Meanwhile, the Roman church was busy playing political games. The Donation of
Constantine, a forged document, was used to bolster the churchs possessions and
lands. The relationship between the church and the Italian nobles was not calm.
When Leo III was elected Pope, the nobles hired thugs to cut out Leos tongue. The
injured Leo was brought to Charles. Charles welcomed Leo, even though he was in
possession of letters from the nobles charging Leo with misuse of church funds. Leo
found himself between a rock and a hard place. The West had no emperor to whom he
could appeal. A woman, Irene, ruled the East and Leo would not allow himself to be
judged by a woman.
Leo chose a unique solution to his problems. On December 23, 800, King Charles
declared Leo innocent of all charges. Two days later, Leo crowned the King Charles
Augustus, crowned by God as supreme and peaceful Emperor. The church had
created its own emperor! Charles is known in history as Charlemagne, a name that
means Charles the Great.
As the Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne viewed himself as guardian of Roman
Christianity. He built monasteries and appointed bishops. Almost single-handedly
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Charlemagne assured the church would control central Italy. The Holy Roman Empire
would live on past the emperors death.
As the years rolled past, the popes became worldlier. Between 880 and 980 corruption
and evil lifestyles plagued the Roman church. Along with this evil leadership, the next
major crack in church unity appeared. This was between the West and the East.
As noted earlier, there were always some differences between the two. During this
period, a church in Spain added one Latin Word to the Nicene Creed (filoque). The
change is biblical, but . . . .
Original: [The Spirit] proceeds from the Father
Revised: [The Spirit] proceeds from the Father and the Son.
The Roman church adopted this revision. In 867 Photius, the bishop of Constantinople
denounced the phrase. The dispute continued for five years until the pope offered to
drop the phrase (word) if the Eastern churches would accept the Roman pope as
supreme over all the churches. The Eastern church declined.
Things continued in this tense state until around 1048. Bruno became Pope Leo IX.
Concerned about the power the nobles had been exercising over the church, Leo IX
banned the priests from marrying under the theory this would prevent the priests from
passing their positions to their children. Bruno/Leos thought was to free the church from
outside influences.
This position was formed, to a great extent, by a sincere belief on the part of Bruno and
his successors that God had given the pope authority over the entire worldwide church.
The Eastern Church. lead by its new bishop Michael, refused to recognized Brunos
position as pope. To prove his point, Michael closed every Constantinople church that
was loyal to the Roman bishop.
Leo IX sent a delegation lead by Humbert to Constantinople to restore the peace.
Humbert arrived on July 16, 1054. He delivered a BULL (from the Latin we get the
English word bulletin) written in the popes name. The notice provided the Eastern
churches allowed their priests to marry (true), re-baptized Roman Christians (probably
untrue), and had removed the words and the Son from the Nicene Creed (definitely
untrue).
Humbert arrived during communion and the report is that he flung the papal bull across
the communion table. Standing in the doorway, following Jewish tradition, he brushed
the dirt from his sandals and exclaimed Let God look and judge! Even though one of
the Eastern deacons requested Humbert take back the bull, the ambassador refused to
do so.
It should be noted that the East and West had also disagreed over the date of Easter
since early in the churches history. This, however, was only another peg in the crack.
The final straw took over another hundred years to be shaped. The Eastern Church
celebrated Easter during Passover. The Western church celebrated after Passover.
Remember the Council at Nicaea. That group created a calendar of fixed dates that
would keep Easter on a Sunday. The calendar dates were adjusted from time to time to
account for Leap Year and other inaccuracies in the calendars used over the centuries.
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The usual statement, that Easter Day is the first Sunday after the full
moon that occurs next after the vernal equinox, is not a precise statement
of the actual ecclesiastical rules. The full moon involved is not the
astronomical Full Moon but an ecclesiastical moon (determined from
tables) that keeps, more or less, in step with the astronomical Moon.
The ecclesiastical rules are:
Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full
moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox;
this particular ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular
lunation (new moon); and
the vernal equinox is fixed as March 21.
resulting in that Easter can never occur before March 22 or later than
April 25.
The final straw for the Eastern Church was the Crusades, the adventures of wellmeaning Europeans to free the Holy Lands from the hands of the pagan Muslims. The
Muslims had taken control of Jerusalem in 638. They had not, however, interfered with
the pilgrimages of travelers to the local Jewish and Christian shrines. In the mid-to-late
1000s Turkish converts to Muslim began to collect tariffs from the Christian pilgrims.
This did not sit well with the Church.
In 1095, Pope Urban II preached a sermon in which he urged the congregation to
destroy the Turks and Arabs who had invaded the lands of the churchs Eastern
brothers. The response must have amazed Urban. A cross section of society all agreed
with the Pope. The war against the infidels was on. The plans were for the crusaders to
meet in Constantinople.
Peter the Hermit led one group of crusaders. This monk raised an army of 20,000
European peasants. Upon arriving in Constantinople, the peasants were less than law
abiding. Although the emperor knew the peasants were no match for the Muslims, he
removed them from his city by ferrying them across the river. The peasants pillaged the
country side for two months before marching into a Muslim ambush. Peter was the only
survivor. He was back in Constantinople at the time of the ambush attempting to raise
supplies! This is generally called the Peasants Crusade. It is not counted in the
history books as one of the Crusades.
Peter the Hermit would join another army of Crusaders led by nobles of France,
Belgium, and Norman Italy. This group marched through Antioch and captured
Jerusalem on July 15, 1099. Reports from the conquest tell of Muslim blood flowing
ankle deep on the Temple Mount. In the process, the Crusaders burnt a synagogue and
committed wholesale slaughter of Muslim and Jew alike.
The Second Crusade in 1147 was completely unsuccessful. The Third Crusade (11891192) was the Crusade of the Three Kings Richard I of England, Philip II of France,
and Frederick I of Germany. Frederick was accidentally drowned and Philip had a
quarrel with Richard and went home. This was successful in the sense that the group
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secured the right of pilgrims to enter Jerusalem safely, although the Crusaders did not
actually capture the City.
The Crusades would continue under the urging of Pope Innocent III who was elected to
the position in 1198. Innocent wanted to destroy the Muslim army in Egypt. He
convinced the merchants of Venice to supply the Crusaders at a cost of 84,000 silver
coins. The Crusaders arrived in Venice in the summer of 1202 expecting to sail for
Egypt. However, only about a third of the expected number were present, while the
merchants only raised 50,000 silver coins. An Eastern prince living in the region offered
to finance the balance of the campaign if the Crusaders would make a small detour
through Constantinople and dethrone the Eastern emperor. This is the fourth Crusade.
Although Pope Innocent objected, no one listened and the Crusaders sailed for
Constantinople, arriving July 5, 1203. Christianity has another of its dark moments in
history.
The citizens of Constantinople did not like the intrusion of the outside Crusaders. They
placed a new emperor on the throne who was against the Crusades. The Crusaders
were essentially stranded in Constantinople. They retaliated by sacking the City. One
priest is reported to have, essentially, offered penance to any Crusader who died
conquering the Eastern Church.
On Good Friday, 1204, the Crusaders plundered Constantinople. They wore tunics with
red crosses. For three days the Crusaders raped and killed the Christians of
Constantinople. Other atrocities were committed. The Crusaders would rule the
Eastern Empire for the next 60 years. The Eastern Emperor withdrew to Nicaea and
ruled from there until 1261. Many of the Eastern Christians fled to Nicaea with the
emperor.
There were at least two other crusades. The last of these is in 1212. Known as the
Childrens Crusade, it was mostly a group of young boys led by two pre-teens. Many of
this group died before arriving in the Holy Lands. Most of the rest were captured and
sold into slavery. By 1244 Jerusalem was in the hands of the Muslims and would remain
so until freed by the British in 1917. The Crusade era ended when the Muslims captured
Acre (near modern day Haifa) in 1291.
Thereafter Pope Innocent and those who followed him attempted to reunite East and
West without success. The Easter (Greek) Orthodox Church was born. Along with this
birth, Innocent undertook steps that would shape what would become Roman Catholic
theology for the next 300 years.
In 1215 Innocent convened the Fourth Lateran Council in Rome. This council approved
the concept of transubstantiation. This concept holds that the bread and wine of the
communion are the body and blood of Christ, even though the features of the bread and
wine do not change. The official explanation of the council is [Christs] body and blood
are contained in the sacraments under the outward forms of bread and wine; the bread
being transubstantiated by Gods power into the body, and the wine into the blood.
We believe that the bread and the wine are bread and wine. The Lords Supper is a
memorial service in remembrance of what Christ did for us on the Cross. It is nothing
more. Luther proposed an intermediate position, known as consubstantiation, whereby
66
the body and blood are present around the elements of the Lords Supper, but the
bread and wine are not the body and blood of Christ.
Innocents Council also formed the groundwork for the Inquisition. Starting about 1231,
the Inquisition was formed as a tool to destroy heretics. The first group to fall under its
punishment was a Gnostic group known as the Albigensians. The Inquisition then
spread to exterminating Muslims and Jews. Ultimately, it was a weapon of fear against
all peoples.
67
Seventh Century Events

600-636--Isidore, Bishop of Seville. His writings provide invaluable and encyclopedic
knowledge for the Middle Ages. He is known for important efforts to resist barbarism and
heresy in Spain, found schools and convents and evangelize Jews.
609--Pagan pantheon in Rome consecrated as church of St. Maria Rotunda. As part of
the dedication, Pope Boniface (609-610) confirmed All Saints' Day.
Organs begin to be used in churches. Church bells are used to call people to worship
and to give the hours to the monks in the monasteries.
Learning flourishes in Anglo-Saxon monasteries
648--Emperor Constans II issues "The Typos" limiting Christian teachings to that
defined in first five ecumenical councils. Pope Martin I (d. 655) refuses to sign Typos.
Martin is seized and banished to Crimea and dies. He is last pope to be venerated as a
martyr.
664--After conflict between the original Celtic church and the Roman missionaries,
England adopts the Roman Catholic faith at the Synod of Whitby.
Mohammed (c. 570-629) begins the religion of Islam, which begins to supplant
Christianity across the Middle East and North Africa.
638--Islamic capture of Jerusalem
690--Two Anglo-Saxon bishops, Kilian and Willibrord, carry on extensive evangelistic
mission on the continent among the Franks.
AD 700 (TWENTY-TWO GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
1,000 per year)
68
Eighth Century Events
731--The "Venerable Bede" (c. 673-735) completes his Ecclesiastical History of the
English People.
Spain is invaded by the Moors, Moslems from North Africa; Charles Martel defeats
them at the Battle of Tours in 732--a decisive juncture in Christian resistance to Moslem
advance.
Boniface of England is a missionary to the Germans for 40 years. Finally is murdered
by pagans in 754.
Iconoclastic controversy over the veneration of images divides the Byzantine Emperor
and the Pope.
Papacy asserts its earthly rule and establishes the papal states in Italy. Pope Leo III (d.
816) separates from the Eastern Empire and becomes supreme bishop in the West.
Charlemagne becomes sole King of the Franks in 771; later is crowned "Holy Roman
Emperor," establishing dream of a kingdom with a Christian king.
Nestorian Christians in China develop missionary activities and build Christian
monasteries.
Schools for church music are established at Paris, Cologne, Soissin, and Metz.
781--Alcuin of York, England becomes advisor to Charlemagne and catalyzes the
"Carolingian Renaissance."
793--The North Men invade Lindisfarne and invade Iona in 795.
AD 800 (TWENTY-SIX GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
3,100 per year)
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Ninth Century Events
800--On Christmas day Charlemagne (Charles the Great, c. 742-814) is crowned the
first "Holy Roman Emperor" by Pope Leo at St. Peters in Rome. Charlemagne noted for
military conquests, strong central government, ecclesiastic reform and educational
patronage.
831--Radbertus (c. 790-865) publishes first writing in the West on the Eucharist. It
provokes controversy and anticipates later Roman Catholic doctrine of
transubstantiation.
John Scotus Erigena (c. 810-877), one of greatest theologians of early middle ages,
helps pave way for scholasticism. Involved in eucharistic controversy with Radbertus
and maintains in the supper we partake of the Lord "mentally not dentally."
Anskar (801-865), "Apostle of the North," lays foundation for Christianity in
Scandinavia.
Significant missionary efforts make further inroads among heathen peoples of Europe.
Cyril (826-869) and Methodius (c. 815-885), the "Apostles of the Slavs," work in Moravia
and invent an alphabet for the Slavs.
Photius (c. 820-895), a renowned scholar and layman, made Patriarch of
Constantinople in 858. Later deposed and reinstated at least twice. Conflicts with pope
and Rome over spiritual jurisdiction and doctrine ("filioque controversy") foreshadow
deepening rift and eventual split between churches in East and West.
Alfred the Great is King of Wessex in England. Translated Christian writings into the
language of the common people. Set up a palace school and founded two monasteries.
Devoted half his time and money to religious purposes.
AD 900 (TWENTY-NINE GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
70
Tenth Century Events

To the east, Hungarians and Poles begin to convert to Christianity, and Christianity
reaches Iceland and Greenland to the west.
Ecclesiastical leaders were increasingly becoming embroiled in the political struggles of
the European continent.
Benedictine monastery established 909 at Cluny; becomes the center of a reform
movement for the church to rid itself of the increasing secularization of its institutions and
practices.
Bohemian people embrace Christianity, but their "Good King Wenceslaus" is soon
murdered c. 929 by opposing pagan rivals.
988--Vladimir, sole ruler of Kievan Rus is baptized. There people were baptized at
Pentecost. That same year Vladimir married Princess Anna, sister of Basil II, Emperor of
Byzantium.
Otto the Great (emperor 936-973) revives Charlemagne's dream of a Holy Roman
Empire among the German people. In some form Otto's empire continues until the time
of Napoleon.
993--Saints begin to be officially canonized by the Roman church.
Private confession develops from public confession in both Eastern and Western
Churches. The Roman Church begins the concept of indulgences. (No sure evidence of
this before the 11th century.)
Papacy reaches a low point in morality.
As the year 1000 approaches, many fear the end of the world and the Last Judgment.
AD 1000 (THIRTY-TWO GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
Total martyrs since AD 33: 4,200,000 (0.4% of all Christians ever; recent rate
3,200 per year)
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Eleventh Century Events
The expansion of Islam continues to occupy Christian thought and activities.

1009--Moslems sack Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
1071--Seljuks conquer Armenia, ending the Byzantine Empire in Asia Minor.
1095--Pope Urban II proclaims the First Crusade to reclaim Jerusalem from the
Moslems.
1099--Crusaders take Jerusalem.
A century and a half of weak popes ends by the middle of the century, and papal
authority begins to increase. Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085), "Hildebrand," moves to
reform the church with emphasis on priestly celibacy and complete freedom of the
Church from the State.
Renewal of church through new monastic orders
1098--The Reform-minded Cistercian order founded at Citeaux
William of Normandy conquers England, appointing Lanfranc Archbishop of Canterbury
in 1070. Lanfranc reorganizes and reforms the English church.
Anselm succeeds Lanfranc as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1093. Wrote Why Did God
Become a Man? explaining the reasons for Christ's death.
Musical developments: In 1015 Pomposa Monastery near Ravenna introduces sight
singing. By the middle of the century, polyphonic singing replaces Gregorian Chant, the
harp arrives in Europe, and the first German Christmas carol is written.
AD 1100 (THIRTY-SIX GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
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Twelfth Century Events

Gothic architecture, with its pointed arches and high, vaulted ceilings prevails in church
building.
1182--Notre Dame Cathedral consecrated
1194--Chartres Cathedral begun
The medieval papacy, at the height of its power and influence, continues to encourage
crusades to liberate the Holy Land from the Moslems.
1104--Acre taken by the Crusaders, fell to Moslems again in 1191
1147--Second Crusade (supported by Bernard of Clairvaux) fails, with most Crusaders
dying in Asia Minor.
1187--Loss of Jerusalem by the Crusaders
1190--German Hospitalers founded (later becoming the Teutonic Order)
Belief in immaculate conception of Mary spreads.
1170--Pope Alexander III established rules for the canonization of saints, the same
year Thomas Becket is murdered in England. Becket is canonized in 1173.
1173--Waldensian movement begins in Lyons, seeking truth in Bible rather than
medieval tradition. The church persecutes these devout believers sometimes seen as
predecessors of Protestant reform.
Monasticism continues to be main source of reforming church.
1115--St. Bernard establishes monastery at Clairvaux. He will become the "greatest
churchman of the 12th century."
1155--Carmelite Order founded
AD 1200 (THIRTY-NINE GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
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Preserving the Church

We have covered about half of the life of the church. In our various discussions, the
question has been raised concerning the definition of the church relative to some of the
historical discussion and events. The issue in question relates to what could be termed
a distinction between the church and the Church. In other words, there is the
professing church and there is the body of Christ. When Charlemagne killed 4500
protestors at Christmas time, should we view him as being a Christian and is this event
part of the history of the Church? While I have attempted to explain this before, I want to
take a moment to lay it out in more detail.
First, the true Church is the Body of Christ. We discussed this in lesson one. It is
comprised of all believers from Pentecost to the Rapture, so there will be future believers
added to this group. It is only composed of believers. Members of the professing
church, that is, people who attend church or have church membership but who do not
have a personal relationship with Jesus will not be taken home in the Rapture and are
not part of the Body of Christ.
Second, we are use to viewing terms and events from a twenty-first century perspective.
The history of the Church over the past couple of hundred years makes it reasonably
clear who are generally saved and who are not, thus, making it somewhat clear what the
current history of the Church looks like. However, we need to revise our perspective to
better understand the history of the church/Church until, at least, 1200 and, perhaps, as
late as 1517.
I made a poor effort at explaining that the Church was part of the professing church and,
so, the history of the professing church is the history of the Church. One can look at the
Middle Ages and wonder how the Church survived. Constantine probably was unsaved.
Augustine had both good and bad theology. Most of the leaders of Rome and
Constantinople act unsaved. Charlemagne was almost certain unsaved. Yet, these
were the leaders of the church. And, in Gods Providence, the Church survived and, at
times, thrived.
What we, as humans of the twenty-first century, want are testimonies and stories of how
the true Church survived amongst these pagan leaders. History does not provide this
information. Part of the difficulty is that there were no, repeat NO, denominations or
separate groups until the true split of East and West after 1000. Regardless of their
differences, the Church of the first 1,000 years maintained a unity. Whether good or
bad, they all belonged to the church. Leaders from the East would defend the Church
against heretics in the West. Leaders from Africa would travel to both Rome and
Constantinople to defend the Faith. There were no separate fundamental groups and
liberal groups. There was only one group, albeit, a group with bad leaders, at least in
some places.
The Old Testament story of Elijah and Ahab is a partial picture of this time in church
history (1 Kings 19). Ahab was king of Israel. This means that he represent 5/6s of the
Jewish nation. He was as bad as they come; yet, he was the leader. Elijah complains to
God about being the only true believer left (1 Kings 19:14). God answers Elijah by
saying there were 7,000 believers who had not bowed to Baal (1 Kings 19:18). Many of
these belonged to the Israelites that Ahab ruled, for people from every tribe both went
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into and returned from captivity. People of every tribe still exist and will be part of Gods
future salvation plans for Israel as shown in the book of Revelation.
In the midst of this story, Elijah encounters Obadiah, one of the key personnel in Ahabs
government (1 Kings 18). Obadiah was one of those believers. He, in turn, had
protected another 100 prophets (1 Kings 18:13). This is the picture of the church, at
various times, during the first 1,000 years of history.
The leaders (like Charlemagne) were like Ahab. But not all of the priests or preachers
were bad and evil. The basic theology of the church, as it developed during this period,
is the same theology you follow today. Starting around 600-800 and continuing forward,
parts of this theology will start to change, but the core was the same as you follow today.
So these local priests taught and produced true believers. The Church was maintained.
But, there are no stories of these true believers breaking off into their own groups. They
did not go underground. They simply followed the teachings of Scripture and ignored
most of the actions of the leaders. And, while we understand the political declaration
that all citizens are Christians did not add to the Church, it did provide the means for the
Gospel to be preached to the people and the Church grew and added members. These
members were not interested in the political side of life; they only were concerned with
spiritual matters. So, God maintained His Church, even while many of the leaders were
evil.
So, from our perspective, the history of the church is the history of the Church. It
explains how the Church was preserved in history, how it spread the Gospel, and how it
evolved into the Church of today. There are not two or three separate histories. There
is no single group of fundamental churches that preserved during this period. At times
all of the local churches went through stages as found in Revelation. At any point in
time, they all resembled CRBC.
We speak of CRBC as the church. Yet, on any given Sunday, we have both saved and
unsaved sitting in Sunday School and the Sanctuary. Still, this is the church. Such is
the picture of the Church of the first 1,000 years. It was a mixed multitude of saved and
unsaved. Many of the leaders who made the history were a mixed multitude
themselves. We need to be careful not to read our knowledge of the modern church
back into history. The pattern of the first 1,500 years of the church/Church is a
completely different picture from what we see today.
Charlemagne is a true picture of the history of the Church, for as its leader, he helped to
spread the Gospel, expand the borders and outreach of the Church and set the stage of
the Church for events yet to come. All of this is true even if Charlemagne was unsaved.
He is not truly a part of the Body of Christ, but his is a major part of the history of the
Body of Christ.
Hard to believe, isnt it.
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Church History
Lesson 7
Wheres Waldo
- A.D. 673 to 1453

