DOCSLIB.ORG

Title of Dissertation BAPTISM and REBAPTISM in the METHODIST

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Title of Dissertation BAPTISM and REBAPTISM in the METHODIST 1 Title of Dissertation BAPTISM AND REBAPTISM IN THE METHODIST CHURCH OF SOUTHERN AFRICA: A CRITICAL INVESTI GATION INTO THE VIABILITY OF POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES By OSWIN GARNET KRETZMANN Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Master of Theology by Thesis only in the School of Religion and Theology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg June 2011 2 DECLARATION Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Theology in the Graduate Programme of Systematic Theology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. I declare that this dissertation/thesis is my own unaided work. All citations, references and borrowed ideas have been duly acknowledged. It is being submitted for the degree of Master of Theology in the Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Sciences, Pietermarizburg, South Africa. None of the present work has been submitted previously for any degree or examination in any other University. OSWIN GARNET KRETZMANN Student Name 27 June 2011 Date PROFESSOR A. BALCOMB Name of Supervisor ___________________ Signature 3 C O N T E N T S Page Introduction and Summary 4 Chapter One Origins of rebaptism 14 Chapter Two The Methodist Church of Southern Africa’s Position 58 on Baptism and Rebaptism Chapter Three Questions around Forbidden Practices 84 Chapter Four Possible Remedial Steps that could be taken by the 92 Methodist Church of Southern Africa Chapter Five Remedial Steps taken by the Methodist Church of 117 Southern Africa Chapter Six Alternative Rites and Practices and their Viability 129 Chapter Seven Research Findings and Conclusion 157 A Conclusion and Recommendation 160 Appendix I 165 Bibliography 172 4 INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY The Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) practices baptism within in the Reformed tradition according to a covenant understanding, and strives to be one and undivided in an inclusive ethos. The practice of rebaptism or repeat baptism is a threat to its unity. The formulation and availability of viable alternative rites could be a compromise gesture, which may enable unity to be facilitated and fostered in the “one baptism” (Eph.4:5) in the church. These rites may go towards circumventing requests for rebaptism. PRINCIPAL THEORIES UPON WHICH THE RESEARCH PROJECT WILL BE CONSTRUCTED O.A. Hallesby makes the following claim in respect of water baptism “Christ has instituted neither adult baptism nor infant baptism – he has instituted baptism….Jesus has not said (or commanded) when and where the act should be ministered and who should be baptised – (and even how it should be administered) – that he left to the Church” (Hallesby O, 1964:19) Hallesby’s statement can be understood as a reference to the “adiaphorous” nature of Christian baptism and points to the need to study baptism along this line in an attempt to address the practice of rebaptism which the Methodist Church of Southern Africa regards as problematic. According to the Formula of Concord drawn up in 1577 adiaphora are “Church rites which are neither commanded nor forbidden in the word of God”. The approach intended for this study to take could be put under this rubric. Baptism per se is a rite practised by all Christian churches. However it is practised in different ways in different christian traditions. What this study will attempt to do is to examine the different theologies used to justify these practices and suggest a dialogical way forward. The Lutheran Augsburg Confession states that for “the true unity of the church, it is enough to agree concerning the doctrine of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments, and that it is not necessary that human traditions, that is rites and ceremonies, instituted my men, should everywhere be alike”. (Pages 2 and 3, article from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wikii/Adiaphora) . If this is the case, and in the light of what Hallesby claims about baptism, it seems obvious that any one form of baptism claimed to be the only true form of baptism is questionable. A study of baptism according to the adiaphoric line would call for liberty in debate and of charitable compromise in regard to the formulation of acceptable alternative rites. The MCSA could justifiably use this line as a counter for the practice of rebaptism as the theoretical approach to be used in this study. As a starting point it is necessary to provide a biblical basis for the adiaphoric nature of baptism. A superficial examination of all the scripture references on baptism in the bible, of which there are 75, reveals that most of them are didactic, descriptive and exhortative in nature. All are therefore open to debate and this is evident from the fact that they can be and have been variously interpreted. This 5 outcome is another sign of baptism’s adiaphorous quality. Matthew 28:19-20 is the only statement of baptism by Jesus in the New Testament which is prescriptive and is used by all Christian denominations as the basis for their view of Christian baptism and how it should be practiced. It gives the impression of being non-adiaphorous because it is presented in a prescriptive way, and yet it is not clear as to what Jesus was specifically commanding in the commission of the text. It appears that the MCSA uses the adiaphorous theoretical line when it comes to baptism. It upholds covenant and deems it to be inclusive. This inclusive spirit comes through the oft-repeated colloquial saying in Methodism that the MCSA is a “roof, which covers many opinions” and in its invitation for “ministers to explore the formation of alternative rites” (MCSA Minutes 1989:67) This study will attempt to arrive at a position of “unity in diversity” in respect of the practice of water baptism. This attempt is based on the “puritan” theoretical ideal as a basis which is expressed in the often quoted saying, “in necessary things, unity, in doubtful things, liberty, in all things, charity”. The value of this approach lies in the possibility of finding an outcome, which, as divisive as the issue of baptism may be, is possible to highlight the inclusive nature of the “one baptism” that Ephesians 5 talks about and could help to facilitate movement in that direction. