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Revivalism emphasizes definable turning
points
in a Christian’s life as essential.
"Every tradition has to renew itself from time to
time
in order to address the pressing issues of the day and offer
the
kind of practices that are needed for renewal."
Thich Nhat Hanh
Protestant Christian Holiness movements
Puritanism
emphasis on adherence to biblical scripture
and
the right to
dissent from the established religious institution
Pietism
emphasis on the spiritual life of the
individual,
coupled with a responsibility to live an upright life
Quietism
emphasis on individual ability to
experience
God and understand the
Will of God for
oneself
Methodism
In Protestantism there has been an evolution and a mixing of
Protestant theological belief
systems that has resulted in a continually splintering, changing,
regrouping and evolving Christian theology.
Calvinism emphasizes
God's rule over all
things.
The Reformed tradition of John Calvin held that as a
consequence of the fall of man,
every person born into reality is
enslaved to the
flesh.
Individuals are inclined to reject God's ethics
to serve their own
interests.
Calvinists believe attainment of heaven not based on
virtue, merit or faith but is
unconditionally grounded in
God's mercy
expressed as absolution.
The saving grace of God is
effectually applied to those whom God has pre-determined to save.
Once truly saved always saved.
Anglicanism1552
Calvinist thought
reached its zenith of its influence in the Anglican Church during the reign of
Edward VI first as Forty-Two Articles of Religion found in the Book of Common
Prayer.
1563 Reduced to Thirty-Nine
Articles of Religion.
1571 Adherence to the
Thirty-Nine Articles made a legal requirement by the English
Parliament.
Anglicanism, in its structures, theology and
forms of worship, is
understood as a distinct tradition representing a middle ground between Roman
Catholicism and Protestantism.
ArminianismArminianism is a school of soteriological thought in Protestant
Christian theology founded by the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius. Its
acceptance stretches through much of mainstream Protestantism.
Arminianists believe that individuals are
naturally unable to make any
effort towards salvation, salvation is possible by grace
alone, works of human effort cannot cause or contribute to salvation, God's
elects (choses those to be saved) which is conditional upon faith in ,
Christ's atonement was for all people,
God allows his grace to be
resisted by those unwilling to believe, salvation can be lost as continued
salvation is conditional upon continued faith in Christ as
the personification of
God.
Quietism
1650 George
Fox is imprisoned for blasphemy
which begins the Quietism revival.
A judge mocks George Fox's
exhortation to "tremble at the Word of the Lord", calling
George Fox and his followers
"Quakers".
1653 George Fox is imprisoned and
it is requested that he be put to death.
Parliament requests his
release rather than "a young man die for
religion".
George Fox is taken to London for a meeting with the
Lord Protector.
Fox affirms he has no intention to take up arms and is
able to speak about the differences between the Anglicans and the Friends.
Fox suggests Oliver Cromwell listen to
God's voice and obey
it.
This is "speaking truth to
power".
"It will be found an unjust and unwise jealousy to deprive
a man of his natural liberty upon
a supposition that he
may abuse it." - Oliver Cromwell
By "speaking truth to power" -
simple ideas related with plain
speech - George Fox pursued social justice.
1654 George Fox is imprisoned in London.
1656
George Fox is imprisoned in Launceston.
1660 and
1663 George Fox is imprisoned in Lancaster.
1666 George Fox is imprisoned in Scarborough.
1674 George Fox is imprisoned in Worcester.
Quakers
repeatedly fell foul of laws forbidding unauthorized worship.
George Fox often emphasised the Quaker rejection of baptism by water; a
useful way of highlighting the focus of Friends
on inward
transformation.
This differed from what he saw as
the superstition of outward
ritual.
George Fox's theology in his words:
Let no man speak in an unknown
tongue.
Let no one be put to death for chattel, for
money or any outward thing.
Let all these things be taken away, he that
will not speak a few words to his neighbor without money, freely without end,
or reward, or bribery,
and so bring it to a free Nation, and so a free people by the
Power of God.