The period we investigate this week overlaps last weeks. The events surrounding the
Crusades were not the only changes affecting the church. We must remember that
Gods church is a body of spiritually united people who meet and worship in earthly
groups who, at times, are united and, at other times, each others bitter enemies. A
broad picture of this has been seen as we look at the Eastern and Western Empires and
their churches. However, even within local communities, the same splits will arise.
Today, there is a church on every corner. Sometimes the differences are close to trivial,
but they are differences none-the-less. So, to study church history is to investigate
events in more than one location.
At the same time, the church of Dark Ages viewed itself as strongly united, one, holy,
apostolic church. The language of the Creeds reflects this unity and while at the top
the East and the West might feud, there was, generally speaking, a single unified church
or at worst, two unified churches. As a result, many of the customs of the times finds
their ways into all groups and denominations today. So, to study the church of the Dark
Ages is to look at individuals and groups and consider how their contributions has
blossomed into the good and bad of todays churches.
For example, in 988 Czar Vladimir of Kiev sought religion. A seeker in todays terms,
he went shopping for a church. Tradition holds that the Czar liked his food, so he
rejected Islam and Judaism because of their dietary rules. This left him, essentially, with
Christianity. He found the beauty of the Eastern rituals to be superior to those of
Rome, so he chose the Eastern Church. This choice would make the Eastern Orthodox
Church the church of Russia into modern day.
Several other tenth-century rulers including Stephen of Hungry, Miesko of Poland
and Leif Ericson, the Viking king, all of whom turned to Christianity, followed this
approach.
The time of the monasteries was already starting to die as leaders became corrupt and
in regions in Britain, Ireland and along the northern European coast, the Vikings would
attack and sack. Things picked up around 909 in Aquitaine, France. Duke William III
started a new monastery, appointing Berno to be its leader. The monastery was built on
the Dukes hunting grounds, Cluny, and the deed of conveyance provided that only the
foremost monk, known as the abbot, had control over the community.
In the days of the Middle Ages, only the richest men had hunting dogs and
hunting grounds. To give these up was to give up ones status.
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The rules at Cluny stressed obedience to the Scriptures and Benedicts Rule. Monks
who did not abide by these two rules of obedience lost their place at the monastery.
Soon, the neighboring communities began to assess their priests by the same
standards, leading to a call for revival within the church.
Another prominent monk was John Damascus. A committed Christian despite the
Muslim rule of Syria, John sided with the icon-kissers in the dispute over icons within
the Eastern Church. John was one of the few church leaders who could preach on the
difference between worship and reverence. He was tried by the Muslims for treason, a
charge based upon a fraudulent letter. He was exiled to a distant monastery and had his
right hand chopped off.
At the monastery John and his fellow monks sold baskets they made to help the poor.
John also wrote hundreds of hymns which became widely used in the churches of the
time. His fellow monks became jealous and sent him back to Damascus where the onehanded monk spent his final days selling his baskets on the street corners.
Meanwhile, in Moravia (Czech Republic) Cyril became a missionary for the Eastern
Church (862). Cyril was a Thessalonian Slav and quickly related to the people. Before
commencing his missionary efforts, Cyril created a Slavic alphabet so he could translate
the Bible into the Moravian language. This created a conflict with the church at Rome.
The Roman church claimed the Scriptures should only be translated into holy
languages, such as Latin.
Cyril and his brother Methodius made a special trip to Rome to appeal to the Roman
bishop (the pope). The bishop agreed to allow Cyril to so translate the Scriptures into
a common language so long as Cyril place his missionary efforts under the control of the
pope. While Cyril agreed to this condition, he died before completing his missionary
outreach. Methodius attempted to carry on Cyrils work, but soon discovered that the
Moravians could not understand the translations. In 895 Hungarian invaders forced
Methodius and his followers to flee to Bulgaria.
In Bulgaria, Boris, the Prince of the land, had accepted Christ, but it is only through the
missionary work of Methodius that the Bulgarian people start to accept the Gospel
message. Cyrils alphabet was adopted to the Bulgarian tongue and by 900 Cyrillic
became the common method of writing in southeast Europe and Russia, while Bulgaria
became the center of Slavic Christianity.
While the nobles had no control over the Cluny monastery, the success at Cluny caused
a spread of Cluny-type monasteries. Every noble in France wanted to sponsor one, with
the result that the communities became rich. By 1,000 gold and jewels spotted the walls
and the poor were forgotten. In 1098 a small group of Cluny monks founded a new
community at Cistertium France with the intention of returning to the original Cluny rules.
The group was so strict that they did not dye their robes for fear of appearing wealthy.
The lifestyle was too strict and the group was on the verge of giving up. No one was
joining the community and the Abbot was ready to close the doors. A knock on the door
in 1122 changed things. There stood Bernard of Clairvaux with 31 men. Never a
bishop, Bernard would lead the church for 30 years in the midst of confusion.
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During this period a new group of followers arose. These are collectively known as the
Mystics. Mystics arose in every region of the church. The church was sustained, in
part, during this difficult period of human history by incorporating all of the rituals of
worship within its framework. All encounters with God were channeled through the
church. Such encounters included Scriptures, sermons, baptism, and communion.
However, Christian faith cannot grow in this context alone. There must be a personal
level where emotions play a role.
This is the field of the mystics. They leaned more on experience than the rituals and
rights of organized religion. These persons and groups were not outside of the church,
but they placed an emphasis on personal experiences beyond what they encountered
within the church. At a positive level, loving God calls for loving Him with your entire
being, including your emotions (Mark 12:30). It appears that both Paul and John had
such mystical experiences (2 Cor 12:1-9; Rev 1:9-11; 4:1-11). On the other hand, many
mystics placed their experiences on a level equal to (or above) the Scriptures and/or the
traditions (doctrines) of the church.
As the Reformation develops, we will note the rise of mystic-like beliefs in the
formation of the Quakers.
There is no doubt, however, that mystics helped to mold the modern church as well as
helping the medieval church survive. Bernard of Clairvaux was a mystic. He was poor
and his positions on Gods love endeared him to the peasants, providing him with what
amounted to a large power base. Being poor, he was one of those who had been critical
of Clunys lavish lifestyles. His teachings on the love of Jesus caused the people and
the church to replace icons of Jesus as an angry judge with pictures of the Baby Jesus
and the Crucified Christ.
Bernards power came from behind the throne. Anacletus II and Innocent II both claimed
to be pope. Bernard declared Innocent to be the true pope, a declaration that lasted.
Bernard became the power behind Innocents reign.
Another mystic of the period was Hildegard of Bingen. She claimed to have visions as a
five year old. She spent most of her life in a religious community of which she eventually
became the leader or abbess. She was a musician, artist and author. She preached
and claimed to be a prophet. Her work, Know the Way, a book of visions was published
in 1151. Although denounced by the Bishop of Mainz when she was 80, the Roman
Catholic Church lists Hildegard among the saints.
Another mystic Catherine of Sienna will play an important role in the welfare of the
during the late 1300s. Catherine believed she had visions of supporting the pope. She
spent her life seeing to the needs of prisoners, even during the Black Death plague.
About this same time another group of mystics were formed in response to the
uselessness of the scholastics within the church. This group was Dutch and formed in
1374 as the Common Life Movement. The group denounced corrupt church leaders, but
never criticized the church. The group had both Sisters and Brothers. They focused on
a personal devotion to Christ known as the Modern Devotion. Thomas AKempis was a
member of this group. He wrote a devotional guide called The Imitation of Christ, a work
still read today.
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Joan of Arc was a mystic as well. Her death at the stake by fire was the result of
England and France both desiring the church be on their side. This was in 1431. In
1456 her death by the Inquisition was declared unjust. In 1920 she became a saint.
To back up a bit in time, mysticism was not the only force influencing the church. In the
late 1100s the local feudal system was giving way to larger political systems and a
middle class of merchants was appearing, especially in the cities. A new class of
preacher arose within the framework known as the mendicant. These preachers would
travel from town to town preaching to the merchants and peasants of the area.
One of the most famous was Waldo, also known as Valdes. A French merchant, Waldo
was struck by a street singers corner play about giving away ones wealth, that Waldo
followed suit. He committed himself to Christ, became a mendicant and financed a
French translation of the Scriptures.
His study of the Scriptures led Waldo to reject both the doctrine of purgatory and the
concept of the popes supreme power. His followers, the Waldensians, learned
Scripture and preached in the common language as opposed to the Latin of the church.
Ultimately, the church would condemn Waldo and his followers for failing to preach
within the structure of the church. The church would excommunicate the Waldensians at
the Fourth Lateran Council and they would become victims of the Inquisition. However,
many of the teachings of Waldo would find root again in the Reformation.
Not all of the mendicants suffered condemnation as did Waldo. A Knight of Assisi had a
vision during a march against a rival city. His vision was of the crucified Christ and the
vision changed the life of Francis. In 1209 Francis applied to Pope Innocent III for
approval of his movement. The friars (brothers) would own but two tunics apiece so
as not to follow in the footsteps of the Clunys. The Franciscans would become the
largest group within the church.
In 1214 Clare received approval from Innocent III to take up the Franciscan lifestyle.
The friars would preach and Clares nuns would attend to the sick. Upon Francis death,
the pope removed Clares rights to follow the friars. Clare essentially went on a hunger
strike and won. The pope backed down and in 1247 while Clare was on her deathbed,
Gregory IX approved her rules for the community to become known as the Poor Clares.
The Dominicans were formed in 1216 and the Augustinian Hermits in 1256.
Martin Luther was a member of this latter group. The Dominicans were the
group entrusted by the pope with leading the Inquisition.
There is still a third group who grows up during this period. This group is known as the
Scholastics. Human reason was the basis of their investigations and they attempted to
balance reason, Scripture and experience. In many ways they were successful and in
others they failed miserably.
The first of these was Anselm, who became the archbishop of Canterbury, England in
1093. Anselm spent about a third of his career in exile for failing to play the politically
correct agenda. However, his use of logic to prove the existence of God became the
foundation for what is now known as the ontological argument or proof of God. He was
a compassionate Christian, caring about the people, a trait that makes him unique
among this group of thinkers.
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The other truly important Scholastic is Thomas Aquinas. A Dominican monk (part of the
mendicants), Thomas found himself at odds with his parents who actually kidnapped him
away from the Dominicans. He eventually went to the University of Paris, where he
eventually became a professor. Using the philosophy of Aristotle (a pure pagan) with
the theology of Augustine, Thomas wrote the summation of Theology, a 4,000 page
work that was not completed. In 1273, after attending a communion service, Thomas
declared his writings nothing but straw. He never wrote another word, dying three
months later. His summation became the basis of Roman Catholic theology. In 1567
the Roman Catholic Church declared him a doctor of the church.
Other scholastics included Abelard, Hugh of St. Victor, Peter Lombard, Duns
Scotus, and William of Ockam.
Lastly, the church itself had issues beyond imagination.
Celestine V, a Franciscan monk, became pope in 1294. True to his position as a friar,
Celestine walked into Rome barefoot. The friar could not play the political games of the
administration in Rome and after five months, Celestine gave up his position as pope.
Boniface VIII replaced Celestine. Bonifaces belief was that the Roman bishop should
rule Western society. He issued a Bull that declared the clergy could not be taxed by the
secular authorities. Then, in a Bull entitled One Holy Church, the Pope claimed power
over all of Europes kings. The king of France disagreed. He kidnapped Boniface who
was dead within a month. His successor, Benedict XI, fled Rome and died of poisoned
figs.
The next pope, Clement V, fled to Avignon, a village on the border of France and Italy.
The popes would rule from Avignon for the next 72 years (7 popes) while friars sold
indulgences and the bishops sold positions of leadership. This period becomes known
as the Babylonian Captivity of the pope.
In 1337 Edward III of England, a nephew of the deceased French king, claimed the
French throne starting the Hundred Years War. The War actually lasted 116 years.
Ten years later, the plague of Black Death struck Europe and Asia Minor. The plague
would last 4 years and claim nearly one-third of the population, almost 24 million people.
It is during this period that Catherine of Sienna has her vision of wanting the pope back
in Rome.
In 1377 Gregory XI returns the pope to Rome. His entry may have fulfilled Catherines
vision, but the event starts the next great issue with the office of the pope. Upon
Gregorys death, the cardinals wanted a French pope while the people wanted a Roman.
As a compromise, the cardinals elect Urban VI, an Italian (non-Roman) pope. Urban did
not pay attention to politics, however. He failed to support the French cardinals. The
French withdrew their decision and votes. Going back to Avignon, the French replaced
Urban with a Frenchman, Clement VII. Urban refused to be deposed, so now there were
two Popes. This period became known as the Great Papal Schism.
By 1409 all of the cardinals were fed up with having two popes. They met at the Council
of Pisa. They declared that the unity of the church did not depend upon the pope. The
Council rejected both claims and elected a new pope, Alexander V. Nether Urban nor
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Clement relented. Now the church had three popes! All of the popes excommunicated
each other! Enter some roots of the Reformation.
John Wycliffe was a professor of philosophy at Oxford. He taught that only the true
church could understand the Scriptures. In the process, Wycliffe redefined church to
mean every person called to faith in Christ, not those who belonged to the organized
church. As such the church was not built upon the popes. In the eyes of some people,
Wycliffe was a hero. The church called him a heretic. Although he was put on trial
twice, he died without being convicted of heresy.
John Hus, a Bohemian preacher, embraced Wycliffes teachings. After preaching
Wycliffes ideas from the pulpit, the church revoked Huss right to preach. Hus ignored
the revocation. A council was called at Constance, Germany. Hus was arrested by the
cardinals, despite an offer of safety by the Holy Roman Emperor. The kings soldiers at
the direction of the cardinals would kill Hus.
However, while they were meeting, the Council of Constance imprisoned Pope who had
been appointed by the Council of Pisa. They also deposed the Pope in Rome, retired
thePope in Avignon, and elected Martin V as Pope. The year was 1450 and the Great
Papal Schism was over.
One final group of events should be noted. In May 1453 the Ottoman Turks (Muslims)
gathered to strike Constantinople. The citizens of the city gathered in the Church of the
Holy Wisdom. Several Roman bishops joined their Eastern Orthodox brothers and
sisters showing a true picture of the meaning of the church. The Lords Supper was
shared and the night spent in prayer.
The next day, May 29, Muslims overran the city and an Imam walked slowly through the
Church of the Holy Wisdom declaring that Allah was the only god and Muhammad the
true prophet. Overnight the church had become a mosque. It would remain so until
1930. Today the church is a museum, the Aya Sofya, Istanbul, Turkey.
Eastern scholars fled to the west, taking with them their prized Greek manuscripts. The
Renaissance had started with a renewed interest in Greek rhetoric, art, and writing. This
group became known as humanists. Words became more important than logic. The
focus was on human actions.
Christian humanists focused upon applying these humanist insights to the Scriptures.
Their efforts were supported by the invention of the printing press by John Gutenberg in
1453. Greek and Roman classics and Bibles flooded the market at prices well below
those ever before imaginable.
Pope Nicholas V (1447-1455) founded the Vatican Library
Pope Julius II (1503-1513) had Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel
Leo X (1513-1521) builds St. Peters Basilica and makes other extravagant
purchases for what we call the Vatican
The popes supported the Renaissance but missed the opportunity to focus on the
Scriptures. Corruption ruled the day. Corruption grew worse. The church used the
Inquisition to persecute everyone and the sale of indulgences became big business.
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Thirteenth Century Events

This century is often called the high point of the middle ages, with the papacy reaching
its greatest power, scholastic philosophy reaching its zenith, and Gothic Cathedrals
towering over the landscape. Crusading cause and spirit continues.
1204--Europeans, with Vienna taking the lead, capture Constantinople.
1212--Children's crusade
Mendicant orders of friars established, another effort at church reform. These
reemphasize the importance of the sermon.
1209--Francis of Assisi establishes Franciscans (canonized 1228).
1220--Dominican Friars established as a teaching order, later entrusted by the Pope
with the Inquisition. Some became missionaries to Central Asia, Persian Gulf, India, and
China.
Salisbury Cathedral built within one lifetime (1220-1258), a rarity for medieval
cathedrals!
With Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) the papacy was at the height of its powers.
Affirmed all churches were under his control. Developed theory of papal power that
allowed him to interfere in political affairs of nations. Approved 4th Crusade. Established
Dominicans and Franciscans. Instituted Inquisition, joining powers of church and state to
punish heretics.
1215--Fourth Lateran Council summarized and reinforced medieval doctrines and
practices.
Thomas Aquinas summarizes Scholastic Theology in his Summa Theologica, 1271,
writing, intelligo ut credam "I understand, in order that I may believe."
AD 1300 (FORTY-TWO GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
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Fourteenth Century Events

The Papacy, having reached its high point with Innocent III (1160-1216), begins a
decline under Boniface VIII (c. 1234-1303).
1302--Papal bull "Unam sanctum" pronounces the highest papal claims to supremacy
1309-1377--"Babylonian Captivity" of papacy. Pope resides in Avignon, France,
strongly under the control of the French King.
1378-1417--Great Schism, with two or three popes claiming authority.
The Black Death or bubonic plague ravages Europe; 25 million Europeans, over 1/4 of
the population, dies.
Mysticism flourishes in many areas, especially Germany and the Low Countries.
Meister Eckhardt teaches the nature of God is unknowable except through the inner
knowledge of Himself God has placed in each soul.
Catherine of Siena has a vision joining her with Christ in a mystical marriage; spends
her life in serving others, including trying to end the Great Schism of the papacy.
Seeking forgiveness from sins, bands of "flagellants" roam the countryside beating
themselves as penance.
1305-1314--Dante writes his Divine Comedy mirroring the heights and depths of the
Christianity of the 13th and 14th centuries.
John Wycliffe transforms Oxford into the spiritual center of England. Looks to the
Scriptures for authority and truth.
1382--Wycliffe is expelled from Oxford, translates Bible into English, and trains lay
preachers to spread the Scripture.
1398--John Hus begins lecturing on theology at Prague University and spreads
Wycliffe's ideas.
AD 1400 (FORTY -SIX GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
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Fifteenth Century Events

1414 -1417 - The Council of Constance seeks to end the Great Schism, the
embarrassment of having two or three popes competing for authority and power. This
same council burns Czech priest John Hus as a heretic and condemns John Wycliffe
posthumously.
Religious beliefs continue to be matters of political concern.
Thomas a' Kempis' classic Imitation of Christ written.
1431 -- French peasant woman Joan of Arc is burned at Rouen as a witch.
1453 -- The Turks capture Constantinople and turn St. Sophia Basilica into a mosque.
The many scholars fleeing west encourage a revival of classical learning - the
Renaissance.
1453 -- Johann Gutenburg develops his printing press and prints the first Bible.
1479 -- The Inquisition against heresy in Spain set up by Ferdinand and Isabella with
papal approval. Under Torquemada Jews are given 3 months to become Christians or
leave the country.
1498 -- Savonarola burned. He was a great preacher of reform in Florence, Italy.
Florence under the Medicis becomes the center of Renaissance humanism.
Brunelleschi, Donatello, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Leonardo da Vinci all create
important works of art with Christian themes. At the same time the Medicis become
supporters of a papacy more worldly than ever before.
The Vatican Library is founded by Nicholas V.
1492 -- Columbus' voyage and a new age of exploration and Christian expansion
begin.
AD 1500 (FORTY -NINE GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
Total Martyrs since AD 33: 9,200,000 (0.3% of all Christians ever; recent rate
24,600 per year)
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Part 2: From the Crowning of Charlemagne to Henry VIII's
Act of Supremacy
Gutenberg with his first proof with movable type