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This research will rely heavily on a wide range of literature both old and new for general information and more specifically will seek for material on critical issues surrounding baptism and rebaptism. The MCSA has invited its ministers to explore alternative baptismal rites, (MCSA Minutes of conference, 1989:67) and while this call is dated, nevertheless gives the researcher an opportunity to investigate the opinions and positions of other members of the Methodist clergy. A questionnaire letter was sent therefore to 40 Methodist ministers randomly across the culture spectrum as a way of testing in a superficial way whether the issue of rebaptism is still a troublesome matter in the church. The books listed in the bibliography will form the basis of the literature review. The MCSA church archives accommodated in the Cory Library at Rhodes University Grahamstown will be searched for relevant material covering the debate as it has unfolded in the church in decades gone by. The ‘Laws & Discipline of the M.C.S.A.’, Minutes of Conferences, letters of controversy, objection, support and debate around the central issues and related issues of baptism, and re-baptism will be specifically examined. Attempts will also be made to find relevant materials in the church’s monthly newspaper, ‘Dimension’ dating back to 1970. Catechisms of various Christian denominations will be studied and in particular John Wesley’s work on baptismal theology and policy. The Internet will also be a scoured 6 for information. And importantly the asking of relevant questions which always form the basis of any research endeavour will be asked. An initial question to be addressed is around whether rebaptism is a current problem issue in the MCSA. Rebaptism has not featured on the agenda of the church’s synods and Conferences since 1990. This could be a sign that rebaptism has become a non-issue. On the other hand there are indications that issues around baptism are very much alive for individual ministers and members, as well as in some pastoral constituencies. My own experience coming from speaking to individuals and groupings of people both inside and outside of the MCSA, and from giving lectures on the Methodist understanding together with questions raised, has confirmed that baptism is still a troublesome matter despite remedial steps taken by the church. These steps will be discussed later in this work. It has been said that members and ministers are nervous to speak about a matter that is deeply sensitive in the MCSA and over which there has been so much controversy. Is the issue then not best left alone? The answer is no, particularly as the problem of rebaptism has not been completely resolved in the MCSA and continues to wreak havoc in all sorts of ways. In 2009 I did some informal empirical research in which I sent out a questionnaire to a cross-section of Methodist ministers which asked several pertinent questions. Only one of the 22 responses received was concerned about the issue of confidentiality, while the others did not wish their responses to be kept anonymous. The reason why the results of this questionnaire were excluded from the original draft of this thesis was that my supervisor was initially of the opinion that it would complicate the study from an ethical clearance perspective. However, in the light of the report from the external examiner and in discussion with my supervisor it has become clear that it is necessary to include a sample of the questionnaire with the responses received, and these are still in my possession.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Nicene Creed
    THE NICENE CREED A MANUAL jfor tbe use of ~anlJilJates for }ilol!} ®tlJets BY J. J. LIAS, M.A. RECTOR OF EAST BERGHOLT, COLCHESTER ; CHANCELLOR OF LLANDAFF CATHEDRAL, AND EXAMINING CHAPLAIN TO THE BISHOP OF LLANDAFF; AUTHOR OF ''PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL CRITICISM," ''THE ATONEMENT," ETC, LONDON SW AN SONNENSCHEIN & CO., LIM. NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN CO. 1897 tto SIR GEORGE STOKES, BART., LL.D., D.Sc., F.R.S. LUCASIAN PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE THIS LITTLE BOOK IS DEDICATED WITH A FEELING OF ADMIRATION FOR HIS GREAT ATTAINMENTS AND OF RESPECT FOR HIS HIGH CHARACTER AND GENUINE AND ENLIGHTENED ATTACHMENT TO THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF ttbe lE>octrtne of <Ibtlst PREFACE T is, perhaps, necessary that I should explain my reasons I for adding one more to the vast number of books which pour forth in so continuous a stream in the present day. Four reasons have mainly weighed with me. The first is, that my experience as an examiner of candidates for Holy Orders has convinced me that many of them obtain their knowledge of the first principles of the religion which they propose to teach, in a very unsatisfactory and haphazard way. This is partly due to the absence, at least until lately, of satisfactory text books. Few candidates attempt to read Pearson's great standard work on the subject, and most of those who have attempted it find him very abstruse and difficult to follow. Moreover, it must be admitted that in a good many respects, in spite of the still inestimable value of the work, Pearson's manner and matter are out of date.