Let no one that is high, proud, or
lofty, envious or scornful bear Office, for
he will turn the sword backward
and do Satan's work.
For they that are hasty, proud in a
mad blind zeal will turn the sword against the just.
Let no law be,
but that man may ask a question.
If it be a free Nation, let it be
free.
Let none be persecuted and imprisonment
as vagabonds who are moved by God to speak abroad the
Word of God freely and
faithfully.
Let none
lie long in prison, for that is the way to spoil people, and to make more
thieves, for there they learn wickedness together.
Let all this money, and stipends, and
tithes, and hour-glasses for preaching by the hour be taken away from men, who
make a trade of the Scripture.
Let all worship
God in selflessness not in
selfishness.
Let all the Burying the dead for money, and Marrying for money,
and Christening for money, and Churching of women for money, let all these
things be swept away, and let the Nation be a free Nation.
Let no man
bear the sword in violence, or accuse any man falsely.
Let no Judge, nor Justice,
nor Sheriff that is ambitious, highminded, bear rule, for such do not
stand in awe of God which
is the beginning of the wisdom
with which they should order
the Creation to the Glory of God.
They are out of the meek state and
humility, and doing
justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly before God, and they are
aroma in the nostrils of
God.
Let all preaching
for money and singing for money be laid aside.
Let not
preaching be a trade, nor
the Word of God made merchandise of.
Methodism1738 John Wesley, an Anglican minister, begins preaching the
precepts of Methodism which leads to the Methodist revival.
John Wesley
intensely studied the Church Fathers and Eastern Orthodox Church.
He
attended Moravian meetings, heard a sermon of Dr. John Heylyn and seriously
studied Christian religious sects.
John Wesley expressed strong
disagreement with the doctrines of election and reprobation teaching that
individual efforts towards
holiness of heart and life could bring a
truly holy and loving Christian to salvation.
The evangelistic
teaching of John Wesley incorporated and melded Arminianist doctrine, Calvinist
doctrine and Anglican doctrine as represented in the Thirty-Nine Articles of
Religion for use by American Methodists in the 18th century.
Wesley saw
doctrine must be rational as faith and reason
are synonymous.
John Wesley defined the witness of the
Spirit of God
as:
"an inward impression on the
soul, whereby the Spirit
of God directly testifies to an
individual's spirit that
they are indeed children
of God."
John Wesley saw a person must believe
Word of God for himself or herself -
intercession was ineffective as redemption occurs only in
a contrite heart.
John
Wesley's strength lay in his ability to combine seemingly opposing theological
stances backed up by a
reasonable interpretation of scripture.
He was very good at
dialectism.
John Wesley's evangelical theology, grounded firmly in
sacrament, was his promotion of what he termed "Christian perfection," or
holiness of heart.
John Wesley insisted that in this life, the Christian
could come to a state where the
Agápe, or
perfect compassion, reigned supreme in one's heart.
To be made perfect
in compassion meant that a Christian could live with a primary guiding regard
for others and their welfare - "to love your neighbor as you love
yourself.".
This parallels the philosophy of
Siddhartha
Gautama.
Pentecostal denominations are descended from Methodism and
the Methodist Holiness Movement.
Pentecostal soteriology is generally
Arminian rather than Calvinist.
"Surely it is
obvious, to those who wish to see and have had their eyes
enlightened by
Christ, that the
professing church, Christendom, has become nothing more than a very successful
business, reaping huge profits into
the coffers of those who, wandering off the garden path,
have been enticed by a desire for fame, fortune and universal
acceptance.
They have turned the Father's house into nothing more than a
house of
merchandise and are utilizing the secular world's resources and the secular
world's methods to achieve what they believe to be spiritual success.
The corporation churches, in the same manner as the corporations of the
secular world, have definite characteristics that are clearly observable.
They are human initiated and
governed, management-based, profit-oriented, success-driven,
client-friendly, product-focused (programs and services), and
image conscious. " -
Hugh Skyborn |
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