An Examination of Religious History: 1500-1700 A.D
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An Examination of Religious History: 1500-1700 A.D. 27th Annual NWFSBS Lectureship, 2019 Edited by: Guyton E. Montgomery Twenty-Seventh Annual Lectureship June 9th-13th, 2019 An Examination of Religious History: 1500-1700 A.D. Editor: Guyton E. Montgomery The Church of Christ at Milestone Home of Northwest Florida School of Biblical Studies 4051 Stefani Road Cantonment, FL 32533 (850) 474-9257 (850) 479-8878 An Examination of Religious History: 1500-1700 A.D. Edited by: Guyton E. Montgomery © 2019 NWFSBS, Church of Christ at Milestone Church of Christ at Milestone Home of Northwest Florida School of Biblical Studies 4051 Stefani Road Cantonment, FL 32533 www.cocmilestone.com / www.nwfsbs.com Paperback: ISBN 978-0-9998252-2-8 ePub: ISBN 978-09998252-3-5 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmit- ted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including pho- tocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the King James Version. Printed in the United States of America First Printing - June 2019 CONTENTS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE REFORMATION PERIOD Guyton E. Montgomery 9 THE BIBLE AND ITS AVAILabiLITY Jimmy Bates 18 THE THIRTY-YEAR WAR & ITS EFFECT UPON RELIGION Jared Knoll 28 ECUMENICAL COUNCILS 1500-1700 A.D. Joel Wheeler 34 JUDAISM 1500-1700 Chance Blackmer 38 ISLAM 1500 - 1700 Alan Judd 45 MARTIN LUTHER’S NINETY-FIVE THESES: THE SpaRK OF THE REFORMATION Troy Spradlin 55 THE FIVE SOLAS Mike Benson 64 THE AMISH & HUTTERITES Tom House 79 ANabapTISTS Kyle Lemon 87 ANGLICANISM & THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND J. Bryant Evans 93 THE JESUITS & THE INQUISITION Cameron Freeman 98 THE LUTHERAN CHURCH Bobby Liddell 102 THE MENNONITES Mark Teske 115 THE INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW OF THE METHODIST CHURCH Wesley Garland 122 AN OVERVIEW OF PRESBYTERIANISM Jeffery L. Orr 129 THE QUAKERS Josh Holloway 146 JacOB ARMINIUS & ARMINIANISM Jake Sutton 154 JOHN CALVIN Jeffery L. Orr 161 MARTIN LUTHER Jeff Bates 177 JOHN SMYTH Brian R. Kenyon 183 ULRICH ZwiNGLI (1484-1531) Cade K. Somers 189 THE TULIP MANIA David H. Warren 199 T.U.L.I.P. - TOTAL DEPRAVITY Kenneth Burleson 217 T.U.L.I.P. - UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION Mike Kiser 222 T.U.L.I.P. - LIMITED ATONEMENT Victor M. Eskew 228 T.U.L.I.P. - IRRESISTIBLE GRacE Garland Robinson 233 T.U.L.I.P. - PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS Ronnie Whittemore 240 WHY REFORMATION waS/IS INSUFFICIENT Charles Blair 248 From the Editor: In 2018 when I edited and published the first book of this series, An Exam- ination of Religious History: 33-1500 A.D., I chose not to include an intro- duction. Instead I included in my outline some introductory thoughts and hoped it would suffice to address some concerns that a reader may possibly have about the terms Christian, Christianity, church, etc... However, there were still some that in their zeal for accuracy in terminology were troubled by the books use of these terms. I appreciate their fastidiousness to accuracy so I pray that in this introduction I may address two this issue in two points so that it will not detract from the material continued in this book. First, throughout this book there are references to “Christians” and “Chris- tianity.” These references do not always refer to those that have been obedient and added to the body of Jesus Christ as in Acts 2. These terms are accoom- adative to represent those that would profess themselves to be adherents to protestantism or believe in Jesus. A true follower of Christ is one that has an obedient faith (James 2:14-17). This requires his obedience in repentance (Luke 13:3), confessing Christ (Romans 10:10), putting Christ on in Baptism (Galatians 3:27), and living daily for Him (Romans 12:1-2). This type of faith can only be produced by the word of God. Second, throughout this book there are references that use the word “Church.” It is to be understood that there is only one church (Matthew 16:15- 19; Ephesians 4:4-6) which is the body of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:23-33). The Church belongs to Christ as the Head and does all things by His authority (Colossians 3:16-17). It is imperative to understand that in this book every reference to “church” is not a reference to “THE TRUE CHURCH OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.” It is an accommodative use where people have pervert- ed, confused and assaulted the Church of Christ. Finally, I would like to extend my appreciation to