Historical Highlights

Historical Highlights 1600AD-1700AD

Sat, 17th July, 2010 - Posted by - (0) Comment

1600:

 Confessional “box” becomes common in Roman churches

1605:

 Christmas trees are first mentioned (Strasburg)

1607:

 John Smith founds first English colony at Jamestown, Virginia

1609:

 Anglican preacher turned Separatist, John Smyth baptizes the first “Baptists,” they were influenced by the Anabaptist movement

1611:

 Publication of the King James Bible (Authorized Version), prepared by 54 scholars working for four years, a work of “literary beauty and scholarship”

1612:

 Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate surfaces again (Augustine vs. Pelagius from 5th century), two central issues: has the Fall impaired man’s ability to know and choose God (yes!); and whether salvation can be lost because of post-conversion sin (no!); first baptist church is founded in England, they call themselves “General Baptists” and are Arminian

1618:

 The Synod of Dort, A Dutch Reformed synod convenes to deal with Arminian controversy, the “Five Points of Calvinism” are approved in the Canons of Dort

1620:

 The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock, the Plymouth colony is founded by Puritan Separatists (Reformed) called “Pilgrims” (William Bradford)

1628:

 The first Dutch Reformed church is organized in New Amsterdam (New York)

1630:

 John Winthrop founds Puritan settlement at Boston (Massachusetts Bay Company)

1633:

 A group of London Separatists (Henry Jacob) begin to practice believers’ baptism by immersion, they are otherwise Reformed in doctrine and call themselves “Particular Baptists”

1634:

 The Catholic colony of Maryland is founded

1635:

 Congregationalism develops, no church structure higher than autonomous local congregation—the “priesthood of all believers” is its theological mooring

1640:

 Presbyterianism develops, church governed by elected lay elders (presbyters), roots go back to Calvin’s Geneva and Reformed church in Scotland (really they go back to the Scriptures!), first Presbyterian churches in America are organized; the Bay Psalm Book is printed, the first book printed in America, it is a rhymed and metered version of the psalms for use in Puritan worship

1644:

 London Confession, Calvinist doctrinal statement of the Particular Baptists, a century later it forms the basis for the Philadelphia Confession

1645:

 The Westminster Assembly produces the Directory of Public Worship (Presbyterian replacement for Book of Common Prayer), the Westminster Confession, and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms

1653:

 The doctrine of irresistible grace declared heretical by Pope Innocent X

1654:

 James Ussher (Annals of the World) establishes the date of Creation as 4004BC

1662:

 Halfway Covenant develops, it becomes an unfortunate Congregational membership standard where the church may baptize the child of a baptized but unregenerate person

1674:

 Isaac Watts (When I Survey the Wondrous Cross and many, many, others) and John Milton (Paradise Lost—Puritan writer and poet) dies

1675:

 Pietism takes root, emphasized conversion, individual spiritual responsibility, practical holiness, and an “emotional” relationship with God

1678:

 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progess, only the Bible has a greater circulation

1685:

 George Frederic Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach born, musical giants who illustrate the central place of Biblical subjects in Western music

1692:

 Salem witchcraft trials held in Massachusetts, 300 people accused, 20 executed

1695:

 Deism develops, God is personally distant, no special revelation
Category : Historical Highlights

Historical Highlights 1700AD-1800AD

Sat, 17th July, 2010 - Posted by - (0) Comment

1700:

 By this time, Latin is used only in academic settings and in Roman Catholic documents and liturgy; Reformed churches use vernacular liturgy

1701:

 Yale is founded by conservative Congregationalists (Cotton Mather)

1703:

 John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards are born

1707:

 Charles Wesley born; Isaac Watts publishes Hymns and Spiritual Songs, included in it are hymns When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, O, God, our Help in Ages Past, and Joy to the World—Watts moves away from literal psalm translation to hymnody that expresses the doctrine and thoughts of the Psalms and Scripture

1715:

 George Whitefield born

1716:

 China bans Christian religious education

1728:

 Teleological argument for the existence of God (Creation embodies design and purpose and therefore points to the existence of a purposeful Creator)

1729:

 The Presbyterian church in colonial America adopts the Westminster Confession and Catechism, subscription is required of all their ministers

1735:

 “The Great Awakening” stirs the American colonies with hundreds of conversions and a return to “heartfelt faith,” until about 1745, Edwards and Whitefield lead

1736:

 The Wesley brothers arrive in the colony of Georgia, return within two years disappointed

1738:

 John Wesley’s “conversion” eventually leads to a breaking away from the Church of England and the founding of the Methodist Church, it is marked by its evangelistic nature, pietistic/holiness emphasis, and its organizational structure; Wesley describes his conversion as no longer just believing, but coming to “feel it and trust it”

1741:

 Handel writes the Messiah, Edwards delivers the sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

1742:

 The Philadelphia Confession of Faith, a baptistic adaptation of the Westminster Confession—it becomes one of the most influential statements of Baptist belief

1746:

 Princeton is founded by the Presbyterian church 1750: The Enlightenment (Age of Reason), great faith is put in man’s power of reason, observation, and experiment—and in most cases, at the expense of faith

1760:

 Churches in America no longer supported by state revenue

1761:

 William Carey is born (one of the greatest missionaries God has raised us)

1772:

 Methodist circuit riders (itinerant pastors) reach the American frontier

1776:

 About 85% of American colonists are Reformed

1780:

 Robert Raikes founds Sunday Schools in England, rapidly becomes an international movement

1792:

 Charles Finney is born

1792:

 The Particular Baptists (Reformed) form the Baptist Missionary Society, they are inspired by Carey’s “Expect great things from God and attempt Great things for God”

1793:

 William Carey sails as a missionary to India and oversees more Bible translations than had previously been produced in all Christian history
Category : Historical Highlights

Historical Highlights 1800AD-1899AD

Sat, 17th July, 2010 - Posted by - (0) Comment

1801:

 Second Great Awakening begins at Cane Ridge Revival

1804:

 Barton Stone and several of his followers break all denominational ties and begin calling themselves merely “Christian—beginning of the “Restoration Movement”

1807:

 British Parliament votes to abolish slave trade due in large part to William Wilberforce

1809:

 Restoration Movement (Primitivism)—it takes a prominent place in American Christianity. It is propelled by the desire to return to “NT Christianity” and purge the church of history (confessions/creeds) and tradition—Thomas and Alexander Campbell are key players with Stone

1812:

 Princeton Theology (Reformed Confessionalism); Archibald Alexander, Charles Hodge, A.A. Hodge, B.B. Warfield, and J. Gresham Machen (ends in 1921); Judson”s, first American sent missionaries head for Burma

1825:

 Unitarianism picks up adherents (denial of the Trinity)

1826:

 American Temperance Society is founded, churches are its main source of members

1827:

 Charles Grandison Finney begins holding revivals and using his “new measures,” revivalist techniques that justify the use of direct public pressure to secure “convictions”

1829:

 Perfectionism: sparked by the Second Great Awakening, teaches that a second work of the Holy Spirit (after conversion) creates complete happiness and holiness in believer. It is influenced and influences Methodism and the Holiness Movement. It survives today mainly in Pentecostal churches

1830:

 Mormonism: founded by Joseph Smith, recognizes four scriptures: bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, becomes a powerful Cult in last part of 20th century

1830:

 Pretribulationism: doctrine that Christ will snatch away Christians before the Great Tribulation, John Nelson Darby is key figure

1834:

 Millenarianism: a belief in a 1,000 year period of divine order on earth

1836:

 Transcendentalism: comes out of Deist movement, quasi-religious meditations on union of humans and nature and emphasizes intuition over logic (Emerson and Thoreau)

1840:

 Revivalism: Religious enthusiasm and intensity, conversion of the unregenerate and spiritual renewal of saved—its main tools are crusades and prayer meetings

1843:

 Millerites predict the end of the world, October 22, 1844—this group later forms the Seventh-day Adventists in 1863, Ellen White is key figure

1845:

 Baptist churches split into Southern Baptists and Northern Baptists; baseball invented

1849:

 Liberalism (modernism): “adapts” Christianity to fit intellectual and social climate of the day (evolution, psychology, etc.)

1865:

 China Inland Mission (Hudson Taylor) and Salvation Army (William Booth)

1869:

 Papal Infallibility, belief that when pope speaks ex cathedra (as a pope), he speaks irreformable truth

1870:

 Dispensationalism: maintains that history is divided into time periods (7+) where man is tested in respect of obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God, he is found wanting and God sends another (Darby and later, Scofield); Jehovah”s Witnesses are formed (Charles Taze Russell)

1873:

 D.L. Moody conducts large evangelistic meetings in US and UK

1874:

 The “Gift People” begin speaking in tongues, first recorded occurrence in US

1875:

 Christian Science: matter is an “evil illusion” but the spirit is real and can generate spontaneously healing (Mary Baker Eddy)

1891:

 Basketball is invented!