    [Show full text]
  • Catholic-Mormon Relations
    Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel Volume 13 Number 1 Article 7 4-1-2012 Catholic-Mormon Relations Donald Westbrook Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/re BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Westbrook, Donald. "Catholic-Mormon Relations." Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel 13, no. 1 (2012). https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/re/vol13/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. © Photo by Jaren Wilkey/BYU Jaren © Photo by In 2010, Cardinal Francis George spoke at BYU on the topic of religious freedom and shared family values. Catholic-Mormon Relations donald westbrook Donald Westbrook ([email protected]) is a doctoral student in the School of Religion at Claremont Graduate University. “The important thing is that we truly love each other, that we have an interior unity, that we draw as close together and collaborate as much as we can—while trying to work through the remaining areas of open questions. And it is impor- tant for us always to remember in all of this that we need God’s help, that we are incapable of doing this alone.” —Pope Benedict XVI1 “We labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” —2 Nephi 25:23 his essay very briefly introduces the reader to some of the problems Tand promises of relations between Catholics and Mormons in the American context.
    [Show full text]
  • SACRAMENTAL THEOLOGY and ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITY Dmusjankiewicz Fulton College Tailevu, Fiji
    Andn1y.r Uniwr~itySeminary Stndics, Vol. 42, No. 2,361-382. Copyright 8 2004 Andrews University Press. SACRAMENTAL THEOLOGY AND ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITY DmusJANKIEWICZ Fulton College Tailevu, Fiji Sacramental theology developed as a corollary to Christian soteriology. While Christianity promises salvation to all who accept it, different theories have developed as to how salvation is obtained or transmitted. Understandmg the problem of the sacraments as the means of salvation, therefore, is a crucial soteriological issue of considerable relevance to contemporary Christians. Furthermore, sacramental theology exerts considerable influence upon ecclesiology, particularb ecclesiasticalauthority. The purpose of this paper is to present the historical development of sacramental theology, lea- to the contemporary understanding of the sacraments within various Christian confessions; and to discuss the relationship between the sacraments and ecclesiastical authority, with special reference to the Roman Catholic Church and the churches of the Reformation. The Development of Rom Catholic Sacramental Tbeohgy The Early Church The orign of modem Roman Catholic sacramental theology developed in the earliest history of the Christian church. While the NT does not utilize the term "~acrament,~'some scholars speculate that the postapostolic church felt it necessary to bring Christianity into line with other rebons of the he,which utilized various "mysterious rites." The Greek equivalent for the term "sacrament," mu~tmbn,reinforces this view. In addition to the Lord's Supper and baptism, which had always carried special importance, the early church recognized many rites as 'holy ordinances."' It was not until the Middle Ages that the number of sacraments was officially defked.2 The term "sacrament," a translation of the Latin sacramenturn ("oath," 'G.
