A History of Christian Theology
Class Notes #13 –
Chapters 16 & 17
- O God, who hast sent thy beloved Son to be unto us the Way, the Truth and the Life, Grant that we, looking unto him, may set forward the teaching power of thy Church, to the nurture of thy people, the increase of thy Kingdom, and the glory of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
- Recap last class –
January 17, 2007 - Denominationalism
- What fosters religious diversity in the
US
i. The ‘
ii. In
- Schism and the American Supermarket of Religion.
i. A new synthesis – groups pick from varying theologies, ecclesiologies and liturgical practices.
ii. The birth and death of denominations
- The Great Awakening
- Jonathan Edwards
- Defended extreme Calvinism and the Revivalism spawned by Whitefield’s Great Awakening.
- Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"
i. The wrath of God burns against them, their damnation does not slumber; the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them; the flames do now rage and glow.
It is no security to wicked men for one moment, that there are no visible means of death at hand. It is no security to a natural man, that he is now in health, and that he does not see which way he should now immediately go out of the world by any accident, and that there is no visible danger in any respect in his circumstances. The manifold and continual experience of the world in all ages, shows this is no evidence, that a man is not on the very brink of eternity, and that the next step will not be into another world. The unseen, unthought-of ways and means of persons going suddenly out of the world are innumerable and inconceivable. Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen. The arrows of death fly unseen at noon-day; the sharpest sight cannot discern them. God has so many different unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and sending them to hell, that there is nothing to make it appear, that God had need to be at the expense of a miracle, or go out of the ordinary course of his providence, to destroy any wicked man, at any moment. All the means that there are of sinners going out of the world, are so in God's hands, and so universally and absolutely subject to his power and determination, that it does not depend at all the less on the mere will of God, whether sinners shall at any moment go to hell, than if means were never made use of, or at all concerned in the case..
God has laid himself under no obligation, by any promise to keep any natural man out of hell one moment. God certainly has made no promises either of eternal life, or of any deliverance or preservation from eternal death, but what are contained in the covenant of grace, the promises that are given in Christ, in whom all the promises are yea and Amen. But surely they have no interest in the promises of the covenant of grace who are not the children of the covenant, who do not believe in any of the promises, and have no interest in the Mediator of the covenant..
- Deism also expanded
- Was rational
- Rejected miracles and other “irrational” dogmas (Trinity, resurrection, Virgin Birth etc).
- Tended to be most popular amongst the educated elite.
- Geographic impacts of the American Frontier
- Charles Finney and the Second Great Awakening
i. Tended more towards anti-intellectualism
ii. Emotionalism
iii. Altar Call – making an affirmative response to God.
iv. Rejected and denied Edwards’ Calvinism
v. “Works” - Quote – pp 263 (green)
- Cultural and political fabric of the
US
i. The dispersed nature of frontier population and the overall lack of training (especially of those called to serve as clergy) meant that belief was less influenced by traditional (historical) understanding of the faith.
1. This facilitated the spread of sects and cults
a. Christian
i. Seventh Day Adventists
b. Non-Christian
i. Mormonism
ii. Jehovah’s Witnesses (Millerite’s)
- Christianity and American Slavery
- Biblical justifications –
i. Genesis -27 - And he said, Cursed be
Christians traditionally believed that
ii. A misunderstanding of Scripture – its history is frequently “descriptive”, NOT “prescriptive”.
- Earliest Christians had frequently opposed Christianity (Polycarp and Ignatius in the 1st and 2nd centuries).
- God’s grace is shown in that the slaves managed to hear the Gospel of Christ through the preaching of their masters! (pp 268)
Seventh Day Adventists
· Beliefs and Practices
The core of the Adventist tradition is basically conservative Protestantism. They profess "the Bible and the Bible alone" as the basis for all their doctrines. The most distinctive features setting SDAs apart from other conservative Protestants includes their belief in Christ's soon return, sabbatarianism and a strong emphasis in a healthful lifestyle.
Second Coming
Although SDAs have changed from their initial position of time setting to the belief that no one knows the time or day, they still profess that the second coming of Christ is imminent. They believe that it will be literal, personal, visible and worldwide.
Sabbath
SDAs are most set apart from other Protestant religious traditions by their observance of the Sabbath on Saturday. Observance is from Friday evening to Saturday evening is a celebration of God's creative and redemptive acts.
- Healthful Lifestyle
SDAs believe their bodies to be the temples of the Holy Spirit. They avoid unclean meats, alcoholic drinks, smoking and nonmedical drug use. - Ellen White
They believe that the gift of prophecy was to continue beyond the Biblical canon to the end of earth's history. - Baptism by immersion
- Remnant
Believers in Christ make up the universal church. - Investigative Judgment
Christ has entered the investigative judgment, part of the ultimate disposition of all sin. - Death & Resurrection
Death is an unconscious state for all people. Jesus described it as similar to sleep. There are two resurrections when the dead will be brought back to life. The righteous are resurrected at the second Advent of Christ and the unrighteous are resurrected a thousand years later.