1895:

 The Five Points of Fundamentalism drawn up to combat growing liberalism (verbal inerrancy, divinity of Jesus, virgin birth, substitutionary atonement, and the physical resurrection and bodily return of Christ)
Category : Historical Highlights

Historical Highlights 1900AD-2000AD

Sat, 17th July, 2010 - Posted by - (0) Comment

1901:

 Pentecostal movement emerges, largely an offspring of the Holiness Movement, focuses on “Spirit baptism” (post-conversion) and speaking in tongues

1906:

 William Seymour leads the Azusa Street Revival, early instants of Pentecostalism

1909:

 Scofield Reference Bible, a KJV bible with dispensational interpretation notes

1910:

 The Fundamentals are published, 12 volume series, mostly apologetic in nature opposing the growing liberal, biblical criticism movement

1913:

 The “oneness” or “Jesus only” Pentecostals, baptize without recognizing Trinity

1921:

 Princeton Theological Seminary goes liberal, one of the last mainline seminaries to do so, conservative (Reformed) faculty leave and begin Westminster Theological Seminary

1922:

 Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces, Rome’s teaching that Mary is co-mediator, making her a powerful intercessor in heaven for mankind

1923:

 J. Gresham Machen publishes Christianity and Liberalism, he argues masterfully that historic Christianity and liberalism are irreconcilable and two distinct religions

1927:

 Aimee Semple McPherson founds the Foursquare Church; the General Assembly of the Pres. Church in the US says it cannot authoritatively determine what the “essentials” of the Christian faith are

1934:

 Cameron Townsend founds Bible translator school, soon becomes Wycliffe

1942:

 C.S. Lewis publishes Screwtape Letters (one of over 40 books published)

1945:

 Several para-church organizations get their start-up (YFC, YL, Navigators, etc.); Midtribulationnism, belief the church will remain through first half of the Great Tribulation

1947:

 Fuller Theol. Seminary founded, Oral Roberts begins revival ministry, Dead Sea Scrolls found

1949:

 Inerrancy Controversy begins, proponents assert that Bible is true in matters of faith, history, ethics, and description of the world

1950:

 An emphasis on individual, experiential Christianity begins (and is still going), many renewal movements promoting personal spirituality, religious self-help books, and personal study Bibles emphasized

1954:

 Methodist church begins to ordain women

1956:

 Presbyterian church begins to ordain women; Jim Elliot is martyred in Ecuador

1960:

 Charismatic movement (Neo-Pentecostalism), emphasizes sign gifts, it doesn’t make Pentecostalism’s connection between tongues and the baptism of the Spirit

1961:

 Christian Reconstructionism: God’s OT law incorporated beyond just His moral law

1962:

 Rome’s Vatican II sanctions laity receiving the cup and vernacular liturgy

1963:

 Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s Supreme Court victory removes the Bible and prayer from schools

1965:

 Bill Bright (of Campus Crusade) publishes the Four Spiritual Laws (billion copies)

1967:

 Fuller Theological Seminary drops inerrancy clause from its doctrinal statement

1968:

 Jesus Movement begins, a youth-oriented Christian counter-culture movement

1970:

 Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth; Lutheran church begins to ordain women

1973:

 Abortion on demand becomes legal in Roe v. Wade; TBN begins with goal of world- wide TV network; PCA forms in response to biblical authority and women’s ordination

1976:

 Harold Lindsell’s Battle for the Bible

1977:

 James Dobson founds Focus on the Family

1979:

 Homosexuality and ordination becomes growing issue for most main-line churches

1980:

 Women make up 21% of all seminary students in US

1982:

 NKJV of the Bible and the Reader’s Digest Bible (60% of Bible’s original length)

1983:

 National Council of Churches releases “inclusive language lectionary” with God referred to as “Father and Mother”

1987:

 Jim Bakker and PTL scandal

1994:

 The “Toronto Blessing,” a Toronto Vineyard church attracts 1.2 million over 4 years to ecstatic, uncontrolled experiences; “Casual churches” and “Mega churches” spring up, seeing themselves as providing religious needs and becoming social/cultural centers as well

1997:

 ERC holds its first Lord’s Day worship service!
Category : Historical Highlights

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