    [Show full text]
  • Minority Report To
    POSITION PAPERS 15th General Assembly, 1987, Appendix P, p. 425-428. MINORITY REPORT Ad Hoc Committee to Study the Validity of Certain Baptisms INTRODUCTION The evident desire and determination of all the members of the ad hoc Study Committee to draw a clear line of separation between truth and untruth, or be it, between orthodoxy and heterodoxy/heresy, is both proper and praiseworthy. Because there is no question among us as to the flagrant apostasy of the Roman Catholic church, consideration of R.C. baptism gives us a test case for the principle involved in discerning what constitutes a valid baptism. By extension, these principles can be used in other cases. BRIEF HISTORICAL COMMENT A study of church history shows that a solid majority of Presbyterian churches and, almost without exception, all Reformed churches have held Roman Catholic baptism to be valid. Since the time of Thornwell, American Presbyterianism has largely tended to regard Roman Catholic baptism as invalid; prior to that time, however, most of American Presbyterianism was in harmony with other Reformed and Presbyterian bodies in this matter. The church has historically not rebaptized those who have fallen away from the faith, been excommunicated, and subsequently repented. Historically, the church has not required rebaptism for those who were baptized by ministers who subsequently proved to be apostate. More recently, the 1981 (159th) General Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod endorsed the validity of Roman Catholic baptism. In this, the Synod concurred with the vigorous and definitive dissent by Charles Hodge to the decision of the 1845 Assembly of the Presbyterian Church to declare Roman Catholic baptism invalid.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origins of the Restoration Movement: an Intellectual History, Richard Tristano
    Leaven Volume 2 Issue 3 The Restoration Ideal Article 16 1-1-1993 The Origins of the Restoration Movement: An Intellectual History, Richard Tristano Jack R. Reese [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Reese, Jack R. (1992) "The Origins of the Restoration Movement: An Intellectual History, Richard Tristano," Leaven: Vol. 2 : Iss. 3 , Article 16. Available at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol2/iss3/16 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Leaven by an authorized editor of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. 46 Leaven, Summer1993Reese: The Origins of the Restoration Movement: An Intellectual History, Book ~ e= Reviews •.•.•0 ~Z > ~~. ~(1§3~ Z >'~ ~>C1~ () ~ Jack Reese, Editor ~ ~ ~~;;C= ~tz ~ ~=~~~r-.~ ~ ACHTEMEIER ~CRADDOCK ~ ~~~~=~~ Tr~~Z ~~ ..,-.; C1 LIPSCOMB BOOKSBOOKSBOOKSBOOKSBOOKSBOOKSBOOKSBOOKSBOOKSBOOKS The Second Incarnation: A Theology for the Church," "The Worship ofthe Church," and so on. 21st Century Church What Shelly and Harris promise instead is an ar- Rubel Shelly, Randall J. Harris ticulation of the church as the continuation of the Howard Publishing Company, 1992 ministry ofJesus - a second incarnation. The book asks the question''What if Jesus were a church?" It Shelly and Harris have done their readers a is their hope that this question will provide the great service by articulating in a thoughtful and theological energy for our tradition to move pur- readable way their thinking on the nature of the .posefully into the next century.
    [Show full text]
  • David F. Wright, "One Baptism Or Two? Reflections on the History Of
    David F. Wright, “One Baptism or Two? Reflections on the History of Christian Baptism,” Vox Evangelica 18 (1988): 7-23. One Baptism or Two? Reflections on the History of Christian Baptism The Laing Lecture for 1987. David F. Wright [p.7] I have no doubt that some of my audience have undergone two baptisms―two water baptisms, that is. They may not now regard their first one as a baptism, but such a nicety need not detain us at this stage. (After all, it was certainly baptism in the mind of all those involved at the time who were capable of judging, and would be so reckoned by the great consensus of Christian people down the centuries.) I am also confident that many of my listeners can immediately think of churches which they instinctively regard as outstanding when measured by recognized yardsticks, but most of whose baptisms are not in their view Christian baptisms. These congregations’ main form of baptism is not that of my presumed hearers, and so much the worse for that, since the latter’s is alone true Christian baptism. One baptism or two? Is the state of affairs I have conjured up a matter of great concern to evangelical Christians today? It is my conviction that it should be, and if this lecture achieves anything, I hope it will at least provoke some to reflect afresh on ‘the waters that divide’, as Donald Bridge and David Phypers entitle their helpful introduction to ‘the baptism debate’.1 For this split among us is a blatant affront to a cherished axiom of the Reformation―the perspicuity of the scriptures.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sacraments: a Bridge Or Barrier to Reunion?
