A Church on Every Corner
Origin Stories of Protestant Denominations
Refo
r
med
Radical
an
Luther
Anglican
Early Church
10
54
RCC
1500s
Eastern
Orthodoxy
RCC
How can we understand
and explain the differences
between different
denominations?
How can we resist
denominational division
while embracing
denominational diversity?
Last Week’s Questions
•
Excommunication & Infant Baptism: Allen was wise to
highlight excommunication and the spiritual and societal
ramifications of it. Additionally, he was correct in stating that
infant baptism was an ongoing issue that came up for
debate often, similar to the question of what is taking place in
the Lord’s Supper. (Both concern universally accepted
sacraments.)
• What makes these questions important to remember is
that, as we move forward out of the Reformation and into
the foundation of the New World, both issues often
become linked.
• In a way, the relationship of Infant Baptism to
Excommunication is partly responsible for the Great
Awakenings of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Recap
•
•
•
Martin Luther’s study of Scripture gives way to a revolutionary
understanding of the doctrine of justification (that we are made
righteous by God alone, not by our own works or the pronouncement
of the Church). His writings inspire multiple reformation movements
as well as some timely political conflicts which result in the fracturing
of the Holy Roman Empire.
John Calvin helps solidify Reformation theology through extensive
writing and compiling of its teachings. His particular understanding
of key theological concepts become known as Calvinism and heavily
influence many Protestant denominations for centuries to come,
including Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Church of Christ, and others.
For solidification of power and an heir, Henry VIII of England breaks
from the Catholic Church and forms the Church of England, setting
off more than a century of strife across Great Britain (with
aftershocks felt all the way into the 21st Century). The “Anglican”
tradition is in many ways a merger of re-purposed Catholic rituals
with Protestant-influenced theology.
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands…
•
Jakob Hermanszoon (1560-1609) was an orphan adopted
by a local pastor, who sent him to school. He became a
theology student at the University of Leiden, a school
founded by the Dutch Revolt leader, William, Prince of
Orange. While a Reformed school, Leiden also contained
teachers who supported Lutheran and Anabaptist thinking.
Jacobus Arminius (Jakob’s Latinized name by which he
became known) excelled in school and went on to study
under Theodore Beza, the successor of John Calvin’s
Reformed movement in Geneva.
•
Arminius accepted a pastorate in Amsterdam in 1587, and a professorship
at Leiden in 1603. In these places he made a name for himself as a great
communicator, but also as “a seeker” and “a doubter,” particularly by
undertaking requests to falsify certain teachings contrary to Reformed
theology.
•
Arminius was adept at debate, but his style was in the tradition of the great
humanist, Erasmus, who despised conflict and sought to converse
peacefully through patient reasoning. Arminius’ opponents, however, were
much more dramatic and polemical.
Arminius’ Legacy
•
Today, this theological view is assumed to contrast Calvinism. However,
Arminius was a Reformed pastor and theologian whose eventual
disagreements with Calvinist teachings were minimal. Rather, the belief that
Arminius was a heretic is the legacy of his staunch Calvinist opponents
whose feathers he ruffled.
•
Most often, he was accused of Pelagianism, a 5th century heresy that
denied the doctrine of original sin, claiming human beings could still choose
good over evil without divine aid, and could possibly even live a sinless life.
•
A decade after his death, these Calvinists called the Synod of Dort, the five
canons of which have come to be known as the Five Points of Calvinism (i.e.,
T.U.L.I.P.). Thus, the most well-known articulation of Reformed theology is a
posthumous refutation of a single teacher’s understanding of Reformed
theology through the lens of Scripture.
•
Upon Arminius’ death, Dutch Calvinists held the majority of influential
positions throughout the country, and they were able to remove many
“Arminian” magistrates and pastors. However, Arminian theology persevered
and came to influence many denominations, including Baptists, Methodists
and Seventh-Day Adventists.
