The
Reformation
and
Restoration
The Reformation and Restoration
Syllabus
Course Title: Reformation and Restoration
Purpose:
1. To familiarize the student with the historical context of what has commonly been
called the reformation period in commonly accepted church history.
2. To understand the lineage of various denominational groups that developed as a
result of the reformation.
3. To familiarize the student with the history of what has been called the restoration
movement, from which the modern churches of Christ have their beginning.
4. To understand that while the churches of Christ of today may trace their beginnings
to the work done by those in the restoration movement, they do not trace their
lineage to them. The churches of Christ today can and must find authority directly
from the word of God, not from a movement or a person.
Goals:
Upon completion of the class, the student will understand:
1. The fundamental difference in reformation and restoration
a. That restoration is not a new concept, but rather that it has its roots in sound
Biblical teaching.
b. Reformation seeks to reform what is, rather than find Biblical authority for
what it teaches.
2. Understand what brought the church to the point of the reformation
a. The gradual change and apostasy of the Church from the 1st century onward.
b. The Catholic Church and what it became
3. The work of early reformers
a. These men were part reformers, part restorers
b. Their goal was less to change what was, and more to bring the Bible to the
common man.
4. Key men of the Protestant Reformation (Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, others)
a. What drove them
b. What they sought to accomplish
c. What was their theology and doctrinal beliefs
d. What became of their efforts
5. The lineage of the modern denominational world
6. The roots of the restoration movement, and the people who started it
a. Where did they come from
b. What was their purpose and what drove them
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7. Brief history of the church of Christ in America from the 1800’s to today
Lesson Titles:
1. Introduction and Overview
2. Growth of the Catholic Church through 1517
3. Prelude to the Reformation
4. Introduction to the Reformation
5. The Protestant Reformation (1)
6. The Protestant Reformation (2)
7. The Protestant Reformation (3)
8. The Protestant Reformation (4)
9. Restoration Concepts and Beginnings
10. Restoration History (1)
11. Restoration History (2)
12. Restoration History (3)
Course Methodology
Due to the nature of the course, it will be primarily lecture driven. I will try to bring
the course discussion back to Biblical principles whenever it is practical. Question
and answer sessions will attempt to deal with Biblical questions that are relevant to
the issues under consideration.
There are several good web resources that you can read. Among these are:
History of the Christian Church http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/history/About.htm
Restoration History; http://www.therestorationmovement.com/
Interactive Bible, http://www.bible.ca/bible.htm
Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptural references refer to the NASB:
Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)
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Lesson 1 – Introduction and Overview
Class Overview

Learn what the terms reformation and restoration mean and how they apply in the
historical development of Christianity throughout the centuries.

Discuss the religious apostasy and the rise of the Catholic Church in the early 16th
century that led to the reformation movement.

Look at the work of Reformation forerunners and Bible translators whose main goal
was to bring the Bible to the common man, along with some of the movements that
came from them. Among these are:
o
o
o
o

Peter Waldo (12th cent) – The Waldenses/Waldensians
John Wycliffe (1320-1384) - Lollards
John Hus (1369-1415) - Hussites
William Tyndale (1494-1536)
Discuss some of the major characters of the reformation, and their beliefs/theology.
The goal will be to understand what they did, why and how their teaching compares
with Biblical truth. Some of the people we will look at are:
o Martin Luther
o John Calvin
o Ulrich Zwingli

Look at the development of the modern religious world that is an outgrowth of the
reformation.

Understand the concept of restoration, and the roots of the modern restoration
movement in America
o Understand that the idea of restoration is not a movement like the
Reformation, but rather it is a concept that has been applied throughout
history, beginning with the Christians of the 1st century.

The restoration movement in America is just one more example of
those who more or less successfully have attempted to restore the
fundamental concept of Biblical Christianity.
o Look at some the key players of the American restoration
o Look at some of the lesser known attempts at restoration in America

Follow the history and discuss some of the issues that have faced what has become
known as the church of Christ in the 21st century.
Terms and their meanings:

Reformation: a 16th century religious movement marked ultimately by rejection or
modification of some Roman Catholic doctrine and practice and establishment of
the Protestant churches (Merriam-Webster online dictionary). This is often called
the Protestant Reformation.
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o There were attempts to reform the Church prior to the 16th century, but the
Reformation Movement, is generally considered to be a 16th century effort,
starting with the work of Martin Luther.
o Reformation is the idea of reforming or improving what already exists.
Noble as many of the reformers were, they approached the problems of the
Church as things to be fixed within the context of the existing church system.
Many of the reformers claimed that the Bible was to be the ultimate guide,
but they never made the connection that the Bible would and should lead
them away from the religion of the day and take them back to that primitive
form of Christianity. As a result, they never were able to break away from the
Church model under which they lived. In addition, while they claimed that
the Bible is the ultimate authority, it was only so when it agreed with their
preconceived theology. Even what became the protestant churches was built
around a pre-existent theology into which the Bible was made to fit. Thus the
reformation took the original Catholic Church of the day and really just sub
divided it into various denominations, each one following the differing
opinions of their originator.

Restoration: to bring back to or put back into a former or original state. (MerriamWebster online dictionary)
o Restoration is the concept of throwing out everything that exists in the
religious world; setting aside preconceived ideas, and going back to the Bible
for instruction, authority, doctrine, organization, and practice. Human
theology must be put aside, and the Bible searched for the truth. Restorers
do not seek to interpret the Bible so much as they seek to understand what it
is saying.
o It is unclear, but certainly possible that there have been, throughout history,
people who have either tried to live by the Bible, or restore it to its proper
place. Possible examples of this are the Waldenses, the Lollards, John
Wycliffe, John Huss, and William Tyndale. These people never successfully
or fully left the religious practice of the day, but they did reflect a willingness
to treat the Bible as the ultimate authority. Wycliffe and Tyndale specifically
were primarily interested in bringing the Bible to the common man.
o It can be argued that the restoration is NOT a 19th and 20th century
invention. Rather, the spirit of Biblical restoration can be found within the
very pages of the Bible. Paul is probably the first restorer as he pleads with
the church at Corinth to leave the divisions caused by following after men (1
Cor 1:10), and return to simple faith in Christ. The word division might well
be rendered denomination, so could not Paul be saying, “Let there be no
denominations among you.” Paul also addresses restoration principles in the
book of Galatians, as does John in the letters to the seven churches of Asia.
We can see then that this idea has its roots in the Bible itself. Perhaps more
important is that restoration deals with individual hearts, not the established
Church as a whole. The reformation, on the other hand, sought to change
the system, or Church as a whole, into which individuals must place their
allegiance.
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Some scriptures to consider (All References from NASU)

Acts 20:28-30 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He
purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will
come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men
will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.

Mark 7:6-8 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as
it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR
HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' Neglecting the
commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

Col 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty
deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles
of the world, rather than according to Christ.

1 Tim 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the
faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
Setting the stage, gradual apostasy

33-100AD: Elders over single congregations. All elders equal. Bible only for
doctrine (elder/bishop one office)

150AD: One elder exalted above the others. The Bible is still the source of authority.

200AD: One Bishop per church overseeing the eldership. The Bible is still the source
of authority.

250AD: One diocesan Bishop overseeing other Bishops of other churches. The
Bible is still the source of authority.

251AD Novation was baptized by affusion (pouring) due to illness. Earliest example.

Doctrine of Apostolic Succession, and primacy of honor to the Roman Bishop
developed by Cyprian.
o 300AD: One Metropolitan Bishop overseeing other diocesan Bishops.

Five primary Bishops (Rome, Jerusalem, Ephesus, Alexandria,
Antioch) theoretically equal in rank. Jerusalem and Ephesus lost
prestige, leaving only three that held sway.
o 313AD Constantine grants freedom of religion, endorses Christianity.
o 325AD Council of Nicaea. Creeds replace the Bible as the source of
authority.
o 381AD: One Patriarch overseeing Metropolitans. Man replaces Creeds.

Christianity (Nicene) official religion of the Roman State. (Gratian,
Theodosius I)
Growth of the Clergy
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
Another thing that led man down the road of apostasy was the growth of the clergy,
a special class of Christians ordained by the Church.

The Biblical pattern has no concept of a clergy or laity being distinct from one
another. Rather, elders were chosen from among the people to exercise the oversight
of the local body.
o The concept of clergy and laity is a distortion of biblical teaching

Clergy comes from the Greek word Kleros (lot, inheritance). Used in
Col 1:12 to refer to ALL Christians. Also used in 1 Pet 5:3 meaning
those ALLOTED to (or God’s heritage) the charge of the elders.
Again, with reference to ALL Christians.

Laity comes from the Greek Laos (People). Used in Titus 2:14;
1Peter 2:9 (and other places) to refer to ALL Christians.
o 1 Peter 2:9-10 should be enough to show us that God set up no clergy, or
special priesthood over us.

With the developing complexity of Church organization after 100AD, the prestigious
offices of the leaders were considered to be too important a decision to be left in the
hands of the common Christian (Laity).
o Both Jewish and Gentile Christians had left organizations with set apart
leaders (priests and such). It was not too big a leap to fall back into that
pattern.
o People wanted their leaders to be responsible
o People tend to elevate authority figures
o The leaders themselves find the allure of power and prestige a great
temptation.

By the end of the 3rd century the concept of a divinely appointed clergy and a
subordinate lay class of Christians to whom they would minister was firmly
established
o The clergy became perceived as mediating between God and man as did the
Jewish priests.
o The rise of a divinely appointed and ordained clergy led to the rise of the
sacramental system whereby specific Church rites could only be performed
by the clergy on behalf of the layman.
The Sacramental System

With the rise of a designated clergy, there arose the system of sacraments.
o A sacrament (called a mystery in the Eastern Orthodox Church) is a rite of
the Church believed to be a visible sign of an invisible grace.

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Generally these are only administered by the priest (clergy) or other
properly sanctioned Church leader because they supposedly mediate
the grace of god to mankind (laity)
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
Baptism has always been an exception, the laity being authorized in
emergencies to baptize.
o By the end of the 2nd century, baptism and the Lord’s Supper were
considered to be sacraments.

Earle E. Cairns makes the comment, “By the end of the sixth century all seven acts
the Roman Catholic Church regards as sacraments were in use and had an exalted
position in worship. Sacerdotalism, the belief that the substance of the ordination is
efficacious through the priestly celebrant, steadily gained ground. This led to an
increasing emphasis on the separation of the clergy and the laity.” (Christianity
Through the Centuries; 1996; p. 153)

By the middle ages, the Catholic Church tradition held seven sacraments
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Baptism
Confirmation
Eucharist
Penance
Extreme Unction
Ordination
Marriage
It is easy to see how powerful this made a priest, since these sacraments were
supposed to confer some actual invisible grace, and only the performance of these
sacraments by a priest could confer that grace upon a lay person.
o What would you do if a priest refused last rites (extreme unction) to a loved
one?
o The fact that lay persons in some cases were permitted to perform some of
the sacraments in cases of extreme emergency does not diminish the
incredible power the priest wielded over the general population.
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Questions
1. In Acts 20:17-32, who does Paul warn the Elders about?
2. Does the previous passage give us an indication of the extent of an elders authority?
a. If so, what is it?
3. What is the relationship between elders and bishops (overseers)? See the following
passages: Tit 1:5-7; 1 Tim 3:1-7; Acts 20:17-28; 1 Pet 5:1-2
4. The clergy system sought to separate a class of Priest through whom the laity gain
access to God. Read 1Pet 2:5-9; Rev 1:6; Rev 5:10. Who are priests in the New
Testament church?
5. According to Heb 7:25, who makes intercession between the Christian and God?
6. According to Heb 4:15-16, how do we receive grace?
a. What is grace?
7. According to Rom 10:17, can Biblical faith come from human creeds?
8. According to John 12:48, what will judge us?
9. What is the role of good intentions in the church?
a. Can good intentions free us from the responsibility to follow God’s plan?
b. What about ignorance?
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Lesson 2 – Growth of the Catholic Church through 1517
Class Overview:

A look at the rise of the Catholic Church and the deviation from Biblical truth to a
man made religion.
o Organizational Changes
o Doctrinal changes

The development and state of the religious world up until the 1500’s when Martin
Luther began his reformation work.

A discussion of what can happen when man’s religion replaces true worship of God
as well as when the integrity of the church is compromised by replacing God’s
wisdom with man’s.
Introduction
Once the leadership of the church started down the path of moving away from the biblical
pattern and following after the wisdom of man, the course of history was set. As we look at
the developing history of the church from about 300AD on, it becomes clear that the Bible
is less and less used as a source of authority. An intense desire to avoid schism within the
church arose, and so a more centralized form of government developed that dictated to all
what they could and could not believe. We find reliance on the theological and philosophical
positions of the early Christian writers as much as the Bible.
With the council of Nicaea in 325, the pattern is set. Between 325AD and 1517AD, there are
no less than eighteen ecumenical councils called to decide almost every important point of
doctrine. When we compare this with the simple statement in scripture that “His divine power
has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us
by His own glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:3), we can see that man’s wisdom clearly lost the
simplicity and completeness of the scriptures. The church as presented in the Bible is a
simple organization that makes each person accountable before God.
As we see the inevitable development of a centralized power base and the belief that it is the
Church (not the Bible) that decides points of doctrine and practice, it is not long before
there is essentially no similarity between the church of the Bible and the religious institution
that calls itself the Church. By 606AD, the papal system is firmly in place. By 800AD the
Holy Roman Empire came into being, and a merger of the temporal and spiritual kingdoms
took place. Though it was never really a dominant world empire as some might suggest, the
concept of the Holy Roman Empire latest for over 1000 years.
It seems inevitable that Church leaders who transformed from congregational leaders to a
designated clergy, to a successor of apostolic authority, to an heir to Peter’s (supposed)
preeminence, would eventually claim to be the vicar (representative) of Christ on earth and
possess all the power that would come with that position. Not only did they claim power
over the Church, but also, as God’s representative, they claimed that human institutions
were subject to them as well. It is simply impossible that this much power could be entrusted
to one man without him becoming corrupt. In fact, not only the pope, but also the entire
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Church hierarchy was corrupted to one degree or another. What started out as a wellintentioned deviation from God’s simple plan eventually became a bloated, vile, worldly,
corrupt, system of religion.
Scriptures to consider (all references from the NASU)
Isa 29:13-14 Then the Lord said, "Because this people draw near with their words And
honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their
reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, Therefore behold, I will once again
deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise
men will perish, And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed."
1 Cor 2:1-7 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or
of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing
among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear
and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest
on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. Yet we do speak wisdom among those
who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are
passing away; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God
predestined before the ages to our glory…
Jude 4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand
marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into
licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
The Council of Nicaea, and the development of the papal system

From the previous lesson, we learned that the change from Biblical Christianity to
what would eventually become the Roman Catholic Church of the 16th century was a
gradual process occurring over about three hundred years.

The culmination of these changes came when the emperor Constantine called the
first Council of Nicaea. It is commonly accepted that the council was held in 325AD.
Constantine invited all 1800 bishops, but only about 300 came, mostly from the east.
It was these men who would change the concept of Christianity.
o The most memorable outcome of the council was the Nicene Creed, though
there were a number of canons (ecclesiastical laws or rules) created.
o Creeds had been in existence before this time, for example: the Roman
baptismal creed, and possibly the Apostles creed (there is debate as to when
that came about).

The major change is that after 325AD, authority moved from the Bible to the
decision of a council. From that point when someone wanted to appeal to authority,
they cited the council decision, not the scripture.

At the time of the council of Nicaea, there were three metropolitans (Bishops
overseeing areas). These were Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome
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
330AD, Roman bishops begin claiming supremacy due to the theory of apostolic
succession, and the supposed preeminence of Peter who was claimed to have been in
Rome.
o This was in part due to the fact that the capital of the Roman Empire was
moved to Constantinople, leaving a power vacuum in Rome.
o When Rome was sacked in 410AD, the bishop was able to save the city

Around 366AD, Damasus I, Bishop of Rome, described Rome as the Apostolic See
(A See is the seat of a bishop’s office, including its jurisdiction and authority).

By 381AD, there were five Patriarchs. Rome, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch,
Constantinople.

381AD, 2nd council, in Constantinople.
o Roman Bishop given primacy, with Constantinople next.

395AD, Roman Empire splits in two, leaving Rome in the west and Constantinople
in the east as the two capitals.
o This effectively divided the church along political and spiritual lines

431AD, 3rd council, at Ephesus
o Mary declared the Mother of God

440AD, Leo I becomes bishop of Rome. He is considered by some to be the first
true pope, exercising all the power of that office. Earle E. Cairns writes, “Even if we
do not consider Leo the first pope, it is fair to say that he made the claims and
exercised the power of many later incumbents of the Roman bishopric.” (Christianity
Through the Centuries, p 152)

451AD, 4th council, at Chalcedon.
o By and large the Roman patriarch had developed preeminence, followed by
Constantinople as second in primacy. Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem
lost prestige, and were eventually lost to the Muslims.

445AD, Emperor Valentinian III Issued an edict declaring that what Leo I, the
bishop of Rome would enact was to be law for all. (Cairns, p. 151)
o This effectively put control of the church into the hand of a man, the bishop
of Rome.
The Papal system up to the 16th century

In 590AD Gregory I came to power. “Gregory’s greatest work was to expand the
power of the Roman bishop. Although he disclaimed the title of pope, or universal
bishop, he exercised all the power and prerogatives of the later popes.” (Cairns, p.
161)
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o When John the Faster of Constantinople claimed the title of universal bishop
Gregory claimed that he and any who made that claim were the forerunners
to the antichrist.
o Gregory died in 604AD.

606AD Pope Boniface III gladly assumes the title of universal bishop.

622AD Muslims destroy or capture Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, leaving only
Rome and Constantinople as seats of church power.
o It remains this way today, and both still claim to be the one true Holy,
Catholic (universal), apostolic Church.


Rome = Roman Catholic Church

Constantinople = Eastern Orthodox Church
800AD, Charlemagne (Charles the Great) accepts coronation from Pope Leo III as
Emperor of Rome, and the Holy Roman Empire is established under a Teutonic
(Germanic) king.
o The secular and spiritual kingdoms are united under pope and emperor.

814AD, Charlemagne dies.
o The Holy Roman Empire lasted until 1806 in various forms. Emperors were
selected, or elected, and exercised more or less control over the papacy and
the secular word.
o An astute quote attributed to Voltaire states, “the Holy Roman Empire was
neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.”

1054AD, In a dispute over the use of leavened bread in the Eucharist, the Roman
pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople mutually excommunicated each other

1073AD, Pope Gregory VII assumes power
o In his Dadactus Papea, he stated that “there had never been error in the
Roman church and that according to the Bible, it would never err.” (Cairns,
p. 205)
o In 1077AD he humiliated Henry IV (King of Germany, and current Holy
Roman Emperor) by making him and his family wait, barefoot, in the snow
for three days before agreeing to lift an order of excommunication against
him

1198AD, Innocent III became pope. According to Cairns, “Innocent believed that
he was “the vicar of Christ” with supreme authority on earth. He believed that kings
and princes derived their authority from him and that he could therefore
excommunicate, depose, or lay an interdict, which forbade the clergy to perform any
but the most essential services of the church upon their state.” (p. 207)

1301AD, Boniface VIII issues his Unum Sanctum, stating that submission to the
pope is required for salvation, and that salvation cannot be found outside the Roman
church. He further states that the pope has spiritual and temporal authority over all.
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
1343AD, Pope Clement VI approves the sale of indulgences

1478AD, Pope Sixtus IV authorizes the beginnings of the Spanish Inquisition

1514AD, Pope Leo X approves the sale of indulgences to help Archbishop Albert
buy his way into office.
o Leo X needed the money to help build the St. Peter’s Cathedral
Some Doctrinal Developments over time
(Note: This isn’t nearly a comprehensive list. For a more thorough treatment, go to
http://www.bible.ca/catholic-doctrine.htm)

251AD 1st record of “baptism” by pouring. Used on Novation because he was sick.

Between 248 and 258AD, Cyprian (bishop of Carthage) proposed a distinction
between bishops and elders, along with proposing the concept of apostolic
succession

431AD, Mary declared the mother of God.
o Veneration of Mary, and prayers for her intercession followed (certainly her
son Jesus would listen to his mother)
o FYI, Immaculate Conception was adopted in 1854, and the assumption of
Mary was pronounced as doctrine in 1950.

590AD, Prayers for the saints became prayers to God THROUGH the saints. This
doctrine was approved at the 2nd Nicaean council.

593AD, Doctrine of purgatory gains popular acceptance. Proposed in writings from
Augustine.

666AD, Instrumental music introduced by Vitalian. Not generally practiced until the
9th century.

1125AD, Immersion still the general practice for Baptism. (see History of the
Christian Church, Schaff, Vol V, Ch IX)

1215AD, The dogma of transubstantiation formally approved

1245 (or earlier) Indulgences established as a doctrine by Alexander of Hales.
Explained, justified, and rationalized by Thomas Aquinas.