    THE SACRAMENTS: A BRIDGE OR BARRIER TO REUNION? St. John's gospel, the mo t sacramental of the four, has been called a litur­ gical "Vademecum" for the faithful. Many sacramental themes in John are only now being appreciated because of a failure to read him as a Semite writing in the Semitic tradition which shaped its theology according to the symbols of saving history. But we scarcely need help from the exegetes to be aware that the Fourth Gospel places Christ's Last Discourse in a sacra­ mental, above all Eucharistic, setting. References to the Mission of the Paraclete and the Divine Indwelling, the Mystical Body explained in terms of the vine and branches, Christ's earnest prayer to the Father for the oneness of the disciples in Him as He is one in the Father, all are charged with the import of the Eucharistic Banquet which is here evaluated rather than described. Christ's Spirit The Protestant scholar, N eville Clark, has a caution perhaps as timely for Catholics as it is for Protestants when he deplores the contrast set up between Baptism as the Sacrament of the Spirit and the Eucharist as the Sacrament of Christ's reception. "To ignore either the Lord or the Spirit in the interpretation of the sacraments is, in the end, to deprive them of the fulness either of their personal, redemptive significance or their dy­ namic~ower. " 1 The sacraments are at once cosmic and personal, for Christ's humi nity, which was and is the instrument of salvation for all men, medi­ ates the imparting of the Spirit to the souls of individual men made one with Christ in the Spirit.
    [Show full text]
  • Martin Bucer and the Anabaptist Context of Evangelical Confirmation
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Faculty Publications, Department of History History, Department of 5-4-1994 Martin Bucer and the Anabaptist Context of Evangelical Confirmation Amy Nelson Burnett University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/historyfacpub Part of the History Commons Burnett, Amy Nelson, "Martin Bucer and the Anabaptist Context of Evangelical Confirmation" (1994). Faculty Publications, Department of History. 12. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/historyfacpub/12 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the History, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications, Department of History by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. MARTIN BUCER AmTHE ANAB Martin Bucer has long been called "the father of evangelied confir- mation" because of the ceremony he prescdbed for the territory of Hesse in 1539. After being called to Hesse by Landgrave Philip to combat the spread of Anahptisrar in his lds, Bucer drdtd both the Ziegenhain disciplinq ordinance, which gave the rationale and general procedure for co tion, and the Kassel church ordinance, which con~nedan agenda for the ceremony. Studies of Bucer's tion ceremony have freqmtly drawn aftention to Anabptist on the propal, that ifluence conning horn Anabaptists in both Strasbourg and Hesse? However, it is one thing to a that Anabaptisb inspired Bucer's proposal for confi tion; it is another to determine which Anabap- tists. Over the past two decades research on the "Radical Reforma- 'Amy Nelson Burnett is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln.
    [Show full text]
  • Toward an Anabaptist Theology of Baptism and Ecclesial Mediation
    By One Spirit into One Body: Toward an Anabaptist Theology of Baptism and Ecclesial Mediation By Anthony Gene Siegrist A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Wycliffe College and the Department of Theology of the Toronto School of Theology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Theology Awarded by Wycliffe College and the University of Toronto © Copyright by Anthony G. Siegrist, 2012 By One Spirit into One Body: Toward an Anabaptist Theology of Baptism and Ecclesial Mediation Anthony Gene Siegrist Doctor of Theology Wycliffe College of the University of Toronto 2012 Abstract The working Anabaptist theology of baptism suffers from a deficient account of divine action, especially as mediated through the church. The goal of this dissertation is to develop resources to remedy this weakness by drawing on elements of the sacramental theology and ecclesiology from the broader, mostly Protestant, tradition. The fact that communities professing to practice believers’ baptism actually baptize children is an important point of departure for this project. This aberration signals underlying confusion about the nature of the church and the relationship of the human and divine actions that form it. A construal of baptism that does not reduce it to rationalist testimony, abstract spiritualism, or the sum of its sociological parts is needed. Such an account can be developed by attending to the ways in which the church embodies the ongoing presence of Christ in the world and exists as a community accompanied by the Spirit through time. In line with this sacramental trajectory believers’ baptism can be understood as a participating witness.
