The Latin Bible and language had been accepted as the official text for the Church. The problems with the Latin Bible are mostly due to misunderstanding. The Catholic Church defended itself against Protestantism by defining the Bible. The Council of Trent defined what books were the Bible and the it was at this council that the Apocrypha was declared Canonical.

CH504 Lesson 10

Mary and William invaded England and took control in 1688. Their takeover is called the Glorious Revolution. William and Mary gave Protestants religious freedom. Confessions of faith were drawn up in order to register with the State. In 1690, the Westminster Confession was made the official confession of the State for the first time. Scotland was set free to be Presbyterian. James II garnered an army and landed in Ireland. William defeated James in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. The modern Irish problem began at this point. The Pietists considered the essential thing in religion to be devotional life. The Moravians developed out of this group of Pietists. The Moravians instilled the idea that the experience of being born again in Christ is essential to the Christian life. In England there was a revival of salvation by works called Arminianism for the first time. Wesley began preaching in the open air markets. Methodists were so called because they followed Wesley's method. Whitefield preached during the Great Awakening. Jonathan Edwards was initially suspicious of Whitefield and his street preaching.

CH504 Lesson 37

Queen Elizabeth's guiding principle was comprehensiveness to keep as many happy as possible. The church she established was Calvinist. The Protestants accepted the Elizabethan Settlement. The basic problem for the English Reformation was its lack of discipline. The Books of Homilies were used in the Church of England. Lectureships were set up for newly trained preachers. Church ales were used for the repair of the church building. After Elizabeth's death, James VI issued a decree called the Book of Sports. The Puritans felt England was too liberal so they went to Holland and eventually settled and founded New England. The Puritans actually established religious tyranny because every aspect of life was controlled by the Church. The Puritans "tarried for the Magistrate" as they waited for a government change before more Church reform could happen. The Separatists in the 1590's wanted to break from the Church and State to see more immediate reforms. Consider that the Bible actually unites English speaking Protestants.

CH504 Lesson 34

Charles was executed for treason and became a martyr. Cromwell and Parliament could not manage the peace because not enough people believed they were legitimate. Richard Cromwell resigned after a short time. The army took over and brought back the king in 1660, Charles II. Charles II believed in toleration but also believed in law and order. It was at this time that the Anglican Church as we know it today came into being. Many people were fed up with fighting about religion. The idea formulated that the Bible should not be the basis for social life. Human reason was put in its place. In 1660, the Royal Society was formed for the advancement of science. Society members were not to discuss politics or religion at their meetings. John Locke was given the task of drawing up a constitution for a new colony in America. His colony was to be a model of tolerance and rational principles.

CH504 Lesson 36

In 1625, Charles I succeeded James VI upon his death. Charles was a man of high culture and persecuted people for wrong dress. He was more attracted to Catholicism than was wise for a person in his position. Charles married a French princess who was Catholic. In France, unlike England, there was a Protestant population. The Reformers were never able to seize control of the government in France. France was riven by civil war in the Wars of Religion for over 30 years. In 1598, Henry IV passed the Edict of Nantes granting toleration to French Protestants and was assassinated in 1610 by a Catholic fanatic. Four years after he became king, Charles I shut down Parliament and ruled on his own. During the 1630's he imposed his religious policies. Parliament decreed it would decide what the Church could and could not do. The Archbishop of Canterbury was arrested and jailed in 1641 and executed in 1645.

CH504 Lesson 35

At this point, the English Reformation started in a serious way. Cranmer permitted people to receive both the bread and wine in Communion and permitted clerical marriage. He wanted to introduce the idea of justification by faith. Cranmer rewrote the worship service adding justification by faith as he translated it into English. The Anglican Church makes worship a part of its doctrine. Protestants determined to dress like university professors with black gowns and academic hood. Queen "Bloody" Mary was determined to undo the Reformation. The Parliament accepted reunion with Rome. Mary fell ill and in desperation began to persecute, arrest, and burn Protestants at the stake. She sent ordinary people to burn at the stake and insisted the burnings take place publicly. Archbishop Cranmer was also sent to burn at the stake. Mary did more to discredit Catholicism than anything else and Protestantism acquired martyrs.

