NCMI TRAINING MANUAL DEVELOPMENT AND DYNAMICS OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY Part 2 By Ian McKellar, Adapted by Leschenne D. Honiball This document may be duplicated whole, or in part, in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio) without express written permission, providing it is not used for commercial purposes. Development and Dynamics of Christian Theology in History (1500 - Modern Day) HISTORY LESSON ―History repeats itself. Has to, no one listens.‖ - Steve Turner ―…my people are destroyed for their lack of knowledge‖ Hosea 4:6 INTRODUCTION Church History is a most exciting subject. It teaches us so many things that would be difficult to learn in any other way. We must learn the patterns of history so that we do not keep on repeating the mistakes of the past and can begin to sow good seed so that we can reap the revivals of the future. In the Church today there is a great lack of the foundations of the faith; there is a great lack of the foundations of the faith; there is a great lack of understanding of where we have come from. Therefore it is difficult to see where we are going. Francis Schaeffer said, ―There is a flow to history and culture.‖ Once we begin to see and understand this flow we can begin to rise up with new faith for what God is doing in our day and for what God has promised in the future. In this course of Church History, there are four things we would like to highlight. Once you have finished the course, we trust that you have understood and gripped these four things: 1. A Flow to History Galatians 6 speaks of sowing and reaping. Whatever we sow will produce a harvest, either for good or for evil. History is the most wonderful system to study, to understand the harvest that is produced from both good and bad doctrine being taught, from good and bad models, from good and bad leaders. We want to study history and Scripture so that we can reap a good harvest. Observing a timeline of this period, one can see a good example of the flow of history: The Pendulum effect in History. Given the trends observed in history and plotting them on the timeline, it is reasonable to predict the pendulum swing from Pentecostalism to the over-reaction of much of the New Age movement, Gnosticism, etc. 2. God‘s Timing God‘s timing is perfect. We need to understand from the flow of history that God gives divine opportunities at different times. As we study 2 history we see windows of opportunity opening up for God‘s people; if these opportunities are taken, a great thrust forward results; where these opportunities are missed, God‘s people seem to go through the wilderness for another season until the day of opportunity comes once again. We must learn to perceive God‘s opportunity so that we can go ahead when God opens the door. 3. Leadership As we study history, we see that God always uses men and women to forcefully lead and to take His people out of darkness into light. We can be greatly inspired and encourage ourselves to become better leaders, so that God can use us to do greater things. We also learn that Church government and structure are vitally important in order for the Church to become all that God has destined. 4. Theology It is good to understand that our present day theology is rooted in history. Theology is looking to see what God is doing, and God has been doing different things throughout the history of the Church. God remains the same, but His times and seasons change. God has been restoring truths back to the Church, so as we study Church history we get an understanding of theology and how it fits into the bigger picture of God‘s plan. We need to study in order to get to know God and draw close to Him; the study of Church History is like reading a modern day book of Acts where we see the acts of the Holy Spirit and the acts of God‘s people once again demonstrated throughout the history of the Church. In this course we will study the following: Key players in the Reformation The Great Awakening (England and America) The Pentecostal Movement The Charismatic and Restoration Movements We have been destined for great things and the study of God‘s past working with His Church will encourage us to pray and believe for greater things in the future. 3 UNIT ONE THE CHURCH IN REFORMATION 1517 Learning Outcomes: (1) Identify the main forerunners to the Reformation. (2) Understand the importance of the Reformation to the history of the Church. (3) Identify the specific players within the Reformation movement. (4) Demonstrate and understand the key elements of the Reformation. 1.1 FORERUNNERS TO THE REFORMATION The Reformation was a wide-ranging movement of religious renewal in Europe concentrated in the sixteenth century but anticipated by earlier reform initiatives – e.g., by Waldensians in the Alpine regions, Wycliffe and Lollardy in England, and Husites in Bohemia. 1.1.1 Peter Waldo Peter Waldo was one of the most effective of the pre-Lutheran Reformers. He was a wealthy merchant of Lyons, France, who sold most of his holdings in 1176 and gave the proceeds to the poor. Within a year or so, he was joined by others, men and women, who called themselves the ―Poor in spirit,‖ and started a travelling ministry of preaching repentance and living from the handouts of listeners. In 1184, Pope Lucius III excommunicated them for their disobedience to the Church. This act brought them many supporters, and the movement spread into southern France, Italy, Spain, the Rhine Valley, and Bohemia. It is difficult to know whether all the individuals known as Waldensians were part of the movement or whether contemporary Roman Catholic opponents simply used the descriptive term for those radical individuals opposing the official Church. The true Waldensians took the New Testament as a rule of faith and life and appear to have used it in a rather legalistic sense. They went out two by two, wearing simple clothing, and preaching repentance. They frequently engaged in fasting and lived on the gifts of others. They rejected purgatory and masses and prayers for the dead, and held to the necessity of using vernacular translations of Scripture. 4 They insisted on the right of both laymen and laywomen to preach, but they did have an organisation with bishops, priests, and deacons. Perhaps it should be noted that Waldo seems never to have become fully evangelical. But in pointing to the Scripture as the source of religious truth, he opened the door for his followers to become truly evangelical. The Waldensians were severely persecuted for centuries. Part of the reason for their widespread distribution in Europe was that they were driven from their homeland. They are the only late medieval separatist group to survive to the present, though of course numerous changes in organisation and teaching have taken place among them. 1.1.2 John Wycliffe John Wycliffe (1330–1384) was a Biblical reformer. He also worked in Bible translation, and it was largely through his influence that the first English version was produced. Though he personally translated or supervised translation of parts of the Bible, the entire version was not completed until after his death. Without doubt, its widespread use had an influence on the development of the English language. After 1375 Wycliffe‘s reforming views developed rapidly. Pope Gregory XI condemned him in 1377 for his efforts, but he was protected by some of the nobles. Wycliffe‘s most influential characteristics were at least threefold: His intense patriotism. His deep piety. The belief of many that he had no scholarly equal in England. Decrees of the Pope were not infallible except as based on Scripture. The clergy were not to rule, but to serve and help people. Eventually he To Wycliffe, reached the conclusion that Christ, and not the Scripture, which he Pope, was the head of the Church; in fact, the interpreted literally, Pope, if he were too eager for worldly power, was the sole authority might even be regarded as the Antichrist. for the believer. Ultimately he came to repudiate the entire papal system. Moreover, he condemned the dogma of purgatory and the use of relics, pilgrimages, and indulgences. He seems to have been deeply influenced by St. Augustine. It is not clear how evangelical Wycliffe was personally, but under the influence of Biblical teaching, his followers increasingly moved in that direction. The followers of Wycliffe were suppressed by force in 1401. Thereafter those who held his views went underground and no doubt helped to prepare the way for the Lutheran and Calvinistic teachings that invaded Britain about a century later. Bohemians studying at Oxford in Wycliffe‘s day carried his ideas to their homeland, where they influenced the teachings of John Hus. 5 1.1.3 John Hus John Hus (1372–1415) was a professor of philosophy at the University of Prague and a preacher at Bethlehem Chapel. Hus‘ approach was similar to that of Wycliffe, however, his influence on the Continent was greater. It should be remembered that Luther was greatly impressed with the reformer from Prague. Hus‘ great work was entitled On the Church. In it he stated that all the elect are members of Christ‘s Church, of which Christ is head, not the Pope. He argued against the buying and selling of spiritual or Church related things, indulgences, and abuses of the mass.