many groups of people. I start with my family that supports me in the work of NWFSBS, the Milestone congregation and in the Kingdom: the elders of the Milestone congregation for their oversight and support; the faculty and support staff of the school for their hard work; the students of the school for their dedication to God’s word and preparation for laboring in the Kingdom; the congregation for their support and patience; the many that have worked with the school since its in- ception in 1987; all the financial supporters that make this work possible; and finally to the speakers for their contribution to this book and lectureship. In Christ, Guyton E. Montgomery AN INTRODUCTION TO THE REFORMATION PERIOD GUYTON E. MONTGOMERY Introduction: A. In studying a topic, it is often beneficial to clearly state applicable presumptions to the study. For this cause the following presumptions are listed for expediency. 1. The Bible is inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16,17) and is all sufficient (Jude 1:3; Gal. 1:8). 2. The church was promised (Mt. 16:18, 19), has been established and will not be prevailed against (Acts 2:36-47; Eph. 5:26-33). 3. Christ is significant and alone should be followed (Eph. 2:1-5; 1 Cor. 1:13; 11:1). B. This lesson should not be viewed as an exhaustive resource concerning the reformation period. C. Instead, this lesson is a brief overview and background for the studies that are contained within the pages of this book. Discussion: I. Acknowledging and Answering Objections to Studying the Reformation Period A. The Bible is all I need to study. 1. This author readily acknowledges that an individual can take the Bible alone, study it, apply it and become a part of the New Testament church, without any knowledge of history, including the reformation and restoration periods. 2. However, it is important to note that individuals do not live in “vacuums” and are not isolated from influences of the world around them. 3. As an individual studies God’s word, it is imperative to find an understanding how God’s word relates (as Supreme) to the influences in their lives. 4. Furthermore, it is important for teachers of God’s word to understand the background of those whom he is teaching so as to be ready to explain the answers to questions produced because of the influences upon them. 5. As a teacher of God’s word, this author desires to know as much as possible to help him untangle the web of confusion that has been created by men in the minds of men. 6. To illustrate the importance of studying history subsequent to the New Testament, consider the words of 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” a. Without a study of history subsequent to the New Testament, one 10 An Examination of Religion 1500-1700 AD may have difficulty understanding this passage and teaching it to others. b. It is through this study that one can see the fulfillment of this prophecy through the departures of Roman Catholicism, protestantism and other efforts of men apart from the New Testament. 7. Finally, consider the words of T.W. Brents, “But he says: ‘I have the Bible to read, and that is better than any book of sermons.’ If you will show us a man who reads nothing but the Bible, we will show you one who reads and understands very little of that. He who is anxious to understand the Bible will want to read, not only the Bible, but every thing else he can get that will help him to understand it.” (Brents, 1918) B. The reformation period is irrelevant to the needs of today. 1. “Many people think of the Protestant Reformation as only a religious revolution. In reality, it was so much more. Yes, its beginning was religious in nature, but the Reformation progressed to transcend religion. So why is the Protestant Reformation a big deal? It was a social, political, and economic revolution in the truest sense. It laid the intellectual framework upon which the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment were built. The Protestant Reformation led to modern democracy, skepticism, capitalism, individualism, civil rights, and many of the modern values we cherish today. The Protestant Reformation impacted nearly every academic discipline, notably the social sciences like economics, philosophy, and history .” (Sullivan, 2019) 2. Americans owe their freedoms to the beliefs brought forth in the reformation movement. a. “…the great expereminent of the Cromwellian Commonwealth, short-lived though it was, by the momentum of its religious impulse opened the way for a new type of civilization based on the freedom of the person and of conscience as rights conferred absolutely by God and Nature.