CH504 Lesson 32

Many Protestants from England fled to Frankfurt Germany. John Knox had gone to England because Scotland at the time was Catholic. Knox believed the Reformation could happen in Frankfurt. Knox wrote a tract against Queen Mary and her rule. Knox pushed through the Reformation while there was no regent living in Scotland. Queen Elizabeth resisted getting married so England would not become Catholic. The Pope excommunicated Queen Elizabeth since she did not marry and also directed true Catholics to conspire to assassinate her. Elizabeth was forced to persecute Catholics as traitors. Consider the irony of history in how Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth are remembered.

CH504 Lesson 33

This lecture follows the royal line of English kings through their efforts to gain politically in England, France and Spain. Enter the discussion on marriage and annulment with the convictions of what the Church taught at the time, Martin Luther, and those kings involved. Come to understand the reasons Henry VIII broke with the Roman Church.

CH504 Lesson 30

William Tyndale was born in 1494 and was in Oxford when Martin Luther's 95 Thesis was nailed up at Wittenburg. In England it was illegal to translate the Bible. Tyndale began to translate the New Testament into English under Luther's direction. He put more emphasis on the Covenant in his Bible preferences. Tyndale is the Father of the English Bible but was never recognized as such. The Reformation in England was a king's policy, not a popular theological movement. Henry VIII would not compromise on clerical celibacy and Transubstantiation. Henry VIII insisted that an English Bible be put in every church so that people could read it. Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury was sympathetic to Reformed ideas. Anne of Cleves, a Protestant, was chosen for Henry VIII as wife to secure the Reformation in England. Henry VIII burned Protestants at the stake for not believing in Transubstantiation. Henry then married Catherine Howard who was Catholic and was executed for treason a few years later.

CH504 Lesson 31

England was different from other countries partly due to its island geography. The king controlled what went on in the country and was able to tax regularly to raise revenue. Follow the intrigue and conflicts of the royal throne and its connection to the Church.

CH504 Lesson 29

It stops at the Glorious Revolution, which is odd for a reformation and modern class.

Is this only the first half?

Church History II

Menno Simons (1496-1561) established closed communities. He laid down very strict rules for marriage. Shunning was the Mennonite equivalent of excommunication. When Rutgers' wife would not leave him during a marriage crisis, the Mennonite camp was split. The liberal side of the Mennonites were seen to be compromising with the world. The persecution caused them to flee and Russia became the place to go for most of the persecuted Mennonites. One group of Mennonites lived in a part of Holland known as Waterland. The Waterlanders were the most tolerant and liberal of the Mennonites. They were prepared to enter into commercial and social relations with outsiders. John Smyth and Thomas Helwys were prominent leaders for the Baptists. They became the ancestors of General Baptists, the ancestors of contemporary Baptists today. In 1638 the Particular Baptists formed, holding also to believer's Baptism. The Particular Baptists, strongly Calvinistic in theology, did not evangelize. By the end of the 17th Century, Particular Baptists were more numerous than the General Baptists. Modern Baptists descend from the English Baptists. Roger Williams of Rhode Island believed in freedom of religion. Rhode Island was the only place in the world that did not have a State Church. At that time, separation of Church and State was inconceivable. The result was that Rhode Island was thought to have no moral basis and became a safe haven for criminals. Without consensus, there could not be a social order. Religious tolerance was invented in Western Europe in the 18th Century among Christian groups to tolerate each other.

CH504 Lesson 23

What does it mean to live the Christian life? Half of John Calvin's Institutes are devoted to the Christian life. Bucer held that a person was sanctified by grace through faith. He had to find a middle way on the sacramental question. Luther believed at baptism, the Holy Spirit went into that person's life. In Communion, Luther believed Christ is received into the person's life. Luther's view of the Sacraments caused people to ask why they did not always make Christians. Zwingli held that the Sacraments were a witness to others. Zwingli denied the Sacraments work the way Luther believed because spirit and matter do not coalesce in that way. His view caused people to ask why the sacraments were necessary. The result were those such as the Anabaptists (re-baptizers) who rejected infant baptism.

