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L E S S O N
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The Rise of
Denominationalism
A.D. 1700 - 1900
T
he concept of denominations is such an accepted part of our culture that we seldom think about its
benefits or how it came into being. It is largely an American invention. Weary of violence within
the church, there eventually developed a tolerance for difference of opinion and separate church
structure within the same country. The idea of church and state being separate, with the government
endorsing or promoting no specific religion, found its way into the United States Constitution and ultimately into the world. We know it as “denominationalism,” the coexistence of different factions of the
church, even different religions, within the same country without government interference. In America, at
least, this arrangement has reduced the bloodshed.
The culture in general helped make tolerance more acceptable, because people in the West were
becoming less concerned about the details of doctrine and religious beliefs. The early part of this period
witnessed a move away from faith toward secularism and the worship of reason. It saw the birth of modern science, with scientists such as Isaac Newton and others helping people see there were natural causes
to explain some of the phenomena in the world. Unfortunately, many now began to think that God and
creation were no longer necessary factors in understanding the universe. At the same time, John Locke
and other philosophers were promoting ideas of individual liberty and religious toleration. Deism, the
belief that God created the world and then left it to run on its own, was becoming popular. Deists reject
the idea of a God who is personally concerned about individuals or the affairs of this world. They also
deny the possibility of miracles or special revelation from God. They regard the Bible as a purely human
product.
With this kind of cultural background, the Reformation movement spilled unto American shores. The
four major branches of the Reformation were Anglican, Lutheran, Anabaptist, and Reformed. During the
eighteenth century, the greatest activity was taking place in the Anglican branch—not within the Anglican
Church itself, but among the dissidents who were eventually forced out and started their own “denominations.”
The story of the Anglican Church, its splits, and the formation of the Methodist as well as
Congregational churches is probably best represented by a simple diagram in the Chart of Anglican
Tradition page 157.
John Wesley, a “PK” (preacher’s kid), was one of nineteen children born to Samuel and Susanna
Wesley. His father was an Anglican minister and his mother was the daughter of a “nonconformist” minister. Nonconformists was the name given to ministers in the Anglican Church who objected to its practices
and distanced themselves from it. Puritans and Separatists were among the nonconformists.
Wesley entered Oxford University at age seventeen. His brother Charles was also a student at Oxford.
Charles became alarmed at the spread of deism at the university and started a small group for prayer and
Bible study. Those who attended were accountable to each other for their Christian walk. Sharing his
brother’s concern, John joined the group and soon became its leader.
Other students at the university ridiculed the little group and called those who belonged to it names
such as “The Holy Club,” “Bible moths,” and “Methodists.” The Methodist name came about because the
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group talked about and practiced a method to grow in personal holiness. This name stuck.
The group didn’t just read the Bible and pray. The members were active in Christian service as well.
They visited jails, gave to the poor, and sought other ways to share their faith. They were encouraged
when one of the undergraduates from Pembroke College, George Whitefield, joined their group.
John Wesley was constantly restless and unable to find inward peace. He was invited to go on a missionary trip to Georgia in the American colonies. The trip was a disaster. He described Native Americans
as “gluttons, thieves, liars and murderers.” He didn’t even get along well with the white colonists. They
resented his criticism of their fancy clothes and gold jewelry in church, and they objected to his rigid
ways. John was cultured and “high church,” and just didn’t fit into the frontier. After an unfortunate love
affair fell apart, he returned to England totally discouraged. He wrote: “I went to America to convert the
Indians, but, oh, who shall convert me?”
A great benefit of his trip to America, however, was the opportunity to meet some Moravian missionaries. The Moravians were highly dedicated and missionary minded Christians who established a colony in
Moravia. They were under the leadership of a wealthy Lutheran nobleman, Count Nikolaus Ludwig von
Zinzendorf. Zinzendorf, a deeply committed Christian, invited Christian refugees to the safety of his
estate, then led them into his vision of uniting all Christians in the task of worldwide evangelism. While in
the colonies, Wesley was impressed with the Moravians’ complete confidence in Christ and bold witness.
Back in London, Wesley met Peter Bohler, a Moravian preacher who talked with Wesley about being
born again and having a personal faith in Christ by which he could attain true holiness. On May 24, 1738,
Wesley had a spiritual experience that he describes in his own words: “In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the
Romans. About a quarter to nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart
through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt that I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for
salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from
the law of sin and death.” (11)
Following this conversion experience, Wesley preached the Gospel with an enthusiasm seldom equaled
in the history of the church. It is estimated that, during his lifetime he traveled some 250,000 miles by
horseback preaching the Gospel. Though Anglican, he was repeatedly barred from preaching in the church
because of the opposition of some Anglican clergy. Undaunted, he preached in the open air to as many as
30,000 people at once. He preached in inns, in jails, on ships, at coalmines and industrial plants, in courtyards—wherever people would listen. Once, refused entrance to his family’s church, he stood on his
father’s tombstone and preached. He said he saw “the world as his parish,” and considered it his duty to
preach the “glad tidings of salvation” to anyone who would hear.