1301AD Submission to the pope declared as necessary for salvation
o This was repeated by Pius IX in 1863

1311AD, Sprinkling accepted in place of immersion for baptism. (I have seen this
asserted in a couple places, but cannot confirm. It supposedly took place at the
council of Ravenna, for which I can find only one reference, and no information as
to the subjects discussed.)

1343AD, The sale of indulgences becomes dogma (Pope Clement VI)
o 1476AD People allowed to buy indulgences for those in purgatory
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Questions
1. Some would attempt to justify councils by appealing to the council called in Acts 15:131. Read the passage and answer the following questions:
a. Who was in charge of the council?
b. Why was it called?
c. Why was it held in Jerusalem?
d. Who was being challenged at the council?
e. Who spoke for the council?
Why?
f. Who made the decision for the council?
2. Matt 16:13-20 is often cited as proof that Peter was the first Pope. Read the passage and
answer the following questions:
a. In vs. 18, how do we know that the name Peter, and the word rock are two
different things?
b. What is the rock upon which Jesus would build His church?
c. In vs. 19, is Jesus talking to Peter, or all the disciples? See Matt 18:18
3. Is there any Biblical evidence that Peter ever went to Rome?
4. What does 3 John 1 tell us about men who seek power?
5. If we do not have a standard of authority is it possible to ever know what is right?
6. What does 1 Cor 11:2 and 2 Thess 2:15 have to say about following traditions?
a. Where do we get these traditions?
7. Who is the only authorized object of our prayers? (Provide Scriptures)
8. What kind of worshiper does God require? (John 4:24)
a. What is the only source of truth (John 17:17)
b. What causes vain (empty, worthless) worship (Matt 15:7-9)
9. What do passages like Heb 9:27, 2Cor 5:10, and Rom 2:5-10 tell us about the idea of
Purgatory?
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Lesson 3 – Prelude to the Reformation
Class Overview:

What was the main contributing factor of the Reformation
o What is an indulgence

What were the additional reasons for the Reformation

What role did the moral decline and corruption of the Catholic Church play
Introduction
As we have discussed before, the Reformation was a movement that began in the 16th
century (1517) when Martin Luther began protesting the sale of indulgences. The Protestant
Reformation truly began when Luther challenged others to a debate by posting his 95 theses
(arguments against the sale of indulgences and other Catholic doctrines) on the door of a
church. His work led to the activities of others who began the protestant movement. It is
doubtful that Luther could have anticipated the far-reaching consequences his protest would
have. In the beginning, he was simply interested in ending the selling of indulgences, which
he considered to be an abuse.
That Luther started the Reformation is probably only a historic data point. Even if Luther
had not started the movement, it would have happened anyway. The situation in the world
probably made a breakup of the Catholic Church inevitable. In truth, Luther was not the
first to attempt to reform the Church, but he was the first to be successful in starting a viable
counter-movement. In the end, John Calvin was more successful, if we measure success by
the theology that is followed in the religious world today.
With the revealed biblical truth available, it seems unlikely that a system of man-made
religion could ultimately survive without challenge. In the history of man, I cannot think of
an example where people did not ultimately corrupt such an institution. Change is inevitable,
and if it is true that absolute power corrupts absolutely; then it was also inevitable that the
corruption of the church, which, flawed though it was, started out with honorable intentions,
would be inevitable as well. As the power of the bishops consolidated in Rome—ultimately
to become the papal throne—and the popes claiming more and more power, until they
sincerely thought of themselves as the representative of divine power on earth, they became
more and more subject to the corrupting influence of that power.
As the papal system degenerated, the world around them was changing. There came a time
when the people of the world were no longer ignorant enough, or compliant enough to sit
by and accept what the leaders of the Catholic Church were teaching them. Events like the
Black Death (1347-1351) demonstrated the inability of the Church to control events, which
further reduced the confidence people had in the Church. An article in the Wikipedia
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_VI) concerning Pope Clement VI indicates that he
consulted astrologers to no avail in an attempt to curb the plague. Desperate measures like
that, along with the impotent response of the Church leadership in general brought into
question the real power of the Church. The Renaissance and its resultant humanism and
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secularism brought about a class of people that simply would not accept at face value the
edicts, power, and intimidation of papal power.
Inside the Catholic Church the corruption and moral decay ensured that the papacy would
not—or could not—change with the times, and so it became very out of touch with the life
of the common man. Over time, a long series of crusades, violent inquisitions, reckless
spending, and other abuses of power contributed to an environment that led to the
Reformation. Places like the Apostolic Palace, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica and
other such buildings were constructed with exorbitant taxation and the sale of indulgences
that amounted to spiritual extortion. A rising middle class was not at all happy with heavy
taxation. The moral decay of the papacy and the entire clerical system was also a contributing
factor. By the time of the Reformation, the Catholic Church was every bit as corrupt as the
worst human government. Do as I say, not as I do, was simply no longer acceptable.
Scriptures to consider (all references from the NASU)
Ezek 34:2-4 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to
those shepherds, "Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been
feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe
yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who
are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have
not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost;
but with force and with severity you have dominated them.
Col 2:18-23 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement
and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause
by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being
supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from
God. If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you
were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, "Do not handle, do not
taste, do not touch!" (which all refer to things destined to perish with use) -- in accordance
with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure,
the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of
the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
3 John 9-11 I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among
them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his
deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he
himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and
puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one
who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.
The Direct Cause of the Reformation: the selling of indulgences

What is an indulgence: Initially, an indulgence was the remission of temporal
punishment of sins that have already been forgiven by God.
o Temporal punishment in catholic doctrine is differentiated from eternal
punishment, and guilt. Fundamentally, sin left unforgiven carries with it a
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burden of guilt, and eternal punishment in hell. Even after sin is forgiven
and the guilt of it removed (via confession), there remains a temporal (that is
temporary and time bounded) punishment that may be applied. This, in
concept, is much like giving a child a time out as punishment, even after
forgiving them for some infraction.

Temporal punishment is meted out on earth, and if that does not
satisfy God, it is continued in purgatory. This is the point of
purgatory: a place to suffer temporary punishment for sin that was
not satisfied in life.

God alone can forgive the guilt, via the confession and absolution of
a priest.

Penance (some work, or action required by the priest upon
confession of sin) handed out was the temporal punishment meted
out on earth.
o Temporal punishment can be offset by merit. Merit (according to the
Catholic Encyclopedia) is that property of good works that entitles a person
to a reward. This mean that merit (based upon good works) moves a person
closer to heaven, while demerit (based upon bad works) moves one further
away. Only when one has sufficient merit, can one enter heaven. Once
salvation from eternal punishment has been awarded by God, and any sin
that might keep us from heaven is forgiven, one must still attain sufficient
merit to overshadow the demerits of life.

Penance and other good works help build up merit.
o It is believed that Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the rest of the saints have
more merit than they need to get into heaven. This is where indulgences
come in.


Indulgences forgive the need of temporal punishment, on earth or in
purgatory (in part, or in whole)

Indulgences draw upon this merit overflow to apply it to penitent
sinners in place of temporal punishment.
Indulgences were not new in 1517
o Formulated by Alexander of Hales prior to 1245AD
o They were officially sanctioned in 1343 by Clement VI
o 1476AD people were allowed to purchase indulgences for souls in purgatory
by decree of Sixtus IV

Prior to 1567 (Council of Trent), indulgences could be obtained by either money or
some good act (building a hospital, bridge, church, etc.)
o After Trent, money was no longer acceptable for indulgences

Indulgences continue to this day
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o Every 25 years people make a pilgrimage to Rome to seek a plenary
(complete) indulgence for sins committed. The latest such was in the year
1999. (Houston Chronicle; Dec 1999; Stanley)
o In 1999 Pope John Paul II authorized indulgences for specific good deeds
(Houston Chronicle; Dec 1999; Remsen)

What was happening in 1517? The selling of indulgences was clearly being abused,
and one event sparked Luther’s protest
o Pope Leo X needed money to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica
o Archbishop Alpert, prince of the House of Hohenzollern wanted to control
the archbishopric of Mainz in 1514.

There were two problems with this: he was too young for the office,
and he already held a competing office. Rules forbad controlling
more than one Church office at a time.

Alpert was wealthy and came from a prominent family, so he had
access to large sums of money.

Pope Leo X needed an infusion of money to help building St. Peter’s
Cathedral, so he authorized the assignment for a large sum of money.

Even for Prince Alpert, this was more than he had, so he
needed to take a loan.

By agreement with Leo X, and Prince Alpert, a loan was
arranged from the prominent Fuggar banking family.

Pope Leo X wrote a papal bull offering the sale of indulgences as
security against the loan.

The proceeds of the loan bought the office and then indulgences
were sold to repay the loan. Johann Tetzel was commissioned to sell
the indulgences.
o Johann Tetzel, Dominican Friar, master salesman, was already an inquisitor.

Pope Leo X made him commissioner of indulgences for all of
Germany.

He and his agents went out along with bank officers (to make sure
the loan was repaid)

They marched into town amid great fanfare, claiming that God had
conferred upon the pope the power of forgiveness

They sold indulgences for past and future sins.

They sold to save the living, and to pressure the living to
purchase freedom from purgatory for their loved ones.
o Tetzel came to Wittenberg selling indulgences, and Martin Luther decided to
protest
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
He was already developing his “faith only” doctrine, and this was just
the sort of abuse he hoped to stop.

He posted his 95 theses on the door of a church, initially only to
argue the sale of indulgences.
Moral corruption

Boniface VIII marks the beginning of the decline of papal power. He was guilty of
simony (the acceptance of money for positions within the Catholic Church). He also
was accused murdering his predecessor, Celestine V, and it is known that Boniface
imprisoned him for ten months before Celestine’s death. Boniface died in 1303, and
was posthumously tried for heresy, but was acquitted.
o Pope Boniface VIII was so despised that one report had sailors on ships near
the Liparian Islands claiming to have heard demons rejoicing and crying out,
“"Open, open; receive Pope Boniface into the infernal regions.”
o In all likelihood, he was insane when he died. Philip Schaff makes the
comment, “The humiliation of Boniface was the long-delayed penalty of the
sacerdotal pride of his predecessors and himself. He suffered in part for the
hierarchical arrogance of which he was the heir and in part for his own
presumption.” From this, we can see that the corruption of the papal system
did not start here. If had been growing and building for some time before.

Clement V in 1309 moved the court to Avignon France. This began what has been
called the Babylonian captivity of the papacy, which lasted for about 70 years.
According to Philip Schaff, “The morals of Avignon during the papal residence were
notorious throughout Europe. The papal household had all the appearance of a
worldly court, torn by envies and troubled by schemes of all sorts. Some of the
Avignon popes left a good name, but the general impression was bad—weak if not
vicious. The curia was notorious for its extravagance, venality, and sensuality.
Nepotism, bribery, and simony were unblushingly practiced. The financial operations
of the papal family became oppressive to an extent unknown before. Indulgences,
applied to all sorts of cases, were made a source of increasing revenue.” (History of the
Christian Church)

Between 1450 and 1517 there was a rise in immoral, corrupt and unethical behavior
(Schaff; vol 6, ch 6)
o Nepotism within the papacy was rampant. Children (legitimate and
illegitimate), relatives and friends of the popes and powerful allies were
appointed as cardinals and they competed with kings for luxury and wealth.
o They had illicit relationships. They engaged in immoral conduct sometimes
including the invitation of prostitutes to the Vatican.

In one case, Pope Alexander VI held an all night orgy in the Vatican.

Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia) was thought to have had an
incestuous relationship with his illegitimate daughter Lucretia
o Many monasteries in Rome were turned into brothels.
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o Pope Innocent VIII was thought to have at least 16 illegitimate children, all
by married women.


The bodies of his murdered victims were found lying in the streets
Philip Schaff in his History of the Christian Church concludes his discussion of Leo X
(the pope of the reformation with this quote, “It seemed as if Providence allowed the
papal office at the close of the mediaeval age to be filled by pontiffs spiritually
unworthy and morally degenerate, that it might be known for all time that it was not
through the papacy the Church was to be reformed and brought out of its mediaeval
formalism and scholasticism. What popes had refused to attempt, another group of
men with no distinction of office accomplished.” (Vol 6, ch 6)
o Schaff also makes the statement; “There is no sufficient evidence that Leo
ever used the words ascribed to him, "how profitable that fable of Christ has
been to us. Such blasphemy we prefer not to associate with the de’ Medici.
Nevertheless, no sharper condemnation of one claiming to be Christ’s vicar
on earth could well be thought of than that which is carried by the words of
Sarpi, the Catholic historian of the Council of Trent, who said, "Leo would
have been a perfect pope, if he had combined with his other good qualities a
moderate knowledge of religion and a greater inclination to piety, for neither
of which he shewed much concern."
Other Contributing Factors
(From Christianity Through the Centuries, Earle E. Cairns; 1996; Zondervan)

Geographical Change
o Discovery of the new world, motivating people to exploration and
exploitation of the resources that became available

Political Change
o The rise of nation-states as opposed to a universal state concept led to
powers and authorities that were either sympathetic to the reformation, or
saw it as a way to gain power and control.

Economic Change
o The rise of towns, new markets, new sources of raw materials led to to
merchant as an economic power as oppose to feudal lords. These people and
those who prospered in this new economy resented their money being
drained away by the Church.

Social Change
o The development of a prosperous middle class with upward mobility that
freed them from a lifetime of peasantry and promised better lives for
themselves and their children

Intellectual Change
o The renaissance led to a better educated more individualist population. This
mindset made people ripe to challenge the authority or power of the Catholic
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clergy. People were inclined to see salvation as personal between man and
God.

Religious Change
o Uniformity of religious thought gave way to a more diverse understanding.
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Questions
1. What does Matt 23:15 tell us about the affect corrupt leaders can have on people?
2. Do the following passages (Jer 50:6; Ezek 34:2-5; Matt 9:35-36) have any relation to the
condition of the people as the time of the Reformation approaches?
3. Does the moral and ethical behavior of leaders matter in the Church?
a. Why or why not?
4. Read Amos 8:11-12. What can we learn from that passage about how people react when
denied access to the Word of God.
5. Can the Word of God be stopped from spreading? (Isa 55:11)
6. Discuss Isa 9:7 and Luke 1:33 in light of the fact the Catholic Church had long ago left
the New Testament pattern of the Church, and by 1517 bore no resemblance at all to the
church that Christ established.
7. Read 1 Tim 4:1-3. Could this have been written about the Church of the middle ages?
8. Think about and discuss how hard it might have been to live as true Christians in the
environment of the 16th century.
a. What did John write to the church at Smyrna in Rev 2:8-11 that might give
comfort to a person living during this time?
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Lesson 4 - Introduction to the Reformation
Lesson 4-8 Objectives

Consider the work of reformers who worked before 1517

Learn who the key players in the reformation were and what they did.

Understand the theology and doctrine of the reformers
o Compare the reformers doctrine with the Bible

Identify four major outcomes of the Protestant Reformation movement
o The German reformation / Luther
o Ulrich Zwingli and the Swiss reformation
o The reformation in England
o John Calvin and the reformation in Geneva / Calvin

Trace the development of modern denominations from their reformation roots

See evidence of early restoration principles at work and the power of Biblical truth.
Introduction to Lessons 4-8
What is commonly called the Protestant Reformation began with the work of Martin Luther
in 1517 when he responded to what he saw as the Catholic Church abuse of the indulgence
system. His initial work, including his famous 95 theses, was directed almost exclusively at
these abuses. Even though Luther’s theology differed from the Catholic Church on many
points, he would probably have been willing to accept the status quo if only the Church had
answered his criticism. Clearly by the 16th century, the Catholic Church had neither the desire
nor the ability to reform itself, and so while the reformation might well have been delayed if
Luther had not been pushed too far, it is probable that it would have happened in some way
shape or form anyway. What it needed was a person of courage and conviction to lead the
way.
Besides Luther, there were several other reformers who took courageous stands against the
abuses of the Catholic Church. Among these we will consider the work of Ulrich Zwingli
and John Calvin. While other reformers are important, it is these three that seem to have had
the biggest impact on the religious world. Some historians would argue that it was Calvin,
not Luther who had the largest overall impact on the Reformation, and that it owes more to
his efforts than to Luther’s.
Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich, Switzerland is often overlooked in discussions about the
reformation. He had a very simple theology that, while still wrong on some points, seems to
be more in line with true Biblical teaching than Luther or Calvin. Further, the work of
Zwingli, and the political conditions of Switzerland at the time helped give rise to the Radical
Reformation and the Anabaptists. The Radical Reformation was so called because unlike the
other reformers they sought to throw away the conventions of the day and start over. As
Schaff writes in his History of the Christian Church (Vol 8, Ch 3) “The Reformers aimed to
reform the old Church by the Bible; the Radicals attempted to build a new Church from the
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Bible. The former maintained the historic continuity; the latter went directly to the apostolic
age, and ignored the intervening centuries as an apostasy.” The Radical Reformation only
lasted a few years since the Catholic Church, the Swiss reformation leaders, and the secular
government mercilessly persecuted the Anabaptists. One thing the Radicals did was to
demonstrate that when Biblical truth is made available to people, it is possible for them to
see the truth and act upon it.
John Calvin, in Geneva, Switzerland has probably had the most profound impact on modern
religious thought to date. His theological system has probably become one of the most
predominant belief systems in America today. His theology, identifiable with the acronym
TULIP (Total Depravity; Unconditional Election; Limited Atonement; Irresistible Grace;
Perseverance of the Saints) contains within it the idea that God is responsible for everything
and we ultimately have no say in our salvation or condemnation at all. One of Calvin’s main
sticking points was the fate of infants who died. Calvin, by his own admission, was forced to
admit that large numbers of infants, through no fault of their own were created by God only
to be condemned. In that regard, he made this comment, “It is an awful (horrible) decree, I
confess, but no one can deny that God foreknew the future, final fate of man before he
created him, and that he did foreknow it, because it was appointed by his own decree.”
(Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol 8, Ch 9). To this, Schaff comments, “Our best
feelings, which God himself has planted in our hearts, instinctively revolt against the thought
that a God of infinite love and justice should create millions of immortal beings in his own
image—probably more than half of the human race—in order to hurry them from the
womb to the tomb, and from the tomb to everlasting doom! And this not for any actual sin
of their own, but simply for the transgression of Adam of which they never heard, and
which God himself not only permitted, but somehow foreordained. This, if true, would
indeed be a "decretum horribile."”
While we tend to date the start of the Reformation with Luther in 1517, there were many
who tried (and often died) to reform the Church before him. In some cases, their work
looked more like that of restorers. John Wycliffe began attacking the Papal system claiming
the Bible was the sole basis of authority, not the Church. His main goal was to translate the
Bible into English, and in the process he spawned a movement of lay people called the
Lollards. The Lollards spread his teaching throughout England until they were persecuted
into submission. These teachings helped influence later English reformers. John Huss took
his doctrine from Wycliffe and tried to reform the Church in Bohemia. He was condemned
and burned at the stake for his efforts.
The work of the reformers was significant. They left behind a legacy that we live with today.
First, they broke the monopoly of power that the Catholic Church held in the world, even if
that was not truly realized for many years. They ushered in a new era of religious thought,
where, to some degree at least, people were able to search out religious truth for themselves.
It is certainly true that the protestant denominations became every bit as intolerant as the
Catholic Church was, even to the extent of persecution and death for dissenters. At the same
time, the very spirit of dissent that brought about the Reformation could not be stifled.
Finally, they left behind a legacy of denominationalism. Each reformer, while claiming the
Bible as their sole basis of authority, developed different theological positions. These
positions, often incompatible with each other, resulted in various denominational groups.
Further disagreements and divergent understanding helped subdivide the protestant world
until we eventually get to the modern denominational world.
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Even if they did not get everything right, or even have a biblical foundation in some cases,
the reformers were instrumental in bringing the Bible back to the people. Try as it might, the
Catholic Church simply could not keep the word of God from the common man, and God
has decreed that His word would accomplish His purpose (Isa 55:11). Not long after people
began to read the word of God attempts were made to restore Christianity to its Biblical
roots. Often these fledgling attempts were drowned out in the larger Reformation efforts or
other religious persecution. It is further likely that the medieval mindset, entrenched
Catholicism, superstition, and culture simply made it impossible to effectively restore New
Testament Christianity in any wholesale, or lasting way. Ultimately though, the Bible call
began to take hold. It took about three-hundred years for the religious apostasy to culminate
in the council of Nicaea that effectively took the Bible out of its place of authority in
religion, and about the same amount of time from the start of the Reformation for the
attempts at restoration to culminate in what we call the American Restoration Movement,
that would finally place the Bible back in its rightful place of authority.
Scriptures to consider (all references from the NASU)
Deut 4:2 You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it,
that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
Ps 119:160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is
everlasting.
Prov 30:5-6 Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.
2 John 9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not
have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.
Isa 55:10-11 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there
without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower
and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not
return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the
matter for which I sent it.
Common Themes in the Reformation

Stuart Jones, in his course on Church History (p. 128) identifies seven fundamental
themes that were believed and practiced in part or in whole by the various reformers.
These are:
o The Bible is the only infallible rule for faith, morals, and practice.
o What is not contrary to Scripture is for Scripture, and Scripture is for it.
o Justification is by faith alone in contrast to meritorious works of the Catholic
Church.
o Believers should have no obstructions between themselves and Christ, such
as priests, Mary, sacraments, rituals, saints, etc…
o The priesthood consists of all believers.
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o Intolerance. Although the reformers resented Roman intolerance, they
practiced it as well.
o Secular authority can be used to advance one’s own personal religious views.
Activities before the Protestant Reformation
The Waldensians (Waldenses)

Peter Waldo (??? – 1217) was a wealthy merchant in Lyon, France.

