Church History - Chapel's book Flashcards
What is the value of studying church history?
It is impossible to construct and maintain a biblical word-view without reference to history, which is the arena of activity in which God is at work composing the City of God, which is the goal of history. Without a believing study of history, people cannot know where they came from, why they are there, and where they are going. This knowledge is available only through God’s revelation of himself, which took place in history. (McGoldrick)
Briefly trace the spread of Christianity through the centuries.
Resurrection —100AD Most of the Mediterranean region had heard the gospel through the ministry of the apos-tles.
200—400, France and the British Isles had been reached by missionaries; the church spread to Persia, then came
600AD The rise of Islam decreases the areas of Christendom.
700—1500. Up to the split of the Eastern and Western Church in 1050 and the period of stagnation and the dam-age of the crusades.
1500—1600. Reformation.
1600—1800. Colonization leads to the spread of Christianity to America, Australia and Western and Southern Africa.
1800—1900. Modern missionary movement William Carey, Hudson Taylor, etc.
Other Asian countries, especially Korea, experience the spread of the gospel.
What were the “sola’s” of the Reformation?
Sola Scripture: Scripture alone.
Sola Fide: Faith alone.
Sola Gratia: Grace alone.
Sola Christos: Christ alone.
Soli Deo Gloria: To God alone be the glory.
Briefly discuss the development of “covenant theology”.
Ultimately Covenant theology begins in Scripture and was to some extent developed by Augustine. What we know as covenant theology first appeared in the works of Zwingli and Bullinger. Calvin, whose name is usually most associated with covenant theology really only has it in seed form. It gain greater strength among 17th cen-tury theologians where it became known as federal theology. Covenant theology emphasizes the relationship be-tween God and man as a compact established and maintained by God. Through this theology a greater emphasis was placed on God’s gracious and faithful dealing with mankind.
What are the historical origins and distinctives of the Methodist Church?
Origins: Began in Oxford University as a movement in within the Church of England (Anglican Church) and expanded under the leadership of Charles and John Wesley and George Whitefield.
Distinctives: Typically has been concerned with evangelism, ministry to the poor and disadvantaged, expressing its faith in compassion for the human condition.
What are the historical origins and distinctives of the Episcopal Church?
Origins: The Episcopal Church began in America as an extension of the Church of England. However, During the American Revolution a great controversy arose over prayers for the monarchy in the liturgy, so after the revolution it severed all ties with the Church of England and became its own denomination.
Distinctives: Acknowledges no central authority but maintain a hierarchy of bishops, relies totally on traditional liturgical worship while not defining the exact nature of the communion element (regards them as a mystery).
What are the historical origins and distinctives of the Baptist Church?
Origins: A third-generation Reformation development that appeared in England about 1610 wanting to take Protestantism to its logical conclusion. Convinced that Puritanism needed still further reform.
Distinctives: Believe only self-professed believers are eligible for admission to the church. Practice believer-baptism, evangelistic, missions and biblically minded.
What are the historical origins and distinctives of the Mennonite Church?
Origins: Dating from 1520s in central Europe, they take their name from Menno Simons who lead them in a radical pursuit to get to the roots of biblical living.
Distinctives: No common doctrine, rejection of infant baptism, rejection of church organization, real presence in the Lord’s Supper, and the refusal of military service, public office and taking oaths.
What are the historical origins and distinctives of the Pentecostal Church?
Origins: Born out of the movement that was sparked in 1901 when Miss Agnes Ozman, a Bethel Bible College student, spoke in tongues after principal Charles Parham laid hands on her and prayed for her to receive the power of the Spirit.
Distinctives: Seeking to receive the gift of tongues is regarded as a sign of baptism of the Holy Spirit, itself a requisite to full discipleship. Other gifts are sought as well: healing, love, joy, answers to prayer, etc.
What are the historical origins and distinctive of the Presbyterian Church?
Origins: Originated between 1534 and 1560 with the Protestant theological program of John Calvin in France and Switzerland.
Distinctives: Presbyterian or federal government (church ruled by elders/presbyters), Reformed theology as spelled out in the Westminster Standards.
What are the historical origins and distinctives of the Eastern Orthodox Church?
