The Church A.D. 1500 - 1700
The 16th, 17th, and 18th century of church history the impact of diverse movements and their confessions. This desire of each movement to firmly establish and distinguish itself from fellow movements results in heavy reliance on dogma and doctrine. These written confessions create hard, black and white lines between movements leading to division and even religious violence. The unrelenting attitudes of each movement's doctrine results in these centuries being some of the most violent and bloody of church history. These violent incidents include the 30 Year War in Germany, the English Civil War, and more. During these religious strife, both politics and religion were of influence. Ultimately, this heavy presence of dogma and doctrine would influence movements of rationalism. Rationalism would be furthered by the scientific revolution of the time. These factors would in turn affect thought and doctrine in the churches. In response, movements such as spiritualism and pietism would also emerge. Overall, these three centuries saw great shifts and battles over orthodoxy.
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Doctrinal Implications of the TimeConfessionalization:
Much like the systematizing of Lutheranism, movements of the time were all experiencing the drawing of lines. Movements wanted to become distinct from one another. This led to the drawing up of confessions, which made barriers between movements more clean cut. Movements standardized and evaluated their fundamental aspects. This led to many divisions and clashes. Puritanism: The Puritans were more radical Protestants of the time. They were given their name because of their instance on the need to "purify" the church through a return to biblical religion. They rejected the Book of Common Prayer and were opposed to bishops. During the reign of James I of England, the Puritans were able to push for the King James Version of the Bible. However, the Puritans were not fully satisfied with the condition of the church. They were at constant conflict with the Parliament who adopted a series of measures to destroy the Puritan movement. The Puritans would have little impact in England. Therefore, they left to the New World where they established Jamestown and eventually founded themselves in the colonies (Gonzales II: 193-204). Enlightenment (rationalism): During this time period, a the philosophy of rationalism became prominent amongst scholars and thinkers of the time. Rationalism emphasized the confidence of reason. It was believed that one interacted and understood the world through reason. This led to the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was a movement that was birthed out of the rationalist culture of the time. Through the Enlightenment, reason and the individual became primary values. This was a contrast and sometimes seen as a conflict to the religious traditions and values. There was a strong emphasis on evidence through the thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment. Supernatural and superstitions became less sophisticated. The Enlightenment went through the end of the 17th century. Thinkers such as Isaac Newton and John Locke. For example, John Locke was famously known for his writing the Essay on Human Understanding. In this work, Locke "held that all knowledge is derived from experience - both the 'outer experience' of the senses, and the 'inner experience' by which we know ourselves and the function of our minds. This means that the only true knowledge is that which is based on our three levels of experience." This was a central aspect of empiricism that came from rationalism. These thoughts brought skepticism into the church. Some saw these thoughts and writings as challenges to the validity of the faith. Additionally, the Enlightenment saw the rise of the Scientific Revolution. Again, this was an emphasis on evidence and the rationality of reason. One was to prove a hypothesis with clear and repeatable evidence (Gonzales II: 237-241). Spiritualism: As a counter reaction to the Enlightenment and the rationalist movement, the Spiritualist option came forth. Due to the nature of the movement, its history can be difficult to trace. However, many of the founders were those who were relatively unschooled but experienced great wonders in the faith. One of these founders was Jakob Boehme. He was known for the visions that he had. He recorded his visions in a book called Brilliant Dawn. Boehme's work was seen as an odd mixture of traditional Christian themes as well as themes of magic, alchemy, occultism, and theosophy. Boehme's emphasis of the spiritual experience was a direct "reaction against the cold dogmatism of theologians, and against the seemingly empty liturgy of the church. Against these, Boehme exalted the freedom of the spirit, the inner life, and direct and individual revelation." Other Spiritualist leaders included George Fox, the founder of the Quakers and Emauel Swedneborg, an aristocrat who also had visions (Gonzales II: 249-258). Pietist: Pietisim first arose as a German movement led by Philip Jakob Spener. However, its impact extends far beyond Germany and is seen in modern Christian faith. Pietism emphasized the life of devotion and study. To attain this lifestyle, Spener suggested small groups which he called "colleges of piety." Here, believers could study and examine their own personal faith. From Pietist, the doctrinal idea of "personal faith" was formally established. Spener insisted that "doctrine is not to serve as a substitute for personal faith." Thus, Spener saw need to reform the orthodoxy as to return to the consistency of the Scripture while using and reading it in a spirit of devotion and piety. Pietism was often criticized as being too emotional and subjective. However, fundamental ideas of pietism such as the "personal faith," devotion, and small group studies continue in today's modern Christian practices and doctrine (Gonzales II: 259-262). Exploration (Spanish, French, English): This era in church history saw the development of exploration. Christian nations were sending explorers to new lands. This brought about the spread of the Gospel as well as the conflict of culture. Colonization and treatment of natives were topics of question. The Spanish explorers went to Latin America where they discovered the Aztec, Mayan, and Incan tribes. They brought with them Catholicism and took with them gold. The French went to the Canada area where they encountered Native Indians. Likewise, the English came to present day America where they established colonies that too resulted in conflicts with Native Indians of the land. |
Important Voices:Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was one of Henry VIII's advisor. He was a Puritan and was zealous about the will of God. During the English Civil War, Cromwell and his calvary of followers defeated the king's army at the Battle of Naseby. Cromwell then became Protectorate of England where he establish some Puritan measures. After his death, the monarchy was reestablished in England (Gonzales II: 204-208).
Rene Descartes
Rene Desecartes was a French philosopher. His philosophical system was based on the confidence of mathematical reasoning. He believed in the method of universal doubt, therefore concluding that something that could not be doubted was certain. Descartes' philosophies were used in many ways to build the rationalist movement which was a precursor to the Enlightenment (Gonzales 238).
George Fox
George Fox was a English man who challenged traditional Christianity. He believed that there as an "inner light" in man and that God did not solely reside in the church buildings. Therefore, he place a strong emphasis on the freedom of the Spirit. Fox's teachings brought him followers who became known as the Quakers (Gonzales II: 251-257).
Philipp Jakob Spener
Philip Jakob Spener is the father of Pietism. He was born in an aristocratic family with deep Lutheran convictions. However, he believed that there needed to be a return to the emphasis on a personal faith. It was not enough to have correct doctrine. Spener insisted that every believer must have a personal devotion with the Lord. He became a pastor in Frankfurt where he founded bible studies and devotions that he called "colleges of piety" (Gonzales II: 259, 260).
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