Calvinism
Arminianism
“Reformed”
“Remonstrance”
Total Depravity - Since the Fall, human will is in
bondage to the sinful nature; thus, a person cannot
choose good over evil. Salvation, then, is
completely the work of God’s Spirit within a person.
Human Ability - While deeply affected by the Fall,
humans are not incapable of choosing good or
seeking God. Thus, a person has the power to
either cooperate with the Spirit, or resist His grace.
Unconditional Election - God chose certain
individuals for salvation based solely on his
sovereign will (rather than a sinner’s ability to
believe). Salvation is God’s choice, not humans’.
Conditional Election - God determines who will be
saved, and that determination is that justification is
given to all who believe in Jesus Christ by faith.
Salvation is human choice together with God.
Limited Atonement - The redeeming work of Christ
was intended to save only the elect, and it actually
secured their salvation. Faith is a gift given only to
those for whom Christ died.
General Atonement - The redeeming work of Christ
made it possible for everyone to be saved, but it did
not actually secure our salvation. Christ’s
redemption is given to those who have faith in Him.
Irresistible Grace - An outward call to salvation can
be made to everyone, but the Spirit extends to the
elect an inward call that inevitably results in
salvation. Grace and Salvation are cause-effect.
Effectual Resistance - The Spirit extends a
persuasive, inward call to all who hear the Gospel,
but the sinner can resist it. Grace and Salvation are
influence-response.
Perseverance of the Saints - Since Salvation is
wholly the work of God for those He has
predestined, it is impossible to lose one’s salvation.
The saved are kept in faith by God’s power.
Conditional Security - Believers have full
assurance of salvation provided they remain in
Christ by faith. Apostasy is a willful rejection of faith.
Arminius was undecided on this point in Scripture.
In summary, there are
two notable points:
1. Forgiveness of sin is extended to
all humankind.
2. Salvation is the combined effort of
God and the person. God takes
the initiative, but the person must
respond out of his/her own free
will.
Fast Forward 150 Years…
•
While at Oxford University, John Wesley and his brother
Charles, along with a few friends, formed the “Holy Club,”
a group of devout Christians seeking to effectively live out
their faith and practice spiritual disciplines in community.
Fellow students referred to them as “Methodists” because
of how devoted they were to their “rule” of life.
•
At this time, the Church of England was seen by many as having become
institutionalized, its adherents apathetic toward truly living holy lives.
Methodism caught on with many clergy, and soon became a reform
movement within Anglicanism similar in some ways to the Puritans of the
previous century.
•
Having had his heart “strangely warmed” while serving with a Moravian
congregation, Wesley became convinced that a key part of a Christian’s
life is an experience of “new birth” (John 3). This, combined with his
appreciation for the writings of Jacobus Arminius (particularly the doctrine
of General Atonement), influenced him to preach in a more persuasive
manner, encouraging personal decisions of faith.
From being thoughtless or indifferent about
religion, it seem'd as if all the world were growing
religious, so that one could not walk thro' the
town in an evening without hearing psalms sung
in different families of every street.
- Benjamin Franklin, on Whitefield's influence
The Whitefield Effect
•
Another early subscriber to Methodism’s principles was the
staunchly Calvinist preacher, George Whitefield, the most
famous preacher of his day. Eventually, his theological
differences with Wesley strained their relationship, but early
on it was Whitefield who encouraged Wesley to begin
holding “open air” meetings - sometimes beneath a tent in
the middle of a field - where they might continue to preach
in this persuasive, sometimes fiery, new manner.
•
Whitefield was invited to preach on several “tours” throughout the American
colonies; one of his biggest fans was the professed Deist, Benjamin
Franklin, who was nonetheless fascinated by Whitefield’s persuasiveness
and his ability to communicate effectively to so large a crowd.
•
The influences of the Wesleys in England, and Whitefield in America, led to
more and more Protestant pastors embracing Methodism’s precepts, which,
in addition to “Total Depravity” and “Sole Fide,” also included the belief that
faith produced both inward and outward holiness. The practice of small
group gatherings and tent meetings exploded in both countries, leading to
the First Great Awakening.