Origins: Church of the eastern/Byzantine Empire. Split from the western church in 1054.
Distinctives: Focus on liturgical worship, have a high view of the Trinity, Sight-oriented in its use of icons in worship.
What are the historical origins and distinctives of the Lutheran Church?
Origins: Earliest dissenting movement among those that comprised the Protestant Reformation. Dates from Luther’s theological discoveries and attempt to reform the church. (95 Theses, 1517)
Distinctives: Bible is the sole authority of the church life, Christian belief, and practice. Use the Book of Concord from 1580 as their confession.
Council of Nicea
The council of Nicea was concerned primarily with the nature of the second person of the trinity—Jesus Christ. Assembled to address the Arian controversy.
Arius asserted that Christ was not eternally generated from the father, but created from the non-existent. Athanasius and his followers asserted that Christ was eternally begotten of the father. The semi-Arians argued that Christ was homoiousios (“of similar substance”) with the father. The Council adopted the Athanasian posi-tion of homoousios (“the same essence”).
Council of Chalcedon
The Christological council. Christ is one person, with two natures. The Council of Chalcedon dealt with the heresies of Nestorianism and Eutychianism.
Nestorianism taught the independence of the natures of Christ making him two persons loosely connected. Denied the reality of the Incarnation and represented Christ as a God-inspired man rather than as God-made-man. This was also denounced at the counsel of Ephesus in 431.
The Eutychians taught that Christ possessed two natures in one person, and that each performs its own function.
The Council asserted that the redemption of fallen humans required a mediator who was human and divine, passible and impassible, mortal and immortal, and that Jesus Christ permanently assumed human nature. Significantly the Council asserted that properties of both Christ’s human and divine natures can be attributed to one person, that the suffering of the God-man can be regarded as truly, really infinite, yet the divine nature remained impassible, that divinity and not humanity is the root and basis of Christ’s personality, and that the logos did not unite with a distinct human individual, but with a human nature.
Reformation
We may use this as a date for the Reformation since the beginning of the Reformation is traditionally tied to Luther’s nailing of his Ninety-five theses to the door at Wittenburg. This was the culmination of a developing movement to Reform the Catholic church from it Medieval laxity. Above all it was a time of spiritual renewal in which God graciously intervene to return his gospel to the center stage of human history.
Counter-Reformation
1534-1563 (1540’s). The Counter-reformation was the Catholic response to the Reformation in which many of the abuses of the Catholic church were corrected, and traditional Catholic doctrine was resoundingly re-affirmed. This formulated in the articles of the Council of Trent, a council which was held to combat the spread of Protestantism. Affirmed that Church/tradition were on par with Scripture, sacraments and transubstantiation, and justification is faith plus works.
Heidelberg Catechism
- Written by Olevianus and Ursinus this beautiful work has the form of a catechism, but the content of a confession. Held by the Continental Reformed Church (European—German, Dutch). Many say that the Heidelberg Catechism has a more personal feel than the Westminster Confession.
Belgic Confession
- Written by Guido de Bres this confession is one of the three standards of the Dutch Reformed Church. It draws heavily on the Gallican Confession.
Synod of Dort
- A convening of Reformed thinkers to answer the assertions of the Remonstrants. Although political and other issues affecting the Dutch church were raised at this Synod, its primary business was answering the five points of Arminianism. Their response is what we today know as TULIP, or the five points of Calvinism.
Westminster Assembly
1643-1652. The Westminster Assembly was a gathering of eminent Puritan divines, assembled by the British Parliament in 1643 with the charge of producing a Confession of Faith to unite the United Kingdom ecclesiastically. The assembly sat from 1643-1652, during which time it handled ecclesiastical concerns such as the ordination of ministers, trial of heretics, etc. its most enduring work is the Confession of Faith, and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. These would become the standard of faith and practice for the Presbyterian, Congregational and Reformed Baptist churches in Scotland, England and America. The Confession and Catechisms were borne out of Scotch and English Calvinism, and were structured upon the foundation of the “Irish Articles of Faith” of 1615.