John Wesley was joined by his brother, Charles, the famous hymn writer. Charles wrote over 7,000
sacred songs and poems. John was the organizer and administrator, while Charles touched the hearts of
people with his awesome music. Later, their college friend, George Whitefield (1714-1770), joined the
movement and experienced extraordinary results in open air evangelism. Whitefield was one of the greatest preachers of all time. David Garrick, a famous actor, once said he would give a hundred guineas if he
could say “Oh” like Mr. Whitefield.
The Methodist revival was on, and it shook England and America to its foundations. Whitefield toured
the colonies on a very successful preaching mission. His ministry, however, was separate from the
Wesleys’, because Whitefield was a thoroughgoing Calvinist; whereas, Wesley was committed to the
Arminian position. The breach was never healed.
The ministry of Whitefield joined with others in the colonies in what is known in history as the “Great
Awakening.” The Great Awakening was a spiritual revival in America that remains unprecedented. People
everywhere were turning to God. When and where it started is still open to dispute, but Jonathan Edwards’
sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, was certainly one of the major influences used by the
Holy Spirit to sweep across the young nation. In December, 1734, Edwards wrote: “The Spirit of God
began extraordinarily to set in...there was scarcely a single person in the town, old or young, left unconcerned about the great things of the eternal world.” (12) It was only the beginning of America’s greatest period of revival.
The Great Awakening saw Methodist, Baptist, Congregational, and Presbyterian evangelists join in an
awesome spiritual harvest. The revivals lasted throughout the 1730s and 1740s. Most church historians
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claim the Great Awakening affected all of American life, including social organization and politics, and
changed church life in America dramatically.
This was also a time of revolution in society and culture. There was economic revolution, with the
writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and the publication of the Communist Manifesto in 1848.
There was political revolution, including the French and American revolutions. There was scientific revolution, with Charles Darwin and Charles Lyell promoting theories that seemed to negate the necessity of a
creator. There was theological revolution, with the onset of theological liberalism that discounted the theories of biblical inerrancy and the necessity of the new birth. There was the industrial revolution that left
hundreds of thousands of people in desperate conditions in large cities and led to serious abuses of child
labor. In addition to all this, the slavery issue was fanning the flames of controversy in churches and the
halls of government.
The church responded with massive social movements. Among theological liberals, the “Social
Gospel” had its beginnings. The Social Gospel purported that the healing of culture and society, rather
than personal conversion, should be the church’s main concern. Conservative and traditional Christians on
the other hand, adhered to the necessity of personal salvation and linked it to massive relief efforts. God
raised up specific individuals to bring healing to England and America. Among them were William and
Catherine Booth, founders of the Salvation Army; Robert Raikes, founder of the Sunday school movement; George Müller, organizer and director of orphanages, and William Wilberforce, the untiring
defender of liberty in the English parliament. Wilberforce was also the leading individual in the formation
of “Clapham Village,” a neighborhood of influential leaders near London who addressed a variety of
social concerns, the most important being slavery. Wilberforce was the major influence behind the abolition of slavery in England. His stirring speeches in Parliament are legendary!
Around this time, the term “evangelical” emerged in reference to people like Wilberforce and others
involved in Christian social causes. Evangelicals were Christians who believed in the inspiration and
authority of Scripture, the importance of being born again, and the return of Jesus Christ. The term is still
in use today.
The latter part of this period saw a “Second Awakening” in America. Evangelists such as Charles G.
Finney (1792-1875) and Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) were experiencing remarkable success. The work
of D.L. Moody led to the formation of the Moody Bible Institute (Chicago) and its various publishing and
educational ministries.
A significant individual during this time was Alexander Campbell (1788-1866). A Presbyterian minister who left the Presbyterian church because he rejected the idea of “denomination” and what he considered to be repressive church government, Campbell preached “no creed but Christ, no law but love,” and
wanted his group to be known only as “Disciples.” He joined with Barton W. Stone, who had similar
ideas. Stone simply called his group “Christians.” Both had Presbyterian backgrounds, but attracted many
former Baptists to their group. But they did not fully identify with either Baptists or Presbyterians. They
practiced immersion, which separated them from Presbyterians, and believed in “baptismal regeneration,”
which separated them from Baptists. Baptismal regeneration is the belief that baptism is an essential part
of salvation. They were often called “Campbellites,” because they were identified with the teachings of
Alexander Campbell and his father, Thomas Campbell. From this group the Disciples of Christ/Christian
church of our day evolved.
In Europe during this time, impressive missionary activity emerged from the “rank and file” of
Protestant Christians. In addition to the Moravian missionary movement already described, this was the
time William Carey went to India, David Livingstone to Africa, and many other missionaries risked (and
often lost) their lives to carry the Gospel to other continents.
So many things happened during this period that we suggest you read these six pages over two or
three times before we meet in class. Much of twentieth century church history in America is rooted in this
200 year period of 1700-1900.
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Assignment
UNIT
II
Ponder the question, “Do you see any relationship between what was happening in European and
American society and culture during this time and what was happening during the same period in the
church?” If so, what is the connection? Write your answer in a few sentences and be prepared to share it
with the class.
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