Denominational
Developments:
Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists
by Rit NosotroChange Over Time essay
Examine the obvious doctrinal changes of some key protestant denominations starting from the Reformation up to today.
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Summary:
Reform » Reformation = To become formed again. To make a change for the better.
In historical terms, The Reformation began on October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 – thesis onto the door of a Catholic Church. Many historians believe that The Reformation has overshadowed other important reformations which followed and proceeded to The Reformation. But The Protestant Reformation was very important nonetheless. The purpose of this time sought to "reform" Christianity by returning it to original beliefs based solely on reference to the Bible, eliminating later additions which accumulated in tradition. During this period, the Roman Catholic church lost the hold that it had maintained on the European people throughout the Dark Ages. People wanted to read scripture instead of blindly obeying church doctrine and tradition. Men and women read the Bible for themselves and, once they did, questions were raised about the Catholic doctrines which had dominated their spiritual lives. From this era came the Protestants.
Protest » Protestant = To express strong dissent or objection.
This is exactly what these people did: they objected to the teachings of the Roman Catholic church. The following essay will give a briefing over The Reformation’s effect and how it influenced the birth and growth of protestant denominations. Since there are hundreds of religious denominations, this essay will only be discussing four which were linked very closely to The Reformation itself. We are not trying to imply that one denomination is greater, or better, than the other, it is simply a list of necessity.
Since Martin Luther played a vital role in The Protestant Reformation, let’s begin with the denomination named after him: Lutheranism. It was founded, obviously, by Martin Luther, a scholarly monk who was troubled by the corruption of the Catholic Church. He posted a 95 – thesis on the Church door which discussed some of the doctrinal errors he uncovered through scripture. Among these, he mentioned and disagreed with the Pope’s supremacy in the church and of the right of priests to forgive sins (a mercy which only God can rightfully bestow). By 1530, the Lutherans were creating their own “confessions of faith” and started to become more independent among the non-Lutheran reform parties. By 1580, these confessions started to become rigid, scholastic expressions which were created to formally define the church. Since then, Lutheranism has been known as a doctrinal and almost dogmatic church. And not everyone was willing to stay and try to change the doctrines of the Lutherans. So in the late 17th century, a movement appeared out of Lutheranism and it was called pietism. This group stressed the importance of devotion, prayer circles, reading the Bible, and acts of love. They believed the same beliefs as the Lutherans, but went about their religion with a more kind-hearted and warm approach. Over the years, the Lutherans have also put more of their energies into charity, welfare, and evangelical tasks. This was fed by their belief in the evil’s permanence in the powers of the world which is under sin’s influence.
Baptists are one of the largest protestant denominations today, but their beginning was a persecuted one. Due to the many different forms of the Baptist denomination, some Baptists do not agree on their origins. An interesting fact about this denomination is that they did not call themselves “Baptists” until the 17th century. Before then, they consisted of groups which bore no true name. These nameless groups originated with those who were known as the “Anabaptists”. The Anabaptists were nameless as well for they did not call themselves “Anabaptists”. This title was given in a derogatory way by Catholics and other Protestants. Also, this denomination may have formed before the 16th century (before The Reformation). These Anabaptists separated themselves from the Catholic church for several reasons. They rejected infant baptism and the idea of a union between Church and State. Once separated, the Anabaptists were noted for not practicing baptism through immersion, but through effusion (pouring water on head and body). The Anabaptists gave rise to many denominations including the following: Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, Moravians, and the Baptists. Most of these denominations formed when a leader would challenge a method of the Anabaptists group and then leave, taking followers with them. The Baptists were such a case. Earlier they were known to practice effusion alone, but, today, the domanate denomination of Southern Baptist churches practice only baptism by immersion.
Methodism was first introduced in Oxford, England by John and Charles Wesley in 1729. The two brothers were attending college and started a “Holy Club” among ordained clergymen of the Church of England. They wanted to help Christians by emphasizing the conduct of life and religion by rule and method. This goal soon led to the name “Methodists” and it was first used in way of derision. John and Charles remained members of the Church of England throughout their lives. It was not their goal to create another denomination, but simply a religious movement. After John died in 1791, the Methodists separated themselves from the Church of England. However, they soon split into little fragments. A major division occurred between the 1870s and 1880s over the matter of sanctification. Some Methodists still believed in the teachings of John Wesley in that a true Christian will lead a life marked by visible perfection and may even reach a state of more perfection. This “path towards perfection” was supposed to be gradual, but some believed it to be an instantaneous event called a “second blessing” after converting to Christ. Those who believed this to be so, soon left the Methodist church and formed groups such as the Salvation Army and the Church of Nazarene. Methodism drifted in pieces until the United Methodist Church was established in Great Britain in 1932. Methodists, as a majority, believe that there are 3 methods of baptism: pouring, sprinkling, and immersion. Any of these three may be ministered on request of the recipient. They believed that infants may be baptized. From the time of its beginnings to today, the Methodists have remained faithful to the basic doctrines taught by John Wesley. However, they have become lenient on leisure activities (card playing, dancing), and behavior issues (homosexuality). This would not have been accepted in the original church doctrines.