He came to believe that the Bible should be the final authority for all things.
o Somewhere around 1170 in an effort to emulate the apostles, he took a vow
of poverty, sold all that he had, put his daughters in a convent, gave his wife
a stipend and sent her away.
o He and his followers went out 2 by 2 preaching the gospel

Since they were all laymen, thus forbidden to preach, the Bishop of
Lyon tried to stop them. Their reply was “We must obey God rather
than men.”

Waldo commissioned a Bible translation in the vernacular of the day. It is thought to
be the first known version available to the common man.

Persecuted by the Catholic Church for refusing to stop preaching, they fled abroad
eventually taking refuge in the French and Italian Alps.
o They still exist today, and have migrated to the United States. Some exist as
an independent religious group, and some have merged with the Presbyterian
Church in America.
o The town of Valdese, N.C. is a Waldensian community today. You can check
them out on the web.

Some of their beliefs were:
o Priestly ordination is unnecessary to preach.
o Purgatory is not in the Bible.
o Worship of the saints is unscriptural.
o Priest has no authority to absolve from sin.
o Opposed infant baptism; belief was required first.
William of Occam (1300-1349) Philosopher, Franciscan Monk.

Taught that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority.

He is famous for developing Occam’s Razor, or the principle of parsimony, that
states that you should chose the simplest option when comparing possibilities, or the
one that requires the fewest logical leaps.
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o Interesting that his methodology is used by atheists to draw exactly the
opposite conclusion from the one he drew.
o Died of the black plague in 1349
John Wycliffe (1329-1384) had a desire to translate the Bible into English

Wycliffe’s view on reading the Bible
o It shall greatly helpe ye to understande Scripture, If thou mark not only what
is spoken or wrytten, But of whom, and to whom, with what words, at what
time, where, To what intent, with what circumstances, considering what
goeth before and what followeth. (The Treasure Chest, Charles L. Wallis;
New York, Harper & Row, Publishers, 1965, p. 37. Downloaded from:
http://www.journal33.org/other/html/wyclif.htm Sept 27, 2006)

Until 1378, Wycliffe was a student and teacher at Oxford University.
o Initially, he wanted to remove what he felt was an immoral clergy.

In a 1379 writing, he insisted that the pope was not the authority in the Church,
rather, Christ was.
o He asserted that the Bible, not the Church was the source of authority for
doctrine and practice.
o The Church should mold itself after the New Testament pattern.

In 1382, he completed the first New Testament manuscript, and in 1384 the Old
Testament was complete.
o This is believed to be the first English translation of the Bible.
o Wycliffe was breaking Church law, since the Council of Toulouse (1229)
forbad the Bible to laymen (Schaff, vol 6, ch 5)

By 1382, Wycliffe’s teaching brought him onto great conflict with the Catholic
Church.
o Wycliffe taught against the doctrine of transubstantiation. This would have
taken power away from the priests.
o Taught that poor preachers, laymen with no vows, nor consecrated by the
Church, should teach the Gospel.

These became known as the Lollards who went about 2 by 2, poor
and barefoot.
o Taught that the Church should live in poverty as the apostles did.
o Taught that we are justified by faith.

A misunderstanding of the Lollard teaching helped spark the first peasant revolt

Wycliffe and Lollard teaching was outlawed and made punishable by death,
effectively ending their work.
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o Though they disappeared as a group, their influence did not. The Lollards
remained influential in England and help create the mindset that led to
reform activities there.

Wycliffe died in 1384. Some thirty years later, his teachings were officially
condemned as heretical. Eventually, his body was exhumed and burned.
John Huss (1373-1415)

Huss originally from Bohemia, read and adopted Wycliffe’s views. He returned to
Bohemia intent on reforming the Catholic Church there.

Without the same level of protection that Wycliffe enjoyed, he was ordered to the
Council at Constance.
o Given safe-conduct from the emperor himself, Huss attended.
o When the safe-conduct was not honored, he was arrested and ordered to
recant.
o When Huss refused to recant, he was burned at the stake by order of the
council.

Huss had instituted a following known as Hussites, much like the Lollards in
England. These were persecuted as well.
o Among his followers were the Taborites who “rejected all in faith and
practice of the Roman Church that could not be found in Scripture.” (Cairns,
Pg 247)
o The Taborites formed the United (or Bohemian) Brethren and from this
group the Moravian Church, which still exists today, was developed.
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Questions
The Catholic Church believes that tradition and proclamations from the pope are as
authoritative as Scripture.
1. What can we infer about this belief from Matt 15:7-9?
2. What happens to our ability to assess truth when there is no single standard?
3. What was David’s attitude toward Scripture as seen from: Psa 1:1-3; 19:7-11; 119 115?
4. What does Deut 4:2 mean for us today? List some New Testament Scriptures that
complement this teaching.
5. What, if anything, does 2 Peter 1:3 tell us about the value of human traditions and
proclamations?
6. In Psa 19:7, what does the word PERFECT mean?
7. What are we warned about in Titus 1:10-16?
Common teaching of the Catholic Church and some reformers in the Middle Ages was that
character, or morality of the priest was irrelevant. The only important thing was that the
right ceremonies were performed, the right words said, and the right gestures made.
8. What does the Bible teach us about the qualities required of leaders (elders)? (1 Tim
3:1-7; Tit 1:5-9
9. Contrast good leaders with bad according to Tit 1:5-16
10. According to 1 Pet 5:3, elders are to be what to the flock?
11. What is one responsibility of leaders according to Heb 13:17?
a. What will God require of them?
12. What caused Judah to go astray in Jer 50:6?
b. Elders have the role of shepherds (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet 5:3). Is it reasonable to
assume that the flock (Christians in their charge) can or will remain faithful if
the Shepherds do not?
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Lesson 5 - The Protestant Reformation (1)
1517 Martin Luther (1483-1546) and the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther was born a free peasant in a relatively well-to-do family. They owned
stock in several mining operations. His parents were strict and his mother, in
particular, was religious and superstitious.
o He studied Latin in school.
o Planned to pursue a law degree.

In 1505, he was caught in a severe thunderstorm, and barely missed being hit by
lightning.
o Prayed to, and promised St. Anne that he would become a monk if she saved
him.
o Proving true to his commitment, he joined an Augustinian monastery, was
ordained, and celebrated his first Mass in 1507.

In 1510, on a trip to Rome, he was exposed to the corruption and lax attitude of the
Roman clergy.
o He saw that religion had become just a matter of going through the motions,
and it repelled him.

In 1511, transferred to Wittenberg.

By 1516, he had studied original Biblical languages, and became convinced that the
Bible alone should be the authority in religious matters.
o He began teaching in the common vernacular rather than Latin.
o A reading of Rom 1:17 convinced him that faith alone was what could justify
a man before God.

In 1517 Johann Tetzel came to a nearby town selling indulgences. Tetzel is known
for his famous quote, “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, a soul at once into
Heaven springs.”
o Luther responded by posting his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church
in Wittenberg.
o The 95 theses were aimed primarily at indulgences, and were a challenge to
debate
o Tetzel tried to silence Luther by force and intimidation, but Luther would
not be silenced.

It is important to note that Luther’s initial challenge was restricted to indulgences
and some other Church abuses. He did not initially intend to start what became the
Protestant Reformation.
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
Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560) joined Luther in 1518. He became a great ally and,
while Luther was the chief spokesman of the Lutheran Reformation, Melanchthon
was the primary theologian.

In 1518, Luther is called before the Diet at Augsburg, but refuses to retract his views
unless he can be proven wrong by scripture. (A Diet was a formal assembly of
princes and/or estates within the Holy Roman Empire; American Heritage
Dictionary)

In 1519, Luther debates John Eck. Eck, a fine scholar and debater, bests Luther in
the debate. He does this not by proving his points, but by being a better debater. He
gets certain damaging admissions from Luther that lead to a Papal Bull in 1520.
o The Papal Bull demands that all of Luther’s writings be burned, and orders
him excommunicated.
o Luther responds by publicly burning the Papal Bull.
o This event marks Luther’s break from Rome.

1520, Luther is ordered before the Diet of Worms where he again refuses to recant
unless he can be proven wrong by scripture or reason.
o Following the Diet, an edict is issued to seize Luther and turn him over to
the authorities. He had received “safe conduct” to the Diet, but apparently
not leaving it.
o His followers “kidnap” him as he was leaving Worms, and take him to a safe
haven in Wartburg Castle. He would stay there until 1522.


While at Wartburg, Melanchthon completed the Loci Communes.
This was the first major theological treatise of the Reformation.
(Cairns, pg 285)

Luther worked on translating the Bible into German

The New Testament was complete in 1522

The whole Bible by 1534
By 1522, Luther was a national hero in Germany for standing up to Rome, but by
1530, he had alienated many, including:
o Ulrich Zwingli and his followers in Switzerland.
o His monastery peers who were upset that he forsook his vows and married.
o The peasants who had used Luther’s theology as reason for the second
peasant revolt. Instead of supporting them as they had hoped, he wrote a
tract condemning them, which the local authorities used as justification to
slaughter up to 100,000 peasants.

Luther still had powerful friends, including the princes of Germany who saw this as
an opportunity to break from Rome.
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
In 1526, the first Diet of Speier allowed that each state could choose which religion
to follow.
o In 1529, the second Diet of Speier reversed that decision, prompting a
formal protestation to the decree by the princes.

The term Protestant has been applied to the Reformation ever since.

In 1529, Luther writes his short catechism to formalize and unify what is taught to
Lutheran converts.

In 1530, There is another Diet of Augsburg
o Melanchthon writes the Augsburg Confession. He and Luther present it at
the Diet.

There are 28 articles that define the beliefs of the Lutheran
movement.

This becomes the official creed of the Lutheran movement.
o Luther writes his long catechism.

From 1532-1542. There is relative peace due to distractions in Rome. This allows
Lutheranism to gain a solid foothold in Germany.
o 1535, Luther begins training and ordaining Lutheran ministers.

In 1546, Luther dies. Melanchthon takes over leadership of the movement.

In 1546, the Roman Catholic Church finally goes to war with Lutherans, but it is too
late.

In 1555, the peace of Augsburg legalizes the Lutheran religion.

In 1580. The “Book of Concord” is released to the Lutheran Church. It ends internal
strife and arguments over doctrinal issues.
o It contains the authoritative Lutheran writings, including the catechism, and
the Augsburg Confession.
o A cover document called the Formula of Concord, written in 1572, clarifies,
unifies and documents the agreed understandings of the various documents.
o The Book of Concord becomes, and remains, the authoritative document
that defines the Lutheran faith.
A Brief look at Lutheran Theology

Rejected only what the Bible condemned.

Justification is by faith only.
o Luther had contempt for the book of James because it disagreed with this
position on faith. He is commonly thought to have tried to remove James
from the Bible, and he certainly thought very little of it. He put it in the back
of his translation, and considered it a “book of straw” compared to other
epistles.
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
Affirmed original sin. Those born in sin are condemned until baptized.

Faith should bring forth good works, but these works cannot aid in salvation.

The body and the blood of Jesus are literally present in the Eucharist (Lord’s
Supper).
o Luther believed in consubstantiation, also known as impanation, which
means that the body and blood are truly present, but the physical form of the
bread and wine remain unchanged. This is in contrast to the Roman Catholic
doctrine of transubstantiation, which affirms that the elements actually
change into the literal body and blood.

Man has free will to reason and to choose, but not to work righteousness without
help from the Holy Spirit.
Examples of Lutheran Intolerance

Luther was originally a supporter of religious freedom, and counseled nothing more
than expulsion for heresy. In later years, he became less and less tolerant.
o In 1543, Luther spoke for the expulsion for Jews, along with the burning of
their books, homes, and Synagogues.
o He approved of death judgments against the Anabaptists

Melanchthon voiced his approval of the killing of heretics.

From the Augsburg Confession
o Article 1, condemns all heresies against this article.
o Article 2 condemns the Pelugians and others who would deny that original
depravity is sin.
o Article 5 condemns the Anabaptists and others.
o Article 8 condemns the Donatists and others who argued against the use of
evil men in the ministry.
o Article 9 condemns the Anabaptists and others who deny infant baptism and
claim that children are saved without baptism.
o Article 16 condemns the Anabaptists who forbid civil offices to Christians.
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Questions
Martin Luther claimed to have determined from Rom 1:17 that salvation is by faith alone.
Does Rom 1:17 teach that faith alone is sufficient for Salvation?
1. Rom 1:17 quotes what Old Testament verse? ___________. Use a good Bible
dictionary and see what that Old Testament word means. For help, see the following
verses where that word is used (1 Sam 26:23; 2 Chron 19:9; Deut 32:4; Ps 33:4; Ps
119:30):
2. What do we learn about faith from James 2:19-26?
a. Is belief alone enough?
b. What kind of works is James talking about?
3. Eph 2:8 tells us we are saved apart from works. What kind of works is in view in this
passage? (Read Eph 2:8-16 for help with context).
a. What does Paul say in this passage that teaches us that works of faith are
important?
4. Is it safe to determine doctrine form a reading of only one, or even a select number
of passages and ignoring the rest of the Bible? (See Psa 119:160)
5. Do we have the right to ignore anything that contributes to our salvation?
6. Read the Scriptures below and build a list of the things that work together to save us
(Add any that may not be listed):
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
Tit 3:4-5
John 12:47
Rom 8:13-14
Eph 2:8; Titus 2:11-13
Rev 1:5-6, Eph 1:7
Heb 2:13-15
1Cor 15:17, 1 Pet 1:3
John 6:44-45, Rom 10:13-14
John 6:44-45, 2 Pet 1:2-3; 2:20,
1 John 5:20
Mark 16:16; John 3:16; Heb 4:2;
11:6
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___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
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Heb 4:2; 11:6
Luke 13:3-5; Acts 2:38
Rom 10:9-10
Acts 2:21, Acts 22:16; Rom
10:12-13
Heb 5:8-9, Rom 6:17-18
Mk 16:16, Acts 2:38, 1Pet 3:21
Jas 1:12; Luke 21:19
Luke 21:19
Rom 8:24; 1 Thess 5:8
John 5:24; 1 Peter 1:2
Jim Turner
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Lesson 6 - The Protestant Reformation (2)
The Reformation in Switzerland, Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) and others

According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, Zwingli became a reformer by education,
not because of some religious experience. This sets him apart from Martin Luther.

From 1506-1516, Zwingli served the pope as parish priest and Swiss chaplain
o He had an MA from the University of Vienna where he studied under
humanist teachers.
o He studied the writings of Erasmus (1466-1536) a Dutch scholar, humanist
and critic of Catholic Church excesses. Erasmus produced a Greek New
Testament.

In 1516, he opposed a statue of Mary and various superstitions that had arisen
around it. He called it blind faith.

In 1519 he became priest of Zurich, and began preaching sermons on the books of
the Bible
o Became familiar with Luther’s work.
o His studies taught him too much to remain faithful to the pope, and he
began to condemn those things not found in Scripture.
o Brought home a widow to live with him (priests could not marry). He
married her in 1524.

In 1522, he prepared 67 theses on areas where he differed with Rome, and
challenged the world to a debate with the Zurich city council as judges.
o The Zurich council agreed to follow the theology of the winner.
o Zwingli won.

After he won three debates, the Zurich council gave Zwingli authority to make any
necessary changes in the city laws that would be in harmony with scripture.
o This effectively made Zwingli a city dictator.

In 1525, He wrote his defining work: Commentary on The True and False Religion.

In 1529, he met Martin Luther. They were able to agree on 14 of 15 doctrinal points
of contention. The only remaining point was the Lord’s Supper.
o Zwingli believed the Lord’s Supper was a memorial and that the body and
blood of Christ was not present. Luther—as we have seen—believed that the
body and blood were literally present.
o This led Luther to denounce Zwingli and they could not work together.
o The following quote from The Eternal Kingdom gives us an idea of how this
discussion went, “The two reformers themselves met then met for a
discussion of this difference. Luther contended that as an iron was heated
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until it was red hot, it was still iron, but the heat was within it. He said that in
this manner there is within the bread and the wine the actual body and blood
of Christ. Zwingli contended that the bread and the wine were
“representative” of the body and the blood, but they were not actually
present. Luther took a piece of chalk and wrote on the banquet table, “This
is my body” insisting that Jesus meant what he said. Zwingli agreed but
argued that when Christ said, “This is my body,” His flesh was unbroken. He
further pointed out that Jesus did not turn the bread into his actual flesh.
Zwingli also contended that when Jesus said this cup is my blood, He did not
mean that is was His literal blood, for after having called it His blood, He
said I will drink henceforth no more of this “fruit of the vine,” showing that
it was still fruit of the vine – even after He had called it His blood. But
Luther could not agree with Zwingli. He declared that Zwingli had a
different spirit, and he was not willing to fellowship with Him.” (Pg. 256)

In 1529, the Cantons (similar to a state in the US) of the Alps who were faithful to
the pope went to war with Zwingli’s reformers.
o 1531, Zwingli went out to battle as chaplain. His forces were beaten and he
was wounded in battle.
o His enemies found him on the battlefield, killed him, had him quartered, and
then burned the body.

After Zwingli died, his movement lost momentum. His people were eventually
absorbed into the work of John Calvin in Geneva.
A Summary of Zwingli’s Beliefs

Accepted only what could be proven by Scripture, in contrast to Luther.

Justification was by faith only.

Condemned the concept of the Mass.

Stopped the invoking of saints.

Thought the clergy should marry.

Services should be in local languages.

Abolish monastic orders.

Lord’s Supper was a memorial, not a sacrament

No instrumental music

No purgatory

Payment of tithes was a voluntary matter.

Accepted original sin and thus infant baptism. There is some question about this.
o It is likely that he originally opposed infant baptism as unscriptural, but when
he faced the fact that it would have declared almost everyone to be unsaved,
he changed his position.
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o He seems to have believed that infants of Christian parents were viable
candidates for infant baptism following the idea of circumcision. As for the
children on non-believers, I couldn’t find anything definitive, but it looks like
they need to make their own decision. That would imply infant baptism for
children of believers, but adult (believers baptism) for others.
The Radical Reformation (The Anabaptists)

One important result of Zwingli’s work was the development of the Radical
Reformation in Switzerland.

Led by Conrad Grebel (1498-1526), known as Anabaptists, these people were unique
in the Reformation.
o Unlike other reformers, they did not want to fix the existing system. Their
aim was to scrap the existing system and rebuild the church with scripture as
the only authority.
o They got the name Anabaptists, or re-baptizers, because they rejected infant
baptism and required adults to be re-baptized.

This quote from The Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online helps to
explain Grebel’s beliefs. “According to Grebel, the church as a local body comes into
existence through the preaching of the Word and its voluntary acceptance, and
through the consequent conversion and renewal of life of individual believers. By
faith the individual members are united together and incorporated into the body of
Christ. This church is in truth a fellowship of brethren in life and suffering, a
communio sanctorum, which is maintained by the inward bond of faith and the outward
bond of love. When a member of the body fails to maintain love toward the brethren
or does not order his life according to the Gospel, he breaks the bond of fellowship,
and if he will not hear the church and repent and change his life he must be excluded
from the fellowship of the believers. New members may be received into the church
only upon a confession of faith and separation from sin, upon evidence of a renewal
of life and a walk in holiness. The government, ordinances, and activities of the
church must be based solely upon the express teaching of the Word of God or the
example of Christ and the apostles, with the rigid exclusion of "opinions of men" (a
Grebel expression found in his letter to Müntzer, by which is meant a complete
break with medieval tradition and a return to the apostolic pattern of the New
Testament).
(http://www.gameo.org/index.asp?content=http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/c
ontents/G7432.html)

Zwingli turned against them because they disagreed on baptism, and because their
call to separate Church and state threatened his power base.

They were persecuted by Protestants, by Catholics, and also by the civil government.
o Men, women and children were hung, burned, tied hand to foot and
drowned, and forced to jump from tall haystacks onto sharp spikes.

Grebel died of plague in 1526.
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
Persecuted in Switzerland, they dispersed.
o Some fled to Hungary and the Ukraine, where they would eventually find
their way to America. They came to North and South Dakota, Manitoba, and
other places. These are known as Hutterites, and they still exist today.
o Some fled to the Netherlands, and under the leadership of Menno Simons,
continued to thrive. These became known as Mennonites. They eventually
immigrated to America where they still exist.