Year and Event
800
Charlemagne crowned emperor by the pope on Christmas. He advances the church,
education, and culture.
863
Cyril and Methodius, Greek brothers, evangelize the Serbs. Cyril develops the Cyrillic
alphabet which remains the basis for the Slavonic used in the liturgy of the Russian
church.
909
A monastery is established at Cluny and becomes a center for reform. By the mid-12th
century, there were over 1,000 Clunaic houses.
988
Conversion of Vladimir, Prince of Kiev, who, after examining several religions, chooses
Orthodoxy to unify and guide the Russian people.
1054
The East-West Schism. brewing for centuries, rupture finally comes to a head with the
fissure that has lasted to this day.
85
1093
Anselm becomes Archbishop of Canterbury. A devoted monk and outstanding
theologian, his Cur Deus Homo? (Why Did God Become Man?), explored the
atonement.
1095
Pope Urban II launches the First Crusade. The crowd wildly shouts "God wills it!" There
would be several crusades over the next centuries with many tragic results.
1115
Bernard founds the monastery at Clairvaux. He and the monastery become a major
center of spiritual and political influence.
about 1150
Universities of Paris and Oxford are founded and become incubators for renaissance
and reformation and precursors for modern educational patterns.
1173
Peter Waldo founds the Waldensians, a reform movement emphasizing poverty,
preaching and the Bible. He and his followers are eventually condemned as heretics and
the Waldensians suffer great persecution for centuries.
1206
Francis of Assisi renounces wealth and goes on to lead a band of poor friars preaching
the simple life.
1215
The Fourth Lateran Council deals with heresy, reaffirms Roman Catholic doctrines and
strengthens the authority of the popes.
1273
Thomas Aquinas completes work on Summa Theoligica, the theological masterpiece of
the Middle Ages.
1321
Dante completes The Divine Comedy, the greatest work of Christian literature to emerge
from the Middle Ages.
1378
Catherine of Siena goes to Rome to help heal the "Great Papal Schism" which had
resulted in multiple popes. Partly through her influence, the papacy moves back to Rome
from Avignon.
about 1380
Wycliffe is exiled from Oxford but oversees a translation of the Bible into English. He is
later hailed as the "Morning star of the Reformation."
1415
John Hus, who teaches Wycliffe's ideas in Bohemia, is condemned and burned at the
stake by the Council of Constance.
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1456
Johann Gutenberg produces the first printed Bible, and his press becomes a means for
dissemination new ideas, catalyzing changes in politics and theology.
1478
The Spanish Inquisition is established under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to
oppose "heresy."
1498
Savonarola, the fiery Dominican reformer of Florence, in Italy, is executed.
1512
Michelangelo completes his notable artwork on the Sistine Chapel ceiling in Rome.
1517
Martin Luther posts his ninety-five theses, a simple invitation for scholarly debate that
inadvertently becomes a "hinge of history."
1523
Zwingli leads the Swiss reformation from his base as lead pastor in Zurich.
1525
The Anabaptist movement begins. This "radical reformation" insists on baptism of adult
believers and the almost unheard of notion of separation of church and state.
1534
Henry VIII's Act of Supremacy makes the king, not the pope, head of the Church of
England.
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Church History
Lesson 8
Reformation
- A.D. 1450 to 1609

We need to define a term here for we will refer to a couple of our characters as
humanists, a term which carries a bad connotation in our day and age. As defined by
the American Humanist Association
Humanism is a progressive life stance that, without supernaturalism, affirms our
ability and responsibility to lead meaningful, ethical lives capable of adding to the
greater good of humanity.
However, in the sixteenth century, a humanist was a [Renaissance] Christian
who focused upon the practical human actions and human-oriented arts (the
humanities) instead of the Scholastic logic of Aquinas and others.
With this understanding in mind, we will encounter Erasmus in the context of history.
We have already seen Erasmus contribution to the development of the modern Bible
translations. How did Erasmus arrive at his place in history?
Julius II was pope in 1507. He was a great general and used his army and his power to
conquer. In particular, he conquered Bologna, Italy, home of Erasmus. The son of an
unwed teenager, Erasmus was a student of the Brethren of Common Life and became a
priest because he had no funds to attend university. He was, however, such a promising
student that his bishop gave him the education he sought. Erasmus became a great
Greek scholar and gave the church a New Testament biblical text in the original tongue.
If Wycliffe and Hus had set the gunpowder, Erasmus provided the fuse. The fuse would
be ignited in 1517.
The humanist of the Renaissance placed a great deal of emphasis on the study
of Greek and classical literature, especially the Greek text of the Bible. Literary
humanists of this period included Zwingli, Calvin, Melanchton, and Erasmus, all
of whom played a vital role in the Reformation.
In 1505, while traveling down a dirt road in the middle of a thunderstorm, a German
Saxon lawyer was struck by lightening. Born in 1483 into a family of adequate means,
The lawyer as a student was another who studied under the Brethren of Common Life.
Struggling to his feet, he pledged his life to God. The man was Martin Luther. Luther
was deeply aware of his own sin. He struggled with how a righteous God could love
him. Luther prayed long hours in an effort to resolve this question. His shortfall was his
view of Christ as a stern judge. He joined an Augustinian monastery.
John Staupitz was professor of the Bible at Wittenberg University and vice-general of the
monastery Luther joined. He thought he understood Luthers struggles and appointed
Luther as his successor in 1512. Luther accepted the position even though he still
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struggled. The phrase that most bothered him was Romans 1:17 the righteousness of
God. Luther found his answer in Erasmus Greek text where he discovered the shades
of meaning in the Greek word we translate as righteousness. The Greek covers not
only the condition of being righteous, but also the act of declaring someone to be
righteous. Paul tells us in Romans that it is by faith that one is justified and declared to
be righteous before God. The year was 1517 and Luther was at peace in his soul.
Meanwhile, the pope was building St. Peters Basilica and needed funds to complete the
project. Pope Leo X turned to Prince Albert, the archbishop and ruling prince of Mainz,
Germany. Leo and Albert made a deal. Leo allowed the German prince to sell
indulgences so long as one-half the profits went to Leo. The deal suited Albert well for
he had purchased his archbishop position from the papacy and was heavy in debt.
We have used the term indulgence before. When first used, the idea of the
indulgence was the remission of punishment that might otherwise be imposed
upon a person by the Church under the Bishop of Rome (the pope) when such
person was guilty of a sin. The logic behind an indulgence was that the sinner
could not do sufficient penance to expiate all of his sin. As such it was necessary
for the sinner to draw upon the treasury of merits governed by the church. This
treasury resulted from the contributions of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints.
It was under the power of the pope to distribute this treasure. Also, initially, one
could obtain such indulgence by giving his life in the Crusades. Later, financial
payments were accepted in lieu of giving a life. Over time, the indulgence came
to provide for remission of guilt before God. Essentially, with the sale of
indulgences, one could purchase forgiveness before committing the sin!
One of Alberts indulgence peddlers was a Dominican friar named Tetzel. Tetzel so
misused this power of the church that he infuriated the pastor of the village church in
Mainz, Martin Luther. Luthers goal was to debate Tetzel and prove proper theology.
So, he wrote out 95 topics of debate. In English we would translate the German word for
topics as theses. Luthers point was to challenge Tetzels theology on the sale of the
indulgences, not to take on the pope.
Saxony did not allow the sale of indulgences. Wittenburg was within Saxony, which is
why Luther chose this chapel, viewing it as neutral ground. Luther was not out to start
a revolution.
On October 31, 1517, Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenburg chapel door. The
printing press allowed copies of Luthers Theses to be spread far and wide. Luther even
provided Albert with a copy. While popular support for Luther grew, the church ignored
Luther and treated him as a drunk. Luther sent an explanation of his Theses to Leo X.
After three years of waiting, Luther still maintained his position and the pope took action.
Leo X issued a bull directed at the wild pig. Everyone understood the wild pig was
Luther.
The Latin word for an imperial meeting is diet. A couple of months after the
papal bull, the Holy Roman Emperor sent Luther an invitation to the Diet of
Worms, Germany (1521). The last time such a command / promise was issued,
John Hus died. Luther probably expected the same result.
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When faced with a pile of his books and an offer to repent, Luther followed his
Christian conscience. It is reasonably certain that the church would have killed Luther,
but the ruler of Saxony kidnapped the priest and placed him in safekeeping for several
months. During this period, Luther translated the New Testament into idiomatic German.
The Reformation has started and Martin Luther caused the explosion.
Luther was not the only would-be reformer. It should be noted that the initial goal of all
the early reformers was to change the actions of the church. At least until 1520, none
wanted to separate from the church. There was only one church of Christ and everyone
who believed belonged to it. Neither Luther nor others around him wanted to form a
new church.
In Zurich, Switzerland, Ulrich [Hulbreich] Zwingli would become another reformer. He,
too, studied Erasmus Greek New Testament to arrive at his theological position. During
a Lenten study this church leader also defied the teachings of the bishop of Rome. He
married and almost single-handedly is responsible for Switzerland becoming Protestant.
Zwingli and Luther would meet in an effort to unite their two groups. After discussions, it
became clear the two disagreed upon the meaning of the Lords Supper. Both
disagreed with the transubstantiation position of the Roman Church, but they did not
agree with each other. Luther agreed with Zwingli that the bread and wine did not
change, but Luther maintained that Christs body was present with the elements and
conveyed grace to those partaking who were at peace with God (consubstantiation).
Zwingli taught that the elements merely symbolize the body of Christ, a
rememberance.
After five days of debate, the two separated by mutual, friendly agreement. In 1530,
Luthers followers would publish their statement of faith, the Augsburg Confession.
During this period, the Diet of Speyer (1529) outlawed Lutheranism. A group of
Lutherans protested so adamantly that they were given the name Protestants.
This title was soon applied to describe both the Lutheran and Reformed
(Calvinistic) churches, eventually coming to represent all who were not Catholic.
The Protestant princes united in the Schmalkald League. The Holy Roman
Emperor Charles V would grant this group religious freedom in 1532.
There is yet another reformer helping to fan the flames of the period. A French lawyer,
John Calvin, fled France. Another humanist, Calvin had helped to write a speech
containing many quotes from Luther and Erasmus. The French government was not
amused. Calvin became a Protestant Christian in 1533, fled to his hometown in Noyon,
France and then onto Switzerland. He wrote the first systematic summary of Protestant
theology, his Institutes of Christian Religion (1536). The Institutes were revised several
times. The last edition in 1559 was four times the size of the original.
Once the Institutes had been published, Calvin moved onto to Geneva, intending to
continue to Strasbourg, a clearly Protestant city. Calvin was convinced to remain in
Geneva and started preaching. Within two years, Geneva was a Calvinistic Reformation
city.
Along with being one of the great thinker/writers of his age, Calvin encountered one
experience in his early career in Geneva that presents a lesson for all of us. About two
years after Calvins arrival, the Geneva city council forced him to leave. At issue were a
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series of political / religious quarrels. Calvin founded a refuge in Strasbourg to care for
French Huguenots (next weeks lesson). However, in 1539, Genevas Protestants
discovered they needed someone to debate a Roman Catholic thinker who had come to
town. Calvin returned to his pulpit where he would remain until his death.
The lesson? This was Calvins great opportunity to get back at the citizens of Geneva.
Calvin issued no rebuke. In fact, he merely commenced preaching where he had left off
two years before as though there had been no break. Calvin offered complete
forgiveness to his enemies without spite or an I told you so. Do you do the same?
Calvins theology was the formation of the Reformed Churches. Much can be debated in
todays church over his doctrine normally represented by the acronym TULIP. (TULIP
is discussed in the next lesson in more detail.) This is not the course to be debating this,
but it should be noted that along with conveying an improper concept of mans depravity
and Gods predestination, Calvin had some practical faults as well. As indicated above,
none of the reformers wanted to form new churches. As a result, much of their doctrine
and application contained threads of the teachings of Aquinas and the Church at the
time of the Reformation.
Calvins practical fault lay in the existing Roman bishop concept that church and
government could be commingled. Geneva became a city governed by Calvins
theology. In fact, in 1536, the Geneva council burned Michael Servetus because he
denied the Trinity. This is clearly an Old Testament approach to enforcing proper
theology.
Zwinglis Zurich church moved the opposite direction. Their position was that
government had no right to enforce theology. The issue came to light when Felix Manz,
one of Zwinglis students started offering the Lords Supper in the peoples language
rather than Latin. They viewed this as a submission to the Scriptures. Manz and his
followers, the Swiss Brothers, started a weekly Bible study. In the process they came
to the conclusion that the Scriptures did not authorize the baptism of infants. They not
only publicly criticized but they moved a step farther.
In January 1525, the Swiss Brothers received believers baptism, notwithstanding the
fact that the Church had previously baptized each one. This earned them the name of
Again-Baptizers or Anabaptists. The night of the rebaptism, the city council of Zurich
banished the Anabaptists. It must be remembered that within the church of this time,
people believed that it was through the churchs baptism that people became members
of Christian society. The action of the Anabaptists had the effect of separating the
community of faith from the community of the civil society.
Manz would become the first non-Catholic to be martyred by a Protestant. In 1526 the
Zurich city council would condemn Manz to death. He was drowned in the icy river. The
persecution of the Anabaptists would be wide spread. Much of the persecution was
caused because the group developed into incorrect heresies without the firm leadership
of Manz. In 1535, a Waco-type siege would occur against an Anabaptist compound in
Westphalia, Germany. Both Protestant and Roman Catholic leaders would persecute
the Anabaptists. Even Calvin would promote their death. Erasmus was the only early
Reformer to defend them. By 1600 10,000 Anabaptists would be killed.
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Menno Simons was a self-centered Dutch priest. After spending the first couple of years
of his priesthood at the local bar, Simons commenced studying the Bible in an effort to
impress his fellow pastors. The truth of Scripture crept into his soul and ten years later
(prox 1536) Simons became an Anabaptist. Simons took two beliefs out of the mixed up
Anabaptist heresies. First, only believers should be baptized. Second, no government
should enforce religious beliefs. Menno Simons strictly attempted to observe the New
Testament teachings, even performing foot washings.
Simons became the Empires most wanted criminal in 1542. Simons would never be
caught, dying a natural death in 1561, but in the process of remaining free, his wife and
two of their children would die, while Menno would be crippled. The effects of Menno
Simons upon the Anabaptist movement was so profound that the followers soon became
known as Mennos people or Mennonites.
In the 1700s Jakob Ammann would lead a group of conservative Mennonites to
separate from their fellow Anabaptists. This group became popular in Germany,
becaming known as the Amish. When they migrated to America they became
known as the Pennsylvania Deutsch or Pennsylvania Germans.
We have considered a great deal about the place of William Tyndale in the development
of the English Bible. However, it was not only the Bible that would cost Tyndale his life,
but rather his relationship to the wives of Henry.
The Roman church leaders were against private translations of the Scripture
because they feared personal prejudices creeping into the translations. The
leaders felt that only authorized groups should make translations. Yet, Luther
created a German translation and Calvin translated the Scriptures as well. In
fact, throughout history, many individuals have created their own, good,
translations. At the same time, many group translations contain theological
slants. One must ask for great spiritual discernment in considering how to view
various modern versions of the Scriptures.
Both from the perspective of the Reformation and the history of the American church,
England becomes important. However, the introduction of the Reformation comes not
for theological reasons but from an ego driven king. Henry VIII wanted a son!
England was a church of the Roman pope. In 1520, a tract bearing the name of Henry
VIII, but probably written by Thomas More, attacked Luther. Leo X awarded Henrys
zealousness by naming the King the Defender of the Church. The Defender was more
interested in his throne than he was in the church.
A little non-church history:
Henrys current wife was Catherine of Aragon, his former sister-in-law.
She had not produced a son.
Henry was enchanted with Anne Boleyn.
Henry asked pope Clement VII to annul his marriage on the basis of Lev
20:21. It is 1529.
Clement was controlled by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Charles
V was Catherines nephew. He refused to annul the marriage.
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Thomas Cranmer suggested the lawyers of Europe overturn the popes

decision not to annual the marriage.
Cranmer became Archbishop of England in 1533. He immediately
annulled Henrys marriage to Catherine and married the King to Anne
Boleyn.
Henry declared himself as head of the Church of England (Supremacy
Act of 1534). Henrys theology was Catholic, not Protestant.
Henrys Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, refused to recognize Henrys
declaration.
More resigned his position, to be beheaded at the direction of Thomas
Cranmer.
William Tyndale issued a tract (1530) denouncing the annulment of Catherines
marriage. This led to his death as much as his Bible. His last prayer is reported to be a
plea to have Henrys eyes opened by God. The prayer was answered, for Henry would
approve the Matthews Bible in 1538. This was a completed edition of Tyndales Bible.
It was revised as the Great Bible and Henry placed a copy of this edition in every English
church, under an order that declared they must be chained to the pulpit so as not to be
stolen! England became Protestant so the king could marry. It was not over yet.
Henry finally had a son in 1541 by Jane Seymour, his third queen. During this time,
Thomas Cranmer edited and published the Book of Common Prayer, a blend of
Lutheranism and Calvinism. This liturgy replaced the Latin of the Roman church and
moved England away from Roman Catholicism. In 1543 Parliament approved reading
the Scriptures in English and Scots rather than Latin.
Henrys son died as teenager and Mary Tudor, daughter of Catherine, would take the
throne. She moved England back to Roman Catholicism, earning her nickname of
Bloody Mary by executing more than 300 Protestants for their faith. Among those killed
were Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and Bishop Hugh Latimer.
Elizabeth, Henrys daughter by Anne Boleyn, would move England on a middle ground
course. She refused the title Supreme Head of the Church while rejecting the popes
power. She had the Book of Common Prayer revised. Elizabeths approach is still
found in the Church of England (the Anglican Church) today. Elizabeth liked the ornate
and this shows in the style of the liturgy of the Church. Her influence on the Church
probably arises because of her long reign as Queen 45 years from 1558 to 1603.
There was a political side-benefit from Henrys fight with the pope and Elizabeths
reforms of the church. Both asked Parliament for support and approval of the
changes. These requests helped to strengthen the position of Parliament and
assisted in the ultimate creation of the new governing structure where the
monarchy was without power.
Tyndales efforts and New Testament also started the reformation movement of
Scotland. His translation influenced John Knox. Knox moved the Scottish parliament to
deny the popes power in Scotland. Thereafter, elders, (Presbyters) directed the
Scottish church. Scottish Protestants became known as Presbyterians. Over time, they
adopted the theology of Calvin.
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Finally, we have noted above that the original intent of Luther was to reform the Roman
driven church. It appears that Catholic leaders had been moving toward reformation for
several years before Luther nailed the Theses to the Wittenberg Chapel. Following the
split, groups still attempted a reuniting of the groups. In 1541, many Protestants meant
with Catholic leaders to create such a reunion. One member of this group was Philip
Melanchton, Luthers number one aide.
The breaking point of the meeting was the issue of the power of the pope and the
interpretation of the Lords Supper. The movement for reunion dissolved and the Roman
Catholic Church was truly born. The church sought its own version of reformation.
Melanchton was the organizer of Luthers church. He established primary and
secondary schools, trained the Lutheran clergy, prepared a manual for the
operation of the Lutheran church, wrote a systematic theology, commentaries on
the New Testament, and helped to issue several statements of faith.
One of the leaders of this Catholic reform was a former soldier, Ignatius Loyola.
Wounded in 1521, Loyola read Thomas AKempis Imitation of Christ while he recovered.
AKempis teaching on a direct knowledge of Christ moved Loyola and six of his friends
to take a vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the pope. In 1540, Pope Paul III
approved Loyolas Society of Jesus, the Jesuits.
The Jesuits would become the Roman Churchs greatest missionary force. For
example, Francis Xavier would evangelize India and Japan 150 years before any
Protestant group sent a missionary.
In 1538 Pope Paul III would call a council at Trent, Austria to reform the church. Meeting
between 1545 and 1563 this council would reform the church. The marketing of
indulgences and the selling of church offices ended. Priestly celibacy was enforced.
The Apocrypha books were added as part of the biblical canon. This council also
decided that only the bread would be given to the laity during the Lords Supper.
Of equal, or more importance, this council also adopted the position that Scripture and
church tradition were of equal importance. Faith and works have been united in Roman
Catholic theology ever since. They define Roman Catholicism.
Europe ends the sixteenth century in a collection of fragmented groups. In Germany,
the Peace of Augsburg would help the Lutherans and Catholics live together, but the
same is not true of the other regions. Europe became fragmented.
The other item of interest is to understand that the root of denominations is not theology.
The root is geographical based upon the various leaders of the Reformation period.
The position of the Reformation:
Sola fide justification by faith alone
Sola gratia salvation by grace alone
Sola scriptura Scriptures alone as authority
Did Luther go far enough?
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Luther promoted:
Justification by faith alone
Salvation by grace alone
The Bible alone as authority for doctrine and practice
The priesthood of believers
Congregational singing Luther wrote a hymnal
But he kept the crucifix, candles, parts of the Lords Supper, and the basic format of the
Mass as his order of service.
Lutheranism spread to Germany, Scandinavia, the Baltic States, England, and
ultimately, the New World.
Calvinism would spread to Switzerland, Germany, Holland, England, France, Scotland,
Hungry, and the New World. Calvin was probably the most influential of the early
reformers. His teachings became the framework for the Protestants of France, the
Reformed Church of Germany, the Church of Scotland, the Reformed Church of
Holland, the Reformed Church of Hungry, and the Puritans of England and New
England.
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Sixteenth Century Events

The printing of books begun in the fifteenth century now develops swiftly, propelling the
spread of the Reformation.
Michelangelo, Albrecht Durer, Raphael, and Lucius Cranach create art with Biblical
themes.
1517 Martin Luther posts his 95 theses at Wittenburg, which stir Germany and Europe
in a matter of months.
The Scriptures become more available for the common person as Luther translates into
German and Tyndale into English in the 1520's.
The Protestant Reformation spreads throughout Europe with Zwingli in Switzerland, the
Anabaptists in central Europe, and John Knox in Scotland. Henry VIII's quest for
dynastic security causes him to separate from Rome and establish himself as head of
the Church of England. John Calvin's ministry in Geneva and his Institutes begin a
Scriptural reexamination of theology and society.
The Counter-Reformation defends traditional Catholicism against Reformation ideas.
The Council of Trent (1545-1563) reaffirms Catholic doctrine. The Jesuit order becomes
the defender of the Catholic faith and begins sending missionaries abroad.
Religious convictions produce martyrs among both Catholics and Protestants -- Sir
Thomas More, William Tyndale, and Thomas Cranmer among the many executed.
Huguenots in France begin to be persecuted. Foxe's Book of Martyrs (actually titled
Actes and Monuments) records the persecution believers in Christ have endured
through the centuries.
In England, Puritans begin to fashion a church more closely based upon the Scriptures.
AD 1600 (FIFTY-TWO GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)
Scriptures: Printed scriptures available in 36 languages