“Calvinism, also known as Reformed theology, is a system of biblical
interpretation that focuses on the supreme sovereignty of God, His majesty,
His holiness, etc. It relates this to man's fallen, sinful nature. Because of
the great chasm between God and man and because of man's fallen nature, God
must predestine people into salvation...or none would be saved. Therefore, salvation
is the work of God and we are the mere recipients of His gracious election.”
Calvinists are not as popular as Methodists and Baptists are today. However,
they were one of the leading Protestant denominations after The Reformation
and their movement continued even after the death of their founder, John
Calvin. A plausible time frame for the Calvinistic impact would be from
1539-1625 A.D. This movement was founded by the man called John Calvin who was
very closely associated with Martin Luther. Both religious leaders lived during
the same time period, and Calvin even aided in the Lutheran/Protestant movement.
Eventually, the two did separate due to their opposing doctrinal beliefs. Some
of which being the mode of Christ’s presence in the Lord’s Supper
and on the nature of the Sacraments. Calvinists tend to regard this as more
of a teaching ceremony. The two leaders also disagreed on the styles of worship.
John Calvin taught that instrumental music should be forbidden in worship and
no hymns may be used except the Psalms. On May 17, 1564, Calvin died. Over the
years, many “varieties of Calvinism” have surfaced including supralapsarionism
and infralapsarianism. Each of these separated because the persons involved
disagreed with one of the following five doctrinal statements:
1. People in their natural, unregenerate state do not have the ability to turn
towards God. It is only by God’s constant will and grace that sinners
are able to turn to Him.
2. God has already chosen who will have eternal life and who will go to hell
(predestination).
3. Penalty of sins is taken away from whomever God has chosen to have mercy.
4. The saving grace of God is not resistible.
5. Christians, from the time of their acceptance of Christ, will live in faith.
Those who fall away from God will return or else they never had true faith.
These doctrines have remained foremost in the minds of most Calvinists and no
changes have been made. Those who disagreed with the Calvinist doctrines, such
as Arminianists, did not
stay to alter those laws, but simply left to lead a new movement. In this way,
the Calvinists have maintained a pure history.
A brief overview of these 4 denominations has, hopefully, given you a basic understanding of the progress of some of the protestant movements. Some have reformed their original doctrines here and there, while others have radically changed in order to accommodate the new age mentality. And then there have been the few denominations which have remained faithful to the foundations laid before them centuries before. This does not mean that some protestant denominations are “purer” than others. It is simply tracing the growth which has, or has not, reformed these churches. However, each branch of Christianity is responsible to remember Christ’s warning and the disappointment God relates through the prophet Isaiah concerning those who profess to follow Him. . .
“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it loves its own.
But I have chosen you out of the world, so you don’t belong to it. That
is why the world hates you.”
~John 15:19
“ . . . These people say they love me; they show honor to Me with words,
but their hearts are far from Me. The honor they show Me is nothing but human
rules.”
~Isaiah 29:13
QuickQuiz:
Sources:
1. Paul Mast Hewitt, “Baptist Connections”, March 2000, <http://home.sprintmail.com/~masthewitt/baptists/index.html>
(29 April 2004).
2. Kent R. Rieske, “Calvinism”, 2004, <http://www.biblelife.org/calvinism.htm>
(30 April 2004).
3. MediaWiki, Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, 1 May 2004, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page>
(29 April 2004).
4. St. Ansgar Lutheran Church, “St. Ansgar Lutheran Church, Toronto”,
30 April 2004, <http://members.rogers.com/stansgar/index.htm> (30 April
2004).
5. James E. Kiefer, “Biographical Sketches of Memorable Christians of
the Past”, 29 August 1999, <http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/index.html>
(28 April 2004).
6. David Cody, “Methodism”, 1999, <http://www.victorianweb.org/religion/methodist.html>
(30 April 2004).
7. Austin Cline, “Agnosticism/Atheism: Methodism”, 2004, <http://atheism.about.com/library/glossary/western/bldef_methodism.htm>
(30 April 2004).
8. A Christ Walk Church, BELIEVE: Religious Information Collection, 2003, <http://mb-soft.com/believe/index.html>
(30 April 2004).
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