Luther's American Legacy
Base Upon Michael Massing's Fatal- Discord.
See Luther and the Reformation 56 min video

Return to  A Concise History of Christianity 
 2/11/22   Please link to, use to educate, and share. 
Lutheranism Theology: Sovereignty of God means removal of Original Sin through a doctrine of justification "by grace alone through faith alone on the basis of scripture alone," made scripture the final authority on all matters of faith. Rome had tradition an integral part in determining approved procedures." Martin Luther believed in the need for reformation of the Roman Catholic Church and that Christian can get salvation through an individual search for Christ.  

John Calvin added Predestination to the ideas of Luther. "... all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul." He thought people were already chosen for salvation so good works would make no difference.' Double predestination, or the double decree, is the doctrine that God actively reprobates, or decrees damnation of some, as well as salvation for those whom he has elected.

 

Part #1
The Early Years

 Puritans Baptists Congregationalists Presbyterians Anglican Church
Location Most of NE Rhode Island Massachusetts Middle States Virginia, Maryland 
NC SC G
New Direction Reform Church of England
City Upon a Hill		 Baptizing Believers was
one of Six Principle		 Autonomous Congregations See Calvinism  
Oligarchs in Charge Church Leaders None Congregation Representative Assembly of Elders Henry 8 replaced Pope
My Way or the highway Follow or be Banished, especially in relation to personal behavior Relegiouse Freedom Accept Christ    
Key Leader   Cotton Mather 1663-1728 Roger William 1603-1683 Jonathan Edwards 1703-1758
Evangelical, Reformer 		  Church of England
New Direction 2 Be an example for others Separatist wanting more reform Personal Faith   Book of
Common Prayer
Accomplishment  Leading Relegion Separation of State from Church 2  First Great Awakening    
Less Influenced Denominations Methodism Founded by English clergymen John Wesley and George Whitefield, it  focused on sanctification and the effect of faith on character.
Methodist doctrines: an assurance of salvation, imparted righteousness, the possibility of perfection in love, the works of piety, and the primacy of Scripture.
 Episcopal Church see Anglican Church
Others Protestant Religions   Dutch Reformed Church   Quakers   Roman Catholic Church see Province of Maryland
 
Part #2

Evangelicalism
rejected the skeptical rationalism and deism of the Enlightenment.


Second Great Awakening enhances both Methodism and Baptist membership. 
A populism rooted in the individualism of Lutheranism and communicated by E. Smith.

Calvinism lost New England to the Unitarianism spread by of Boston preacher
W. E. Channing. He stressed the oneness of God,

Geographical separation occurred. The Southern dominations stressed Private Personal Protestant and winning souls for Christ. Northern Public Protestants stress improving social and economic wellbeing.

Southern success led Evangelist Dwight Moody's to dominate northern urban areas.

 Geographical separation occurred. The Southern dominations stressed Private Personal Protestant and winning souls for Christ. Northern Public Protestants stress improving social and economic wellbeing.

Southern success led Evangelist Dwight Moody's to dominate northern urban areas.

 

 
# 3 Social Gospel Movements Industrialization sharpened relations between geographic denominations.
W. Rauschenbusch, a NY Baptist minister became a leading figure in a Social Gospel Movement.
The Federal Council of Churches in Christ  was formed to enhance wellbeing. It became the center of modern Protestantism.
 		 Atheist philosophies like Nihilism and Darwinism plus a lack of improved urban wellbeing ended many evangelical urban activities and led to the rise of Christian fundamentalism. These militant anti-modernists were led by William Jennings Bryant. The National Association of Evangelicals formed in 1942 as a for less militant, docile evangelicals.

 
# 4 Modern Evangelicalism Theology: 1) Conversions by a new birth experience with God 2) reliance on the bible as the ultimate authority, 3) focus on Christ's sacrifice on the cross and 4) an activism drive to share their faith. The first three are directly related to Luther and missionary work is related to German Pietism.

Reverend Billy Graham was a Southern Baptist minister who was strongly influenced by Luther He began Modern Evangelicalism on 9/25/49 with a planned 3 weeks LA revivals It was expanded to twice the size with five weeks added after W.R. Hearst newspapers provided positive publicity. Reverend Graham accelerated the move away from mainline Protestantism toward evangelical Protestantism. As a result, the Southern Baptist Convention  doubled to almost 14,000,000 members. Mega churches resulted.

Pentecostalism, the Holiness Movement, and the Charismatic Movement were all based on individual conversion. They were a response to the Sexual Revolution, the Women's Movement , Gay Rights and the social disruptions of the 1960's and 70's.
 

 In 1979 Jerry Farwell revived the Assertive Fundamentalism of the 1920's with his Moral Majority. He used PACs, mobilized mass communication and his large audience. helped elect President Ronald Reagan. This made the Christian Right a dominate political player. In 2000 George Bush became our second modern evangelical president. Jimmy Carter was the first.

Support for the Christian Right has been limited. The moral majority folded and its successor, the Christian Coalition of America never reached three million members. Militant Fundamentalists are intensely moralistic and politically active. They are the true hairs of Calvinism. Most evangelicals are not militant fundamentalist. They are less belligerent, more toward the political center, conservative, and represent about 25% of our population. Eighty-one percent voted for Donald Trump.


 


Luther’s network and the early Reformation

 

Witch Hunts Western World-Past Present

 

 

 

Analysis

1. Difference between Catholics and Protestants from A History of England from the Tudors to the Stuarts

Catholics: found religious truth in Scripture, Tradition, the Papal and Conciliari decree
 Salvation required faith and good works, especially the Seven Sacraments ,which forgave sins  and produced grace.

Protestants found religious truth in scriptures
Salivation required faith

See Book Of Martyrs

2. The Pilgrimage of Grace, the worst uprising of Henry VIII’s reign (1501-1547. was a direct result of the dissolution of the monasteries
which confused and angered most Englishmen. Beginning in 1536, it was ignited by royal commission was the spark by local clergy.

 

Failures

The Lincolnshire Rising and the Pilgrimage of Grace have traditionally been seen as failures for the following reasons: England was not reconciled to the Roman Catholic Church, except during the brief reign of Mary I (1553–1558). The dissolution of the monasteries continued unabated, with the largest monasteries being dissolved (sold for profit to pay for war) by 1540. Great tracts of land were seized from the Church and divided among the Crown and its supporters.The steps towards official Protestantism achieved by Cromwell continued, except during the reign of Mary I.

Successes

Their partial successes are less known:

The government postponed the collection of the October subsidy, a major grievance amongst the Lincolnshire organisations.

His Statute of Uses was partially negated by a new law, the Statute of Wills.

Four of the seven sacraments that were omitted from the Ten Articles were restored in the Bishop's Book of 1537, which marked the end of the drift of official doctrine towards Protestantism. The Bishop's Book was followed by the Six Articles of 1539.

An onslaught upon heresy was promised in a royal proclamation in 1538.

The Rest of the Story Poor Law of 1601 was needed to replace Roman Catholic assistance and it was part of the Tutor expansion of state power.

English State began to take responsibility for citizen wellbeing in the Western world.

 

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