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Church History
Lesson 9
Not All Is Good
- A.D. 1510 to 1767

The Reformation started out as a movement by Luther and others to revise the actions
of the Church of God. Neither Luther nor anyone else involved planned on starting a
new church. Theirs was not a movement toward forming a third church along with the
Church at Rome and the Church in the East. The results were obviously different.
There is no doubt the church had drifted away from the doctrines of the Bible. Scripture
teaches justification by faith alone. This was the battle cry of the Reformation. It is
nothing but a simple statement of Gods Word. It is equally clear that the Church of the
sixteenth century had moved to a position whereby works had been added to faith. The
Church at Rome would keep this dual salvation path, while the Protestants would follow
their own battle cry.
However, the Reformers were not prepared for the results of their efforts. The need for
change was clearly in the air as evidenced by the widespread witness of various local
leaders all arriving at the same general point in faith at the same general time history.
Gods church needed change. At the same time, there was no game plan for the results.
Luther and Zwinglis disagreement over the structural meaning of the Lords Supper is
but one example. Each of the major Reformers agreed in principle but not necessarily in
practice.
As a result, unlike the split between East and West, this split created not two churches,
but multiple churches, each labeled as a Protestant group. While each group followed
the tenets of the Reformation, they did not unite. There was not even peace amongst
the groups, as evidenced by Calvins and others persecution of the Anabaptists. At the
end of the beginning, post-Reformation Europe had Lutherans, Calvinists, Anglicans,
Catholics, Anabaptists, and a variety of smaller groups who loosely followed one or a
combination of these larger groups.
So, post-Reform Europe is a period of trials.
The pope sold positions to the local leaders as a method of gaining power. For
example, Francis I of France had the right to appoint 10 archbishops, 38 bishops, and
527 heads of religious houses (monasteries). Only about 10% of the priests were
literate. Patronage was the game of the day. If the church fell, so did the political
leaders. This helps to explain their persecution of the Protestants.
In France, the French Protestants were nicknamed Huguenots. By 1561, the
Huguenots had 2,150 churches organized in a Presbyterian form of church government.
In 1572, the queen of France convinced her husband, the King, the Huguenots were
plotting to overthrow his government. On St. Bartholomews Day, the Kings soldiers
swept through Paris killing every Protestant they encountered. Approximately 10,000
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were killed and Protestantism was not made legal in France until the Edit of Nantes in
1598, although by then eight European wars had been fought between Catholics and
Protestants.
The Lutherans spent twenty years arguing over how depraved humans were. Calvinism
maintained that humans were completely depraved. This leads to the Calvinistic
teaching on predestination, a position that in Calvinism essentially means that God
chose before the formation of the world those who would be saved because men were
so depraved they could not come to God on their own.
This issue would also split Calvinism, although in a different form. In the late 1500s, a
Dutch pastor preached against Calvins position on predestination. Jacob Arminius,
another Dutch pastor, agreed to debate the issue. Arminius began a study of Calvins
writings and Scripture. This study convinced Arminius Calvin was wrong and the
opponent was correct! Arminius would die in 1609, but his followers would split
Calvinism.
After Arminius followers had published their position, Prince Maurice, a Dutch prince,
attempted to end the conflict by calling a council or synod. The Synod of Dort met in
1618 to denounce Arminianism. This council drafted a balanced statement of Calvinism
that still lives today as TULIP.
Arminius
On their own humans can
do nothing good.
Calvin
Humans are spiritually dead and
no one will seek God
Before the foundation of the

world, God chose to save
everyone who would freely
choose to trust Christ
If someone trusts Christ, it is

because God chose to
regenerate that person. Gods
choice is uncontrollable; it is not
based on any human decision.
Christs death atoned only for
those who would believe in him
(chosen by God).
When God regenerates
someone, that person will neither
resist nor reject Gods grace.
Every Christian will persevere in
faith until the end
Jesus died for everyone,

but his death only redeems
believers
People can choose to reject
Gods attempts to save
them
Scripture doesnt clearly
state whether Christians
can forfeit salvation
TULIP
Total Depravity
(absence of desire for
Christ)
Unconditional election
(unconditional choice
by God)
Limited Atonement
(Cross only for Gods
elect)
Irresistible Grace
(cannot fight God)
Perseverance of the
saints (Christians will
never forfeit their
salvation)
Following the Synod of Dort, predestination became the symbol and center of Calvinistic
theology. It is likely that most of us really have a view of theology that is a blend of these
points. To a great extent, the debate is very similar to that of Augustine and Pelagius
with one major difference. Pelagius clearly taught man helped in his own salvation.
Arminiuss actual position was that men could reject Gods grace rather than accept it.
The ongoing issue between true Calvinists (sometimes today referred to as superCalvinists, i.e. RC Sproul) and others is whether acceptance of Gods gift by faith is a
choice.
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It is during this time period that the church also looses its position of explaining the
puzzle of creation. In the mid-1500s Nicolas Copernicus of Poland concluded that the
earth revolved around the Sun rather than all of the planets revolving around the earth.
Copernicus was greatly concerned about the practical effects of his conclusions, so he
did not release them until he was on his deathbed. His views, when they were
published, were presented as speculations to simplify math rather than as scientific
theories.
Galileo carried Copernicus ideas into the world of science. Galileo was condemned by
the Inquisition on the basis that Joshua 10:12-13 teaches that the Sun, not the earth,
moves. Under this death penalty, Galileo partially repented, changing his statements
from theories to speculations. Galileo would spend the balance of his life under house
arrest. In 1992, the Church would determine that the Inquisition should not have
convicted Galileo.
However, science was now a force in the world. People would forever view their world
from the eyes of man rather than God.
Politics would also become a major force during this period. While the Holy Roman
Emperor ruled little real geographical territory, the Church was still strongly involved in
the ruling of societies. Then came Prague. In 1618, Bohemian Protestants and envoys
of their Catholic king met to resolve complaints of the Protestants. The Catholics,
essentially, refused to listen, so the Protestants threw the Catholics out the second story
window. The envoys survived the fall by falling into a wagon of horse manure.
The Holy Roman Emperor immediately declared war on the Protestants. This is the start
of the Thirty Years War. The conflict began over religion but soon turned into political
skirmishes. France, Denmark, and the entire Holy Roman Empire would be involved. In
a sense there were three issues Protestants versus Catholics in Germany, Emperor
versus Princes in the Holy Roman Empire, and France versus the Hapsbergs for the
control of Europe. In other words, most of Europe participated in this senseless battle.
Ten million citizens would die.
The War would end with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The telling factor of this
Peace was that the pope was not invited. The pope had lost his political power to the
various country leaders. Europe was sickened by all of the religious conflict. Calvinism,
Lutheranism, and Catholicism were recognized as legal religions. The princes had the
right to determine the religion of their individual state. The political landscape had been
greatly rearranged.
While War was on the horizon, in England the movement was to cleanse the church.
This group became known as the Puritans. The Puritans goal was to make the
Scriptures vital in the life of the church and to cleanse the church of any practices that
did not conform to Scriptures. Their preferred Bible was the Geneva Bible.
The Puritans themselves were different. The Puritans wore dull clothes for worship in
other not to be distracted by bright colors. Their goal was to turn their thoughts away
from one another and toward God. At the same time, the group enjoyed their beer,
swam, skated, hunted, bowled, and clearly expected a fulfilling relationship with their
spouses.
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So, in 1604 the Puritans approached King James with a request to purify the Church of
England. James disliked the fact the Geneva Bible had Calvins study notes, so when
the Puritans suggested a new translation, James agreed. It would take 47 scholars 33
months to produce what we call the King James Bible. The first KJV rolled off the press
in 1611.
Some of the Puritans could not wait to see the results of this effort and separated from
the Church of England. To avoid persecution, two of these separatist churches fled to
Holland in 1607. One group would, in turn, sail to the New World. We know them as the
Pilgrims. The other group remained in Holland and would radically change their
understanding of the Church. John Smyth who settled in Amsterdam led the second
group.
Smyth adopted the doctrine that only believers baptism was valid. Since the entire
group had been baptized as children, there were no baptized believers in the group.
How could they be baptized? Smyth would, ultimately, cast water on himself. This act
of self-baptism spawned the congregation of the Brothers of the Separation of the
Second English Church in Amsterdam. That will not fit very well on the bulletin!
Calvary Road Church of the Brothers of the Separation of the Second English Church in
Amsterdam? No wonder people started calling them Baptists!
Smyths Brothers of Separation embraced Arminian theology. Because this doctrinal
approach includes an emphasis on universal or general atonement, the group became
known as General Baptists. In 1612, Smyth had died and his best friend, Thomas
Helwys took the group back to England, establishing the first English Baptist church near
London.
In 1643, the British Parliament invited the Puritans to form their own church. The group
met at Westminster Abbey and drafted the Westminster Catechism.
Meanwhile, in England, James son Charles declared that every church in Britain was to
follow the Anglican rituals. Dispute followed. Oliver Cromwell formed a pro-Puritan
army. It took Cromwell about five years to control Britain. In the process, Cromwells
army beheaded King Charles and his archbishop. One of those drafted by Cromwells
army was 16-year-old John Bunyan.
In 1648 Bunyan married a young lady named Mary. While Bunyan built a thatched
house, neither John nor Mary had any possessions other than two books owned by
Mary. The books were Puritan writings. Apparently with nothing to do but read, Bunyan
dove into these two works, as well as Foxes Book of Martyrs. His life was changed.
The experience of reading these works brought Christ into the life of John Bunyan.
In 1653, Bunyan was baptized by immersion by a Baptist pastor in Bedford. It appears
that this church was one of the first to return to immersion as the mode of baptism.
Bunyan became a traveling Baptist preacher.
Bunyan claims a unique position because in his travels he would share the Lords
Supper with all Christians, not just the Baptists. Most churches of the time practiced a
form of closed communion.
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During this stormy time, in 1643 the English parliament commissioned the Westminster
Assembly to develop the creed of the Church of England. Church of England and
English Puritan ministers met daily from 1643 to 1649. The Westminster Confession of
Faith, completed in 1646, affirmed a strong Calvinistic position and disavowed the
errors of Arminianism, Roman Catholicism, and sectarianism. The confession is still
widely used in Anglican and Presbyterian circles.
Cromwells reign ended in 1660 and again, all non-Anglican churches were suppressed.
Bunyan was jailed in Bedford for preaching without approval or authority of the Anglican
Church. It was while in prison that Bunyan wrote Pilgrims Progress.
England returned to the middle road of Queen Elizabeth in 1688 when William of
Orange and King James daughter Mary became the rulers of England. The Toleration
Act was passed providing that so long as a group would conform to The Thirty-Nine
Articles of doctrine the group would be allowed to worship without fear. In substance the
Articles were much like the Westminster Confession. The Protestant fight in England
was over.
We should make mention of one other group formed during this period of history.
George Fox of Drayton, England became an itinerant preacher in 1646. His
territory included Ireland, West Indies and North America. His message
emphasized the work of the Holy Spirit via revelation or an inner light. These
revelations were viewed as equal to the words of the Bible. By 1660, the
movement had expanded to the European continent, Asia, and Africa. In
America, William Penn provided a heaven for members of this group in
Pennsylvania. This group is the Quakers.
We have come this far in history without much discussion of events away from the
European continent. Perhaps we should remember that in 1492 Columbus landed in the
Bahamas. Spain and Portugal were quick to send forces to America. The purpose of
these groups was to evangelize the Native Americans. It appears the preferred
method of evangelism was to read aloud, in Spanish, a summary of Christian beliefs,
before each battle!
Sugar became the product driving the ship. It was illegal under Spanish law to enslave a
native. The Spaniards created encomienda (en-KOM-ee EN-dah). Under this system,
the natives were entrusted to settlers who were to teach the natives about Christ. These
natives were actually treated worse than slaves for the settlers had no financial interest
in the people whatsoever. Cruelties persisted, but the seeds of the future slave trade
were in place.
The real killer of the native Americans was not, however, the actions of the settlers. The
native Americans were not ready for the diseases of Europe. Just as AIDS from Africa
has invaded an unsuspecting world today, the native Americans were devastated by the
illness of the white settlers. It has been estimated that in Mexico 17 million, out of a
population of 18 million, died during this period, the vast majority from imported illness.
This problem struck at the life of the settlers, for without workers, there would be no
profits. The solution was to import slaves from Africa. The justification, in part, was the
curse of Canaan (Gen 9:25), a declaration that the curse was dark skin.
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Priests came with the settlers. Bartolome de Las Casas performed the first Mass in the
New World in 1510. Bartolome himself acquired an encomienda to help him live. Then
for unexplained reasons, Bartolome had a rebirth. In 1514, he released all of his slaves,
returned to Spain, and lobbied for protection for the Native Americans. His pleas were
partially answered when, in 1519, the Holy Roman Emperor passed a law code that
limited Spains rights and power over the natives. But the settlers were a large ocean
away. The code was mostly ignored.
The Jesuits attempted to save the day. Jesuits such as Pedro Claver built communities
to help the slaves. Claver came to Columbia in 1622 declaring himself to be a slave of
the Africans or, if you will, a slave of the slaves. Claver convinced the Order to obtain
Africans to teach him the language and help him in his work. As each boatload of slaves
arrived, Claver would group the people by language, give them water, and give them the
Gospel message.
Claver himself suffered a humiliating death. No one among his fellow settlers liked him.
Disease crippled him. The settlers provided a slave to take care of him. The slave
hated the white and, thus, left Claver alone. Near his death, the settlers, convinced that
he would be made a saint, raided his hunt and took all of his possessions, including his
clothes, assuming they would become valuable. Claver died naked and alone in 1654,
poisoned by his own filth. He was declared a saint, but not for 200 years!
Jesuits worked in many other regions as well. As indicated above, they would build
settlements for the Native Americans to keep them from slavery. In 1628 the plantation
owners attacked some of these missions and enslaved the natives. The Jesuits moved
farther inland and rebuilt. The settlers followed so the Jesuits armed the natives in 1640.
This strategy worked for a while. By 1731, 150,000 Native Americans were living in
Jesuit communities. The slave owners greed would eventually win the day. With
superior weapons, they forced the Jesuits out of the New World in 1767. The missions
were all destroyed by 1800 by slavery, disease, and greed.
Those who know me know that I basically believe the movies are the product of
the devil. I go to very few movies and watch only a handful on DVD. I
understand, however, that not all share my perspective. For those who like the
movies, the movie The Mission is a fictional account of this period in the lives of
the Jesuits.
In the 17th Century, an Aztec native claimed to have seen a vision of a Native American
Virgin Mary. The politics of the time compelled a bishop to build a shrine at the site of
the vision. This shrine is the Virgin of Guadalupe. It became the symbol of Mexican
self-rule.
For informational purposes, other cults arose during this era.
Swedenborgianism, the New Jerusalem Church, claimed to be able to commune
with spirits and angels, thus, learning the secrets of the universe. Swedenborg
denied the Trinity, original sin, the atonement, and the bodily resurrection. There
seems to be a great deal of emphasis upon free love in a sexual context. He
spiritualized the Bible. While there are still followers of Swedenborg in todays
society, his lasting effect upon the church are the assimilation of his doctrines
into other groups.
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Jansenism was a cult of the Roman Catholic Church. Pietism was a movement
within the Lutheran church, while Socinianism was founded in Italy. This group
taught that Christ was an exemplary man. The movement died but left behind
seeds of liberal influence. Indeed, this is the issue with many of these cults. You
will find remnants within these groups of false doctrines from the second and
third centuries, just as today various cults have picked these remnants from
groups of this period.
Other nationalities beside the English had influences upon American religion. The
Spaniards land in St. Augustine, Florida about 1512. From there they would spread
west to Texas, New Mexico and California, leaving beyond the teachings of Spanish and
Portuguese priests. They also expanded into Latin America.
The French moved into Canada and the US, establishing a permanent colony in Quebec
in 1608. They left little influence of any type except in Quebec and Louisiana.
The Germans landed mostly in Pennsylvania while the Dutch are responsible for
Delaware.
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Seventeenth Century Events

The Protestant Reformation begun in the last century continues to affect the religious
and political life of Europe.
In England the Puritan Revolution removes King Charles and executes him while
attempting to establish a Puritan Commonwealth.
In France, the Protestant Huguenots rebel against King Louis XIII.
1618-1648 -- In central Europe, the Thirty Years' War brings destruction as Protestants
and Catholics vie for power.
England begins to establish colonies in North America, many with the purpose of
spreading Christianity or establishing more Biblical Christian governments -- Jamestown
begins in 1607, Pilgrims land in 1620, Massachusetts Bay Colony established by
Puritans in 1630.
"King James Version" translation of the English Bible released in 1611; will shape and
mold the English language for over three centuries.
1633 - Galileo forced by the Inquisition to abjure Copernicus' theories. New scientific
studies often pursued by men seeking to learn the ways of their Creator - Johann Kepler,
Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle.
1634 -- the first Oberammergau Passion Play
Classic works of Christian literature are written: 1667 - John Milton's Paradise Lost;
1670 - Blaise Pascal's Pensees; 1678 - John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.
"Enlightenment" writers question Christianity and seek to base knowledge on human
reason--Leibnitz, Hobbes, and Descartes.
AD 1700 (FIFTY-SIX GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)

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Part 3: From Calvin to Adoniram Judson
Infamous medal struck to celebrate the St. Bartholomew Day massacre of Huguenots
Year and event
1536
John Calvin publishes The Institutes of the Christian Religion, the most substantial
theological work of the Reformation.
1540
The Society of Jesus is approved by the Vatican. Founded by Ignatius Loyola, the Jesuit
order places its services entirely at the disposal of the pope.
1545
The Council of Trent opens. Called by the Roman Catholic Church, it addresses abuses
and serves the Catholic Counter-Reformation.
1549
Cranmer produces the beloved Book of Common Prayer for the Church of England.
1559
John Knox returns to Scotland to lead reformation there after a period of exile in Calvin's
Geneva.
1572
The Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre in France witnesses the killing of tens of
thousands of Protestant Huguenots by Catholics.
1608-09
Anglican preacher turned Separatist, John Smith, baptizes the first "Baptists."
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1611
Publication of the Authorized or King James translation of the Bible in the English
language. Fifty-four scholars worked for four years on the project.
1620
Pilgrims coming to America sign the Mayflower Compact and commit themselves to
seek the public good, uphold group solidarity and forsake self-seeking.
1628
Jan Amos Comenius is driven from his homeland in Moravia and wanders the rest of his
life spreading educational reform and pleading for Christian reconciliation.
1646
The Westminster Confession is drafted in the Jerusalem Room at Westminster Abbey.
1648
George Fox founds the Society of Friends, more commonly known as "Quakers."
Seeking to live simple lives, opposed to warfare and avoiding formal worship, they had
an influence far exceeding their numbers.
1662
Rembrandt completes his masterful painting the Return of the Prodigal Son.
1675
German Lutheran minister Philip Jacob Spener publishes Pia Desideria which becomes
a manifesto for "Pietism."
1678
John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress is published. It becomes second in international
circulation, exceeded only by the Bible.
1685
Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel born. These two will go on to
become musical giants illustrating the central place of Biblical subjects in the
masterpieces of Western art.
1707
Publication of Isaac Watt's Hymns and Spiritual Songs marks a new development in the
kind of music sung in churches.
1727
Awakening at Herrnhut launches Moravian Brethren as the forerunner of modern
Protestant missionary movements.
1735
Great Awakening under Jonathan Edwards stirs the American colonies with many
conversions and individual returns to heartfelt faith.
1738
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John Wesley's conversion eventually leads to the founding of a branch of the Methodist
Church although he had no intention of forming a separate denomination.
1780
Newspaperman Robert Raikes begins Sunday schools to reach poor and uneducated
children in England. It rapidly becomes a vital international movement.
1793 William Carey sails as a missionary to India and oversees more Bible translations
than had previously been produced in all Christian history.
1807
The British Parliament votes to abolish the slave trade. Its decision is owing in large part
to the tireless efforts of the Christian politician William Wilberforce.
1811
The Campbells begin the Disciples of Christ, an element within what became known as
the "Restoration Movement" of American Christianity.
1812
Adoniram and Ann Judson sail for India. These first missionaries to be sent from
America evangelize Burma and translate the scriptures into Burmese.
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Church History
Lesson 10
Revolutions
- A.D. 1620 to 1814