Jacob Amman led an internal Mennonite reformation effort. His
work resulted in the Amish we know today.
Differing views on Baptism that developed out of the Reformation

The Protestant Reformation helped take the world down the road to two different
beliefs about baptism. Lutheranism brought with it the Roman Catholic idea of
baptismal regeneration, while Zwingli and Calvin brought the idea of believers
baptism (more of a sign or symbolic of the receipt of God’s saving grace).
o Baptismal Regeneration teaches that man has a fallen and depraved soul, and
that we inherit original sin. Upon Baptism the guilt of original sin is wiped
away, and the soul of man is regenerated in some miraculous way so that it is
capable of coming to God by faith. This is the point of infant baptism: to
remove the guilt of original sin, and to regenerate the soul.


It is interesting that Luther believed salvation was by faith alone, yet
still believed that an infant that has absolutely no ability to
demonstrate faith of any kind would be condemned because of
original sin unless baptized.

Calvin argued that mankind is predestined by God, either for
salvation or for condemnation, and that we have no say in the matter.
At the same time, he wrote in his Institutes of the Christian religion
that infants should be baptized to remove the stain of original sin.

According to this view, baptism is a sacrament that imparts saving
grace to the recipient.
Believers Baptism holds that one must demonstrate faith first, and then professing
believers are eligible for baptism.
o Zwingli wavered on this point due to political pressure. He believed man
came to God through faith, but was afraid to declare that almost everyone
who was baptized as an infant needed to be baptized as an adult.
o Anabaptists recognized the baptism was required for salvation, and desired
people to submit to baptism as adults. Many of the original Baptist groups
believed this as well.
o Ultimately, as it has evolved today, the common thought is that baptism is
not associated with salvation. Salvation comes upon confession of faith.
Baptism is just an outward demonstration of God’s inward saving grace.
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Questions
Both the Catholic Church and the Churches that came out of the Protestant Reformation
believed in a State sponsored Church.
1. In John 18:36, what does Jesus tell us about the nature of His kingdom?
2. Does submission to governing authorities in Rom 13:1-7 mean that the state should
be in charge of the church?
a. If not, what does it teach?
3. What does Matt 22:21 teach us about our relationship with the civil government?
4. What does Acts 5:29 teach us?
Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, Lutheran doctrine of consubstantiation and
Zwinglian doctrine of memorial symbolism all disagreed on what the Lord’s Supper was and
what it was for. Consider the following questions.
5. Read Matt 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-28
a. What are the two elements of the Lord’s Supper?
b. What does each represent?
c. Where was Jesus when He instituted the Lord’s Supper?
d. Where was He when they ate and drank?
e. What did Jesus call the cup in Matt 29, and Mark 25? (This is after it would
have been transformed)
f. What did Paul call the elements in 1 Cor 11:26?
6. According to Luke 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24-26, what are the stated purposes of the Lord’s
Supper?
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7. According to 1 Cor 11:27-28 how are we to ensure that we partake in a worthy
manner?
8. Read the following passages and determine if they are literal or symbolic.
g. "I am the bread," (John 6:41)
h. "I am the vine," (John 15:5)
i.
"I am the door," (John 10:7,9)
j.
"You are the salt,” (Matthew 5:13)
k. “This is my body,” (Matt 26:26)
l.
“This is my blood,” (Matt 26:28)
i. Is there anything in the context of the above-mentioned passages that
would lead us to the conclusion that Jesus meant His literal body and
blood?
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Lesson 7 - The Protestant Reformation (3)
John Calvin (1509-1564) and the Reformation in Geneva

John Calvin and the theological system he developed have probably had more
influence on the modern denominational world than any other.
o Calvin started no Churches of his own, as opposed to the Lutheran
movement.
o His followers founded religious bodies, and propagated his theology into
many of the Protestant Churches.

Calvin was born into a professional class in France
o His training was in humanities and law. He completed his law degree in 1532.
o Unlike Martin Luther, who was a strong imposing figure, Calvin was in poor
health and suffered from many ailments.

In 1533 he was converted and turned to Protestantism
o In 1534 He was forced out of France and moved to Basel, Switzerland

In 1536 he completed his work, The Institutes of the Christian religion. It was his
greatest work.
o This is Calvin’s introduction or catechism into his theological system.
o In part due to his own infirmities, Calvin saw God as stern and hard, and his
theology reflected that view.
o He believed in man’s depravity based upon the teaching of Augustine. The
difference was that while Augustine believed that God allowed men to be
damned, Calvin believed that God decreed (or willed) men to be damned.

From 1536 until his death, he lived in Geneva, Switzerland except for a short period
of exile.

In 1541 the Geneva City Council turned the city over to him for religious matters.
He effectively became a city dictator
o In 1542, Calvin’s theology became law and complete conformity was
required. Excommunication was the penalty for disobedience, and the secular
arm of government carried out the enforcement.

He developed a network of spies to watch over the city.

Innkeepers were ordered to report any abuses
o Life was tightly controlled

No swearing or indecent songs.

No dice, cards, or gambling.

A 9 pm curfew was in place for all but his spy network.
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o Between 1542 and 1546 there were seventy-six banishments and fifty-eight
executions for heresy.
o In one incident, a man named Servetus came to Geneva in 1553 looking for
refuge. He was a reformer/dissenter being sought by the Catholic Church for
heresy. Because Calvin disagreed with him in some points of doctrine, he
either had, or allowed (historians differ on this) Servetus to be captured and
burned at the stake.


Servitus was an unlikable person who had unorthodox views on the
Trinity, possibly Arian, and a forerunner of the Unitarian movement.
He also argued against original sin, and was a proponent of adult
baptism. Catholics and most Protestants, including Calvin, hated him.

What makes this a notable occurrence is not so much that one man
died, but that Calvin is accused by many of premeditated murder.
Schaff (vol 8, ch 16) quotes Calvin, “Servetus lately wrote to me, and
coupled with his letter a long volume of his delirious fancies, with the
Thrasonic boast, that I should see something astonishing and
unheard of. He offers to come hither, if it be agreeable to me. But I
am unwilling to pledge my word for his safety; for if he does come,
and my authority be of any avail, I shall never suffer him to depart
alive.” Calvin never replied to Servetus, leaving him the impression
that he would be given safe harbor in Geneva. Schaff goes on to note
that Servetus had not done anything wrong while in Geneva, and had
taught no doctrine contrary to Calvin. He was arresting while in
Church service. At the most, he was subject to expulsion from the
city, not trial and execution. Calvin is quoted after the fact as saying,
“And what crime was it of mine if our Council, at my exhortation,
indeed, but in conformity with the opinion of several Churches, took
vengeance on his execrable blasphemies?”

One interesting note Schaff makes is that Calvin drew authority for
executing Servetus not from Catholic Canon law—which was not in
effect in Protestant Geneva—but from the Old Testament Mosaic
law.
Prior to 1564, Calvin established a college to teach and propagate his ideas.
o The people he trained took his message and eventually started movements
that became the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches.
o His organizational skills and systematic approach helped to effectively
propagate his doctrine.

Calvin died in 1564.
A Look at Calvin’s Theology

Calvin’s theology can be summarized by the acronym TULIP
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o Total Depravity: Because of Adam’s sin, everyone is born with original sin,
and condemned. They are totally depraved and incapable of doing anything
to affect their own salvation.
o Unconditional Election: God wills that those who are elect will be saved.
God has chosen before the foundation of the world those who are saved and
those who are damned. Mankind has no say in the matter. The total number
is fixed and unchangeable.
o Limited Atonement: Christ’s atoning sacrifice is only for the elect. Christ did
not die for all, but only for those chosen in advance for salvation
o Irresistible Grace: The elect will be saved apart from their own desire. It does
not matter what they want, the Holy Spirit draws them irresistibly toward
acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice.
o Perseverance of the Saints: The elect of God cannot fall from grace. Once
drawn irresistibly by the Holy Spirit to Christ, they are preserved by God’s
grace no matter what.
Arminianism, A Theological response to Calvinism

Jacob Arminius (1560-1609), a professor at the University of Leyden, Netherlands,
saw much wrong with Calvin’s theology. Based on his study of Scripture, he
developed a position that was much different from Calvin
o God would not will or do anything that wasn’t right, and thus justice
restricted His will.
o God had foreknowledge and could foresee that people will sin of their own
free will. God foreknew, but did not predestine or will that people would sin.
o Freedom stands in contrast to compulsion and mankind is free only when
there are alternative choices.
o God’s grace is not irresistible, but if people would desire the help of Christ,
He would keep them from falling. If someone rejected Christ, He would not
hold that person against his or her will.

These contrasting theologies became, and have remained, a source of conflict in the
religious world.
The Reformation in England

Unlike the reform activities in Europe, there really was no single person who drove
the Reformation in England. Rather, there was a brewing mentality that was ready
for change, and when political necessity pushed events to a head, the people
responded.
o The Lollards from Wycliffe’s day, forced underground, had continued to
exercise their influence.
o People were ready to act on those beliefs.
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
One person who did have an influence was William Tyndale.
William Tyndale (1494-1536)

Earned a BA from Oxford in 1508. Left Oxford for Cambridge to study with
Erasmus who had written a Greek New Testament.

By 1521, he was ready to work on an English translation, even though it was illegal
to do so.
o J.W. Shepherd records a conversation Tyndale had with an unnamed man,
“Communing and disputing with a certain learned man in whose company he
happened to be, he drove him to that issue, that the learned man said, “We
were better to be without God’s law than the popes.” Master Tyndale hearing
that, answered him, “I defy the pope and all his laws; and if God spare my
life many years, I will cause a boy that driveth the plow to know more of the
Scripture than you do.” (Pg. 83)
o This conversation sealed his fate, because word of it spread around. He was
forced to leave England in 1524 and lived the rest of his life in exile.
According to his own account, he was glad to do so, considering the work
more important than his home.

In 1526, in Cologne, as Tyndale prepared to ship out three thousand copies of his
New Testament translation, his work was halted by John Cochæus, a Romanist, who
had come over from England.
o He interrupted and delayed Tyndale’s plan.
o The delay only helped Tyndale. He moved to Worms, finished some
revisions, and was able to get enough money to ship out six thousand copies.

In 1529, Cuthbert Tunstal, Bishop of London, vowed to stop Tyndale. He went to
Europe, and made arrangements to buy up all of Tyndale’s Bibles from the
distribution source and burn them.
o His efforts backfired when Tyndale made enough off of Tunstal to pay off
his debts, complete a 2nd revision of his New Testament, print and ship even
more Bibles to England.

In 1535 Tyndale was betrayed by a false friend, arrested, tried and condemned
o As he was tied to the stake for burning, a friend was able to have him
mercifully strangled to death before his body was burned to ashes.
o His last words were, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”

Miles Coverdale finished Tyndale’s work, and in 1535, he released an Old Testament
to complement the New Testament that Tyndale had published.
England’s Break with Rome

England’s break with Rome was not a reformation act. Rather, it was political. It did
provide opportunity for the religious reformers to step up and take action.
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
In 1521 King Henry VIII had written a tract against Luther’s teaching. Pope Leo X
gave him the title “Defender of the Faith.”

Henry was married to Catherine of Aragon, who had given him a daughter (Mary),
but no sons. Henry believed he needed a male heir.
o In 1527, he sought permission to divorce Catherine so he could marry Anne
Boleyn, but Pope Clement VII would not, or could not grant his request.

At the time, Clement was under the control Charles V, King of Spain,
and Catherine’s nephew.
o When his request was not answered, he had Parliament pressure the English
clergy to make it possible.

They coerced the clergy to accept the English king as leader over the
pope.

Eventually Thomas Cranmer, then archbishop of Canterbury
approved the divorce.
o The result of Henry’s split with Rome was the Anglican Church, which was
basically the same as the Catholic Church with the King of England as both
secular and spiritual leader.
o Anne Boleyn provided another daughter, Elizabeth. Anne was eventually
beheaded for treason. Henry then married Jane Seymour, who finally gave
him the son he wanted, Edward.

Under King Edward, protestant reforms went forward and became firmly
established.

Upon Edward’s death, Mary Tudor (Catherine’s daughter) took the throne. Devoutly
Catholic, she tried to undo all the reforms accomplished by Edward.
o Several people met their end under Mary, who earned the nickname, Bloody
Mary.


Among those that died was Thomas Cranmer, who was burned at the
stake. In addition to helping Henry divorce Catherine, Cranmer
helped to produce the Great Bible, which was the first Bible in
English authorized for public use.
Protestantism finally gained a solid and permanent foothold in England when
Elizabeth became Queen after Mary died.
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Questions
This Q and A is strictly on the five points of Calvinism. We need to understand what the
Bible has to say on this subject.
1. Total Depravity
a. In Rom 5:12, why did death spread to all men (mankind)?
b. When did Paul say he died spiritually (Rom 7:9-11)?
c. Is Original Sin the only way to understand Psa 51:5?
d. Total Depravity implies that man is utterly indisposed, and totally inclined to
evil (A true Calvinist would say that even if a non-Christian does a good
deed, he stills sins because he is incapable of doing it for the right motive).
How do we explain good and honest people who are not Christians? How
are these people described?
i. Cornelius (Acts 10:1-2)
ii. Gentiles (Rom 2:14-16)
iii. Enoch (Gen 5:22)
iv. Noah (Gen 6:9)
e. What does Ezek 18:20 teach us about sin, guilt, and punishment?
f. What does Isa 7:15-16 teach us about man’s ability to choose?
g. If children were born evil and totally depraved, would it make sense for Jesus
and Paul to use them as examples for Christians? See Matt 18:1-3; 19:13-14; 1
Cor 14:20
2. Unconditional Election
a. Read 1 Tim 2:3-4; Tit 2:11; 2 Peter 3:9. God’s will is for SOME/ALL to be
saved?
b. In Acts 10:34-25, who is welcome to come to God?
c. Does God show partiality over who He judges and how? (1 Peter 1:17)
d. John 6:44-45 clearly states that God draws men. Who is eligible to be drawn
to God, and how is this done?
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3. Limited Atonement
a. For whom did Jesus die to make atonement? (Heb 2:9; 2 Cor 5:14-15; 1 John
2:1)
b. According to Romans 1:16, salvation is available to?
c. In John 1:29, Jesus came to take away the sin of?
d. In Acts 2:21, who is offered salvation
4. Irresistible Grace
a. What does Acts 7:51 tell us man is able to do?
b. If we have no choice in our salvation, why would Paul be so concerned
about persuading men? (2 Cor 5:10-11)
c. Heb 3:8,15; 4:7 tells us we can do what with our heart?
d. Do passages like Deut 30:15 and Josh 24:15 teach us that man has a choice in
determining who he will serve?
e. In Acts 3:22-23, who is the prophet that Peter is referring to?
i. What are people to do concerning this prophet?
ii. Does this imply that we DO/DO NOT have a choice in the matter?
5. Perseverance of the Saints
a. Calvinism teaches that once saved, you cannot fall. What does Gal 5:1-4 have
to say?
b. 1 Tim 1:18-19 tells us we can do what with regard to our faith?
c. What does Heb 3:12 teach us about those with evil, unbelieving hearts?
d. 1 Pet 5:8 why are we to be on the alert?
e. What is the warning we have in Romans 11:19-23? (See also John 15:5-6)
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f. What can we conclude from Heb 6:4-6; 10:26-27; 10:38-39?
g. 1 Tim 4:1 tells us that some will do what?
h. What can happen to us if we are carried away by error? (2 Peter 3:17)
i.
2 John 8-9 tells us we risk what if we go too far and don’t abide in the
teaching of Christ?
j.
In 1 Tim 6:9-10, what can happen to those who want to get rich?
k. What is the dire warning of 2 Peter 2:20-22
l.
If we cannot be lost, why does James 5:19-20 encourage us to help turn back
a straying brother?
m. What can we learn from Ezekiel 18:24-26?
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Lesson 8 - The Protestant Reformation (4)
Legacy of the Reformation

Ended religious control by a universal Church. While we understand that there never
really was a universal Church, as the Roman Catholic Church would have us believe,
the fact is that they did exercise almost universal control over the lives of the people
under their shadow. The work of the reformers ended that.

Lutherans came to dominate Germany and Scandinavia

Calvinism controlled Switzerland, Scotland, Holland, France, Bohemia, and Hungary.

The Anglican Church dominated England.

Anabaptists did not establish a state church, but they exercised influence over a wide
area, including Holland, Germany, Switzerland.
o Unique among the reformation efforts, they opposed a church-state union.

Creeds and confessions developed between 1530 and 1648 are still held, in whole or
in part, by modern denominations.

The Roman Catholic Church, while it still retained a great deal of control, was forced
to make its own reforms and changes.
o Among these was doing away with indulgences for money. Only good works
could now purchase an indulgence. This is still the case today.

Protestantism gave rise to the ideas that mankind had personal access to God.
People no longer needed the intercession of a priest, or the sacraments to come to
God.

The Reformation with its emphasis on faith eventually led to the doctrine of the
sinner’s prayer and the replacement of baptism as the proper response back to God
for salvation.
Intolerance of the Reformation

When it came to religious tolerance, Schaff (vol. 8, ch. 16) tells us that the Reformers
became every bit as intolerant as the Catholics were.
o Luther, who initially preached tolerance for other ideas eventually called for
death to heretics and expulsion from Christian lands for Jews
o Some called Calvin the pope of Protestantism, and Geneva was called the
Rome of the Reformation.
o Zwingli, turned on the Anabaptists and others who disagreed with him.
o Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury exemplified religious
intolerance in England by convincing King Edward to sign the death
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warrants for two Anabaptists who’s only crime was their belief. One a
woman, and the other a visitor from Holland were burned at the stake

We’ve already seen in a previous lesson that Cranmer himself became
a victim of religious intolerance when he suffered the same fate.

According to Schaff, the only groups that displayed tolerance were the Anabaptists
and the Antitrinitarians, both subject to persecution.

Religious intolerance didn’t fade away until early in the 18th century.
o In part, it helped drive many religious groups to America, where the desire
for religious freedom and tolerance took root and found its way into the
Constitution of the United States.
o Religious freedom in America helped people break away from their
denominational roots and start the call for Biblical restoration.
Development of the Modern Denominational World
(Unless otherwise noted, all the information in this section comes from The Complete
Guide to Christian Denominations, Ron Rhodes; 2005)

According to the Christian World Database, there are over nine thousand
denominations in the world today, with six hundred and thirty five in the United
States alone. Some estimates I have heard (but cannot verify) almost double the
number of denominational groups in the United States.
o We will look at the beginnings of some of the more common denominations
that have developed since the middle ages.

We have already seen that the various breaks from the Catholic Church over the
years gave rise to some of the denominational groups we know today.
o Anabaptist developed into Hutterites, Mennonites, and Amish.
o It is also thought that the Anabaptists in England helped create the mindset
that helped bring about the Baptist church.
o The Bohemian Brethren, or Moravian Church developed from the work of
John Huss. They developed in Germany and came to America in the mid
1700’s under the leadership of Augustus G. Spangenberg.
o The Waldensians still exist today as we have seen, and have a presence in
America.

The Lutherans Church: The group most closely associated with their founder.
o Moved to America from Germany and Sweden in the colonial time frame.
o Today there are at least seven distinct denominations within the Lutheran
denomination.

Reformed Church
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o Calvin started his college in Geneva that taught reformed theology. From
there it spread to the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Scotland.
o Came to America primarily with a large influx of Dutch and German
immigrants in the 1700’s
o Typically they follow three key confessions

The Belgic confession (1561), written as an apology to King Philip II
of Spain.

The Heidelberg confession (1563), written to mediate between
Reformed and Lutheran theology.

The Canons of Dort (1618), outlining the main points of Calvinism.
o There are probably three main denominations within the Reformed faith.

The Presbyterian Church
o John Knox, a Catholic priest in Scotland, converted to Protestantism in 1545.

He was forced out of Scotland during the reign of Mary Tudor
(Bloody Mary) and came to Geneva where he studied under John
Calvin.

In 1567, he helped form the Scottish Reformed Church, and
developed the Scottish confession of faith and began what has
become the Presbyterian Church

The Presbyterian Church gets its name from its use of Elders
(Presbyters) as Church leaders.

It began in Scotland, but soon spread across Europe.
o Commissioned by King Charles I, the Westminster Confession of Faith was
completed in 1646. This became the primary creed of the Presbyterian
Church.
o The first Presbyterian Church came to America in 1706.

In 1720 a small Presbyterian College was founded. By 1749 it became
known as the College of New Jersey. Some time later, the name was
changed to Princeton University.
o Today there are at least six distinct Presbyterian denominations.

Baptist Church
o John Smyth probably formed the first Baptist Church in England in 1611.

This group followed Arminian theology and believed that salvation
was “generally available to all.” Thus, they became known as General
Baptists

In the 1630’s, Baptist Churches began to emerge in England
following Calvinism. Since these believed that salvation was limited
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to “particular” individuals, these became known as Particular
Baptists.