Pietism
1600’s. Primarily based in Germany, it was a movement against dead orthodoxy in the Lutheran church. The common emphasis was on individual conversion and living orthodoxy which lead to a changed life. The duo of Spener and Franke at the Halle began the movement which was later carried by Zinzendorf and the Moravians. The movement played a large influence in the development of the modern missionary movement.
Emphases:
*lndividual experience over theology
*New birth
^Spiritual discipline
*Lay involvement in the church
*Renewal preaching
*love for all people.
Great Awakening(s)
First Great Awakening 1741-1745. The Great Awakening was a remarkable outpouring of the Holy Spirit that swept through New England colonies. Through the Reformed preaching of George Whitefield and Jonathan Ed-wards, thousands were truly converted to Christ. There were however, many instances of abuse that accompanied the outpouring prompting the able mind of Edwards to defend the true nature of the Awakening in such works as “Distinguishing Marks” and “Treatise on the Religious Affections.” Tennet—”Danger of an unconverted minis-try.”
Second Great Wakening 1800-1825. After the First Great Awakening steady religious decline brought the country to a new religious low by the 1800’s. Unlike the First Great Awakening this revival went in to the frontier as well. It was also characterized by a longer duration and more fervor than concern for theology. This awaken-ing led to significant church growth, improvement of morals and national life, checking of the growth of Deism, growth of missions, and social reform movements. It left a permanent mark on the American evangelical scene with its revivalistic emphasis and Arminian theology.
Old School/New School
- This was the controversy over the Second Great Awakening. There was an effort to create a cooperative plan for reaching the frontier out of which emerged a debate over seeming doctrinal indifference. The Old School were strict subscriptionists, and skeptical about the excesses of the Cane Ridge revivals and the New Measures of Finny. The New School were, at best, lax subscriptionists, and often Arminian or rationalists. This controversy would split the Presbyterian Church into two denominations in 1837, a division that would last until the reunification—only to split again along North-South line in the Civil War Era.
Auburn Affirmation
- Issued by a group of Presbyterians meeting in Auburn, New York this was designed to safeguard the unity and liberty of the Presbyterian Church. The affirmation was intended to display tolerance, but became a marker on the battle field between conservative and liberals in the church. The Affirmation denied the need of ordained ministers to commit to the five essentials:
- Inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture;
- The virgin birth;
- Substitutionary atonement;
- Christ’s real and historical resurrection; and
- Jesus working of miracles).
Scholasticism
The system and method of learning in philosophy and theology during the medieval period as developed in European university contexts. It relied on philosophical methods and the use of reason to make clear divisions and distinctions within a body of knowledge. The system flourished from the 11th—14th centuries. Some notable scholastics include: Thomas Aquinas, Peter Abelard, Anselm, and Duns Scotus
Babylonian Captivity
Also known as the Avignon schism. Period in the 14th century when popes lived in Avignon, France, due to the political situation. The term, which referred to the Jews’ captivity in Babylon (586 BC), was used by Luther in the 16th century to describe the Roman Catholic Church’s “captivity” to the papacy and need for gospel liberation.
Humanism
An intellectual movement in 14th—16th century Europe in which man was the measure of all things.
It sought to base education on the Greek and Latin classics, interpreted from within a Christian context. Theologically, the term indicates the high value that Christianity places on humans as created and redeemed by God.
Radical Reformation
Those during the Protestant Reformation who sought a radical approach to separation from and reform of the Catholic Church. Pushed for a return to early Christian precedents in the nature and government of the church. Rejected centralized national or state churches. Among others, it included the Anabaptists such as the Mennonites and the Amish.
Puritanism
16th and 17th century Protestant religious movement that sought to “purify” the Church of England in more Reformed Protestant directions. The movement was Calvinistic in theology and Presbyterian or Congregational in church government. The church reform impulses were continued in America, primarily in New England where it was a major cultural force. Puritans stressed theology as leading to ethical action while ethics is grounded in true theology.
Modernism
A theological movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries among Protestants and Roman Catholics who sought to interpret Christianity in light of modern knowledge. It sought to alter Christian doctrine, which was seen as evolving and in need of being reshaped by modern knowledge. It was condemned by Pope Pius X in 1907. Schliemacher, Harnack, Fosdick.