In 1681, William Penn received a tract of land in the New World from King
Charles II. Penn refused to link his new colony to any religious sect. He
embraced everyone who believed in one God. His colony became known
as Penns Forrest, that is, Pennsylvania.
America arrives late in the landscape of Church history, yet, like everything else,
America will dominate views on Christianity. As we have already seen, most of the roots
of American Christianity were formed in the blood of martyrs in Europe and England.
While the balance of our lessons will focus more on the events related to America, there
will still be events in the rest of the world to consider, for they are all a part of the history
of Christs Body, the Church.
In an earlier lesson we noted that Separatists from the Anglican Church fled England for
Holland and that one group boarded a ship for America. The ship was the Mayflower.
The year was 1620. Although their goal was to land in Virginia, storms blew the group
off course and they landed in Massachusetts, naming their landing point Plymouth. It
must be noted that this group did not come to America to seek religious freedom in the
sense we consider today. Rather, their goal was to establish a colony where they could
live and worship as they chose without interference from the king. The group did not
support individual freedom but a group freedom.
After several years, the Massachusetts Bay Colony would absorb the Plymouth colony.
To become a citizen of the Bay Colony, one had to confirm salvation in Christ and agree
to the voting structure and government established by the Colony. State and church
were once again linked, at least for a short time.
The Puritans Church structure was Congregationalist. They offered a Separatist, Roger
Williams, the position of pastor. He refused because he believed civil judges should not
enforce religious beliefs. Williams became a missionary to the Native Americans and
would have become a forgotten figure in history had he not openly declared, The
Natives are the true owners [of this land].
Needless to say, this did not sit well with the Colony and Williams was banished by the
Massachusetts Court in 1635. Leaving behind a two-year-old daughter and a pregnant
wife, Williams walked the countryside for fourteen weeks until a Native American tribe
gave him shelter. He would pay a fair price to the tribe for a small piece of ground south
of Massachusetts. Williams named his patch of America Providence. He invited those
of all religions to join him.
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Providence, of course, is now known as Rhode Island. Williams family would join him,
as well as several others. Williams original charter declared:
No person within said colony shall be called in question for any opinion in
matters of religion. Persons may enjoy their own judgments in matters of
religious concernment.
An example of the type of people who fled to Rhode Island may be found in Anne
Hutchinson, a 44-year-old midwife living in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Each
Wednesday night Anne and six other ladies would gather to discuss the previous
Sundays sermon. In the process, Anne became well versed in Scripture. While such
meetings were common in the Colony, Annes knowledge led her to make a claim that
Christians were not bound to obey any human laws. Since she neglected some other
truths of the Bible, including that of civil obedience (Rom 13:1-7), the Massachusettss
Bay Colony put Anne on trial for treason.
While it became clear during the trial that Anne knew the Bible better than her judges,
she made the mistake of appealing to personal experience, namely, an encounter with
God. The court did not consider personal experience to be equal to the word of
Scripture. The court banished Anne, who, with her family, fled to Providence, where
she was welcomed.
Williams became a Baptist, perhaps the first in the New World. He founded the first
Baptist church in the colonies, only to renounce the denomination after eight months,
making him the first former Baptist in the colonies!
There were many missionaries in the Americas providing instruction and
evangelism to the Natives. Jacques Marquette and other French priests worked
along the Mississippi River (late 1600s). In 1614, John Rolfe, a Puritan, married
Pocahontas. Pocahontas eventually became a Christian and moved with her
husband back to Europe.
All was not golden in Massachusetts. Like any group, each generation changes. The
Puritans discovered that their children were less likely to profess a personal relationship
with Christ than their parents generation. The issue for the Colony was both religious
and political. If not all of the members of the Colony were Christians, how could the
Colony govern itself?
One solution was to perform more baptisms. This was known as the Halfway
Covenant. The practice had been to baptize only the children of Christians. Believing
that infant baptism was of worth, the pastors commenced baptizing children of nonChristians as well, thinking this would ultimately lead more persons to Christ. It should
come as no surprise that this did not work. Evil wandered the streets in the dark. In
Salem, in 1692, the evil came out into the open.
A 12-year-old girl was caught practicing magic. The girl and her friends falsely accused
several older women. Mass hysteria resulted. Fifty of the colonists admitted to having
practiced magic. Oddly enough, all fifty were freed. Nineteen others were accused and
refused to confess. These nineteen were all hanged. The Salem witch-hunt lasted only
a year. Similar witch-hunts in Europe would last longer. These were bloodier and far
more frequent. Evil was in the air.
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This blot had its impact upon the Puritans. Spiritual stupor entered the Colony. The
witch-hunt was replaced by political conflicts with England. In the Colony, the fire of faith
originally found in the Puritans died to a low burning amber. The early 1700s started
without God.
We discussed back in Lesson 3 on the Bible how different people bring different
experiences and assumptions to their biblical interpretations. This is not a new
phenomenon. Part of this process was the fruit of the Reformation. Prior to the
Reformation, whether good or bad, the people viewed their Scriptures through the lens
of the church and its tradition. The Reformation discarded most of this tradition. To this
point in history, tradition helped to mold society and explain the internal power of the
world. This tradition, even when it was wrong, was built upon the Scriptures.
In the 1600s and 1700s something had to replace the tradition the Reformers had
abandoned. The people needed a method of understanding the world around them and
the inter-workings and relationships of the humans who occupy planet earth. What
replaced church tradition was human reason, rationalism. The Age of Enlightenment
arrived. Instead of looking to past traditions for guidance, people now looked to
themselves.
Just as Darwins theories have spawned error in the past hundred years, another
scientist can be credited with having propelled the Age of Enlightenment. That man was
Isaac Newton (1642-1727), the man who told the world that gravity could explain the
mystery of the movement of the planets. A new vision was cast. This vision was not of
an unseen God but of a self-maintaining system endowed by a Divine Creator who
imposed upon this system forces that follow the laws of nature. John Locke (1632-1704)
was the great promoter of this concept. During the Scholastic days of Aquinas
philosophy and theology were united. As this age of reason developed, the two schools
became enemies.
Descartes (1596-1650) taught that there was no truth except as could be explained by
reason. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) is credited with introducing the inductive method of
study into science. Personal observation became an element of scientific proof.
Knowledge became tied to the five senses and revelation was discarded.
If man could now explain nature, why did man need the Bible? This became the
question of the skeptics. Reason and nature leads one to a new view of God known as
Deism. In simple terms, the Deists rejected every belief that reason could not confirm.
This includes miracles, providence, prayer, revelation, the Trinity, and the Messiah. The
Christ of Christianity became a Christ of ethics. God was Creator, but He did nothing
after this. And, of course, Jesus was only a man.
Deism became the god of the Masonic brotherhoods. Freemasonry arose in the 1100s
to guard the secrets of building stone structures. They were the first labor union!
Following the Renaissance, the Masonic Brotherhood became more like a club,
dedicated to charity, peace, and education. This most likely is what led them to promote
Deism. Their club structure greatly resembles the levels of Eastern religious levels to
god. Voltaire (1694-1778) taught that society was governed by natural laws and these
laws could be discovered. Society could be modified to fit these laws making society
more reasonable. The church and science were at war.
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In 1738, Pope Clement XII denounce Deism. He also forbade Catholics from becoming
a Mason.
Deism remained popular and it is my belief that a close study of the countrys founding
fathers will reveal that many of them were Deists. Under the influence of deism and
reason, many churches moved to Unitarianism perspective, the belief that God is not a
Trinity. This group ultimately moved to a position of any god, or any practice.
A name that may be familiar to many of you became the center of the first great
Christian awakening in America. An 18-year-old Jonathan Edwards wrote in his diary:
Resolved: That all men should live to the glory of God. Resolved,
secondly: That whether or not anyone else does, I will.
Edwards was a strict Calvinist who read his sermons in a monotone. His sermons
sometimes ran to two hours or more. Edwards was pastor at Northampton,
Massachusetts. He had been pastor there for five years as we move into 1734.
That year the spirit of revival grasp hold of the Northampton church and 300 church
members were saved. They moved to live out their new faith in their daily lives. Joy, as
Edwards wrote, filled the town. This revival lasted but three years.
We must move back to Europe to catch the wave that grows into a revival flood. In the
late 1600s, Jacob Spener wrote a booklet entitled Pious Desires. The point of the book
was that each individual should pursue a personal relationship with Christ by means of
intense mediation on the Scriptures. Those who adopted these principles became
known as Pietists.
In Germany, Catholic princes still persecuted the Moravian Brethren, a small group of
Bohemian Protestants generally called Moravians. Their doctrinal position was
essentially Lutheran. In 1722 a Moravian refugee knocked on the estate door of Count
Nikolaus Zinzendorf, a wealthy noble in Dresden. The refugee asked the Count to
shelter the Moravians. Zinzendorf agreed and a community was built upon his land
called the Lords watch or Herrnhut. By 1725 about 100 Moravians made Herrnhut
home. Zinzendorf became a Moravian in 1727.
Zinzendorf was a Pietists and he instilled his Pietism into the Moravians. The group
formed around the clock prayer meetings. The Moravians of Herrnhut would meet in 24hour prayer meetings for more than 100 years.
In 1731, in an official capacity the Count traveled to Denmark for an imperial meeting.
There he met a group of Eskimos who had been led to Christ by a Lutheran missionary.
He also met a Christian African slave. These encounters placed a need for missionary
work upon Zinzendorfs heart. Returning home, he turned his Moravians into a powerful
missionary outreach. The pietistic Moravians would send missionaries to more than 300
countries and baptize more than 3,000 converts.
Gods Providence is that characteristic whereby He causes all things to work together for
good for those who love Him. He creates those chance encounters that lead to
wonderful miracles. One such miracle involved a young Anglican priest named John.
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On his way to Georgia (USA) to be a missionary to the Natives, a severe storm struck
Johns ship. Terror spread through the passengers. John was surprised to find a band
of Moravians calmly singing psalms. The Moravians would corner John into considering
whether or not he had a personal relationship with Jesus. After two fruitless years
among the Natives, John Wesley would return home. He wrote:
I went to America to convert the Indians, but, oh, who shall
convert me?
Wesleys mother, Susanna, was a godly woman who preached sermons in the family
home. Neither John nor his brother Charles heeded the message. In 1738 Charles
finally turned his heart over to Christ. Three days later, John was in Aldersgate Street,
London. He heard someone preaching from Luthers commentary on Romans. John,
too, had his salvation experience.
Before their salvation, John (1703-1791) and Charles (1708-1788) had formed Pietistic
societies known as Holy Clubs within the Church of England. These clubs sought to
find Gods presence through intense meditation on Scripture, fasting, and frequent
participation in the Lords Supper. Because of the well-ordered methods employed by
these clubs they became known as Methodists. Wesleys goal, however, was not to
start a new denomination.
Charles Wesley is the author of some 7,270 hymns!
Following his conversion, John and his Methodist followers began a campaign of outdoor
crusades. One such evangelist was Sarah Crosby. Another was George Whitefield
(1708-1788), the most effective of the Methodists evangelists. Whitefield came to
America where it has been estimated that 8 out of every 10 colonists heard him preach.
At Northampton Jonathan Edwards wept for joy. Great revival struck the land. The
revival is known as the Great Awakening.
There were differences, even among the Methodists. Whitefield was a strong Calvinist.
Wesley was somewhere in between, but closer to Arminianism that Calvinism. In the
true Christian fashion, in 1749 the two agreed to forever disagree and they kept on
preaching. At the same time, many criticized Whitefield because he did not condemn
slavery. Whitefield did, however, spend a great deal of time preaching to the slaves.
Methodism proved to be a great answer to social ills. Their spiritual awakening
countered Deism in England. Socially, the Methodist provided a large amount of help to
relieve the plight of the poor and orphans. Methodists were also at the forefront of the
fight against society.
This revival would last until the 1750s. Thousands would be saved. It is estimated that
10% of New England experienced salvation. Baptist and Methodist churches would
flourish, especially in the frontier areas and among the lower classes. The revival spear
headed a rise in religious liberty and saw the establishment of many evangelical
colleges. There was also an increased interest in missionary efforts. Whether the
revival simply died a natural death or was killed by a political revolution is a point to
forever argue.
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Princeton University founded by the Presbyterians

Rutgers founded by the Dutch Reform
Brown founded by the Baptist
Dartmouth founded by the Congregationalists
The churches were heavily involved with the struggle for independence, though not
always for it. Wesley, for example, opposed the independence movement. Anglicans,
Mennonites, and Quakers also refused to support the war. The Presbyterians were
heavily in favor of the war. John W. Wetherspoon, a Presbyterian minister, was the only
clergy to sign the Declaration of Independence. The Lutherans and Baptist supported
the war while the Roman Catholics were split, although more favored the war than were
against it. Many were tarred and feathered for their un-American actions. Property
and lives were lost. Yet, most church members supported the revolution. In the pulpits
words of revival were replaced with words of revolution.
The summation of the period? Deistists and Christians agreed that religion was an
individual matter, a personal issue. Roger Williams dream became the third article of the
Bill of Rights.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
The United States was formed without any ties to any religious faith.
Regardless of how the clause is interpreted today, America was formed as a land where
people could freely practice their religion.
Because of the split between the leaders of Methodism over slavery,
many Methodist church leaders refused to ordain African-Americans as
pastors and bishops. In 1816, Richard Allen formed the African Methodist
Episcopal Church to give Blacks the freedom to serve as bishops and
pastors.
Following the War for Independence, the Anglican Church in America
changed its name. Surprised? Probably not. It became the Episcopal
Bishop Guided Church. In recent years,its bishops have taken a few
wrong turns. However, the split in this group and others was created by
the war. Just as the war split America and England politically, so too, did
it split American church groups from those in England and Europe.
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Eighteenth Century Events

Voltaire, one of many Deists, further develops the rationalism of the "Enlightenment,"
attacking Christianity and finding in man the center of all things. The French Revolution
of 1789 overthrows the traditions of the Church and briefly establishes the goddess of
Reason.
An Evangelical Awakening spreads throughout England and America under the
preaching of George Whitefield, the Wesley brothers, and Jonathan Edwards.
Pietism brings new life to German Lutheranism, and Lutheran J. S. Bach writes his
music "only for the glory of God."
Count Zinzendorf establishes Herrnhut as a Moravian settlement in Saxony, from which
the Moravian Brethren begin their missionary work.
Christians Handel and Haydn write classical music, including masterpieces of religious
art, while Isaac Watts and the Wesleys write hymns for congregational singing.
Practical application of Christian truths found in classics written during the century:
Philip Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul; William Paley's Principles
of Moral and Political Philosophy; and William Wilberforce's Practical View of the
Religious System. Cruden's Concordance published early in the century.
Religious freedom gains grounds. In the United States, religious tests for government
positions are abolished, and in Russia Czarina Catherine the Great grants freedom of
religion.
Christian Daniel Defoe begins writing novels reflecting man's spiritual struggles.
The era of modern missions advances with the establishment of London's Baptist
Missionary Society and the sending of William Carey to India.
AD 1800 (FIFTY-NINE GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)

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Church History
Lesson 11
Modernism, Missions & Miscellaneous
- A.D. 1780 to 1914

Philosophy: The Modern Age, depending upon who you talk to, lasted
from the end of the Enlightenment in the late 1700s until the 1900s.
Instead of reason, the modern age emphasized human potential,
progress, and the material world. Reason did, however, still play a role
during this period. In our post-Modern world, reason has been lost and it
all rests on the shoulders of personal emotions and experiences.
Calvinist Baptists placed a great emphasis upon the limited or particular
extent of Christs redemption (the L of Tulip). They became known as
Particular Baptists. In the 1700s many of this group decided that if God
had predestined those to be saved, there was no point to missionary work
and evangelism. This brought about a decline in the size and number of
Particular Baptist churches!
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NKJV)
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their
hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to
end.
11
Eternity in their hearts . . .