This theological controversy between various Baptist groups
continues to this day.
o The first Baptist Church was founded in America in 1639.
o Today they rank behind Roman Catholicism as the 2nd largest denomination
in the United States.
o There are at least fourteen major denominations within the Baptist
denominational family.

Brethren Churches
o Founded in 1708 by Alexander Mack and seven others in Schwarztzenau,
Germany. They were fighting against what they considered to be dead
religion of the day.

They took their lead from the Anabaptists, and sought to build a
New Testament church with the Bible as their only creed.

They also included ideas from the Moravian Church.
o They began by meeting in peoples homes for Bible study and prayer
o Since they were not a state sponsored religion, they began to be persecuted
by the German government.

They had property confiscated and some were thrown in prison.
o Driven out of Germany, they settled in Pennsylvania in about 1723.
o There are at least nine denominations within the Brethren Churches.

Congregational Churches
o Congregational Churches get their name from the fact that local
congregations have autonomy
o Probably started by radical puritan separatists who wanted to reform the
Anglican Church in England. Many of them were forced to flee to Europe.

In 1609, a group of about one hundred religious separatists under the
leadership of John Robinson fled to the Netherlands where they were
introduced to the Congregational movement.

In 1620, Robinson led his congregation of pilgrims to America where
they settled and helped establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
o Congregationalists in America helped found such universities as Yale,
Harvard, and Dartmouth.
o In about 1825, a controversy over the Trinity versus Unitarianism split the
denomination.

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Unitarianism is really just an updated form of Arianism, an early
theology that led to the Council at Nicaea in 325AD.
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
In short, this doctrine holds that God is one. Jesus is NOT divine
and the Holy Spirit may or may not be a person, but is not God.

A form of Arianism also let to the Jehovah Witnesses.

Islam is also Arian in its theology. It holds that God (Allah) is one,
and Jesus was only a great prophet.
o Today there are a couple of different denominations.


Being Congregational in nature, they are held together by voluntary
associations that meet to discuss issues. They have no binding creeds
or confessions to which each congregation must subscribe.
Episcopal Church
o The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the Anglican Church, or
Church of England.

Anglicans came to America during the colonization of the 17th and
18th century.

Since Anglican bishops are consecrated by the Archbishop of
Canterbury and must profess allegiance to the King, there was a
major crisis among American Anglicans during and after the war of
independence.


In 1789, Parliament rescinded the requirement for foreign
bishops allowing American Anglican Bishops to be
consecrated for service.

In 1789, the denomination adopted its constitutions, creeds, and
canons in the American version of the Book of Common Prayer.
This was the formal beginning of the Episcopal Church.

The Episcopal Church gets its name because it believes in the rule of
Bishops (Greek: episcopos)

There are at least four major denominations within the Episcopal
Church
Quakers (Friends)
o Originated in England in the 1600’s by George Fox.
o Fox’s unique theology was that God gave each person an inner light. People
who wait on God gain access to that light, and if they are obedient to it, can
grow in their faith.

They became known as “friends” based upon John 15:14.

They became known as Quakers when Fox commanded a judge to
“tremble at the Word of God.” The judge derisively called Fox a
quaker, and the group embraced the term.
o The Quakers came to America in the mid-1600s.
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o One famous Quaker, William Penn, founded Pennsylvania.
o Today there are at least four Quaker Denominations.

Methodist
o About 1729, at Oxford University in England, John and Charles Wesley
began meeting with a group for prayer and study. Because of the methodical
nature of their meetings, they became known as Methodists.
o After a failed missionary trip to America, John Wesley became acquainted
with the Moravian Church. This helped him understand the doctrine of
salvation by faith.
o His followers originally met in private homes, and formed small societies.
o Methodist societies found their way to America, where, in 1766, the first
connection of Methodist societies was created in New York.
o By 1773, the first annual Methodist convention was held
o Methodist doctrine includes:

The Apostles’ creed

The 25 articles of Religion (John Wesley’s rewrite of the Anglican 39
articles.)

The Doctrines and Discipline of the Methodist Church
o There are at least nine distinct Methodist denominations today.
o The Holiness Church is an offshoot of the Methodist Church. It started
when Phoebe Palmer claimed to have experienced entire sanctification in
1837.


Based on her teaching, the Holiness movement arose, and in the late
1800s, it broke away from the Methodist Church.

There are at least five distinct denominations within the Holiness
Church today.
Fundamentalist Churches
o The fundamentalist movement was a response to the liberal theology of the
late 1800s. In 1910, a series of books titled; The Fundamentals: A Testimony
of Truth was published. These books helped form the basis of the
movement.
o The movement was and remains highly premillennial in its thinking and
focuses on Biblical prophecy.

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Major contributors to the rise of fundamentalism include:

Dwight Moody (Moody Bible Institute)

Cyrus Scofield (Scofield Reference Bible)

John Nelson Darby (dispensationalist and pre-millennialist)
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o There are at least seven main denominations within the fundamentalist
umbrella.

Pentecostal Churches
o Pentecostalism is a classic American invention of the 20th century. It is an
offshoot of the Holiness movement of the late 1800s
o In 1901, Agnes Ozmann in Topeka Kansas spoke in tongues at the Church
of Holiness. The Minister, Charles Fox Parham spoke in tongues three days
later.
o Parham and William Seymour (an evangelist) developed their doctrine of the
three works of grace

Salvation, Sanctification, Empowerment
o Seymour began a revival in Southern California in 1906. The San Francisco
earthquake in 1906 brought a storm of people to the revival, and it lasted
until 1909.
o Up until the 1960s, Pentecostalism was limited to newly emerging
denominational groups, but the charismatic movement brought it to many
mainstream denominations

There has been a large charismatic movement within the Catholic
Church on a worldwide basis.
o There are many denominations in the Pentecostal Church family including at
least eleven major ones.
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Questions
Both the Catholic Church and the Protestant reformers tended to value the Old and New
Testaments equally for obtaining doctrine and authority.
1. What does Col 2:12-17 tell us happened to the Old Law when Christ came?
a. What was canceled out (vs. 14)
b. What does “taken out of the way,” mean in verse 14?
c. How was it taken out of the way?
d. From verse 16, what is no one to do to us?
e. From verse 17, what are the things of the old law?
2. Read Eph 2:14-16
a. What is the enmity?
b. What did Christ do with the enmity?
c. How did Christ reconcile both Jew and Gentile into one body?
3. According to Rom 15:4, why was the Old Testament written?
4. What does Gal 3:23-25 tell us about the purpose of the Old Testament?
a. What can we infer from verse 25?
5. What can we learn about the Old and New Covenant in Heb 8:8-13?
6. What do passages like James 2:10 and Gal 5:3-4 tell us about trying to mix the old
law with the new?
We have seen that conflicting theories about baptism have developed over time. This
includes the concept of pouring and sprinkling in place of immersion and the meaning of
baptism in general.
7. The word: baptize, means to dip, plunge, or immerse. Look up the Greek word and
definition. Provide at least one scripture reference to support that definition.
a. Read Lev 14:15-16. If we exchange the idea of dip, pour, and sprinkle, does
this passage make any sense?
b. If you have access to a Greek dictionary, look up the words pour and
sprinkle.
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8. Based upon Mark 16:15-16; Matt 28:19; Acts 2:38; 8:36-38, would an infant be a
good candidate for baptism?
9. What do the following passages tell us baptism does for us?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
1 Pet 3:20-21
Acts 2:38
Acts 22:16
Mark 16:16
Rom 6:3-5
Col 2:12-13
Gal 3:26-27
10. Consider the following examples of conversion in the book of Acts check which
action in the salvation process is mentioned? (You may need to find a scripture
outside of Acts for one of these)
Case
Reference
Pentecost
Jerusalem
Samaritans
Ethiopian
Saul of Tarsus
Acts 2:38-41
Acts 4:4
Acts 8:5-13
Acts 8:29-39
Acts 9:1-19
Acts 22:6-16
Acts 26:12-19
Acts 10:34-48
Acts 13:46-48
Acts 14:1
Acts 16:13-15
Acts 16:28-34
Acts 17:4
Acts 17:10-12
Acts 17:34
Acts 18:8(a)
Acts 18:8(b)
Acts 19:1-5
Hear
Cornelius
Gentiles
Iconium
Lydia
Philippian Jailer
Thessalonians
Bereans
Athenians
Crispus
Corinthians
Ephesians
Believe
Action
Repent
Confess
Baptized
a. Where some of the actions are missing, is there any reason not to infer that
the other actions were present, but simply not mentioned?
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Lesson 9 – Restoration Concepts and Beginnings
Class Overview:

Understand the Biblical basis for restoration principles

Review historic evidence that attempts at restoration were made with more or less
success over time.

Review some of the later reformation and restoration activity in Scotland prior to the
American restoration movement.
Introduction
When we speak of the Restoration Movement, we (being Americans I suppose) think of the
Restoration Movement in America that started in the early 1800s. In reality though, the
American Restoration Movement just one more of a number of historical examples of
people who, in trying to worship God, compared themselves with the teachings they found
in the Bible and then tried to model their lives after what they found.
In many cases, these people did not leave their denominations until forced to do so, trying
rather, to bring their fellow worshippers to the same understanding that they had. As
professing Christians, we are always compelled to take note of our conduct and compare it
with the only standard that we have available, the Bible. Where we find differences, we must
make every effort to correct those things and return to simply following the Bible. We see
examples of this throughout the pages of the New Testament.
If we look at history, we can find this spirit going back far beyond the 19th century. We do
not necessarily find successful attempts at restoring Biblical Christianity, but rather, we find
people who, when confronted with the Bible message, make the confession that we must use
the Bible as our only guide. In addition, we see men who at great risk to themselves saw the
value in getting the Bible into the hands of the common man. Why, if there is no value in
using the Bible as a guide would men risk so much to make it available? And why, if there is
no call in the Bible to reject man-made religion for the simple truth of the Word of God
would the medieval Catholic Church—itself steeped in human tradition and man-made
worship—be so afraid of the Bible falling into the hands of men? The answer seems to be
that the Word of God will not be stopped. As the prophet Isaiah said, (Isa 55:11) “So will
My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without
accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
Almost invariably, we find that whenever the Bible makes its way into the hands of man,
someone will stand up and say this, and this alone must be our guide. Sadly, throughout
much of history such cries have been drowned out by the greater religious world of the day,
stamped out through persecution, or lost in the inability of people to separate themselves
from the mindset of the times in which they live. Regardless, they are there and we can see
them—successful or not—as evidence of the clarion call of biblical Christianity.
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Scriptures to consider (all references from the NASU)
Rev 2:4-5 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember
from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am
coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place -- unless you repent.
1 Cor 11:20-23 Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in
your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk.
What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of
God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this
I will not praise you. For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that
the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread.
Gal 1:6-9 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of
Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are
disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from
heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be
accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel
contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
Biblical Basis and Background of Restoration Principles

The idea of restoration (as we are discussing it in this class) goes all the way back to
the Bible.

As a refresher, the definition of restoration is: to bring back to or put back into a
former or original state. (Merriam-Webster online dictionary)
o In the sense of the church, it means to discard all the built up traditions and
unscriptural practices that have developed over the years; throw out
everything that man has put in place and go back to the Bible as our only
source of authority and instruction; do only what we find written in the word
of God.
o Restoration clearly carries with it the idea of repentance. We can define
repentance as: to feel regret or Godly sorrow (2 Cor 7:9-11) over what we
have been doing and make a commitment to turn back to God. Repentance
then compels us to return to God and consequently to God’s word. As it
relates to the restoration principle, it means we have seen that what we are
doing in our religious conduct and doctrine is not in accordance with God’s
word, and we repent of that and make every effort to return to God and His
word.

There are several Biblical examples in the first century that teach restoration in
action. It was not long before congregations began to stray from the simple truth of
God’s word. Much of the apostle’s efforts over time seem to have been to encourage
the brethren to continue in simple obedience, or to return to it.
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
John’s letters to the seven churches of Asia show several examples of restoration
principles. Of the seven churches, only two are exempt from a call to repent and
return.
o To Ephesus (Rev 2:4-5) But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at
first…
o To Pergamum (Rev 2:14-16) But I have a few things against you, because you have
there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling
block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of
immorality. So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the
Nicolaitans. Therefore repent…
o To Thyatira (Rev 2:20-25) But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman
Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray
so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to
repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a
bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they
repent of her deeds…But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this
teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them -- I place no other
burden on you. Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.

Here we see a two-fold call. To those who have strayed it is to repent
and return. To those who have remained faithful, to stay the course.
o To Sardis (Rev 3:1-4) He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says
this: "I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not
found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. So remember what you have received
and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a
thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. But you have a few people in
Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they
are worthy.
o To Laodecia (Rev 3:15-20) I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I
wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I
will spit you out of My mouth…Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be
zealous and repent Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and
opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

In 1 Cor 1:10-24 Paul addresses developing division within the local congregation (I
am of Paul… I of Apollos… etc.). His appeal is to throw away the wisdom of man
that led them to this division and return to the wisdom of God. This is the word of
God (vs. 18, 21)

In Gal 1:6-9. Paul rebukes the church because they were deserting Christ for a
different gospel. He makes the very strong point that anything other than the
message they were originally taught is wrong

1 Cor 11:17-34 is probably the clearest demonstration of the restoration principle in
action. The church is rebuked for leaving the simplicity of the Lord’s Supper and
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turning it into something entirely different. To combat this, Paul takes them back to
what was originally delivered to him by Christ, “For I received from the Lord that which I
also delivered to you…”
Historical Attempts at Restoration (a review)

Peter Waldo (d. 1217). Wanted to go back to the Bible as the source of authority.
From our previous study we see that he was ultimately unsuccessful. He was able to
deliver a translation of the Bible to the people of his day.

John Wycliffe ((1329-1384). Believed that the Bible alone should be our guide. He
made the first English translation of the Bible. His method of understanding the
scripture (from lesson 4) is almost word for word in line with sound hermeneutical
thinking.
o John Huss (1373-1415) tried to take Wycliffe’s teaching into Bohemia where
he was promptly burned at the stake.

William Tyndale (1494-1536). His primary goal was to create an English Bible for the
common man. While we probably wouldn’t say he tried to restore Biblical
Christianity, it was his belief that the Bible needed to be our guide, and thus we
needed to have the Bible. Contrary to most people of his day, he believed that
anyone could understand the Bible and follow it as their guide.
o Tyndale completed a New Testament, and his work was finished when Miles
Coverdale completed the Old Testament.

Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) was a reformer, not a restorer. Still, of all the reformers,
he seems to have been closest to having the right idea. In the end he interpreted the
Bible based upon religious realities of his day, and bowed to political expediencies,
compromising the things he said he believed in.

The Anabaptists. Of all the movements of the early reformation, it is probably the
Anabaptists who got the closest to restoration. Their stated aim was to toss out the
religious practice of the day and go back to the Bible. In fact, they got their name
from the fact that they (re) baptized adults. They rejected original sin since it was not
taught in the Bible and required adults to be baptized for forgiveness of sins on the
basis of faith. Unique to the Reformation, they rejected the idea of a church-state
complex, teaching that the kingdom was instead a brotherhood of believers. Any
chance they might have had in successfully restoring biblical Christianity was lost in
the intense persecution that came upon them from all sides.
Reformation and Restoration Attempts in Scotland

Why consider the activities in Scotland?
o First, it shows another example of the restoration spirit prior to the
American effort.
o Second, Alexander Campbell, who was a key player in the American
movement was from Scotland, and was directly influenced by these effort
prior to arriving in America.

John Glas (1695-1773) and the Glassites
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o Originally a Minister in the state Church in Scotland (Presbyterian), he
determined to take the Word of God as his only guide.
o Found doctrinal issues between church teaching and the Bible.

He saw no Biblical support for a National Church. He saw the
Church as spiritual.

True reformation can only be accomplished by the Word of God and
the spirit of Christ
o He established a separate congregation of about 100 people. Their practices
were similar to New Testament Doctrine in many ways.
o Became the father-in-law of Robert Sandeman

Robert Sandeman (1718-1771); the Sandemanians.
o Built on the work of John Glas.
o In 1760 wrote a strong refutation of Calvinism: Letters on Theron and
Aspasio.
o He went to the extreme of believing that anything beyond intellectual assent
of God and Christ’s sacrifice was a work of merit.
o Doctrinally he brought the Glassites, now Sandemanians closer to New
Testament doctrine.
o Had some congregations in America for a time.

Robert (1764-1842) and James (1768-1851) Haldane; the Haldanes
o The Haldanes were the theological descendants of The Glassites and
Sandemanians. They learned from them and applied that knowledge to their
own understanding.
o Beliefs.

Stressed that the N.T. contained the pattern for all Christian service.

The apostolic churches provided model for Christians in all ages.

Congregational autonomy.

Elders served in each congregation, teaching and ruling.

Each church had its own deacons and minister.

Civil authorities had no authority in the church

Weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper.

By 1808 both Haldanes believed that immersion was the proper
mode of baptism.

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It is certain that some, possibly not all Haldanean
congregations accepted Baptism for remission of sins.
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o The Haldanes in Glasgow heavily influenced Alexander Campbell before he
came to America in 1809. This influence caused him to leave the
Presbyterian Church in Scotland.

Whether from the Glassite/Sandemanian movement, the Haldanes, or as part of a
restoration that came out of the Scotch Baptists, Scotland did have its own
restoration movement of sorts.
o The congregation currently at Hayfield road in Kirkaldy, Scotland was
founded over 200 years ago in 1784.
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Questions
1. From Acts 20:27 what did Paul not shrink from?
2. According to 2 Cor 13:9, what are we called upon to do?
3. In 1 Thess 5:21, what are we to examine?
a. What are we to hold on to?
4. In Phil 2:12-16 what did Paul ask the Philippians do in his absence?
a. What are we to prove ourselves to be?
b. To what do we hold fast?
5.
In Col 2:18-19 how do we keep from being defrauded of the prize?
6. What does Paul tell Timothy in 2 Tim 1:13?
7. Read Paul’s charge to Timothy in 2 Tim 2:14-15
a. What does wrangling over words lead to?
b. What kind of workman is Timothy to be?
c. How is Timothy to handle the word?
8. Read 2 Tim 4:2-4
a. What was Timothy to do?
b. What would people want, and how would they get it?
c. What will people turn away from?
d. What will they follow?
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Lesson 10 – Restoration History (1)
Class Overview:

Learn about the early unrest in the American churches and early restoration
activities.
Introduction
When we speak of the American restoration movement, we almost always have the work of
Alexander Campbell in mind. It is true that he along with Barton W. Stone formed what was
to become the dominant force in the restoration. However, it is also true that there were
many other attempts at restoration before and after Campbell and Stone. Whether Baptist,
Methodist, Lutheran or Presbyterian in origin, restoration activities began to spring up as
people, able to read the Bible for themselves, were able to compare what it said with what
their denomination taught. In every case they found discrepancies.
The late 1700s, early 1800s were a time of spiritual unrest in America. There was also great
sectarian division within the religious world. The manmade ecumenical “unity” that we see
in the religious world of the early 21st century did not exist. Methodists and Presbyterians
who practiced infant baptism had issues with the Baptist who believed in adult baptism.
Calvinists debated with Arminians. Even within various denominational groups there was
division. For example, the Seceder Presbyterians would have nothing to do with other
Presbyterian groups because of the way ministers were selected. When joining a
denomination, it was always necessary agree to the specific articles of faith for that group.
Believing in the Bible alone was not enough; loyalty to the denominational creed was often
times the most important thing.
In addition to unrest, it was a time of spiritual hunger. There was a genuine desire for the
word of God. One reason for this is the fact that Calvinism effectively shut people out of
salvation. As an example, the Calvinistic Baptists had four membership requirements. The
first was a salvation experience that could be told (the testimony); this was proof of your
salvation. The mourner’s bench was also popular. It was a bench within a Church building
where a non-Christian could sit and pray. Contrary to scripture, the thought (hope) was that
if someone prayed hard enough, long enough, and with enough intensity, those prayers
might eventually reconcile God back to that person. Imagine the desperation people must
have felt to know they were lost, but unable to have a saving experience or feel an irresistible
tug from the Holy Spirit. How long might someone sit and pray, weeping, wailing, and
begging for salvation. It’s not hard see how popular the message of Acts 2:38 or Mark 16:16
would be to someone facing eternal damnation.
Bible knowledge, coupled with conviction and courage inevitably produced people willing to
stand up for the truth as they saw it. Some, for sure, didn’t get everything right, but that does
not change the fact that they saw the truth as far as they could, and were brave enough to
take action. The congregations and movements they started enjoyed more or less success,
some going off in strange directions, some joined larger movements, and some have faded
away. Nonetheless, their work and courage should not be ignored.
Scriptures to consider (all references from the NASU)
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1 Cor 1:10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all
agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same
mind and in the same judgment.
Phil 1:27-28 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that
whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in
one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by
your opponents -- which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that
too, from God.
Spiritual Unrest and Early Restoration Activities in America

James O’Kelley (1738-1826)
o A circuit rider (traveling preacher) in North Carolina for the American
Methodist Church, he had issues with the dictatorial control Francis Asbury,
then head of the American Methodist Church, wielded.
o Convinced that God had not intended for one man to have such control
over the church he and several followers left the Methodists on Christmas
day in 1792.