CH504 Lesson 16

The Anabaptists grew out of a reaction to the teaching of Zwingli. Anabaptists can be traced back to Millenarianism which had existed in the early Church. Joachim da Fiore brought Millenarianism back to life in the 12th Century. The Millenarianists viewed the illegitimate Popes as the antichrist after Joachim died and the papacy was moved to Rome. The Brethren of the Common Life was a family enterprise and were not monastic. They created an alternative society. Anabaptists viewed pacifism as a necessary part of opting out of society and were persecuted because they appeared to be socially disruptive. Thomas Muntzer and Jan Leiden saw the community of simple people in brotherly love as a signal for social reform. Leiden took over the town of Munster, Germany in 1534 AD and renamed it the New Jerusalem. He introduced communism and free love in his city. Consider that there is a parallel between 16th century Anabaptism and early 20th century communism in Russia.

CH504 Lesson 22

Calvin taught the work of Christ in the context of Prophet, Priest, and King. Because of Christ, the principles of Christian life can be seen in the Old Testament. The wilderness journey of the people of Israel is identified with the Christian life. Calvin's view is called the Third Use of the Law. The death of Christ made a full, perfect satisfaction for sin. There is no sin so bad that Jesus cannot forgive. A new relationship with God is the basis of our assurance as Christians. Our assurance is based on the reconciliation we have with God in Christ. When reconciled to Christ, the Christian can sin without losing his salvation because of a right relationship with Christ.

CH504 Lesson 24

Did Christ die for sins or sinners? If you believe he died for sins, then you have to be a Universalist. If you believe that he died for sinners, then you have to believe in limited atonement.  Consider that If Jesus has died for you, you cannot resist the sovereignty of God. Jacobus Arminius held that it is possible to fall in and out of grace. He believed that people are not totally depraved but have free will. The Calvinist Church in Holland became alarmed when Arminius' followers pushed his views forward after his death. The Council of Dort met in 1618 to deal with Arminianism. The Council determined five things that determine the Reformed faith: Total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints (TULIP).

CH504 Lesson 25

The Roman Church and the Pope in Rome were under threat due to the Reformation. The idea that reform was needed penetrated into Rome. The Council of Trent met off and on from 1545 -1563. The Protestants refused to go for fear of their arrest for heresy and that they would be burned at the stake. The Council determined that Scripture and Tradition are equal and parallel authorities. They determined that the Latin Bible was to be the only official text. The Apocrypha was declared to be canonical Scripture for the first time. Protestants had objected because these books do not appear in Hebrew. The Latin Vulgate used at the time contained mistakes.

CH504 Lesson 26

The Council of Trent determined that justification is not by faith alone but faith plus works The Catholic Church determined the Sacraments take effect if properly administered. Ex opereoperato (the work which is done) is the effectual use of the Sacraments producing a Christian. The Sacrament for Protestants is not automatically effective - it depends on the grace of God and work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of believers. For the Catholic Church, the Pope must be obeyed as the Commander-in-Chief over the Church put in place by God. The centrality of the Mass in the service was to unite all Catholics. The Catholic Church was able to say and still says today they are universal.

CH504 Lesson 27

The aim of the Council of Trent was to impose discipline on the Church generally. One problem was the secular states of Europe had to agree to ratify the decisions of the Council of Trent. France never ratified the decisions of the Council.  An effect of the persecution of scientists such as Galileo was that Catholic countries ceased to be Intellectually productive. The reform of the calendar by the Council of Trent was accepted. Pope Gregory XIII instituted the Gregorian calendar which replaced the Julian calendar and caused future discrepancies within the dating system.

CH504 Lesson 28

Calvin taught that the Trinity must be understood as a community of Persons bound together in love. He held that the presence of the Holy Spirit in one's life is a full experience of God. It is possible to be spiritual without being godly. There is no aspect of life not to be consecrated to the service of God.

CH504 Lesson 20

Calvin in many ways shifted the pattern of theological discourse. The Cross for Calvin was Christ fulfilling His Covenant offices. The name Christ means "The Anointed One". The three type of people anointed in the Old Testament were prophets, priests, and kings. No one is found in the Old Testament anointed in all three offices. These offices are fulfilled in Christ.

CH504 Lesson 21

Consider that Luther was primarily concerned with salvation. Zwingli's concern was the sovereignty of God. He worked with the town council in Zurich to bring about social change. Zwingli believed that with the new life in Christ, society should change. Martin Bucer also played a key part in the Reformation. Bucer developed a Protestantism that was influenced by both Luther and Zwingli.

CH504 Lesson 15

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