For much of the 1800s optimism was the call of the day. Man is made to seek God. As
the Westminster Confession opens:
What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy
him forever.
That is why God has placed eternity in our hearts. The trouble is, we tend to replace
eternity with other things.
Progress brought optimism to world society. Europe would go almost 100 years without
a major war. Mass production allowed prices to drop and people to enjoy material items.
Trains and steamships shortened distances. Farming improvements cut into hunger.
Medical discoveries cured diseases. The American West was won.
Yet, there were storm clouds. People became commodities. Factory workers were,
perhaps, no different than slaves. Slaves still existed. Americans and Europeans drove
the white man into every corner of the world. Many may have despaired, but the
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optimism of the day had people believing their efforts would change the world and calm
mans restlessness. They ignored the eternity in their hearts and replaced it with things
of their own making and reason.
God used this optimism to start an era of missionary work and evangelism. It may not
really have started around William Carey (1761-1834), but if it didnt he is still the best
example of God at his finest.
Carey was an English Particular Baptist. A skin disease as young child forced Carey
inside where he eventually took up shoemaking. His skills were not great, but during this
period he learned five languages. He attempted to spin this skill into teaching but that
was a failure as well. God then called Carey to the pastorate. Yet, his sermon skills
were no better than his language teaching skills and it would take him two years before
his sermons were considered sufficient for ordination.
Carey then took on the task of challenging the Particular Baptist concept that evangelism
was Gods work. You have probably all heard, whether you remember it or not, the now
famous quip made in response to Careys dream of missionary work. When God
pleases to convert the heathen, hell do it without consulting you or me! Carey
maintained his position that evangelism and Calvinism go hand-in-hand. Eventually
Carey received sufficient pledges from a group of Particular Baptist pastors to undertake
his missions trip.
Careys circumstances did not change. Carey and a doctor headed for India. Carey
took his wife and children. The doctor took off with all of their funds. Two of Careys
children died and his wife suffered from severe depression. Carey managed to convert
one person in India in seven years.
Careys comment? I plod. He translated and published the New Testament in 24 of
Indias native languages. His work laid the foundations for those who followed. Carey
died in 1834. Ann and Adoniram Judson and Robert Morrison continued his work.
Morrison created a Chinese translation of the Bible. John Veniaminou, an Orthodox
priest, went to Alaska. Damien, a Roman Catholic priest, cared for lepers in Hawaii,
dying there from the disease. Allemand Lavigere campaigned against slavery in India.
Henry Martyn and Alexander Duff also worked in India. Samuel Marsden worked in the
South Pacific, Robert and Mary Moffat and David Livingstone were missionaries to
Africa. Moffat translated a South Africa Bible.
In 1860, Hudson and Maria Taylor founded the China Inland Mission. Taylor allowed
single women to be missionaries, opening the door for women such as Lottie Moon and
Amy Carmichael. The Gospel was spread in China and India. A council of missionaries
would meet in Edinburgh, England 76 years after Careys death. His efforts where now
proven as 1, 200 missionaries from 160 missions boards participated in the conference.
The number of Christians living outside of Europe and America had increased 1,000
percent.
In America, the West was the frontier. The optimism of the modern age produced a
belief in universalism, the concept that God condemns no one. This optimism only
produced spiritual darkness. People were forced to reconsider their faith. Presbyterians
set aside days for prayer. The American answers came in 1801 in the form of camp
meetings.
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The picture of a camp meeting is one of tents on the church ground, two or three days of
singing and speakers, with communion on Sunday. Only Christians were allowed to
participate in the Lords Supper. This was enforced by individual churches issuing
tokens to their members. No token, no participation.
In Cane Ridge, Kentucky, the Rev. Barton W. Stone held a camp meeting that was
struck by a force. 20,000-to-25,000 Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists showed up.
It is reported that upwards of five preachers would be delivering messages at the same
time, each preaching on a different part of the grounds. On Saturday, people began
falling to the ground begging forgiveness. Reports indicate that others laughed and
cried hysterically. The Holy Spirit moved on the crowd and the Second Great
Awakening of America began. God was at work once more.
Stone himself may have gotten too much into the optimism of the modern world. He
became convinced that believers could restore New Testament Christianity if they
forsook everything but the Bible. He joined a band of former Baptists led by Alexander
Campbell. This group became known as the Stone-Campbell Restorationists. The
group called themselves only Christians or Disciples, a slap at denominations. They
followed what seems like a simple rule Where the Scriptures speak, we speak. Where
the Scriptures are silent, we are silent.
If you consider this for a moment, it becomes unclear what was their real
guidance. Every day we encounter situations where the Scriptures are silent.
We must learn discernment and the application of general Scriptural guidelines
by analogy. This is, apparently, not exactly what the Restorationists meant. Still,
their goal was admirable.
They attempted to get all Christians from all walks of life to leave behind denomination
loyalties and replace it with unity in the church. Their efforts had a dual effect. First, it
weakened some of the denominations and traditions of American Christians. Second, it
created a new group of denominations. From the Restorationists come the Churches of
Christ, the Disciples of Christ, and the Christian Churches. Some of these groups have,
in turn, split, and some of their doctrine is, at best, questionable.
But, Stone did help participate in the start of a revival. At its heart were traveling
evangelists like Charles G. Finney. Finney was an upcoming lawyer when he met
teenage girl, Lydia Andrews. Lydia perceived Finney was not saved and commenced to
pray for his salvation. Finney was saved a year later. Three years after that he and
Lydia were married.
Finney began to preach a day after being saved. He mixed reason, theology and highpressure salesmanship to create a unique presentation. For him revival was not a
miracle, rather revival consisted entirely in the right exercise of the powers of nature.
His new measures included pressuring people not to leave his gatherings until they
were sure of salvation. Finney set up anxious benches. People walked the isle and
sat on these benches for prayer and counseling.
Further, Finney kept his evangelism tied to social reform. If people were not changed
and made better, there was not reason for Finney to evangelize. Finney would become
president of Oberlin College. While there African-Americans and women attended the
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same classes with their white male counterparts. The college would become one of the
stops on the Underground Railroad.
Where Finneys methods valid? They were at least on the fringe of orthodox theology.
Yet, God honored his efforts and many were saved during this great revival.
During this same period some Americans tired of the older religious traditions.
Around 1819, a teenager, Joseph Smith claims to have been visited by God. A
few years later, an angel visited Smith and gave the young man gold plates on
which was written the Book of Mormon. Smith and his followers would move
from New York to Ohio to Illinois where Smith would be killed after declaring
himself King of Gods Kingdom. The Book of Mormon claimed that America
was the center of Gods plans and the Native Americans were displaced
Israelites (sort of). After Smiths murder, Brigham Young would led these LatterDay Saints to Utah. The Church of the Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ, better
known as the Mormons, has a long history.
During 1858-1859, another revival struck Virginia and the Carolinas where over 100,000
slaves were saved. Joseph Lampheir started weekly businessmen prayer meetings in
New York City. This led to prayer meetings in major metropolitan areas across the
country, with over one million people coming to salvation.
While revival was in the air, so were the threads of problems. Immanuel Kant published
the Critique of Pure Reason. This document essentially states that reason can grasp
anything within time and space. If something is outside of time and space, reason is
useless. Since God is outside of time and space, reason was unrelated to Christian
faith. Kants thesis would conclude that Christianity affects only what one feels and
does, not what one thinks. (How does this compare to Romans 12:1-2?)
Friedrich Schleiermacher picked up Kants premises. Schleiermacher argued that faith
is not based upon the historic life of Christ but upon ones awareness of ones
dependence upon God. This awareness leads one to imitate the good deeds of Jesus.
This is Christianity. This concept of an awareness is a mixture of emotions and
feelings. There is no factual basis or logical awareness of Jesus. God becomes a force
similar to the Force of Star Wars. Schleiermacher is considered the father of modern
theology.
It is clear to see this idea of religion equaling feelings is still present in todays
Christianity. In fact, it is present even more than you might think.
Remember the barbarians? The Goths moved into the Roman Empire in the early
Middle Ages. The magnificent cathedrals of the late Middle Ages were called Gothic
architecture because they blended barbarian ideals with classical Roman designs. A
revival in the nineteenth century popularized Gothic designs again. This design
structure poured into many American churches of the nineteenth century. In addition,
the thoughts of the people turned Gothic.
What made Christianity Gothic again was a desire of the body of believers to want
feelings to drive their faith. Viewing the Middle Ages as romantic helped people pull out
the designs and motifs of the Middle Ages. If you walk into such a church you feel the
emotions of Schleiermacher. Further, the churches reflected the emotional backing.
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Women were expected to be more religious than men because they were more
emotional. This resulted in a double standard in religious views and in social morals.
The use of the theater, movies, and the arts as a tool to move people away from
God is built around such theological views. One can trace this modern trend
against God by studying the history of art over the past 1,000 years. There are
certain godly pieces, but there are many more pagan pieces designed to create a
sense of reason and enlightenment aimed at man and not God.
There was another outcome of Schleiermachers theology. Higher Criticism is that field
of theology that seeks the sources of the biblical authors. This process led to the
critics questioning the Bibles accuracy. If faith was a matter feelings, then the Bible was
simply a record of the ancient writers feelings. The stories about Christ were myths and
fables designed to explain how Jesus transformed the lives of the early Christians.
During the second half of the nineteenth century, the Tubingen and Wellhausen schools
of Germany would use Schleiermachers theology mixed with Darwinism to truly attack
the Bible. This was accomplished by mixing faith and the new science. While many
Christians ignored evolution, it is this mixture that has drawn many away from
Christianity. Where the strict fundamentalist hurt people by completely separating from
society, the Tubingen group created a field where future liberals would be free to
question any and all parts of Scripture.
These critics focused on the divine love and social reform of God. This leads to the
fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. The human soul becomes of infinite
worth and God loves all of His creation. The Bible becomes a secondary document.
This position leads to the liberal theology present at the turn of the twentieth century.
Later in the twentieth century, it would lead a scholarly quest for the historical Jesus.
In the 1990s a group called the Jesus Seminar was formed. Their quest for the historical
Jesus brought them to questioning all of the stories of the Gospels. They voted with
colored marbles over which of the sayings of the Bible were actually made by Jesus!
In the late 1700s and 1800s most Christians were postmillennialists. This group
believed that Gods people would initiate Gods ideal kingdom on earth and then Jesus
would return. Apparently the very early church was pre-millennial, that is, Jesus would
return prior to establishing the ideal earthly (millennial) kingdom. Premillennialists
faded with time and would not come back into prominence until the early 1900s.
To complete the group of beliefs about the Millennial Kingdom, amillennialists
believe that the kingdom of God exists now, in the church age, and the return of
Jesus is a spiritual, not a physical, event. Parts of amillennialism belief can be
traced back to Augustine.
However, during the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, many Christians began to ask
how it would be possible to establish Gods Kingdom in the midst of the exploitation of
workers and slaves. This would lead to a quest on the part of some in the church to
change society.
Robert Raikes started Sunday schools in England as a means to education urban
children. The concept spread to the United States in the 1800s. American Christians
began to be concerned about society. In the late 1800s, Charles Sheldons book, In His
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Steps, was aimed at urging Christians to use their faith to make changes in society.
Wealthy British evangelicals led by George Williams started the YMCA and Catherine
and William Booth created the Salvation Army. William Wilberforce, an evangelical
Anglican and Member of Parliament worked toward outlawing slavery. Social change
was in the air.
From the churchs perspective, the problem with many of these fine efforts is that the
Social Gospel over came the evangelical outreach. Many churches and groups
became more focused on positive changes than on spreading the Gospel message.
These traits would remain in some churches and some groups until the present day.
The influence of the world upon the church was evident.
Not all of the pastors of the 1800s allowed social needs to overcome the Gospel. The
leader of this group is Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892). Spurgeon became a
pastor at age 17 and in 1854 he was called to the pastorate of the New Park Baptist
Church in London. This church grew into the Metropolitan Tabernacle where Spurgeon
preached to 6,000 people every Sunday. Spurgeon believed that social change was
useless without the Gospel. In the process of saving souls, Spurgeon founded schools,
orphanages, and nursing home, while denouncing slavery. Spurgeon was a great model
of a Christian minister.
Four miscellaneous stories:
Isabella was an African-American Christian who was a slave. She gained her
freedom around 1843. She was convinced that Christ called her to travel the
country preaching for social reform by ending slavery. She changed her name to
match her mission. She became Sojourner Truth.
About the same time, another pastor, William Miller of Vermont, made himself a
self-proclaimed biblical scholar. He determined that Christ would return by
March 21, 1844. When Christ did not return, Miller determined he had made a
mathematical error and announced the new date as October 22, 1844. Of
course, nothing happened. Eventually Miller withdrew from leadership of the
Group and died shortly thereafter. The Millerites actually split into three distinct
groups, each developing an emphasis in a different area, eventually, reuniting.
Hiram Edson received revelation that Miller was right about events but was
wrong about the place. Edson developed the theory of a return to a heavenly
sanctuary. Joseph Bates taught the Saturday Sabbath as a perpetual ordinance
of the church. The key group may have been that of Ellen G. White and her
husband, the Reverend James White. E.G. White taught that the 1844 prediction
was correct, but that it referred to the start of an Investigative Judgment. This is
a time when Christ will judge the dead and the living on earth for righteousness.
She predicted that the second coming of Jesus would soon follow this. Late in
her career, the church voted her the credentials of an ordained minister. She is
responsible for uniting the three groups into the Seventh Day Adventists in 1863.
One other follower of the Millerites was Charles Taze Russell. Russell undertook
his own study and determined that Jesus returned in 1872. But Russell
determined Christs return was spiritual and not physical. Russells followers
grow into the Jehovahs Witnesses.
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Lyman Beecher was a Congregational pastor. His method of fighting slavery

was to send rifles to anti-slavery forces in the Midwest. The weapons were
shipped in crates marked Bibles. The rifles became known as Beechers
Bibles. Beechers daughter, Harriet Beecher Stowe, wrote Uncle Toms Cabin.
1929 was not the only stock market crash in the US. One occurred in 1857, at least
partially spurred by the issue of slavery. Oddly enough, along with the crash came the
Third Great Awakening, a revival that began in Canada and spread to both the US and
Britain. In the American northeast, prayer meetings were begun, especially at the urging
of a Methodist laywoman, Phoebe Palmer. The prayer meetings spread across the
country. The revival could not cure slavery. War was in the wind, and the tensions of
the slavery issue and the split between the states would cause internal strife in several
denominational groups. The Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians would all have
fractures because of slavery. The Southern Baptist Convention was formed in 1845 in
Georgia.
As far as the Civil War is concerned, both sides believed God was on their side. When
the War ended, the Social Gospel continued on its way.
Liberalism: A theological attitude that enthrones human reason as the ultimate
authority instead of the Bible. This view ignores the effect of the Fall on the
mind. Liberal theologians vary in their conclusions and generally deny or
redefine some or all of the essential doctrines of Christianity. As a movement
liberalism can be said to be the theology of the period from 1850-to-1920.
Conservative Christians did not approve of the liberal social gospel, but could find few
alternatives. One alternative was that of evangelists such as Dwight L. Moody. Moodys
approach was, essentially, to resist and reject the modern world. Strangely enough, a
similar approach came from none other than Pope Pius IX. A third approach was that of
the scholars such as B.B. Warfield who attempted to express Christian views in a way
the modern world could understand.
Moody was a shoe salesman turned evangelist. During the Civil War he worked as a
chaplain. After the battles he would wander the battlefields tending to the wounded,
whether Blue or Grey. Then, in 1871 fire destroyed Chicago, including Moodys home.
Moody responded by going to Britain to preach. While there, Moody overhead another
preacher exclaim, The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully
consecrated to him. These words would grab Moodys soul.
Moody would ignore modern scholarship and theological studies by preaching simple
evangelist sermons aimed at the middle class. He pitched tents in the cities, aiming at
the urban centers of the Industrial Revolution. He added a singer, Ira Sankey, for his
revival tours. In Britain alone 4 million people would travel to the revivals. Moody threw
away the post-millennial optimism of the past for a pessimistic view of the world in an
effort to win souls. That was his sole focus.
Ira Sankey popularized the songs of blind poet-song writer Fanny Crosby.
Moody would found the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in 1886. R.A. Torrey
was the Institutes first president. This started a trend among the church leaders
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toward establishing more Bible institutes. Many of these would become fullfledged colleges and seminaries.
We may have left the Catholic Church sitting in the background for a while, but we
should bring it up to modern times. Remember all of those councils the church liked to
call? Well, before the Reformation, the Council at Florentine (1439) adopted the seven
sacraments:
Eucharist (Lords Supper)

Baptism
Confirmation
Penance (the forgiveness of sins)
Matrimony
Holy Orders (ordaining of priests)
Extreme Unction (the anointing of those in danger of death).
The Church had practiced most of these, in one form or another, since the 800s, but this
council was the first to make them all official. We have seen that in response to the
events of the Reformation, the Council of Trent (1546) added the Apocrypha as official
books of the Bible. Then, in 1863 the Roman Catholic Church declared that salvation
was only available through the Roman Church.
Following the Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church became a worldwide symbol of
ancient powers. Time and energy sapped the power of the pope. Then came the
liberalism of the 1800s. In 1854 Pius IX denounced the idea of harmonizing the church
with civilization. The pope also denounced attempts to limit his authority in doctrinal
matters. He declared the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, the tradition of the
church that Mary was free from original sin.
Many Catholics questioned the new doctrine. More precisely, the people questioned the
power of Pius to define this doctrine without a church council. In 1869 more than 500
bishops would gather for the First Vatican Council. The Council would meet for nearly a
year. When it was all over the Council confirmed the doctrine of the Immaculate
Conception and declared the Bishop of Rome was infallible, but only when he defines a
doctrine . . . by Divine assistance promised to him in the blessed Peter. Many believe
the proper interpretation of this to be that a pope can only redefine the outward
expressions of the Catholic Churchs faith. No pope or council could change any
essential doctrine of the church.
Pope Pius XII is the only pope to use the infallibility bestowed by the First Vatican
Council. In 1950, this Pius declared, When the course of [Marys] life was
finished, she was taken up body and soul into glory.
The history of the Vatican is a long discussion beyond the scope of this course.
However, at various periods of time the bishop of Rome lived in or controlled the land
known as the Vatican. At some points in time, the pope owned a considerable amount
of real estate surrounding the Vatican, gained mostly by conquest and political
maneuvering. Napoleon had provided protection to the Vatican by means of a French
garrison. In 1870, Napoleon had to withdraw these troops because of the threat of the
Franco-Prussian war. The new Italian monarchy almost immediate confiscated all of the
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temporal holdings of the church. The pope was left with only the Vatican enclave. The
government offered the pope a generous settlement that called for a substantial annual
payment for the lost lands as well as self-rule for the Vatican. The pope essentially
refused the offer and went into self-exile within the walls of the Vatican. There the popes
would remain until an agreement was made with Mussolinis government in 1929.
The last person to consider is B.B. Warfield. He would be one of a group to participate
in a Bible conference in Niagara, New York. This group approached the threat of
modernism by adopting five fundamental truths that would define true Christianity.
These truths would be published for the world to read, a modern version of the second
century apologists. We will look at this group more closely in the next lesson.
Liberalism eroded the fringes of Christianity. This degrading of the place of Scripture
resulted in much bad doctrine, initially about the truth and faithfulness of God and Christ,
but ultimately about side issues so prevalent in todays society. Consider:
Homosexuality in the church, including in the pulpit

Homosexual marriages
Females being ordained
Sex outside of marriage
Standards of right and wrong, indeed the lack of any absolute standards
Political correctness as an interpretive tool
Interfaith communion
All roads leading to God, regardless of the starting point
The concepts of liberalism become the vehicles of dialogue. As many of the

seminaries turned liberal, conservatives would withdraw and establish their own schools.
The inter-faith movement relies upon such an approach. By inter-faith I do not mean
Presbyterians and Baptists, but Christians and Hindus. This movement will ultimately
pave the path for the one-world religion of the Antichrist. By converting views of God
from doctrine to philosophy, the Hindu can meet with the Christian and find a common
ground.
Liberalism as theology is dead, but liberalism as a philosophical position lives on. Such
are the tools of Satan!
During this period, we also add two more cults.
Spiritualism was formed in 1848. As a movement it, too, has died away, but its
seeds are found in many other groups, including the New Age movement of
today.
Mary Baker Eddy formed the Christian Scientists in 1876. It is still a powerful
Gnostic cult force today.
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Nineteenth Century Events
The nineteenth century is sometimes called the Protestant Century. Protestants

established missions throughout the world. Organizations such as the British and
Foreign Bible Society, the American Bible Society, the Sunday School Union, and the
American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions lead in the spread of the Gospel
message. Reform societies form to deal with abolition, temperance, prisons, and
education.
In America, many sects including Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Christian
Science are established.
New philosophies such as Darwin's evolution, Marx's communism, and Freud's
psychology, attack the traditional Christian view of life and history. German "higher
critics" attack the historical validity of the Scriptures.
Revival leader Charles Finney establishes "new measures" in his revival meetings,
believing conversions can be achieved if the right approaches and techniques are used.
Dwight L. Moody and Ira Sankey hold large revival meetings on both sides of the
Atlantic, while thousands hear Charles Spurgeon preach in London's Tabernacle.
Fanny Crosby, Ira Sankey, Francis Havergal, and others poured out hymns of faith and
devotion.
David Livingstone and others open the African continent to missions, while workers
with Hudson Taylor's China Inland Mission spread throughout China.
Pope Pius IX condemns liberalism, socialism, and rationalism; also proclaims the
Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. The First Vatican Council declares the Pope
infallible in the year 1870.
AD 1900 (SIXTY-TWO GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)

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Part 4: From Founding of the AME Church to Growth of
Chinese Church
John Keble
Year and event
1816
Richard Allen, a former slave, founds the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
1817
Elizabeth Fry begins ministry to women in prison and becomes model for social
compassion and involvement.
1830
Charles G. Finney's urban revivals begin and introduce techniques that decisively affect
later mass evangelism in America.
about 1830
John Nelson Darby helps found the Plymouth Brethren, a group which spreads the
dispensational view of Scriptural interpretation.
1833
John Keble's sermon "National Apostasy" initiates the Oxford movement in England.
1854
Hudson Taylor arrives as a missionary in China. His faith work has immense impact.
1854
Philosopher Soron Kierkegaard publishes Attacks on Christendom.
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1854
Charles Haddon Spurgeon becomes pastor in London and will go on the be one of the
most influential pastors ever.
1855
Dwight L. Moody is converted. He goes on to become one of the most effective
American evangelists.
1857
David Livingstone publishes Missionary Travels and his exploits in Africa attract world
wide attention.
1865
William Booth founds the Salvation Army, vowing to bring the gospel into the streets to
the most desperate and needy.
1870
Pope Pius IX proclaims the doctrine of Papal Infallibility.
1886
The Student Volunteer Movement begins as a major thrust of young people to bring the
gospel to the world as missionaries.
1906
Asuza Street revival launches Pentecostalism, and paves the way for the development
of the modern charismatic movement.
1910-15
The fundamentals are published and demonstrate the great divide in American
Christianity known as the "Modernist-Fundamentalist" controversy.
1919
Karl Barth's Commentary on Romans is published, effectively critiquing modernistic
theology.
1921
First Christian radio broadcast over KDKA in Pittsburgh.
1934
Cameron Townsend begins the Summer Institute of Linguistics that aspires with sister
organization Wycliffe Bible translators to bring the Bible to every language group of the
world.
1945
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is executed by the Nazis. The German pastor is killed just days
before the Allies arrive to liberate that region. His theological writings remain influential.
1948
The World Council of Churches is formed as an interdenominational body promoting
Christian unity and presence in society.
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1949
Billy Graham's Los Angeles crusade thrusts the young evangelist into several decades
of worldwide ministry and an impressive reputation.
1960
Charismatic renewal surges forward, crossing denominational lines and becoming more
mainstream.
1962
Second Vatican Council begins, the most significant council since Trent. It will promote
new attitudes and practices in Catholicism.
1963
Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister, leads a march on Washington espousing the
teachings of Jesus in a civil rights movement that affects all American.
1966-76
The Chinese church grows despite the Cultural Revolution. Christianity did not die out
under Communism, but experienced one of the most dramatic church growths ever.
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Church History
Lesson 12
Liberalism to Post-Modernism
- A.D. 1906 to 2003

The Twentieth Century has been a time of distress and revival for the church. Each of
the three major groups claiming to be Christian (Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox)
has seem major changes. While many numbers have increased, the state of Christs
body is questionable.
The Eastern Orthodox Church has split into geopolitical units over the years. Worldwide
the Orthodox Church claims around 140 million members. And, while the Russian
Orthodox Church survived Islam, Communism drove it deep into the ground. Lenin
executed 28 patriarchs and 1,000 priests as Communism gained control of the Soviet
Union. Persecutions under Stalin were worse.
To survive, the Russian Orthodox Church appointed leaders who would work with the
Communist Government. This generally led to an atheist emptiness within this church
group. Those in Russia claiming to be Christians but not being part of the Orthodox
Church suffered greater personal persecution. Following the fall of Communism, these
evangelical groups sprang to life and have found a renewed sense of purpose. The
Orthodox Church is following on the heels of this growth, even though continuing
changes in government policies make growth unstable.
Since most of the Orthodox congregations fall either within the borders of Communism
or Islam, their general fate is similar to that of the Russian Orthodox Church.
While the Orthodox congregations hid or turned political, the West faced the growth and
death of both liberalism and neo-orthodoxy. As a theology, the liberalism of the
nineteenth century slowly died under its own weight. The process as a movement was
morally bankrupt and did not explain much nor did it provide a method for discovering an
explanation. For the church, the fear of liberalism would be founded, not in the
philosophy as a religious movement, but in the left-overs that would pervade teachers
and students and soon mix with the anything goes mentality of the 1960s.
However, as the religious community discovered the emptiness of liberalism, they
sought a new solution to fill the void. The new theology comes from a Swiss minister,
Karl Barth. Brought up in the liberal tradition, Barth had always read the Bible as a
religious record. In his spiritual void, he commenced to read it as Gods Word. In so
doing, he arrived at a less than perfect conclusion. Barths liberal background mixed
with Gods Word to produce the conclusion that nothing in creation could reveal God.
Gods power and grace were so overwhelming, nothing could display them. This was a
slap on the face of liberalism that had argued for people to discover God in two places,
creation and their own emotions. Barth did away with the first of these standards.
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But, Barth also argued that the Bible could not adequately convey God because human
words could not convey God. God was a living event, expressed in His finest form in
Jesus Christ. Thus, Barth concluded that it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit
that man could discover God. The Bible only became the Word of God when the Holy
Spirit revealed Jesus to the individual. Barths ideas were labeled neo-Reformation or
neo-orthodox.
In much of the world, Barths neo-orthodoxy mixed with world events to kill both the
worlds optimism and theological liberalism. World War I took the lives of approximately
ten million soldiers. Of course, America was different. The War affected American lives
but it did not reach American shores. Fragments of the optimism of liberalism and
modernism survived the end of the War. In fact, the optimism probably could be viewed
as lasting until Black Friday, 1929, with the start of the Great Depression.
So, during the 1920s, America played. This is the era of jazz, flappers, short skirts, and
speakeasies. Women and men commenced to outwardly display the same relaxed
standards. Moral crusades over womens right to vote and banning alcoholism became
the topic of the day. In 1920, America elected Warren G. Harding President even
though contemporary evidence suggested he was one of Americas most corrupt
politicians.
Just as conservative Christians of today have grouped themselves in loose alliances to
fight the evils present in modern society, those of the 1920s did the same. Their
perceived battle was against liberalism and the liberal concepts such as evolution. This
group became known as the Fundamentalists. The Fundamentalists agreed on five
major beliefs as the basis of their attack:
Jesus was uniquely divine