For another five years or so they called themselves Republican
Methodists and studied the Bible for its truth.

Eventually they came to call themselves Christians only.
o While not perfect in his understanding, O’Kelley came to believe in many
Biblical truths

Lord’s supper on the first day of every week.

Free will contribution

Singing, praying, admonition of the saints (preaching and teaching)
o He never came to understand baptism as immersion, and accepted
sprinkling.
o In spite of the failure on baptism, O’Kelley represents one of the first known
attempts on American soil to leave denominational teaching and return to
the Bible.

Neither Barton W. Stone, nor Alexander Campbell began their
efforts until the early 1800s, several years after O’Kelley.
o Originally just called Christians, some of his followers eventually joined with
the Stone-Campbell movement.


Others formed a Southern Christian Convention in 1857. In 1937
they merged with the Congregational Church.
Abner Jones (1772 - 1841) and Elias Smith (1769 – 1846)
o About the same time as James O’Kelley was separating from the Methodists,
Abner Jones of Hartford, VT, a physician and Baptist preacher, became
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upset over human names and creeds. He determined that piety (or character),
not names and creeds, should be the grounds for Christian fellowship.

In 1801 he organized a congregation in Lyndon, VT that was loosely
affiliated with the Baptists of the area, but refused to submit to any
man made rules.
o Elias Smith, a Baptist preacher in NH, became concerned about Baptist
doctrine. Eventually in 1802 or early 1803, he left the Baptist Church and
began his own small congregation
o Eventually, Smith met Jones, and was convinced that Jones was right.

These men formed a movement in 1803, simply calling themselves
Christians. It was their claim that the Bible was their only rule of faith
and practice.

Eventually there were several congregations scattered around the
northeastern United States and Canada.

According to some sources, they were originally called either the
Christian Connection, or the Christian Conference, but eventually
dropped the name.
o After successful growth for some time, the group seems to have been
overtaken by William Miller and the beginnings of the Adventist movement
that began in New England in the early 1840s.


Some left and joined the Adventists.

Some joined the Congregationalists (United Church of Christ)

There is evidence that some joined the Stone-Campbell movement.
Dr. Chester Bullard (1809 – 1893) An interesting sequence of events.
o Sometime around 1807, a man named Joseph Thomas became familiar with
James O’Kelley and his work. They believed in the same things, and Thomas
was baptized (by pouring) by O’Kelley.

In 1811, Thomas decided that immersion was the only scriptural
Baptism. Ultimately he found the Jones/Smith Christians and was
immersed by them.

Thomas became a traveling preacher, noted for going about on foot,
dressed in a white robe. He was often called the White Pilgrim.

In 1835, Thomas died of smallpox in New Jersey.
o While preaching, Joseph Thomas met Landon Duncan, a Baptist. He
converted and baptized Duncan (no later than 1827).

Landon Duncan became a County Assessor in southwest Virginia.

Duncan also became familiar with Barton W. Stone and apparently
had a small congregation.
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o Meanwhile, Dr Chester Bullard became a pioneer for New Testament
Christianity in southwest Virginia. He separated from the Methodists over his
beliefs.

Bullard sought to be baptized, but could not go to the Baptists as he
recognized them to be wrong as much as the Methodists were.

One night in 1830, by chance (or providence), Landon Duncan came
to see Dr. Bullard on official county business. During the evening the
talk turned to religion, and before the night was over, Duncan
baptized Bullard.
o Dr. Bullard became a powerful preacher, and eventually founded several
churches in Virginia.

It was only after these efforts (in 1839) that Dr. Bullard came across
some writings by Alexander Campbell.

According to Bullard’s autobiography, he thought Campbell was a
heretic because he had believed the erroneous attacks against
Campbell. When he actually read some of Campbell’s own writings,
he realized how similar their beliefs were.
(http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/cbullard/BULLARD.HT
M)

Overjoyed by the similarity, and convinced by the clarity and power
of Campbell’s writing, he began to collect and circulate these writings
and enjoyed great success and converting people and planting
churches in Virginia.
o At one point, the Methodist Church challenged Dr. Bullard to a debate. On
the way to the debate he met, and began traveling with his opponent, T.J.
Stone.

Stone invited him to spend the night in his home, and they spent the
evening studying the Bible with Stone’s wife present.

The next day in place of the debate, Dr. Bullard presented a sermon,
and then proceeded to baptize T.J. Stone and his wife.


According to P.V. Scott, T.J. Stone became a gospel preacher
among churches of Christ in Virginia
(http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/cbullard/BULLAR
2.HTM)
John Mulkey (1773-1844)
o John Mulkey, a Baptist preacher from Kentucky was a friend of Barton W.
Stone who was in Cane Ridge, Kentucky in the early 1800s. While Stone was
still with the Presbyterians at that time, he was already preaching against
Calvinist predestination.
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o While preaching for the Mill Creek Church at Barren, Kentucky (near present
day Tompkinsville) Mulkey was convicted that his own arguments FOR
Calvinistic predestination were wrong.

This caused controversy in the congregation and in the Mero District
Baptist Association of which Mill Creek was a part

Unable to agree on a course of action, they decided to let the
congregation choose sides.
o On a Saturday in 1809, John Mulkey preached a message, then said, “all you
who believe as I do, follow me out the west door.”


Alone at first, he left the building. Eventually 150 of the 200 people
at the meeting would join him.

The remaining 50 left by the east door, and then departed the area
leaving the church building to Mulkey and his followers.
Christian Herman Dasher (1789-1866)
o Christian Dasher was born into a Lutheran family. They left Germany to
escape Roman Catholic persecution. The family settled near Savannah, GA.
o When he was an adult, he was confused by the contradictory doctrines
around him. This prompted him to study the Bible more diligently.
o He came to believe in immersion as proper baptism

He had to leave the Lutherans, as he did not believe in their doctrine.

He could not join the Baptists, as he could not show a salvation
experience that they required.
o In 1819, he found a Mr. S.C. Dunning in Savannah who held similar beliefs.
Mr. Dunning agreed to baptize Dasher for the remission of his sins.
o After returning home and baptizing his wife, her sister and his brother-inlaw, Mr. Dasher started a small congregation in his home with the goal of
“continuing steadfastly in the Apostles’ teaching and fellowship. In the
breaking of bread and prayers.”
o Later they moved to Lowndes County (modern day city of Valdosta)
o It was many years later that he learned of any others contending for the faith
as he was.

Wade Barrett (1800-1870)
o Born in North Carolina, but moved to Tennessee in 1818.
o His family had been Baptists, and he united with them while in Tennessee.

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He soon began to preach, and this led to in depth Bible study of the
New Testament.
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
His preaching from the New Testament at the Robertson Fork
Baptist Church as opposed to the Baptist Confession of Faith began
to cause problems.
o In 1830, the association to which the Robertson Fork Church was attached
named them (along with two others) as out of harmony with Baptist
teaching.
o By 1832, Robertson Fork stopped calling themselves Baptist, and called their
assembly the church of God.

They appointed Wade Barrett as preacher and also appointed a
deacon.

An excerpt from the Robertson Fork meeting minutes in June of
1832, “After worship opened a door for the reception of members
and received for baptism the following–viz., Miss East and Mr. Trent.
Motioned and seconded that we, the disciples of Christ located at
Robertson Fork, from henceforth take the word of God alone
contained in the Old and New Testaments to be our rule of faith and
practice, and particularly the latter as our rule for practice; which was
unanimously agreed to.”

It is not clear if Barrett ever completely set aside Baptist teaching, but
it was certainly his goal.
o Wade Barrett owned much land, and was a slave owner.

He was known to be kind and considerate towards them.

It was his practice to engage in a Bible study and prayer session with
his slaves and hired hands each morning before work.
o He is thought to have baptized hundreds of people in over forty years of
preaching.

John Taylor (1807-1885)
o A Baptist by birth, he was born in South Carolina, but moved to Alabama
when twenty years old.
o He struggled with some Baptist teachings, and especially had trouble
reconciling the teaching that sins were forgiven before baptism with what
Peter said in Acts 2:38
o During a meeting when Acts 2:38 was being quoted, it struck him that he
could be forgiven the same way that people were after Peter’s sermon.

He stood up clapping and rejoicing.

When the preacher shouted, John’s GOT religion, Taylor replied that
he hadn’t got it yet, but he knew how.

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“Getting religion” was the Calvinist concept that you are
saved by the irresistible work of the Holy Spirit. The idea is
that you must have some salvation experience to share with
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the congregation so they could decide if indeed you were
saved, and could thus be baptized.

Since John had no experience to share, no one would baptize
him. When a congregation refused to allow his baptism, its
sympathetic preacher finally agreed to do it privately and
without the consent of the church.
o He tried to preach for the Baptists, but they labeled his reliance on the New
Testament for his sermons as heresy and excluded him. He decided to go out
on his own and preach the gospel, as he understood it.

He preached baptism for remission of sins based upon a simple
confession of faith.

He taught that one could be obedient to the gospel without having
any religious experience (getting religion).
o He planted many congregations that called themselves Disciples of Christ in
the Alabama area.

He did not meet or know about Alexander Campbell for many years.

We know that he eventually became familiar with Alexander
Campbell because copies of the Millennial Harbinger from 1858 with
Taylor’s name on them have been found and preserved.

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The Millennial Harbinger was a religious newsletter published
by Alexander Campbell for many years.
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Questions (all questions are based upon the NASB)
The people mentioned in this lesson as well as the upcoming one all left their
denominational roots and committed to use the Bible as their only guide. They were
searching for something—the true church that Christ established. In order to find
something, one must be able to see identifying marks that distinguish it from everything else.
The same applies to the church. Unless it has identity, we cannot know what it is. On the
other hand, if it has identity, we have an obligation to seek it out and find it.
1. Consider the following:
e. To what were the Romans obedient in Rom 6:17?
f. In 2 Tim 1:13, what was Timothy to retain?
g. In 1 Cor 1:10, we are to have [THE SAME]/[A DIFFERENT] mind?
h. In 1 Cor 4:17 Paul teaches the ____________ everywhere in every church.
i.
Read Gal 1:8-9 Is it possible to know what is a different gospel unless we can
first identify what Paul taught?
2. Throughout the New Testament, the system of Christianity is often referred to as
THE FAITH. This has a meaning that is both singular and distinctive. Match the
following passages. The faith can be:
j.
i. Stood firm in
Acts 6:7
ii. Obeyed
Gal 1:23
iii. Continued in
Acts 14:22
iv. Preached
Jude 3
v. Held to
1 Cor 16:13
vi. Tested
2 Cor 13:5
vii. Contended for
1 Tim 3:9 (See also Eph 6:19)
In Eph 4:13, we can obtain to [THE / A] unity of [THE / A] faith.
3. Another identifying term for the church is “The Way.”
k. In Acts 24:14, how does Paul serve God?
l.
According to Acts 19:9, 23; 24:22, what are some characteristics concerning
The Way?
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m. Are any of these possible if The Way does not have identity?
4. John 8:31-32, “…You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
n. How many truths are there?
o. What is the basis of the truth?
5. In Luke 8:4-15 the Word of God is compared to a seed. If the seed of a particular
fruit is planted, what can we expect to grow? (See Gen 1:11-12)
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Lesson 11 – Restoration History (2)
Class Overview:

Introduce the work of Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell
o Learn about how Their work came together

Take a look at some of the more influential people who helped shape the movement
up through the turn of the century.
Introduction
While we recognize, rightly, spiritual restoration as a Scriptural undertaking with its roots in
the first century, it is a fact that the restoration movement in America had a very specific
beginning and a history that brings it all the way up to the present day. It is possible to
acknowledge the work of those who thought of the concept in the midst of a very divisive
religious period, and who also had the courage to fight for what they believed in.
It is interesting that the beginnings of the most successful attempt to restore Biblical
(primitive) Christianity came almost directly in between two great waves of religious fervor
in America. The first Great Awakening, as it is called, came in the 1730s and lasted for about
ten years. It was a period in which those who were already religious began to take their
religion very seriously. It was marked by revivals and an increase in Bible study among the
common person. A change in preaching from intellectual and cold to a very impassioned
emotional style helped bring this about. The result was a more educated and more devout,
spiritual religious community.
While Barton W. Stone was not born into this event, he was greatly influenced by it. His
early religious teachers had the same religious fervor, and preaching style. Stone was always
taken with the revival meeting, including the great Cane Ridge, Kentucky revival of 1801 that
was an inter-denominational event that by some estimates drew upwards of 10,000 people.
It was this event that propelled Stone to leave the Presbyterian Church and seek Christian
unity through a common understanding of the Bible. His Last Will and Testament of The
Springfield Presbytery clearly identifies his goal of looking for one church free of
denominational differences, based upon only the Bible as a guide.
Unlike Stone, Alexander Campbell was in Scotland, influenced by the reformers and
restorers of his day. Further, he was schooled in Baconian reasoning, which taught common
sense, and the methodical observation and examination of facts. As a result, he viewed the
Bible more logically, and saw in it a set of instructions to be understood and followed. This
helped lead him to his clear view of Scriptural organization and worship. We can’t discount
his world-view as well. Campbell believed that Christian unity based upon a common
understanding of the Bible would lead to dissolution of denominations and their creeds,
which in turn would help bring about a time of peace and prosperity.
Beginning in the valley between great religious awakenings, these movements couldn’t have
been more perfectly timed. Some believe that events like the Cane Ridge revival actually
began the second Great Awakening, but most sources that I have read place it in the 1820s
and 30s. Unlike the first awakening, the second was primarily driven by non-Christians. This
coincided perfectly with the growth of both the Stone and Campbell movements and surely
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provided a field “white unto harvest” that Gospel preachers were able to reach. It is not
beyond the scope of possibility that the Biblical truth of coming to God in faith and
obedience to obtain salvation as opposed to the disheartening view of Calvinism might
actually have helped cause the second awakening.
While each movement was based on the Bible only, they were each lacking to some degree.
Stone emphasized emotion over logic, and holiness over doctrinal correctness. He was
initially wrong on a great many Biblical points of doctrine, but to his credit, he was always
open to being taught what the Bible had to say on a subject. Campbell on the other hand
may well have emphasized doctrinal correctness over the spiritual side of Biblical revelation.
He had a very good grasp of church organization and worship, but not the emotional, or
spiritual side. I can’t help but think of John 4:24, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship in spirit and truth.” Perhaps Campbell understood one side of that equation,
while Stone grasped the other. Whatever the truth is, in the end, it was the successful
synthesis of these two concepts that products what became the churches of Christ in
America.
It is impossible to look at the history of the restoration movement without looking at the
people who were involved, and so to help understand what happened, we will review the
work of several people who serve as examples of the kind of people who made this
restoration happen and who made it a long lasting movement. Certainly, we value their work,
but it is important to remember that while we honor and respect them for their work, we do
not owe them our allegiance. They would not have wanted it, because almost to a man, they
understood that the goal is to restore Biblical (often called primitive) Christianity. To place
allegiance to a person, or even a movement—no matter how doctrinally correct—makes us
no different than the Lutherans, Calvinists or others from the Protestant Reformation. Only
when we place our allegiance squarely where it belongs, to Christ and the church He
established, can we truly say we are the church of Christ that these men worked to restore.
Key People of the American Restoration Movement
Beginnings

Thomas Campbell (1763-1854)
o Emigrated to the U.S. from Scotland in 1807 and joined the Seceder
Presbyterian Church.

He tried to end, or minimize sectarian differences of the day by
inviting other Presbyterian groups to come join in the Lord’s Supper
with his congregation. This got him in trouble with the congregation.

He was censured by the local presbytery, but acquitted with a rebuke
by the synod. This caused him to withdraw from the synod, leaving
him an independent preacher.
o Following this, he preached wherever people would hear him (homes, etc.)
Soon he had a bit of a following. His lessons always looked for ways to end
the division within the religious world of the day.

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He denounced all creeds and human institutions as divisive
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
He is credited with developing the statement “Where the Scripture
speaks, we speak, and where the Scripture is silent, we are silent.”
o Eventually, in 1809, he published his Declaration and Address at that calls
for Christian unity through a return to the clear and unambiguous teaching
of the New Testament.
o He preached regularly until the age of 83, and was a constant source of
council for his son Alexander.

Alexander Campbell (1788-1866)
o Born in Ireland, he became a Presbyterian because that was the faith of his
father.
o When Thomas came to America in 1807, he stayed behind to run the school
his father had established until 1808 when Thomas called for his family to
join him in America


When circumstances delayed their trip, Alexander went to the
University of Glasgow where he was influenced by the Haldane
movement.

This influence pushed him away from the Presbyterian
doctrine.

He left the Presbyterian Church while in Glasgow
By 1809, he had left Glasgow and come to America, where upon
reading his father’s Declaration and Address, was amazed at how
similar their beliefs had become.

They were also both surprised that they had independently
renounced the Presbyterian doctrine.
o Alexander and his father debated about the necessity of baptizing those
sprinkled as infants.

His father thought that those sprinkled as infants would be OK.

Alexander thought otherwise, but was unwilling to press the matter
until he had studied it out.

In 1812, Alexander came to the conclusion that baptism was
necessary. He, his father, and the rest of his family were all baptized.
o He and his followers rejected non-biblical names and creeds.

They called themselves Disciples of Christ.

In 1811 He established the Brush Run Church. This established
several Biblical principles that were key to the restoration. Among
these

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The right to establish a local congregation without approval
from any ecclesiastical organization, and without appeal to
any human creed
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
Local autonomy and leadership. They started with one elder
(Thomas) and four deacons.

They partook of the Lord’s Supper weekly.

They immersed new members, though the question of the
necessity of baptism wasn’t settled among them until 1812.
o Although never officially a Baptist, they agreed on baptism and so there was
for a time a loose association.

Campbell edited the Christian Baptist from 1823 to 1830). This
publication continually challenged and argued with current day
Baptist doctrine and teaching.

When it became apparent that Baptist doctrine was not consistent
with Campbell’s view of the scripture, he and his followers broke
from the Baptists.
o Starting in about 1823 until his death, he edited the Millennial Harbinger.
o To Campbell, the Bible was more a scientific book of instructions; a
blueprint of how one ought to organized the church.

Barton W. Stone (1772-1844)
o B.W. Stone was born in Maryland in 1772, and moved to Virginia in 1779
following the death of his father.

He was exposed to Baptist revivals, and also to inter-denominational
fighting.

He apparently was interested in religion from his youth, but was
conflicted as to which way to go.
o He was able to go to school, and by all accounts was a fine student with a
passion for learning.

He went to David Caldwell’s Log College in North Carolina intent on
studying law, where Caldwell (a Presbyterian) impressed him with his
teaching and revivals.

According to J.W. Shepherd (p. 156) and Richard Hughes (p.56),
Stone attended a revival by James McReady in 1790 and decided to
become a Christian. He prayed and sought God’s mercy and the
religious experience (getting religion) that was needed for a year until
a revival sermon by William Hodge on “God is Love” propelled him
to hours of prayer and study. He finally came to the conclusion that
he could come to God by confessing his own sin. As Shepherd
quotes “I yielded and sunk at his feet, a willing subject. I loved him, I
adored him, I praised him aloud in the silent night, in the echoing
groves around. I confessed to the Lord my sin and folly in
disbelieving his word so long, and I following so long the devices of
men. I now saw that a poor sinner was as much authorized to believe
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in Jesus at first as at last; that now was the accepted time and the day
of salvation.
o Stone became a Presbyterian, and applied for a preacher’s license in 1796.

In 1798 he moved to Cane Ridge Kentucky and was ordained to
preach for the Presbytery there.

At his ordination, he was required to acknowledge the
Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church. Shepherd
quotes his reply as, “I do, so far as I see it consistent with the
Word of God.” This apparently was acceptable to the
Presbytery and so he was ordained.
o Stone began to develop a following in 1801. He participated in the Cane
Ridge Revival that was one of the largest religious revivals of the period. At
that revival, he and five colleagues preached a vision of nondenominational
Christianity and ran afoul of the Presbytery.

When one of his colleagues was accused of violating the Confession
of Faith in a sermon, Stone and his five colleagues left and formed
the Springfield Presbytery in 1803.

In 1804, these six decided that affiliation with the Presbyterians was
detrimental to the cause of true Christianity and so they wrote The
Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery, and they left
the Presbyterian Church

The first article of this “will” reads, “We will, that this body
die, be dissolved, and sink into union with the body of Christ
at large; for there is but one body and one spirit, even as we
are called in one hope of our calling.” (Shepherd, p. 166)
o Stone’s movement emphasized holiness, Christian unity, and separation from
the world far more than doctrinal correctness.

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Prior to joining Campbell Stone’s movement was what we today
would consider doctrinally incorrect. Yet, they did have the right goal
in mind. Some of their early teachings included:

Immersion was optional at the discretion of the convert. If
they thought their infant baptism was acceptable, that was
OK. Stone and his five original colleagues had all been
immersed (by each other) as they thought it necessary, but
they did not see fit to bind it as a test of fellowship on others.