“O, For a Heart to
Praise My God”
O for a heart to praise my God,
a heart from sin set free,
a heart that always feels thy blood
so freely shed for me.
A heart resigned, submissive,
meek,
my great Redeemer's throne,
where only Christ is heard to
speak,
where Jesus reigns alone.
A humble, lowly, contrite heart,
believing, true, and clean,
which neither life nor death can
part
from Christ who dwells within.
Charles
Wesley
A heart in every thought renewed
and full of love divine,
perfect and right and pure and
good,
a copy, Lord, of thine.
Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart;
come quickly from above;
write thy new name upon my
heart,
thy new, best name of Love.
The Great Awakening
•
The main draws of the new preaching style and the
tent meetings were the authenticity of the preacher
combined with a message that was intensely
personal to each hearer. Ritual, ceremony and
hierarchy was downplayed, and emotional
response was encouraged (including during the
sermons!). Great Awakening preachers sought to
engage their listeners’ hearts as well as their minds.
•
In addition to Whitefield, Puritan pastor Jonathan Edwards and
Presbyterian minister Samuel Davies contributed greatly to the spread of
the movement. Edward’s sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
is perhaps the most famous religious writing of the Great Awakening.
•
Not only did the Great Awakening revitalize faith and discipleship in
England and America, but the popularity of its preachers and results of its
meetings contributed to the unification of the Thirteen Colonies, thereby
making the American Revolution viable.
Wesleyanism & Methodism
•
Eventually, Methodists broke with the Church of England in the late 18th century
after John Wesley ordained preachers to fulfill needs in the Colonies during the
Revolutionary War, and empowered them to administer the sacraments.
Additionally, Wesley’s Arminian leanings strained his ability to continue as an
Anglican priest, which remained much more Calvinistic in belief.
•
As a result of the Great Awakening (not to mention the 2nd Great Awakening a
few decades later) and Methodism’s deep commitment to evangelism, the new
denomination took hold of America, including the slave population. Presbyterian
and Baptist denominations increased substantially as well.
•
After Whitefield’s death, Methodists slowly returned to a theology more in line
with Wesley, which stressed free will, prevenient grace, general atonement,
and works of piety.
•
Today, Methodist churches range from “high church” liturgy (similar to
Anglicanism) to a less structured, “low church” service. There are a vast
number of denominations, though not as many are the result of splits, but were
born of the rapid spread of the movement. Other denominations that hail from
the Wesleyan tradition include The Salvation Army, Church of the Nazarene,
Assemblies of God, and the Pentecostal Holiness Church.
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral
•
The “Wesleyan Quadrilateral” is a methodology for theological reflection. In
other words, according to the writings of John Wesley, it represents the four
sources one should consider when coming to a conclusion on spiritual matters.
•
"Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in
Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and
confirmed by reason. Scripture is primary, revealing the Word of God 'so far as
it is necessary for our salvation.’" - United Methodist Church
•
Scripture - the first authority, containing the measure by which all other truth
is tested. (Prima Scriptura)
•
Tradition - As a perpetual witness of justification and sanctification, it
provides a link to those who have “fought the good fight” and “finished the
race” (2 Timothy 4).
•
Reason - The essential truths of Scripture cannot be understood without the
employment of reason, as assisted by the Holy Spirit. It does not produce
faith, but it does allow us to understand it.
•
Experience - We cannot have reasonable assurance of something unless we
have experienced it personally. The promises of Christ are experienced
inward and outward.
Takeaway
“Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing
but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such
alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.”
“Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one
heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may. Herein all
the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these smaller differences.”
John Wesley
In 1963, it would not have been difficult for members of the Civil
Rights Movement to fervently explain and defend multiple
tenets of their cause, from individual liberty to personal dignity
to political representation. After all, they belonged, heart and
soul, to a MOVEMENT.
What about you? Do you belong to a church? An institution? Or
do you belong to a MOVEMENT that has captivated your heart
and soul? Either way, how much time do you spend thoroughly
examining it?