Jesus was born of a virgin
Jesus died as a sacrifice for sin
Jesus will come again
The Scriptures contain no errors; the Bible is inerrant.
Several fundamental scholars and pastors, from all backgrounds and walks of life, wrote
and published a series of articles attacking many of the characteristics of liberalism.
These pamphlets became known as The Fundamentals. You can purchase a reprint set
of this four-volume work today.
The Fundamentals are a powerful apologetic against liberal theology. But, in hindsight,
it is difficult to estimate how influential the writings may have been from a theological
perspective. From a human vantage point, interesting results occurred.
In 1925 fundamentalists in Tennessee were instrumental in the state legislature passing
the Butler Act. This act prohibited the teaching of the Evolution Theory in all public
schools in Tennessee. Most of you will, at least, remember having studied the Scopes
Monkey Trial in school. John Scopes was a small town football coach who occasionally
taught biology in Dayton, Tennessee. Scopes stated (lied?) that he had taught that apes
and humans had common ancestors. He was charged with a violation of the Butler Act
and went to trial in 1925. The trial became the 1920s version of the OJ Trial.
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Clarence Darrow, a well-known liberal lawyer became Scopes attorney. On the other
side, three-time presidential candidate, William Jennings Bryan, was the prosecutor.
More than 1,000 spectators swelled the courtroom. In a made-for-TV move, Darrow
called Bryan as a witness. Under oath, Bryan admitted that the Bible should be
interpreted as given there. In other words, Bryan believed parts of the Bible were only
figurative illustrations (spiritual interpretations?). Further, he testified that he did not
believe that the days of Genesis chapter one meant 24-houir days. He thought they
represented periods of time. Bryan and Darrow essentially got into a shouting match
over whether Darrow was attempting to slur the Bible.
In a second brilliant legal maneuver, to prevent Bryan from delivering a closing
argument, Darrow sudden pled his client guilty. The trial was over after five days of
testimony. Scopes was fined $100. Bryan offered to pay the fine.
Bryan cost the fundamentals dearly. Many conservative Christians abandoned him on
the basis of their belief in literal 24-hour days. William Jennings Bryan would pass away
five days after the trial ended. But, the fundamental tensions continued. Both the
Northern Baptist Convention and the Northern Presbyterian Church split over these
issues as new denominations were formed. Much of the reason was a desire on the part
of the fundamentalists to truly separate and segregate from every notion of liberalism.
As liberal elements were found within groups, those who were truly fundamental
separated into new churches.
During the depression, American Pastor Richard Niebuhr used Barths neo-orthodoxy to
mediate a middle position between liberalism and fundamentalism. His greatest
contribution is the writing of the Serenity Prayer:
Lord, give us serenity to accept what cannot be changed, courage to change
what should be changed, and wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
Also, following World War I, those following fundamental teachings added to the five
fundamental beliefs. These additions included pre-millennialism and a strong rejection
of evolution.
Like the other groups, fundamentalists soon would question their own position. By the
1940s, many fundamentalists were concerned with the strong emphasis on separation
from the world. The result, in part, was the introduction of more confusing terms into the
theological vocabulary. Those who believed in less separation became known as new
evangelicals (neo-evangelicals). Eventually, they simply became evangelicals, as
opposed to those who still followed the true fundamental route. The issue was the
question of separation.
In October 1941, these new evangelicals formed the National Association of
Evangelicals (NAE). Held at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, the group promoted
positive instead of negative. Essentially, the NAE admits any group who embraces
salvation by grace through faith in Christ. In other words, they accept any group who
generally believes in the original five fundamentals.
Historically the NAE has been a mixed denomination group. From this mixed group
have arisen most of todays interdenominational fellowships Youth for Christ,
Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, and Campus Crusade. C.S. Lewis is the best known of
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the early evangelical writers. The evangelical movement got its strongest push in 1949
when 31-year old William F. Graham held his first crusade. After 8-weeks, 11,000
people had attended the Los Angeles event and Billy Graham was a national celebrity.
Graham was criticized by some for being willing to work with Roman Catholics and
liberal Protestants. Men like John R. Rice and Bob Jones left the evangelical
movement. This tension over separation has continued into todays climate. A second
waive of separation would occur within many of the conservative groups such as the
Southern Baptist Convention as liberal tendencies increased within these groups. Large
number of conservative, evangelical churches would withdraw from the convention to
become independent or Bible churches. CRBC is an example. In Virginia, the
conservative churches have formed the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia.
CRBC is a member of this group. The groups prime function is sponsoring new church
plants.
We need to return to about 1900 to trace another characteristic of modern American
church history. A branch of the Methodist church became known as the holiness
branch since they emphasized a spiritual experience that would lead to Christian
perfection. This experience was generally called a second blessing. Charles Fox
Parham was a holiness evangelist who had been miraculously healed. In 1900 he
formed a Bible college in Topeka. Part of his teachings was that speaking with other
tongues should be part of the second blessing, using Acts 2:1-20 as his Scriptural
basis.
His students took Parhams instructions to heart. In 1901 one of his students began to
speak in an unknown language. It was later identified as Mandarin Chinese. All of
Parhams students would receive other languages and most, but not all, went onto the
mission field. One who did not go onto the mission field was William Seymour.
Five years later, Seymour would preach the Pentecostal message at the Apostolic Faith
Gospel Mission on Azusa Street, Los Angeles. Many in Seymours audience began to
speak in other tongues. Hundreds flocked to Azusa Street to experience the baptism
with the Holy Ghost. They went home and the phenomena spread. In 1914 the
Assemblies of God was formed.
Pentecostalism has grown every since, especially in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Several women, including Aimee Semple McPherson and Kathryn Kuhlman, earned
prominent positions and pastorates within the Pentecostal movement. McPherson
popularized what is known as the Foursquare Gospel, namely that Jesus is Savior,
Healer, Baptizer, and Bridegroom. Those from other denominations who display these
gifts of the Spirit are known as charismatics, from the Greek word for spiritual gifts.
The movement of the Pentecostals and charismatics has grown in this post-modern
world because of the emphasis on the feelings of the gifts involved. This worship
transcends mere words and institutions. It also fits with the post-modern philosophy
most of us have been indoctrinated with as we grew up in the public school system.
Further, the miracle gifts were a worldwide phenomena. In Africa, Simon Kimbangu
practiced the healing side of the movement. He began his ministry in 1915. He would
die in prison, but his African Independent Church reached seven million followers in the
1990s. Watchman Nee Duosheng emphasized miraculous healings in his Chinese
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ministry, while Sundar Singhs ministry in southern Asia featured a dazzling vision of
Jesus in a ball of fire. The Hindu became a Christian. Unlike most Pentecostals, Singh
lived his life like a Middle Age monk -- renouncing home, employment, marriage and
family life to obey Jesus and tell others of God's love. Pentecostalism grew swiftly in
Latin America as well with the two largest Latino congregations in the world being
Pentecostal. The same is true in Korea.
All of these events combined to create another movement within the church. Spurred by
the liberal philosophies of the time, Christian groups with differing theological positions
commenced looking for common ground for dialogue. The ecumenical movement was
being given birth.
Ecumenical is a big word that means worldwide or general in extent, influence, or
application, thus of, relating to, or representing the whole of a body of churches,
especially promoting or tending toward worldwide Christian unity or cooperation
The first efforts were in England around 1910. A small group worked toward inviting all
churches that accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to join together. The call was to
set doctrine aside. This movement was known as the Faith and Order Conference. In
1925 a variety of liberal groups held the Life and Work Conference. This conference
focused on social reform. Then in 1938 these two groups merged to form the World
Council of Churches. World War II interrupted all of the plans of the WCC, but their
movement had a strong toehold.
With the power of hindsight it is wonderful to look back and exclaim, how could
they have said that! In the 1930s the Baptist World Alliance said of young
politician Adolph Hitler, He gave to the temperance movement the prestige of his
personal example since he neither uses intoxicants nor smokes. Oh well . . .
Few Christians would stand and fight Hitler. His control over the churches of Germany
was almost unobstructed. It was a sad time for European Christians. A few names do
stand out as protecting the Jews Corrie Ten Boom, Magda and Andre Trocme, even
Pope Pius XI kept Jews in the Vatican. Pius indirectly criticized Hitler but the Vatican
played a careful middle ground to avoid the War.
One Christian name that does stand out is that of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was
influenced by Barths writings, but it was after a service at a Harlem African-American
Church that Bonhoeffer found Christ. Bonhoeffer would return to Germany to help run
an underground seminary (The Confessing Church) while writing The Cost of
Discipleship in an effort to stir Christians to fight Hitler. Bonhoeffer would become
involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler, an event that would lead to his capture and
execution.
One might question the wisdom of Bonhoeffer becoming involved in an
assassination plot. There is no doubt but what he was involved. He used a
runaway car analogy to justify his actions. It goes like this . . . If you saw a
driverless car speeding down a crowded street, shouldnt you jump onto the car
and attempt to stop it? Hitler is the runaway car and the street is the world.
Following the War, the Confessing Church of Germany met with the fledgling World
Council of Churches. Within a couple of years, the WCC was officially formed. Many
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Eastern Orthodox Christians did not join, objecting to the fact the WCC did not require a
belief in the Trinity. In 1961 the WCC redefined itself as a fellowship of churches which
. . . seek to fulfill together their common calling to the glory of one God, Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. This change allowed more than 30 million Orthodox Christians to join
the WCC.
In the US, the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ was formed in 1908.
This group reorganized into the National Council of Churches in 1950. The NCC
is essentially an American only version of the WCC. Most members of the NCC
also belong to the WCC.
Remember the development of the Catholic Church we discussed last week? One of
those changes was a declaration that salvation was only possible through the Roman
Catholic Church. This prevented the Catholic Church from joining the ecumenical
movement. Then came 1958 and Pope John XXIII. John was 76 when he became
Pope and most believed he was simply holding the fort until a real pope could be found.
The bet was that at 76 John would not live long. Well, it is true John did not live long.
John shocked the world by disagreeing with his predecessors. Virtually all popes of
recent history had condemned all Protestants. John called them separated brothers.
He sent observers to the WCC. In 1962 John called the Second Vatican Council, an
event attended by more than 2,500 cardinals, bishops, and abbots. More than 500 of
these delegates were Africans and Asians. The goal was to update the outward forms.
John XXIII would die after the first session but Paul VI continued the Council, which
would meet four times between 1962 and 1965.
Several results came from Vatican II:
Session One allowed the Mass to be performed in native languages rather than
Latin. The laypeople were urged to study the Bible. The Scriptures were
declared to be the primary source of divine truth but the Bible interplays with
tradition. All Christians, not just the priests, monks, and nuns, are said to be
called by God to be Gods people. Congregational singing was added and both
elements of the Lords Supper would once again be distributed to the people.
Sounds an awful lot like Protestantism doesnt it?
Session Two created a college of bishops to assist the pope.
Session Three had three good points. Praying to saints was discouraged and
non-Catholics are not deprived of salvation significance. This sounds much like
John XXIII separated brothers statement. This also session stated that Mary
must never take away from . . . Christ the One Mediator. On paper this all
sounds good.
Session Four provided that no government should force one to act contrary to
ones religious beliefs.
The final declaration of the council was a joint statement by Pope Paul VI and Patriarch
Athenagoras of Constantinople (Greek/Eastern Orthodox Church). They two groups
forgave each other for the schism of 1054. The ecumenical movement continues.
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In 1978 John Paul II became, and as of the date of this writing still is, Pope. He is the
first non-Italian Pope in 456 years. He declared himself universal pastor. He travels
widely. In 1997 he apologized for the lack of moral leadership in the church during the
Second World War.
But, things have not greatly changed in the Roman Catholic Church. The Church is
outwardly more ecumenical, while still acting as though it is the only road to heaven.
Most aspects of its teachings remain unchanged. There is still an emphasis on works as
part of salvation, there is a ban on women priests, married priests and birth control.
And, in the past couple of years there has been a terrible scandal within the American
church over the homosexual actions of several priests.
The Roman Catholic Church remains as corrupt today as when Martin Luther nailed his
Theses to the Wittenburg Chapel door. On the other hand, a clear review of the Catholic
Church of 2000 suggests there is no single definition of the Catholic Church. There is a
clear picture of the operating structure, but in practice the Church has saved and
unsaved, charismatics and traditional, and a host of other groups. Indeed, I have read
one study that suggests the Roman Catholic Church currently consists of nine distinct,
almost separate groups.
And, the ecumenical movement continues. In 1953 Billy Graham sparked an idea to
draw together English-speaking evangelicals throughout the world. This idea was the
seed of the magazine Christianity Today. The magazine is fifty years old. The idea
behind the magazine became a driving notion for Graham. In 1974 he chaired the
International Congress on World Evangelization at Lausanne, Switzerland. The
Lausanne Covenant affirmed that evangelism . . . summons us to unity. The
Covenant also urged missionaries to respect the native cultures. As such, evangelicals
continued to balance the Scriptures with an open mind for some of the things of culture.
This means that the fundamentalists and evangelicals focused on different ends of the
spectrum. Evangelicals promoted new ideas such as easy-to-read new translations of
the Bible, contemporary Christian music, and less emphasis on fashion. The modern
fundamentalists fight all of these efforts and more. One of the major differences arose in
the mid-1990s over whether or not there should be a dialogue with the Roman Catholics.
In 1994 Catholic and Evangelical leaders signed a statement entitled Evangelicals and
Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium. Common doctrines
and social issues were emphasized, while doctrinal differences were ignored. Three
years later the group issued a statement on the issue of justification. The statement
agreed that justification is not earned by any good works. Lutherans officially approved
a Joint Declaration, which follows the same definition.
Evangelicals who supported the statement included Charles Colson, Bill Bright
(founder of Campus Crusade for Christ), J.I. Packer (Anglican theologian and
writer), Elizabeth Achtemeier (Union Theological Seminary professor and author
who died in 2003), and Richard John Neuhaus (Lutheran theologian and author).
Those who criticized the statement included R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, and D.
James Kennedy. Their major criticism was that agreement was needed on more
doctrines than only justification by faith.
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That such a movement to unite the church exists should surprise no one. The early
church was of one accord. This is a noble goal and sounds worthy of our efforts. Yet,
the basis of such union should be by faith in Christ based solely upon all biblical
principles. Without getting into a long side trip, the final end times will bring a uniting of
religions. A one-world religion will arise. Satan is getting the world ready for this event
by slowly allowing man to remove the differences between diverse groups.
A new worldview has evolved over the past fifty years. This worldview places man and
his feelings at the center of the universe. Post-modernism supports many possible
viewpoints, personal experience and self in community with others. In addition, it is a
gratification now view. Mans religions and mans views will mold to these thoughts for
financial reasons. During the Middle Ages the church created rituals that would protect
the clergy and keep them employed. Modern religious movements will follow the same
path.
Post-modernism says that diverse groups, such as the Catholics and the Protestants
can unite because each should ignore the shortcoming (i.e., doctrinal differences) of the
other. What is more frightening is that this same view says that Catholics and Hindus
can fellowship in the same fashion. Eventually such a movement will place Mohammed,
Buddha and Jesus on the same level. Much of the modern day church is joining this
bandwagon.
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Major American Religious Bodies

1993
Over One Million in round numbers
African Methodist Episcopal Church
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
American Baptist Churches
Assemblies of God
Christian Church (Disciples)
Christian Churches & Churches of Christ
Church of God in Christ
Churches of Christ
Episcopal Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
National Baptist Convention, U.S.A.
National Baptist Convention of America
National Missionary Bap. Conv. of America
Orthodox Church in America
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Progressive National Baptist Convention
Roman Catholic Church
Southern Baptist Convention
United Church of Christ
United Methodist Church
3,500,000
1,200,000
1,527,000
2,235,000
1,022,000
1,070,000
5,500,000
1,690,000
2,472,000
5,245,000
2,607,000
8,000,000
3,500,000
2,500,000
1,030,000
3,778,000
2,500,000
58,000,000
15,232,000
1,583,000
8,785,000
Cults:
Mormons
Jehovah Witnesses
Christian Scientists
8,000,000
11,500,000
400,000
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Twentieth Century Events
World Wars pit nominally Christian nations of Europe against each other.
Emergence of charismatic Christian sects.
Rise of the ecumenical movement.
Revision of the Roman Catholic liturgy.
Missions reach virtually every region of the world.
New translation methods put the Bible into the languages of 95% of mankind, but about
1,500 small tongues, representing 5% of mankind, lack scriptures.
More Christians are said to have been martyred in the 20th century than in all earlier
centuries combined.
Decline of church attendance becomes marked in much of the Western world.
Explosive growth of Chinese Christianity.
Emergence and collapse of powerful atheistic states.
Crises in Darwinism revive Christian attacks on evolutionary theory and development of
scientific models from a Christian perspective.
Rise of internet and mass media lead to wide dissemination of the gospel by new
means.
An overwhelming information explosion tends to bury truth.
1.9 billion "Christians," about 33% of world population
Non-white Christians, especially in China, Africa, and Latin America exceed white
Christians.
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Church History
Lesson 13
Where are we now?
- A.D. Now until Tomorrow

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.
13
Ephesians 6:18 (NKJV)

praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to
this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
18
2 Timothy 4:5 (NKJV)