Jehovah’s Witness
Beliefs
Although Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs come from the Protestant and Adventist tradition, they do hold many beliefs that set themselves apart. The following are some key beliefs that make them different:
Jehovah God: Their God is the God of the Old Testament - all-powerful, all-knowing, and everlasting.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the Trinity. Jesus is fully human. The Holy Spirit is an active force which intervenes for God on earth. All the above mentioned are separate entities.
Satan, the Devil: Satan is seen as an enemy of God.
Man: Jehovah's Witnesses accept the Genesis account of the fall of man. They also believe that man's soul is mortal - i.e. that when a person dies, his spirit (or soul) dies as well. Some will experience eternal life when they are resurrected, in the flesh and soul, simultaneously.
Salvation: "[B]elievers...will be saved to eternal life only if they continue to adhere to all of God's requirements...Those losing faith in Jesus also lose everlasting life." (Watchtower, 09/15/89.).
Heaven: Heaven is where Jesus Christ and the other "True Christians" will live. There they will rule over the kingdom which will be on earth. Seats are limited: only 144,000 will gain access to heaven.
Hell: Hell is non-existent for the Jehovah's Witnesses. There is not a fiery-torment, claims Russell, because it runs contradictory to God's loving nature. Those who don't qualify for heaven or the kingdom that will be established on earth will simply disappear, as if they had never existed.
The Great Crowd: These are the subjects of the kingdom ruled by Jesus and the 144,000. They will live forever on the new earth if they have chosen to obey God.
Holidays: Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, or any other holidays (save one). The one day they do celebrate, however, is the Memorial of Christ's Death during Passover.
Mormonism
The key belief of the LDS church is that they represent a restoration to the Earth of the original Christian church, which was abandoned through the apostasy during the early centuries of the Christian era.
LDS members believe the Trinity is one in purpose, but separate in being.
Another unique belief held by the Latter-Day Saints is that continual revelation occurs (ninth Article of Faith) and is, indeed, an important part of their faith.
It is the firm belief of the members of the Church that they are the "spiritual offspring" of God the Eternal Father and that all people lived as spirit beings with God in a premortal life.
This Plan of Salvation is that all children of God could experience a physical existence, including mortality, and then would be able to return to live in his presence for all eternity.
Life on Earth serves several purposes, the main one being that it is a "test" to determine if people are worthy to return to live with God.
After completion of life on Earth, Mormons believe that the spiritual body separates from the physical one and enters the Spirit World. It is here where the person is "judged" and it is determined if he or she is worthy to live with God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, for all eternity.
LDS members do not believe that if one is judged worthy, he or she is automatically placed into the familiar notion of "Heaven." Rather, they believe that people are placed into one of three "degrees of glory" in the afterlife, which commensurate with the laws they have obeyed on Earth: the Telestial , Terrestial and Celestial
The
The highest degree of glory, and the one LDS members strive to reach, is the
Members are typically baptized at the age of eight, although the age obviously differs for those who convert later in their life. The Aaronic Priesthood is first conferred upon boys at age twelve, and they are ordained to the office of Deacon. They pass the sacrament after it has been administered (blessed) by the priests. At fourteen young men are ordained to the office of Teacher. They prepare the sacrament and teach the Gospel. At sixteen they are ordained to the office of Priest. As Priests, they have the authority to Baptist and administer (bless the Sacrament. After eighteen, the Melchezedek Priesthood may be conferred upon them. The Malchizedek Priesthood has the authority to give the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. The Aaronic Priesthood may be understood as an appendage to the Melchezedek Priesthood and performs the lower ordinances of the Gospel. Each successive office of the priesthood has the power and authority to perform ordinances of the lower offices (Doctrines and Covenants , Section 20, verses 38 to 60).
Another unique belief held by LDS members is that of baptism for the dead.
Along with these beliefs, LDS members adhere to a strict set of moral codes. They abide by the "Word of Wisdom" which prohibits the use of illegal drugs, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, tea and coffee. Young men and women are strongly encouraged to be honest and chaste; all members must abstain from premarital sex, pornography, foul language and gambling. Members also pay tithing, or 10% of their income; strict adherence to this principle has made the Mormon church one of the wealthiest in the world.
The church has no paid clergy; rather, people are called to various positions and must fulfill their duties in their spare time. Currently, there are 53,000 missionaries in 160 countries.
Because of its tremendous growth (it is the fastest growing major denomination in the world today), it is beginning to gain acceptance by more and more people. If the current growth rate continues, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may become the fourth major monotheistic denomination (the other three being Christianity, Judaism and the Islamic faith).
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