Many of Stone’s converts still waited for that confirming
experience (getting religion) to validate their salvation.
(Hughes, p. 113)

The overall Calvinist view of human depravity was generally
accepted, evidence to them being the state of mankind in
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general. They did not however, hold to the idea that man
could not read, understand and make a decision.


The Lord’s Supper was not a weekly event.
By 1823, his movement numbered about 15,000-20,000 strong
(Hughes, p. 113)
Combining Two Movements

The restoration movement, and the Churches of Christ concept that emerged from it
came primarily from the work of Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone.
o Campbell came to Kentucky to debate the Presbyterian W.L. McCalla. In
1823. He brought with him several copies of his Christian Baptist, many of
which made their way to Stone’s followers. Campbell’s view of Christian
unity was very inviting.

One key thing was the idea of Baptism for the remission of sins,
which was key to Campbell’s teaching. When this came out in the
debate, it demonstrated the simple truth to Stones followers that they
no longer had to undergo weeks and sometimes months of time
waiting for that sign from God that they were truly redeemed.
(Hughes, p.114)
o They met for the first time in 1824. While they had the same goal, they had
very distinctive and different ideas.



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Campbell believed that unity could be achieved by adherence to the
pattern of New Testament Christianity.

Campbell was looking forward to a millennium of peace and
prosperity.

His belief was that this would be advanced by the
renunciation of human creeds and religious division.

He saw in the New Testament the pattern for the church that
would provide that unity.
Stone believed the Bible served as a guide to holy living, and thus for
unity.

Stone’s view led him to teach that people should be separate
from the world, and not engage in worldly affairs.

His views produced a much more counter-cultural lifestyle
than that of Campbell.

He sought Christian unity over and above doctrinal
correctness.
According to F.W. Mattox, “as much as all wanted complete unity
there were serious difficulties in the way—Campbell’s ‘legalism’ and
Stone’s ‘emotionalism.’ Those of Campbell’s persuasion were accused
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of being ’all head and no heart’ and those of Stone’s persuasion were
accused of being ‘all heart and no head.’… In spite of such
differences a measure of union was being realized; preachers of both
groups were working together.” (p. 344)
o By 1832, they formally merged their individual efforts into a common one.
F.W. Mattox makes the point, “Strictly speaking, there was no ‘union of
forces’ among autonomous congregations of undenominational Christianity
— no central controlling headquarters. … Their leaders met and exchanged
views. They conducted meetings together and broadened their fellowship to
include congregations that others had begun. Small churches in the same
community united, and individual members…could move membership
without hesitation of question. This kind of ‘union’ did occur.” (p. 341)
o According to H. Leo Boles, “These two movements were led by Alexander
Campbell and Barton W. Stone. They seemed to be running parallel. Mr.
Campbell was laboring in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia, while Mr. Stone
was laboring in Kentucky and Ohio. Both movements had practically the
same purpose and work to achieve. Each was calling upon people to cast
aside all human names and man-made creeds and take the Bible as the basis
for Christian union, to follow it and become and be just what it directed.”
(http://www.therestorationmovement.com/stone,bw.htm)
o Both men had certain elements of biblical truth correct, as did many who
came before them.

It was the effective synthesis of these ideas that provided the key to
the success of the movement.

Again H. Leo Boles stated, “The emphasis with Mr. Stone had been
placed upon the idea of uniting all men under Christ, while Mr.
Campbell had placed the emphasis on exact conformity to the
primitive faith and practice. The one had the New Testament idea
and spirit of unity, while the other had the idea of work and worship
according to the New Testament. It was not difficult to unite these
two, as both were New Testament teachings.”
(http://www.therestorationmovement.com/stone,bw.htm)
Unifying, Defining and Crystallizing the Movement

Walter Scott (1796-1861)
o He came to the US from Scotland in 1818. He met, worked for, and
worshiped with James Forester. Forrester had an independent church that
was heavily influenced by the teachings of Robert Sandeman and the
Haldanes. They sought to practice primitive Christianity.

Scott was also influenced by Baconian teaching, which emphasized
common sense, and the methodical observation and examination of
facts.
o Scott and Campbell met in 1821. They became close friends, and Scott
became an important colleague.
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o Campbell may have restored the ancient order, but Scott helped to restore
the ancient Gospel.

Campbell’s ancient order emphasized the organization and worship
of the church. The ancient Gospel is the Gospel plan of salvation.
o Scott found simplicity in the Gospel message. Hughes reports that, “he had
discovered what he called the “one uniform and universal plan of teaching
the [Christian] religion.”… Indeed Scott found the clarity of his primitive
plan so dazzling that he could hardly understand why the various Christian
denominations continued in their “voluminous confessions of faith, and their
ecclesiastical constitutions.” (p. 50)
o Eventually, he developed what today has become known as the 5 steps. He
had a 5-finger exercise for children to practice. We know it today as: Hear,
Believe, Repent, Confess, Be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.

“Raccoon” John Smith (1784-1868) and John Rogers (1800-1867)
o John Smith was a friend and preacher within the Campbell movement.
Roger’s came from within the Stone movement. They were instrumental in
helping to bring many congregations from each side together.
o John Smith preached the very first sermon at the first combined meeting of
the newly unified Stone and Campbell groups. (J.W. Shepherd, pgs. 253-254)
He is quoted as saying, “Let us, then my brethren, be no longer Campbellites
or Stoneites, New Lights or Old Lights, or any other kind of lights, but let us
come to the Bible, and to the Bible alone, as the only book in the world that
can give us all the light we need.”
o Together, these men went about preaching to various congregations of
Campbell and Stone groups informing them of the unification and helping
them come together.

John R. Howard (no dates available)
o Howard preached in the 1830s and 40s.
o He is credited with helping formalize the identifying marks of the New
Testament church. According to Hughes (p. 57) His initial list included seven
marks, summarized below:

Originated in the days of the Apostles, and founded by them

Known by New Testament names

No creed but the Bible

The church is universal

Terms of admission are: faith, repentance, confession, and baptism,
in that order.

Has a specific organization, and congregational independence.
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

Meets on the first day of the week for the Lord’s Supper and for
public worship.
Arthur Crihfield (no dates available)
o He was one of the first (and the most prominent at the time) to take it upon
himself to identify and attack supposed heretics within the church.
o In 1837 he launched a periodical called “The Heretic Detector.”
o In 1846, he had a falling out with Campbell over attacks on Bethany College.
o According to Richard T. Hughes, he left the movement in 1847 and became
an Episcopalian, but later returned (p. 60)

Moses Lard (1818-1880)
o In the 1850s and 60s he fought for rational understanding of the Bible and
against those who claimed that we interpret, rather than read and understand.
o It was Lard who helped formalized the idea of biblical authority through
command, example, or necessary inference. He also helped solidify the belief
in the need for adult immersion.
2nd Generation Leaders

Tolbert Fanning (1810-1874)
o First a follower of Stone, then later of Campbell, Tolbert Fanning probably
did more than any other individual in the mid 1800s to help the young
churches of Christ merge these two, often contradictory concepts into one.
o Fanning truly believed that the churches of Christ had faithfully reproduced
the “spiritual purity and authority of the Church of God.” (Hughes, p. 67)
o According to an article by George Gowen (taken from Churches Of Christ,
by John T. Brown, c.1904, pages. 451,452), “He was by long odds the most
towering form in the Restoration Movement in the South, and through his
work in Franklin College gave direction to the lives and shaped the destinies
of hundreds of young men. The extraordinary vigor of his intellect, the
robustness of his faith, the genuineness of his religion, his freedom from
cant, sham and hypocrisy, and the dauntless courage with which he
maintained his convictions concerning primitive Christianity, made a
profound impression upon all who came within the radius of his influence.”
(http://www.therestorationmovement.com/fanning,bio.htm)

Benjamin Franklin (1812-1878)
o He had no formal education, unlike most of his peers, but came to be known
as one of the men most read by those trying to restore primitive Christianity.
He was also known as the most able defender of the cause.

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During his life, he either edited or co-edited four different
publications, including some of the most influential of his day.
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
When he died, David Lipscomb wrote that, “the cause loses its most
able and indefatigable defender since the days of Alexander
Campbell.” (Hughes, p. 77)
o As the Disciples of Christ and the churches of Christ began to move apart
after 1849, he recognized many issues and fought against them. Some of the
key issues he tackled were:

Instrumental music

Church related colleges

Located preachers who were essentially pastors.

Missionary societies

He softened his position on missionary societies, partly
because Alexander Campbell seemed to embrace them.
o He believed the gospel was democratic vs. aristocratic, and was plain and
poor. He helped to identify the church with those of lower social classes.
Moving to the 20th Century

David Lipscomb (1831-1917)
o The most influential person among the churches of Christ from the close of
the Civil War to his death in 1917. He was the editor of the “Gospel
Advocate” for most of those years. (Hughes, p. 119)
o His mentor was Tolbert Fanning, and he carried the combined views of
Campbell and Stone into the 20th century.

He was so devout in his commitment to Biblical organization,
worship, and authority, that he was often labeled a legalist, yet at the
same time, he never forgot the importance of holiness and piety,
separation from the world and a more spiritual outlook.

Hughes (p. 122) suggests that Lipscomb was in-fact, the last major
leader who was able to successfully balance these two competing
viewpoints across the entirety of the brotherhood.
o When the break between the Disciples and the church of Christ was officially
recognized, Lipscomb recognized that this formality was only the
culminating event in an inevitable split between two contradictory viewpoints
that had actually occurred a long time previous.

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In 1906, Lipscomb actually urged the census department to list the
churches of Christ and the Disciples of Christ separately, which they
did. He is quoted as saying, “Can two walk together when one insists
on walking in God’s ways and the other insists on going another way?
… If division must come, let it come along the lines of love and
loyalty to God.” (Hughes, p.121)
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Questions
9. What is the church as described in the Bible? Consider the following passages and
provide the descriptive terms for the church.
a. Matt 1:21
Acts 2:47 (KJV)
b. Acts 20:28
c. 1 Cor 1:1-2
d. Eph 1:22, 23
e. Eph 2:16
f. Eph 5:22-32
1 Cor 11:2
g. 1 Tim 3:15
h. Heb 12:23
i.
Eph 3:21
10. It is important to understand when the church was established. It is also important
to understand the relationship between the church and the kingdom. There are many
false teachings about the kingdom, but, in fact, the concept of the kingdom and the
church are inseparable. Consider the following questions.
a. What does Matt 16:18, 19 teach us about the kingdom and church?
b. From Matt 16:18 and Acts 5:11 what do we learn about when the church
came?
c. What can we infer about when the Kingdom would come from Matt 4:17,
Mark 9:1 and Col 1:13?
d. From the passages below, both the church and kingdom are composed of:
(Note: KJV, you may read kings in the Revelation passages. The Greek word
is actually singular, and should be rendered kingdom: basileia = kingdom, not
basileus = kings)
i. ______________
1 Cor 1:2; Col 1:12-13
ii. ______________
Acts 20:28; Rev 5:9-10
iii. ______________
(1 Tim 3:15; 1 Pet 2:5); Rev 1:6; 5:9-10
e. Demonstrate from Mark 9:1; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 2:1-15; Acts 2:47 (KJV)
that the church AND the kingdom both came at the same time?
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Lesson 12 – Restoration History (3)
Class Overview:

Discuss the growth, changes, challenges and issues that have faced the church.
Introduction
If combining the work of Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell allowed the restoration
to see its full potential, the differences between these works sowed the early seeds for the
eventual split. Try as people might, there were certain incompatibilities that just could not be
resolved when men refuse to put down their opinions and trust only in what the word of
God says. You might recall that men like “Raccoon” John Smith and John Rogers went
about with the goal of bringing the two movements together. Successful as these men were,
by the mid-1840s there were large issues facing the entire movement. Most recognizable of
these is the development of the American Christian Missionary Society, a brotherhood wide
society that encompassed many congregations. Ultimately, by 1906, the United States Census
Bureau reported that there were once again two distinct groups (Disciples of Christ and
churches of Christ). We might be tempted to see this as a failure, but if we can remember
the nature of what restoration means, then we can realize that as long as there are people
who seek the word of God and try to live in accordance with that word, then the goal that
Campbell and Stone worked for is very much a success.
The terms Disciples of Christ, Christian Church, and churches of Christ were used
interchangeably throughout the 1800s and so for events preceding the 20th century, there is
no distinction. After 1906, we will only consider issues connected with the churches of
Christ. David Edwin Harrell in his biography of Homer Hailey (p. 7) commented that the
split was inevitable, and happened long before 1906 when it was formally recognized.
Certainly David Lipscomb who was living at that time recognized it as early as 1884, as did
other perceptive Christians of the day. The issues that developed were really symptoms of
the differing worldviews and theological viewpoints that were the real cause of the split. My
reading suggests that it was the separatist worldview of Stone combined with the doctrinal
emphasis of Campbell that fed the church of Christ side, while it was the social and cultural
involvement of Campbell combined with Stone’s emphasis on worship and emotion over
doctrine that precipitated the development of the Disciples of Christ. By the early 1900s
Campbell’s worldview began to come back into favor in the churches of Christ, helping lead
to further controversies and splits.
When we talk about strife and division in the “churches of Christ” we are tempted to forget
the concepts of the church as talked about in the Bible. Remember that the word church is
the Greek word Ecclesia, which means the called out body. The main concept of the church
is the people who make up the called out body of believers. People form themselves into
local congregations or assemblies of Christians who work and worship together, but
congregations are not the church—people are. In Acts 2:38-47 it is clear that the church is
made up of individuals: people repent, people are baptized, people are added, people study,
pray, break bread. John 15:5, Jesus tells us, “I am the vine, you are the branches…” This
again clearly speaks to individuals; we have a relationship with God, not through the
auspices of some controlling organization, but directly, through Christ.
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The highest level of earthly organization we see in the church is the local congregation. This
view of the church can be seen in: Acts 11:22; 13:1; 14:23,27; 18:22; Rom 16:1, among other
passages. The use of the term “churches” in passages like Rom 16:1; 1Cor 11:16; Rev 1:4
strengthens this idea, by pointing out that local congregations had their own sense of
identity. In 1 Cor 14:17, Paul says he teaches the same thing “everywhere in every church.”
Beyond the individual sense, and individuals joining together as a local congregation, there is
no concept of the church in the denominational sense of the term—that is, an earthly
organization consisting of many congregations under the control of a larger bureaucracy.
Beyond the local congregation, Peter refers to the brotherhood, in 1 Pet 2:17, and the
brethren in 1 Pet 1:22. The Hebrew writer also refers to the brethren in Heb 13:1. A
brotherhood, according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament words is
adelphotes: a community possessed of brotherly relations. Brethren is adelphos: a community
based on identity of origin or life. With that in mind, the church beyond the congregational
level is a universal community of believers who are held together by our common salvation.
It is described as a body (Eph 2:22-23)—of individuals, not congregations—with Christ as
head.
With all this in mind, divisions and controversies still happen. Paul repeatedly argued against
division within the local congregation in 1Cor 1:10; 11:18. Jude 19 warns us against those
who would cause division (separate themselves – KJV). Whenever people are involved there
are bound to be disagreements. Try as we might, we don’t always understand things alike,
and so conflicts happen. Sometimes people don’t respect the word and engage in
unscriptural practices. Often these errors stay—as they should—within the locality where
they occur, but occasionally people will try to propagate them across the entire brotherhood,
pulling other congregations into erroneous practices. At times people who have noticed
problems in a specific congregation (or being propagated) will take it upon themselves to
fight them across the entire brotherhood. This is a two-edged sword of sorts. On the one
hand, a courageous person can help check a devastating problem that might, if left
unchecked, damage many people. On the other hand, one man, or even a small group of
men can seriously encroach upon congregational autonomy and effectively take control of
the entire brotherhood.
Richard T Hughes makes this observation, “Churches of Christ often claimed that because
they possessed no organizational structure over and above the local congregation, they
therefore had no power structure at all. The truth is that the absence of any formalized
power structure allowed ambitious leaders to seize power they likely could not have claimed
otherwise.” (Hughes, p. 161) It falls to individuals and local assemblies to stand up to outside
challenges no matter what the source. We might recall similarities in this with what happened
in the early church over the first 200 years or so, when people—both well meaning and
ambitious for power—sought to exercise influence over the entire brotherhood.
One thing that bears mentioning in connection with the issues that the church has faced is
the proliferation of magazines, journals, and newsletters. Beginning with Campbell’s
Christian Baptist, such things have been fixtures of the restoration movement; there have
been so many that I could not begin to list even a sampling of the many publications that
have existed over the years. Often, these periodicals provide a great way for people to get
exposed to teaching they might not otherwise have access to. They provide an outlet for
people with a message to share, and the wide exchange of information and ideas is a good
thing most of the time. We need to remember though that they do cut across congregational
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boundaries, and as a result have the ability to attack the very basis of local autonomy. Also, it
is important to remember that with the ability to reach such a wide audience comes the
potential for abuse. False doctrine can be widely and quickly transmitted. Any editor or
author with a pet issue can propagate it well beyond the legitimate scope of the problem.
History tells us that several good men have had their reputations seriously damaged simply
by being named in a negative way, regardless of the facts.
There is even the possibility for more militant publications to try to impose doctrinal
standards across the entire brotherhood. Going all the way back to the Heretic Detector in
the mid-1800s zealous editors have used the power of these publications, not just to inform,
but also to control. One of the goals of the restorers, and indeed our obligation as Christians
is to try to understand what the word of God is teaching. 2 Tim 2:15 tells us we need to be
diligent to handle accurately the word of God. Publications, whether for good or bad, have
the effect of telling us what we should believe about the word. We need to make sure that
we do not appeal to man’s writings for our standard of authority, rather we need to evaluate
everything we read or hear in light of the revealed word of God, since it is by this that we
will be judged (John 12:48).
A History of Fighting for the Truth

From the very beginning of the restoration movement, people have been trying to
understand the truth of God’s word, and then fighting to preserve it.

From the early 1800s, there has never been a shortage of issues facing the church.
Not surprisingly, many of these are still being discussed to this day. A partial list of
some issues follows:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Expensive meeting houses
Artificial (instrumental) music
Church concerts
Fairs and festivals
Church supported colleges
Missionary Societies
Located preachers (pastors)
College educated preachers (pro and con)
The First Crisis

In 1804, Barton W. Stone and five others wrote and signed the Last Will and
Testament of the Springfield Presbytery. This event marked Stone’s break with the
Presbyterians and the beginning of his movement to restore biblical Christianity.

In 1805, upon hearing of the revolt against Calvinism, the Shakers from New York
sent three missionaries to Kentucky.
o Shakers, so called because they tremble, shake, sing, shout, dance, and speak
in tongues (glossolalia) during worship were—and remain today in a small
village in Maine—a sect founded in England by a young lady named Ann Lee
who saw several visions while in prison for religious reasons. After her
release, she started this sect, and came to be known as Mother Ann. Shakers
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came to America in 1774 and set up their first village in New York by 1776.
They required that people divorce their spouses, become celibate, live
together in communities, work and live according to a strict schedule.
o The three missionaries were well versed in the scriptures, and quickly
wreaked havoc with Stone’s small following of Christians.

Two of the original six preachers, along with several others left their wives and
joined the Shakers.

Many others, in fear and confusion, left the movement and returned to their original
denominations.

Eventually two more of Stone’s original allies returned to the Presbyterian Church.

It was only through the tireless efforts of B.W. Stone that order was maintained, and
the group stayed together. Stone followed the Shaker missionaries around and tried
desperately to restore faith and belief in the various churches where they had been.

If it is true that the merging of ideas between Stone and Campbell was instrumental
in completing what was lacking in each movement, then this attack by the Shaker’s
threatened to stop the restoration before Stone and Campbell ever had the chance to
meet.
19th Century

In Oct 1849 - The American Christian Missionary Society (ACMS) was formed
(http://www.christianity-then-and-now.com/html/hb_study_009.html)
o Its stated purpose was to use the collective power of the various
congregations to provide missionary support both in America and in foreign
lands.
o Membership and position was obtained by payment of annual dues. Lifetime
memberships could also be purchased.
o It had its own organizational structure and executive board separate and
apart from any single congregation.
o Interestingly, Alexander Campbell (who earlier in his life had opposed such
things) was elected to be the 1st president.

Opposition to this came from men like Benjamin Franklin and Tolbert Fanning, and
later from David Lipscomb. Typically opposition was based in the following:
o The Bible knows nothing of ecclesiastical societies and organizations
combining the work of several congregations.
o Purchasing positions with money was wrong
o By establishing an overarching organization with control over the
congregations, it ran counter to the goals of the early restoration movement.
o There was the possibility that is could grow into an oppressive organization.
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
As the Civil War broke out in 1861, the ACMS, into which many congregations had
pooled money and resources, demanded a statement of support for the Union if a
region was to receive services from the organization.
o This was not well received by those who believed that Christians should be
free from allegiance to any government.
o It certainly was not well received by those southern congregations that were
affected.