    [Show full text]
  • Baptismal Controversy Between Anabaptists and City Reformers In
    KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 49 No. 3 Baptismal Controversy Between Anabaptists and City Reformers in the 16th Century Reformation, and Its Significance in the Development of the Reformed Tradition in Theology: Focused on Zwingli’s and Hubmaier’s Writings LEE Seung-Gap, Ph.D. Professor, Historical theology Hanil University and Theological Seminary, South Korea I. Preface Ii. Baptismal Controversies between Radicals and City Reformers Iii. Significance of Baptismal Controversies in the Development of the Reformed Tradition in Theology Iv. Conclusion Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 49 No. 3 (2017. 9), 165-197 DOI: 10.15757/kpjt.2017.49.3.007 166 KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 49 No. 3 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to reexamine the baptismal controversies between the first Anabaptists and the major city reformers such as Ulrich Zwingli in the early phase of the 16th century Reformation and to explicate the significance that those conflicts implied in the development of the tradition of Reformed Theology. The Reformation opened an era of the most remarkable liturgical revolution in the history of Christianity. As a radical movement, including all the aspects of spiritual, moral, and social renewal, the Anabaptism group contributed to the development of social, economic, and political thoughts, challenging the age of modern Europe, and, especially, as a religious movement, to the development of certain characteristic thoughts of Protestantism, in the sense that they challenged other mainline/magisterial reformers to concentrate their energies on articulating their own views and interpretations in the process of defending their developing positions against the radical voices.
    [Show full text]
  • Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements Don Fanning Liberty University, [email protected]
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Liberty University Digital Commons Liberty University DigitalCommons@Liberty University Trends and Issues in Missions Center for Global Ministries 2009 Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements Don Fanning Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgm_missions Recommended Citation Fanning, Don, "Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements" (2009). Trends and Issues in Missions. Paper 7. http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgm_missions/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Global Ministries at DigitalCommons@Liberty University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Trends and Issues in Missions by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Liberty University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Pentecostal/Charismatic Movements Page 1 Pentecostal Movement The first two hundred years (100-300 AD) The emphasis on the spiritual gifts was evident in the false movements of Gnosticism and in Montanism. The result of this false emphasis caused the Church to react critically against any who would seek to use the gifts. These groups emphasized the gift of prophecy, however, there is no documentation of any speaking in tongues. Montanus said that “after me there would be no more prophecy, but rather the end of the world” (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol II, p. 418). Since his prophecy was not fulfilled, it is obvious that he was a false prophet (Deut . 18:20-22). Because of his stress on new revelations delivered through the medium of unknown utterances or tongues, he said that he was the Comforter, the title of the Holy Spirit (Eusebius, V, XIV).
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of Early Anabaptism As Minority Religion in German Fiction
    Heresy or Ideal Society? A Study of Early Anabaptism as Minority Religion in German Fiction DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Ursula Berit Jany Graduate Program in Germanic Languages and Literatures The Ohio State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Professor Barbara Becker-Cantarino, Advisor Professor Katra A. Byram Professor Anna Grotans Copyright by Ursula Berit Jany 2013 Abstract Anabaptism, a radical reform movement originating during the sixteenth-century European Reformation, sought to attain discipleship to Christ by a separation from the religious and worldly powers of early modern society. In my critical reading of the movement’s representations in German fiction dating from the seventeenth to the twentieth century, I explore how authors have fictionalized the religious minority, its commitment to particular theological and ethical aspects, its separation from society, and its experience of persecution. As part of my analysis, I trace the early historical development of the group and take inventory of its chief characteristics to observe which of these aspects are selected for portrayal in fictional texts. Within this research framework, my study investigates which social and religious principles drawn from historical accounts and sources influence the minority’s image as an ideal society, on the one hand, and its stigmatization as a heretical and seditious sect, on the other. As a result of this analysis, my study reveals authors’ underlying programmatic aims and ideological convictions cloaked by their literary articulations of conflict-laden encounters between society and the religious minority.
    [Show full text]