But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist,
fulfill your ministry.
As we turn into the Twentieth Century, the continual warnings of Paul to be ever alert
may seem distant. But, they remain vitally true. Jesus could return at any time. Or,
God could easily set back the clock of progress and delay the Second Coming for
many hundreds of years. We must be ready for either event.
The most amazing thing about Church History is how little it has really changed. The
cults and false teachers may appear to be more sophisticated today than those of the
early church years, but are they really?
Marcion edited the Bible to suit his own purposes. Today, groups edit the Bible either to
make their own theological editions (Jehovah Witnesses) or they add books to the Bible
(the Mormons and Christian Scientists do this, similar to adding the Apocrypha). So, the
Bible remains a point of contention. Spiritual interpretations prevailed in the early church
and many still interpret Gods Word in this fashion. The liberal criticism of the mid-1800s
still remain as men professing to be Christians refuse to accept miracles and treat the
word of God as a myth or legend.
Estimates about todays church vary widely. It is estimated with reasonable accuracy
that in 1991 there were between 1.76 and 1.79 billion Christians. This would be onethird of the worlds population. By comparison, it is estimated that Christianitys
statistical high point was 1900 when 34.4% of the population claimed to be Christian.
While todays percentage is smaller, the actually number of Christians is larger, due to a
larger world population. Some estimate there are more Christians alive today than were
alive throughout all of the preceding centuries.
On the other hand, others estimate that only 540 million of these Christians are true
Bible believers. This would be about 10% of the population. Worldwide estimates are
that on any given Sunday only between 4 and 6 percent of the worlds population will be
in church. Even more disheartening is a recent Barna survey that found that only 4% of
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born again Christians exercised a Christian worldview. If this is true, what is the point of
claiming to be a Christian?
The church is certainly faced with persecution, problems, and division. Communism,
nationalism, cults and world religions, and the pressures of society all assault the
church. In this age of religious freedom, in many African nations as well as many Arab
nations it is illegal to be a Christian. Penalties run from being sent out of the country to
death. Evangelical radio was banned in Mexico in 1980. Persecutions abound in
African nations, such as Mozambique, Chad, and Zaire. The church in Communist
China has lived underground for decades.
We have considered the cults as we moved through this course. Like everything else
today, there are more cults than every before. Large and small, powerful and weak, you
can almost find a cult on every corner. Yet, the invasion and growth of the Eastern
religions (Hindu and Buddhism) and the growth of Islam would suggest a larger threat
than the cults. What appears to be occurring, however, is that all of these groups are
mixing. Each seems to adopt traits of the other. New Age forms an umbrella that
captures each of these groups and provides a home for them to grow and change. The
religious thoughts of the Native Americans has been added to the pot in the last 40-50
years, spawning even more changes to many groups. Just as Paul faced false
teachings, so does the church of the twenty-first century.
John writes that we are to avoid loving the world.
1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV)
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the worldthe lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes, and the pride of lifeis not of the Father but is of the world.
17
And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of
God abides forever.
15
The things of the world have always been a problem for Gods people. The issues are,
to a great extent, no different today than during the biblical periods. Alcohol, drugs, and
licentious lifestyles existed then and still exist today. Today we have added television,
rock music, movies, and the Internet to the mixture. Much of yesterdays sin is now out
in the open. These are tremendous pressures upon church members. Our young
people are bombarded by the worlds ways. Gods people are to be separated from the
sin of the world. The Fundamentalists went too far in their separation, divorcing
themselves so far from the world that they lost all influence and could not evangelize.
However, it is such thin lines between being separated from sin yet close enough to the
people to evangelize as opposed to actually becoming a part of the world.
So, the church will struggle with issues such as these and argue about how far to move
away from sinful people. What sounds so simple on paper is so difficult to define in
practice. Divisions will continue over these, as well as other matters.
According to the Handbook of Denominations in the United States (Ninth Edition, 1990),
there are 220 denominations in existence. Because of the premise behind this book,
some of these 220 are cults. I estimate that if you take out the cults, you are still left with
over 190 denominations! This is clearly contrary to the ways of the early church, where
they all met with one accord. However, the signs of splits appeared early in the history
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of the church. The earliest sign was, you may recall, first seen in a disagreement
between East and West over the date of Easter. Political tensions and geographical and
language differences entered the picture at various points in time. Events such as the
Civil War divided churches.
Today, and into the future, we should continue to expect divisions and new
denominations. For example, one of the major issues of the modern church is the role of
women. Scripture appears to provide that women cannot have authority over men (1
Tim 2:12). Throughout most of the life of the church this submission was maintained.
Not until the missionary movement of the 1800s did women commence to go it alone.
This required they have authority over men.
In the social world of the 1900s women obtained more political rights. This movement
soon moved into the churches. Originally, the Pentecostal churches were the ones to
embrace women in leadership roles but the liberal tendencies of the various
denominations soon led to many groups embracing women. In many cases, there exist
two groups within these denominations, one on each side of this question.
The extension of civil rights to previously shunned groups, such as homosexuals, has
also invaded the church. Without getting into a lengthy discussion, we must for a
moment continue to view the church as those organizations who profess to be
Christians. Within these groups there will be cults, apostates, and believers. I am
reminded of Lot. Never was a man more inclined to be viewed as lost. He went from
arguing with Abraham to offering his daughters to the mob in Sodom. Yet, Peter writes
of Lot:
2 Peter 2:7-8 (NKJV)
and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the
wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous
soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)
So, there are modern day Lots within all of these groups. However, many of the liberal
churches openly accept homosexual ministers. Without debating if they are lost or
saved, the church groups to which these people belong will continue to argue over this
theological question. The easy example is the Episcopalian Church, which recently
ordained a gay bishop. I personally would not be surprised to find enough resistance
within this denomination that a split occurs in the next few years providing us with yet
another new denomination.
There is another movement afoot that might, at first glance, appear to be new. You
may recall that most, indeed, perhaps all, cults and false doctrines attack the Person of
Jesus, either claiming He is not God or that He is not man. This new theology attacks
not the Person of Jesus but the Person of the Father or so it seems. This new
movement is called neotheism or open theology.
This attack is on the sovereignty of God. At the heart of open theology is the issue of
whether or not God is truly able to see and know all events (actual or possible) of all
time. Can God really see the future? Essentially this group says no. God is limited in
His finite ability to see the future, He is merely so wise that He is a good guesser of the
future and is correct in His estimation of events almost all of the time. But He is not
correct 100% of the time!
141
Two comments need to be made. First, most, but not all of this group are probably
believers and will be in heaven with you and I. They have some bad theology, but then
so have a lot of other groups along the path of the past 2,000 years.
Second, it is not really a new theology. Consider the book of Job, if you will. Job and
his friends questioned the character and power of God when things went wrong. Job
arrived at the proper conclusion or rather, God brought Job to the proper conclusion!
Just read the last few chapters starting at chapter 38. Open Theologians appear to be
modern day Jobs. Most of them appear to have suffered a severe loss or emotional
crisis in their lives and went in search of an answer to the age-old question of why do
bad things happen to good people. Rather than taking the Bibles teachings in a literal
fashion, they sought a deeper meaning or basis for their loss. That foundation is
founded on the premise that God cannot foresee all events. Therefore, He did not
foresee their losses. Thus, they have an answer to why their loving God did not stop the
tragedy from occurring.
There is another part to this answer as well. Liberal theology teaches that God is love
and would not allow bad things to truly happen to anyone. Usually this means bad in an
eternal sense, but if you attempted to move this premise into a worldly sense, you end
up at about the same point in the road as those practicing open theology. There is
nothing new under the sun!
The various false teachers we have encountered over the centuries have:
;
;
;
;
;
;
Claimed to have a deeper and truer view of Christianity

Rejected the inerrancy of the Holy Scripture
Belief in ones self is belief in God
Christ delivers men by His coming and not by the atonement of the Cross
Rejection of the virgin birth
Salvation by illumination
These are all the teachings of centuries and are the teachings of liberalism. If these are
true than modern man may continue to evolve and unite and become better. Yet, is the
church prepared to handle the battle?
New theologies appear in the social context. You will find those who promote:
Black Theology
Liberation Theology
Feminine Theology
These are but examples. Each one is designed to prove that God is on their side and
supports there cause. Of course, both the North and the South thought God was on
their side as well.
Another event of the last century has been the growth of groups outside of the church
proper. Missionaries and missionary boards may be the model for these groups. We
have encountered them before. They include:
142
Promise Keepers
World Vision
Prison Fellowship
Gideons
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
Campus Crusade
Others could be added to the list. Each plays an important role, but each operates
outside of the bounds of any local church body. There are other groups within this paraumbrella as well. One is the Wycliffe Bible Translators. This group has translated the
Bible (or a portion thereof) into more than 2100 languages. The group estimates there
are more than 6,457 different dialects on planet earth. However, the 2100 languages
that have the Scriptures represent the vast percentage of people who are alive. In other
words, most of the world can hear or read the Bible in their own language.
It might be noted, however, that even with the miracle of TV, satellite, and Internet, as
many as one billion people have not been evangelized. Further, over half of the worlds
population lives in areas where evangelism cannot take place. TV and radio are a
powerful force in todays world, however. Groups such as Focus on the Family have
made major impacts upon how Christians live. Their prime focus is the media of radio
and television. Add to this music CDs, concerts, DVDs, and VHS tapes and Christianity
has a variety of methods for exposing the world to the Gospel.
But, have you been to a contemporary Christian concert? We must compare the method
with the methods of the world. Are they too close? And, the same could be said about
TV and radio. Where do you draw the lines? And, did God envision the church doing all
of the work? Or, does the Almighty want these para-church groups involved? Should
they grow and the churches shrink?
These are difficult questions for the Christian community. How should the church
respond to the issues of the day? Who should respond?
The other phenomenon is the mega-church. While Calvary Road may seem large, there
are local churches that are 4-7 times larger than Calvary. At the same time, there may
be over a hundred churches nation wide who have average weekly attendance in excess
of 10,000 people! That many people will not fit into a house. Do small groups resolve
the fellowship issues? Are mega-churches part of Gods plan? How should megachurches and small churches interact?
Look at the issues again:
The roles of women in the church

The place of new or more translations of Scriptures
The place of gender-neutral terms in translations
The split between pre-millennialists and post-millennialists.
Calvinism (Sproul) verses moderate Calvinism (Geisler)
Ecumenicalism
Yet, all is not tribulation. There have been spiritual awakenings in Eastern Europe as
the Soviet block has fallen. Evangelicals have been able to make great inroads in
143
spreading the Gospel message in these countries, fighting both the social settings and
the cults who are there spreading their messages as well.
The same is true in Africa and Latin America. Most Latin American countries have large
Christian populations. This is the world of Luis Palau, an Argentina native who is the
Billy Graham of South America. Interestingly enough, almost 80% of these converts are
Pentecostal.
Notwithstanding the potential issues of the radio and television ministries, as more and
more countries move into the modern era of technology, more ministries have an
opportunity of reaching the lost. Estimates are that Christianity is growing at the same
rate as the worlds population. The actual numbers of Christians continues to grow.
But, the world is biblically illiterate. Not only has the unsaved world not been raised in a
situation where the Bible is taught in any form, but many Christians have never read the
Bible cover to cover. They simply do not know what Gods Word says. This helps, at
least in part, to explain the break down of values within society. If there is no biblical
basis to rest upon, then morals and truth have no frame of reference. Man is left to
create his own standards. This is the worldview concept. Barnas report that only 4% of
born again Christians have a biblical worldview helps to explain why the modern church
acts so worldly. This is the world of post-modernism. This is the world we live in.
The other issue that many struggle with is the problem of Job. For all of its modern
advancements, the issues of suffering remain. Death, disease, natural disasters,
terrorism, and accidents plague everyone. Men seek an answer to these issues and the
church is not always there to help. The events after September 11 provide an excellent
example of this.
There was a great surge in church attendance in the months immediately after the
terrorist attacks. However, many of these churches are liberal, non-God centered, or
outright cultish. People did not find what they sought within the walls of the church. So
they left. Barna represented that by January 2002, there were fewer regular attendees
in the nations churches than before the attack.
The church is 2,000 years old. The problems of the church are essentially the same
now as when the Apostles first preached. Solomon is right. Church history has taught
us the power of God and the Gospel and the failures of men. Nothing has changed.
Ecclesiastes 1:8-9 (NKJV)
All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with
seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing. 9 That which has been is what will be, That
which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.
144
145
Appendix A
Baptism
There is nothing within the Church that may be as historically undocumented as the
history of baptism. It is clear from Acts that each early convert was baptized. Indeed,
this is the Lords command as given in the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV)
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all
things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end
of the age. Amen.
19
The history of the very early Church demonstrates that this effort continued after the
death the Apostles. In fact, it may safe to state that the concept of baptism was such an
integral part of the early church that it is not mentioned in most historical records that we
possess.
We noted in one of our early lessons that to fight heresy within the church, the church
moved to a new members class to assure that people had truly accepted Christ. As
part of that effort, the baptism appears to have been postponed, being moved from
immediately after salvation to the end of the new members class, a process that varied
greatly from one location to another. Some groups took just a few months to teach the
Rule of Faith while others may have taken as much as three years.
The other issue that arose in the early church involved the baptism of infants. Again, it is
unclear how widespread this process began, nor do we have any clear records of the
pattern of its spread. The issue of baptizing infants may have been another result of the
church attempting to protect itself from heresy and false doctrine. The theory behind
infant baptism reaches back into the Old Testament and looks at the community of God
rather than the individual.
The Old Testament teaches a community of God, the nation of Israel. As part of
belonging to this community, God gave to Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Each
male child was circumcised on the eighth day as proof of the child belonging to Gods
family nation.
Genesis 17:9-14 (NKJV)
9
And God said to Abraham: As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and
your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant
which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you:
Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be
circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant
between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be
circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house
or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who
is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be
146
circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his
foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My
covenant.
14
The early church viewed the baptism as the equivalent of the circumcision and deemed
it should baptize infants as a sign that they were part of Gods family. This was viewed
as placing a protective measure upon the child and as being a means of protecting the
community. The belief or hope was that by being baptized, God would be more active in
assisting the child to grow into Christianity.
That infant baptism was practiced in the early church is reasonably well documented.
The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (the Didache, c.150), while not specifically
speaking of infants, appears to support this practice. Origen (writing about 244) states,
according to the usage of the Church, baptism is given even to infants. The Council of
Carthage, in 253, condemned the opinion that baptism should be withheld from infants
until he eighth day after birth. Augustine (writing in 408) is quoted as stating, The
custom of Mother Church in baptizing infants is certainly not to be scorned . . . nor is it
to be believed that its tradition is anything except apostolic.
It is during the Middle Ages that the Church moves to the current position of the Roman
Catholic Church with regard to baptism, namely that it is a sacrament by which the soul
is cleansed from sin. In other words, the Roman Catholics (as well as many protestant
groups) teach that baptism is a necessary part of salvation. Baptism is necessary for the
remission of sin, both original sin and actual sin. This being true, children should be
baptized to wash away their original sin. This doctrine is then extended to provided that
if a child dies in an unbaptized state he will not enter heaven because of the existence of
original sin. Verses used to support this position include Acts 2:38-39; 22:16; and 1
Peter 3:21. Many of the reformers continued baptizing infants for similar reasons.
The problem with this position is that it assumes the community can save a person. This
is clearly not the teaching of the Scriptures. Scriptures clearly teach that only an
individual believing in Jesus may be saved. The analogy to the Old Testament
community fails when it comes to salvation. Each individual must come to a saving
knowledge of Jesus to be saved. In the case of infants who are too young to understand
their sins, God does not hold this against them since they are incapable of making such
a decision. If they die in their infancy, they enter heaven, baptized or not.
It should be noted that most of these groups take a reformed (Calvinistic) perspective on
the translation of the Scriptures and view Israel and the Church as a single group. Thus,
they freely substitute events and doctrines both from the church to Israel and from
Israel to the church. It would be surprising if they did not view baptism as the equivalent
to circumcision.
The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles does appear to support the practice of pouring
rather than immersion. Now concerning baptism, baptize thus: Having first taught all
these things, baptize ye into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, in living water. And if thou has not living water, baptize into other water; and if
thou canst not in cold, then in warm (water). But if thou has neither, pour water thrice
upon the head in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The
Council of Ravenna (1311) states that baptism is by tribe immersion or aspersion
147
(pouring). However, all of the councils that address baptism, except for the one of
1311, only mention immersion!
The first actual case of sprinkling recorded in the literature is that of Eusebius in 253. He
writes of the baptism of a man named Novation who was terminally ill. The church
leaders fearing that immersion would kill him, sprinkled him.
The important point of the Didache is not that pouring was allowed, but that immersion
(in living water) was preferred! Notice carefully the order given. It is clear there is an
emphasis upon the need for baptism, but there is also a clear order given as to the
preferred methods. Almost all of the Lexicons (Greek dictionary) give the definition of
the Greek word translated baptize as being to immerse, to plunge, or to dip. There is no
lexicon that provides sprinkling or pouring as a valid definition.
In Romans 6 (cf. Col 2:12), Paul uses the analogy of baptism to describe ones death
and burial to sin with Christ at the Cross and ones rising to life with Christs resurrection.
This picture only carries a valid analogy if the baptism is similar to death, that is, to being
buried. Pouring or sprinkling does not accomplish this metaphor. Only immersion
presents a valid picture of the analogy.
It might also be noted that most of the Reformation leaders are quoted as believing that
immersion is the proper method of baptism: Calvin, Luther, Wesley, Wall (Episcopalian),
Whitfield, MacKnight (Presbyterian), even Brenner a Catholic!
So, why would the early church switch to pouring? Frances Schaeffer who wrote and
taught during the 1940s-1980s was a Lutheran. A godly man who has offered much to
the spiritual growth of the church, nonetheless, Schaeffer supported the Lutheran
practice of pouring. He does so mostly on the basis of the community argument used by
the early church. However, he also offers historical support in the form of drawings
found on the walls of the catacombs in Rome that appear to show pouring as the valid
method of baptism.
There is no doubt that such pictures exist and that they strongly suggest that pouring
was used in that setting. What most practitioners of the practice of pouring or sprinkling
over look is the historical setting of both the catacombs and the inference of the
language of the Didache. Re-read the language of the Didache again. Living or running
water, that is a river or a stream was preferred and if not, the strong suggestion is that
the same method as employed by John the Baptist and the Apostles, namely
immersion, should be employed in non-living or non-running water. In modern terms, we
might say the second choice of the Didache is to immerse in a bathtub or a baptismal
pool. It is only when such an abundance of water is not available that the Didache
suggests that pouring is acceptable.
When would such an alternative be acceptable? History suggests a couple of examples.
At various times there have been areas of extreme draught. If water is non-existent or at
a severe premium, then the need to be baptized is more important than the method. At
times in history, without knowing why from a scientific perspective, people did not
immerse to due plague or illnesses. Obviously those on their deathbed cannot be
moved to the river and immersed either. Eusebius example of Novation cited early is an
excellent illustration of this situation.
148
It appears to be clear from Scripture that believers baptism must be undertaken after a
confession of faith as a public means of identifying with Christ. This is the cumulative
teaching of the Bible. At the same time, if a person finds himself in circumstances where
this is totally impractical, a different means of baptism is probably acceptable. After all,
the thief at the Cross went to heaven without being baptized at all (Luke 23:39-43). The
point to remember is that baptism is a sign of submission and obedience. If you have
not been baptized according to Scripture and later have the opportunity to correct this
situation, obedience and submission would suggest that you do so!
149
Appendix B
Baptist History
At the risk of creating controversy, I feel the need to make a couple of comments about
the history of the Baptists. Those who are older may disagree with some of what I have
stated previously or state below. Be that as it may . . .
After having studied church history in a broad context, I believe the history of the Baptist
movement as a new denomination is clearly set forth herein. Obviously, this course is
not as in-depth as a more lengthy study could be. However, I believe the information
accurately portrays the history of the Baptist movement within Protestantism.
I noted above the number of denominations within the United States. The Ninth Edition
of the Handbook of Denominations lists 25 Baptist denominations. The Southern Baptist
Convention is one of these. However, the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia
are not listed nor are the independent Baptist churches listed as denominations.
Some of you may be wondering why I have added this section. During the 1800s
several Baptist histories were written. In the context of these writings, the biggest threat
of the time was viewed as the Roman Catholic Church. Indeed, if you read the
commentaries of the period, the pope is always identified as the antichrist. In this
context, good Christians did not want to be identified with the enemy, so they were
creative in their efforts to remove any links between the Baptists and the Catholics.
As we have seen, a true history of the church does not make such distinctions. In the
early church, there were no denominations, just groups of churches, each with a bishop,
some of whom were more powerful than others. As the church progressed through
history, God preserved His remnant among a mixed multitude. The professing church
has always been composed of believers and non-believers. Look at First Samuel.
Hannah was saved, Eli, the High Priest, was probably saved but guilty of living a pagan
worldview, while his two sons, also priests, were clearly not saved and lived in the world.
One such popular history is The Trail of Blood by J.M. Carroll. This history is a
compilation of talks given by Carroll in the late 1800s. Carroll attempts to tie the Baptists
to the martyrs and persecuted of all time. Thus, those martyred become Baptists while
the persecutor becomes the Catholic Church. The problem with this approach is that a
review of some groups Carroll considers to be Baptist are clearly cultic. An example is
Carrolls inclusion of the Montantist (see chapter 2) as being Baptist. Not all who have
died in religious persecutions were truly saved. The trial of martyrs does not make a
denomination or specific group.
In any event, there are a variety of Baptist histories and I would urge you to read them in
the context of world and church history.
I have attached one such history. It comes from a website, The Hall of Church History,
The Baptists, http://www.gty.org/~phil/baptist.htm. This site includes the attached as
well as The Trail of Blood and other Baptist histories.
150
Baptists as a group view themselves as the keepers of the faith. This can lead to a
prideful position whereby all who keep the faith become Baptist and those who dont
kept the faith are a cult. This may be overly harsh, but it has led to some questionable
histories. We need to learn to exercise mental or intellectual discernment as well as
spiritual and emotional discernment.
Just as in the days of Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-20), God has His church. There have always
been martyrs. There will always be those who give their lives for Christ. My point is that
all who died are not Baptists, simple martyrs for God. Indeed, probably all who dies
were not saved. And, in many of the cultish groups are saved people. We will be
surprised when we see who are our brothers and sisters in heaven. The
Fundamentalists were right, at least in their purest form. The true measuring stick is a
belief in Christ and believing the Bible is the Word of God. There will be such people in
all of the church of all time. Probably some of these people even belonged to the cults.
God is gracious. And, we are not God!
151

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Why is studying church history important?

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What are some of the challenges with Baptist histories?

What are some of the challenges with Baptist histories?

Church

Acts 2:1-4 (NKJV)

Acts 2:14 (NKJV)

Ephesians 4:12 (NKJV)

1 Corinthians 10:16 (NKJV)

Romans 7:4 (NKJV)

Ancient Apostolic 30-100

Age of Reformation 1517-1648

Age of Reason and Revival 1648-1789

Age of Progress 1789-1914

Age of Ideologies 1914-

Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword at a distant city of

First Century Events

Percent Christian: 0.6%

Breakdown: 70% nonwhite, 30% white

Evangelization: 28.0% of world

Second Century Events

AD 200 (SIX GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)

Percent Christian: 3.5%

Breakdown: 68% nonwhite, 32% white

Evangelization: 32% of world

One Hundred Key Events in Church History

Year and event

as by biblical teaching. At heart, it is a rejection of the self-revelation of

A Rule of Faith, that is, the start of the formation of doctrines.

A Priesthood of overseers to preserve the Statement of Faith.

Calvary Road Baptist Church

Third Century Events

AD 300 (NINE GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)

Percent Christian: 10.4%

Breakdown: 66.4% nonwhite, 33.6% white

Evangelization: 35% of world

What is the Word of God?

Second, this is the method described in/by the Bible.

The writings are "God-breathed" (2 Tim. 3:16). "God-breathed" is the literal

Third, Scripture shows the interaction of "God-Spirit-Man" in the preparation of Scripture.

The apostles claimed authority for their writings (1 Thess.5:27)

Letter of Jeremiah (317 B.C.)

charity in 1 Corinthians 13 means "love"

From Zondervan Publishing Company, http://www.zondervanbibles.com/translations.htm

Fourth Century Church Events

AD 400 (TWELVE GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)

Percent Christian: 18.6%

Breakdown: 64% nonwhite, 36% white

Evangelization: 39% of world

Jesus. Notwithstanding this lack of faith, he became overseer of Milan in a movement

Fifth Century Events

AD 500 (SIXTEEN GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)

Percent Christian: 22.4%

Breakdown: 61.9% nonwhite, 38.1% white

Evangelization: 42% of world

Sixth Century Events

AD 600 (NINETEEN GENERATIONS AFTER CHRIST)

Percent Christian: 24%

Breakdown: 59% nonwhite, 41% white