As time went by, other societies, organizations and programs emerged following the
ACMS model. This led many congregations away from a respect for God’s word and
toward an acceptance of human innovation.
o Eventually this attitude became one of the contributing factors of the split
between the Disciples of Christ and churches of Christ.

1859 – Introduction of musical instruments in worship at the Midway congregation
in Midway Kentucky
o The cause of the problem was horrible singing at Midway. The preacher
brought in a melodeon as an aid to singing.

A melodeon is a small harmonium—an organ like keyboard that
forces air through reeds to make the notes.
o The move was not well received. In fact, one of the elders had it removed
late one night, and chopped it to pieces on the front porch of the building.

A second was stolen and found years later in the elder’s barn.

A third one finally was accepted in the building, but not without
strife and controversy.

This event also points to the problems of powerful preacher/pastors
located in congregations where they can defy an eldership and
control the group.
o As with many issues, this one festered during the Civil War, and only became
a big issue when a congregation in St. Louis purchased an Episcopal building
in 1878 and began using the organ. Other churches, over protests, began
buying and using organs. (Restoration Quarterly, XX, 3, 175, quoted in
http://www.biblicaltheism.com/0402insturments.htm)
o Richard Hughes maintains that instrumental music was THE major factor
that brought the eventual division to a head. He reports that from the 1870s
to the 1890s, congregation after congregation split up as organs were brought
in and those who protested were forced to submit or leave. (p. 87)


Hughes further comments that instruments tended to get introduced
in the wealthier northern congregations after the Civil War as
opposed to the much poorer congregations in the south.
1861 – The American Civil War
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o People took one of three positions, all of which seemed to be reasonably well
received and honored

Pacifism primarily based upon an unwillingness to take a human life.

Support for or participation in the war either for Union or
Confederate causes depending upon location.
o While there were no serious religious divisions that came about from the war,
a few things happened that helped cause later division.


The issues of the day were put on the back burner and not discussed.
This delay in dealing with issues helped solidify positions.

The ACMS had required allegiance to the Union as a prerequisite for
getting missionary support. This quite naturally led to a general
distrust and disdain for the ACMS on the part of southern
congregations. It also pointed out the very real dangers in an
overarching ecclesiastical organization that had influence across
congregational boundaries.

After the war, Christians and congregations in the south were left
decimated and had to fend for themselves. There was some animosity
that generally well-to-do and unharmed northern churches did little
or nothing to offer assistance.
1880 – James A. Garfield elected President of the United States
o He was assassinated in 1881 by Charles Guiteau.
o A Christian originally from the Campbell side of the restoration, he had
argued for inclusion of patriotic language and requirements for the ACMS.
o His participation in politics and eventual election to President brought into
plain view the disagreement between those who believed we should not be
involved in worldly affairs and those who believed we should (basically
Campbell vs. Stone worldviews).
20th Century

1906 – The Disciples of Christ and the churches of Christ split.
o We have already seen that this was a formalization of a division that occurred
many years earlier.
o The Disciples took most of the buildings, resources, and social status, leaving
the churches of Christ to start over in homes, storefronts, and wherever they
could meet.

WW I and beyond, changing views on pacifism.
o During the Civil War, individual people tended to respect the individual
decisions made by Christians on either side of the war regarding pacifism or
participation in the war. With the coming of World War One, it was not that
way.
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
During the Civil War, pacifism typically came from an attitude of not
wanting to take life, and possibly be responsible for sending nonChristians to judgment. This was a position of personal conviction,
not of doctrine or theology.

The reasoning for pacifism during and after WW I seems to have
come more from a theological position.


Several factors began to erode this pacifist position:





For example, David Lipscomb advocated a position of world
separation, which included the avoidance of such things as
voting, military service, and politics. As the US entered WW
I, this position manifested itself in a pacifist position.
We weren’t fighting our countrymen
Times and social values had changed.
Political pressure and propaganda was brought to bear on
influential leaders (especially those who wrote popular
magazines and journals).
The church had spread into places more prone to patriotism.
By the end of WW I pacifism was beginning to fade.

Bowing to political pressure, the Gospel Advocate, a
brotherhood wide magazine, had changed it long standing
pacifist position during WW I and had begun preaching
active involvement. (Harrell, pgs. 52,53)
o The battle between pacifism and patriotism would continue through WW2. It
involved bitter fighting between preachers and internal dissent among
congregations.

In WW II, many became conscientious objectors to war, and suffered
the consequences by being placed in work camps (effectively prison).
People in these camps often had to provide their own living
resources.

The infighting became so severe that many brethren refused to even
comfort these Christians while in prison
o Richard Hughes comments (Hughes, pg. 149) that by the Vietnam War,
pacifism had almost completely vanished.


Hughes is looking at this from a congregational point of view and is
reporting “official” positions within the majority of congregations.

There still are, and have always been those individuals who hold to
pacifism as a matter of personal conviction.
The millennial/pre-millennial controversy.
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o Both Campbell and Stone had held millennialist views of a sort, as did most
of the leaders of the movement in the 19th century. In fact, millennial theories
of one sort or another are not uncommon throughout history.
o Problems with millennial theories began to come up as early as the 1840s

When William Miller predicted that the second coming of Christ
would happen on October 22,1844, some Christians began to follow
his teachings. When his prediction failed—the great
disappointment—what was left of his movement, known as
Millerites, eventually became Seventh Day Adventists.

About 1881, Charles Taze Russell began preaching that the return of
Christ was imminent in publications from the Watchtower Bible and
Tract Society. Again, a number of Christians left to follow him. His
movement became the Jehovah’s Witnesses of today.
o With the growing fundamentalist movement and dispensational theology
began gaining popularity in the late 1800s, any millennial viewpoints within
the brotherhood started falling out of favor.

Dispensationalism (Dispensational pre-millennialism) is a theology
taught by John Darby, and popularized by people like Dwight L.
Moody and Cyrus Scofield. It teaches that the world is broken up
into various biblical dispensations. According to the theory, we are in
the age of grace—the church age—to be followed by a millennial
kingdom of Christ on earth that is preceded by a time of great
tribulation (usually seven years). One major challenge with this
theology is that it declares either by inference or explicit statement
that Jesus came to set up the kingdom, but failed and the church age
is a temporary measure (“a great parenthesis” (Harrell, p. 58)) until
the kingdom finally would come.
o Around 1914, dispensational pre-millennialism became a major topic of
debate within the churches. It heated up further in the 20’s, and by the 30’s it
became ugly.

Those who held or advocated millennial views of any kind were
lumped together with those who held dispensationalist views.

In about 1914, R. H. Boll began publishing a series of articles in the
Gospel Advocate expounding his pre-millennial beliefs. Ultimately he
was forced to resign form his position as editor. By the 30s, the paper
had become a source of anti-millennial articles.

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R. H. Boll has the reputation among some of being the
“father of pre-millennialism” within the churches of Christ.
His own statements indicate that he would never have sought
to cause division with his beliefs and opinions, but as events
unfolded, division was the end result.
(http://www.therestorationmovement.com/boll,rh.htm)
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
Foy E. Wallace Jr. led a campaign against any who held millennial
views, trying to have them removed from positions of influence. This
included preachers, educators, colleges (most notably Harding
College) and editors of various publications.

The fight was waged, not just against pre-millennial positions,
but also against those who would take a softer approach and
plead for peace, as had been the case for the previous 100
years.

Wallace and his allies pushed the fight for some twenty years
until by the early 40s, one periodical, Word and Work, edited
by Boll, was the only pre-millennial voice left.
o If this fight had not been propagated across the entire brotherhood,
controversial viewpoints might have divided some local congregations and
not much else. (Harrell, p. 63)

Sadly, many reputations were stained, and good preachers and
teachers were silenced. This was often based upon simple accusation
or association.

Foy Wallace’s son William made the comment that “The premillennial battle created attitudes, tactics, policies, procedures,
precedents and excesses which were to be employed in the forties,
and in the fifties, with reference to the issues of the times.” (Harrell,
p. 64)
o There are a few congregations that hold a millennial point of view today.
These are primarily in Kentucky and Louisiana.

Non-class and One-cup churches.
o Sunday school, as distinct from weekly Bible classes got its start in mid 18th
century England. It came to America in the early 1800s. Originally an adjunct
to regular school, it became primarily a means of teaching religious doctrine
to children. By the late 1800s, it was almost strictly a means of Bible teaching.
Formal Sunday school programs are full-blown schools with an
administrative organization. A couple of challenges with running a Sunday
school as part of the work/worship of a local congregation are: developing
non-scriptural organizations and allowing women to teach, regardless of the
age or sex of the student.
o By 1925, various congregations had begun developing formal Sunday school
programs as described above, and it became a source of conflict.

Partly in response, some began to argue against any form of age
separated Bible study, and against women teaching in any capacity
during church assemblies.
o Soon, a group of congregations separated themselves and adopted their own
directory of “sound” congregations, basically those who agreed with their
position.
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
They do not divide into separate classes for study.

Women are not allowed to speak during class.
o Subsequently this group split again over the idea of one cup vs. many cups in
the Lord’s Supper. This was based upon a literal interpretation of passages
like Matt 26:27

The institutionalism debate and its consequences
o The debate over institutionalism has been around almost since the beginning.
Even before the ACMS was formed, church sponsored colleges and similar
extra-Biblical organizations under congregational (and often multicongregational) control had been around and debated – often hotly.
o Somewhere around 1945, the sponsoring church concept for supporting
mission work gained popularity. This is where one eldership assumes the
oversight of a project (or institution) and other congregations contribute to
that project

In 1951 the congregation at 5th and Highland in Abilene, TX. started
the Herald of Truth radio broadcast. They acted as a sponsoring
church accepting financial contributions from other congregations to
support the effort.

The Herald of Truth became a flash point for a very long running
debate.
o By the mid-1950s, a split became inevitable.


The movement toward institutionalism was generally the majority
position, and those who opposed it—on both an individual and a
congregational level—struggled to have their voices heard.

The somewhat dismissive label “anti” was often applied as a
derogatory epithet.

By the early 1960’s the split was happening.

For the most part, those who opposed institutional concepts left the
existing congregations—by choice or by force—where they no longer
had a voice.

As in 1906 with the Disciples of Christ split, the institutional
churches retained most of the property, status and wealth. The noninstitutional people, left with little, took what they had and started
over.
The Boston or Crossroads movement.
o In the early 1970s Chuck Lucas at the Crossroads church in Gainesville
Florida started a college outreach movement at the University of Florida.

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Almost from the beginning it was accused of employing cult-like
mental control and manipulation of new converts.
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
By the end of the 70s, it was under the control of Kip McKean in
Boston.
o This movement violates Scripture in almost every respect

Unauthorized leadership -- McKean as leader over a board of elders).

Unauthorized forms of evangelism -- They will, for example, conduct
social events, community service activities, and even run nightclubs
(http://www.cultsoncampus.com/atnews13la.html). They withhold
information from prospects, and conduct a series of well-controlled
and manipulative Bible studies before baptizing a convert.

Cult-like control of new converts -- For example: new converts are
“discipled.” They are assigned a discipleship partner who acts as
spiritual advisor and confessor. This person has access to intimate
personal information and must be consulted on any major decision.
This is classic cult control, and can lead to a coercive and abusive
relationship.
o The Boston movement made a concerted effort to invade and pull converts
from other churches.

Some estimates suggest that over 250 congregations were split by this
movement in the 70s alone.
o By the mid 80s any resemblance to the concept of New Testament
Christianity was gone. It eventually took the name International Church of
Christ.

Ongoing challenges and issues
o Over the years, many challenges and issues continue to face the church. Most
of these issues have been around since the days of Campbell and Stone, but
for one reason or another, they flare up. Among these are:

The charismatic movement started in the 1960s at the Belmont
congregation in Nashville Tennessee.


Questions surrounding scriptural marriage, divorce and remarriage
have been around as long as the restoration movement, but in 1975
James D. Bales (from an institutional church) wrote a booklet on the
subject and sparked a bitter debate that has lasted many years.


By the late 70s the argument had spread over into the noninstitutional side.
Questions about fellowship, and the extent to which we can have
disagreements over issues and still maintain Christian fellowship.

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Pat Boone, performer and one-time member professed to
have had charismatic experiences, and has since left the
church.
This arose in part out of the divorce and remarriage debate.
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
Since the 1980s, the idea of a new hermeneutic, which effectively
denies gospel truth and doctrinal standards, has been a challenge for
some.

The question of women’s roles is another debate that has sprung up
since the 1990s.
o As long as we try to live by the Word, there will always be challenges to be
faced, questions to be answered, and the truth to defend.
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Questions
11. When all is said and done denominationalism is the practice and endorsement of
religious division. Modern ecumenism does not change the fact that the different
denominations have a wide variety of religious beliefs and practices, many of which
are contradictory and mutually exclusive, not to mention the fact that they run
counter to the revealed Word of God. Consider the following questions.
a. What did Jesus pray for in John 17:20-21? ___________
b. What was Paul’s attitude toward division as demonstrated in 1 Cor 1:10?
c. In Eph 4:13, Paul teaches that we are to “attain to the _________ of the
faith.”
d. In Jude 3 (NASB), we are commanded to ___________ earnestly for ____
faith.
i. Was THE faith, or A faith delivered? _____________. What is the
difference?
ii. How many times was the faith delivered?
iii. Was it delivered for some, or all?
e. Is denominationalism possible when honest people apply John 17:20, 21; 1
Cor 1:10; Eph 4:1-13; Jude 3?
12. By and large all denominational bodies have some form of earthly oversight. This is
sharp contrast with biblical teaching in that there is no earthly organization even
mentioned in the New Testament above the congregation level.
a. Is it at all reasonable to think that God FORGOT to tell us how to organize
the universal church?
b. What does Col 1:18 tell us about the head of the church?
c. Matt 28:28 tells us that Christ has been given what?
d. What does “In the name of the Lord” mean with respect to Col 3:17
e. According to James 4:12, Christ is the only lawgiver and judge.
i. On what basis will we be judged (John 12:48)?
ii. With this in mind, what is the basis upon which we should live,
organize, and worship?
f. Read John 14:26; 1 John 5:3; 2 John 6. Can we honestly say we love God if
we willfully and knowingly violate His commandments?
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Sources
Lesson 1
Interactive Bible, http://www.bible.ca/bible.htm
Christianity Through the Centuries; Earle E. Cairns; 1996; Zondervan
Eusebius, The Church History; Paul L. Maier; 1999; Kregel Publications
Lesson 2
Interactive Bible, http://www.bible.ca/bible.htm
Christianity Through the Centuries; Earle E. Cairns; 1996; Zondervan
Eusebius, The Church History; Paul L. Maier; 1999; Kregel Publications
A History of the Church, From Pentecost to Present; James North; 2003; College Press
History of the Christian Church; Philip Schaff;1910; Charles Scribner and Sons; The Electronic
Bible Society: http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/history/About.htm
Restoration History; http://www.therestorationmovement.com/
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Online version;http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/index.html
Wikipedia, various articles; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Lesson 3
Interactive Bible, http://www.bible.ca/bible.htm
Christianity Through the Centuries; Earle E. Cairns; 1996; Zondervan
Eusebius, The Church History; Paul L. Maier; 1999; Kregel Publications
A History of the Church, From Pentecost to Present; James North; 2003; College Press
History of the Christian Church; Philip Schaff; 1910; Charles Scribner and Sons; The Electronic
Bible Society: http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/history/About.htm
Restoration History; http://www.therestorationmovement.com/
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Online version; http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/index.html
Wikipedia, various articles; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Lessons 4-8
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Reformation and Restoration
Interactive Bible, http://www.bible.ca/bible.htm
Christianity Through the Centuries; Earle E. Cairns; 1996; Zondervan
A History of the Church, From Pentecost to Present; James North; 2003; College Press
History of the Christian Church; Philip Schaff; 1910; Charles Scribner and Sons; The Electronic
Bible Society: http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/history/About.htm
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Online version;http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/index.html
Wikipedia, various articles; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
The Treasure Chest, Charles L. Wallis; Harper & Row, Publishers, New York; 1965;
Downloaded from: http://www.journal33.org/other/html/wyclif.htm Sept 27, 2006
The Church in History – AD 100 to AD 1517, Stuart Jones; Sunset International Bible Institute,
Lubbock, TX; 2006
The Church, The Falling Away, and The Restoration, J.W. Shepherd; Gospel Advocate Company,
Nashville, TN; 1977
Columbia Encyclopedia 6th ed.; online version; 2000
The Eternal Kingdom, A History of the Church, F.W. Mattox; Gospel Light Publishing Company,
Delight, AR; 1961
The Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online; 1996-2006;
http://www.gameo.org/index.asp
The Complete Guide to Christian Denominations, Ron Rhodes; Harvest House Publishers, Eugene
Oregon; 2005
American Heritage Dictionary of The English Language, 4th Ed (online version).; Houghton Mifflin
Company; 2000
Lesson 9
Interactive Bible, http://www.bible.ca/bible.htm
Christianity Through the Centuries; Earle E. Cairns; 1996; Zondervan
A History of the Church, From Pentecost to Present; James North; 2003; College Press
History of the Christian Church; Philip Schaff; 1910; Charles Scribner and Sons; The Electronic
Bible Society: http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/history/About.htm
Restoration History; http://www.therestorationmovement.com/
Wikipedia, various articles; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
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Reformation and Restoration
Lesson 10
Interactive Bible, http://www.bible.ca/bible.htm
Restoration History; http://www.therestorationmovement.com/
Wikipedia, various articles; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Bible Studies Info Page, Provided by Ferrell Jenkins; http://biblicalstudies.info/ Linked to
http://www.therestorationmovement.com/
The Church, the Falling Away, and The Restoration, J.W. Shepherd; Gospel Advocate Company,
Nashville TN; 1999 (Originally Published in 1929)
The Churches of Christ In The 20th Century, Homer Hailey’s Personal Journey of Faith, David Edwin
Harrell, Jr.; University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, AL; 2000
The Eternal Kingdom, A History of The Church of Christ, F.W. Mattox; Gospel Light Publishing
Company; Delight, AR; 1961
Reviving the Ancient Faith, The Story of The Churches of Christ in America, Richard T. Hughes;
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Grand Rapids, MI; 1996
Church History For the Masses; http://www.christianchronicler.com/index.htm
Christianity, Then and Now – online; http://www.christianity-then-and-now.com/index.htm
Restoration Movement Texts; http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/subs/texts.html#SecT
Dr. Chester Bullard, P.V. Scott;
http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/cbullard/BULLAR2.HTM
Lesson 11
Interactive Bible, http://www.bible.ca/bible.htm
Restoration History; http://www.therestorationmovement.com/
Wikipedia, various articles; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Bible Studies Info Page, Provided by Ferrell Jenkins; http://biblicalstudies.info/ Linked to
http://www.therestorationmovement.com/
The Church, the Falling Away, and The Restoration, J.W. Shepherd; Gospel Advocate Company,
Nashville TN; 1999 (Originally Published in 1929)
The Churches of Christ In The 20th Century, Homer Hailey’s Personal Journey of Faith, David Edwin
Harrell, Jr.; University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, AL; 2000
Dublin church of Christ
Page 100 of 101
Jim Turner
Reformation and Restoration
The Eternal Kingdom, A History of The Church of Christ, F.W. Mattox; Gospel Light Publishing
Company; Delight, AR; 1961
Reviving the Ancient Faith, The Story of The Churches of Christ in America, Richard T. Hughes;
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Grand Rapids, MI; 1996
Church History For the Masses; http://www.christianchronicler.com/index.htm
Christianity, Then and Now – online; http://www.christianity-then-and-now.com/index.htm
Restoration Movement Texts; http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/subs/texts.html#SecT
Lesson 12
Interactive Bible, http://www.bible.ca/bible.htm
Restoration History; http://www.therestorationmovement.com/
Wikipedia, various articles; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Bible Studies Info Page, Provided by Ferrell Jenkins; http://biblicalstudies.info/ Linked to
http://www.therestorationmovement.com/
Shepherd, J.W. (1999, Originally published in 1929); The Church, the Falling Away, and The
Restoration; Gospel Advocate Company, Nashville TN
Harrell, Jr., David Edwin (2000); The Churches of Christ In The 20th Century, Homer Hailey’s
Personal Journey of Faith; University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, AL
Mattox, F.W. (1961); The Eternal Kingdom, A History of The Church of Christ; Gospel Light
Publishing Company; Delight, AR
Hughes, Richard T (1996); Reviving the Ancient Faith, The Story of The Churches of Christ in
America; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Grand Rapids, MI
Church History For the Masses; http://www.christianchronicler.com/index.htm
Christianity, Then and Now – online; http://www.christianity-then-and-now.com/index.htm
Restoration Movement Texts; http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/subs/texts.html#SecT
Scott, P.V.; Dr. Chester Bullard;
http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/cbullard/BULLAR2.HTM
Biblical Theism Website; http://www.biblicaltheism.com/
CultsonCampus.com; http://www.cultsoncampus.com/atnews13la.html
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