PROGRAM 1: EARLY CHURCH
1. The history of Christianity is inextricably woven with the person and work of Jesus Christ. (Read Galatians 4:4 and discuss.)
· Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time (chronos) had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law
· Mark 1:14-15 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, "The time (kairos) is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
2. What is the meaning of chronos? Of kairos?
· Chronos is measured time.
· Kairos is the right time, the opportune time.
3. What is the Christian faith based on? (Read and discuss John 1:14.) What exactly is Christianity?
· John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
· Christianity is the story of what God has done through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit
4. What does Jesus mean by His statement in Matthew 16:18?
· Matt 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
· The church will succeed in its mission, it will not cease to exist
5. Christianity began as a small sect within Palestinian Judaism.
6. Why did Pontius Pilate require that these words, "This is Jesus, King of the Jews," be written in three languages above His cross?
· Hebrew, Greek, and Latin represented the three worlds (cultures) into which the early Christians carried their message
7. Describe the world of Hebrew religion. (Read 2 Timothy 3:15 and discuss.)
· 2 Tim 3:15 And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
· The early church retained the Old Testament as Christian scripture
· This meant that the God of the covenant, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was also the God and Father of the Messiah, Jesus
8. Explain the world of Greek culture at that time. Who was Alexander the Great? What is meant by Hellenism?
· Alexander the Great had conquered much of the Ancient Near East by 331 B.C.
· Hellenism was the common intellectual and cultural outlook of that time
· For example, the teachings of Plato and Aristotle were very influential
· And, Koine Greek was the common language of the Ancient Near East
9. What was the world of Roman order and the pax Romana? What happened to Christianity during this time? What is meant by religious pluralism in the Roman Empire?
· The pax Romana was a 200 year period of relative peace that began with Augustus
· Christianity began and spread during this period, but encountered persecution
· Religious pluralism refers to the worship of many different gods and religions
· Above all, Roman citizens were expected to worship the emperor as an act of loyalty
10. Who was Ignatius of Antioch? Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna? Carthaginian noblewoman Perpetua? Servant-girl Felicitas? What did these people have in common?
· Ignatius and Polycarp were early leaders in the Christian Church
· Perpetua and Felicitas were early converts to Christianity
· They were executed by the Romans because of their faith
11. What happened to Christianity in the early fourth century and why?
· The persecution of Christianity ended with the conversion of Emperor Constantine
12. Describe the conversion of Emperor Constantine. In 313, how did the Edict of Milan recognize Christianity? Discuss the following: "Christians, who were once persecuted, now became the persecutors."
· In 312, Constantine claimed to have a vision of the sign of Christ (Chi Rho)
· He adopted this symbol, won the Battle of Milvian Bridge, and turned to Christianity
· The Edict of Milan made Christianity a legal religion, one among many in the empire
· Eventually, Christianity became the official religion of Rome, not merely tolerated
· Dissenters and unbelievers were persecuted and suppressed by force of arms
13. The fourth century was a watershed in many ways. Through the video, you studied three of the ways. Discuss each, as time allows:
·
A new sense of history
Christians began to look to the past rather than forward to Christ’s return
They began to build churches on top of important historical sites
Eusebius wrote the first real history of the Christian church
·
A new form of spirituality
Priestly vestments, new holy days, and the worship of icons appeared
Monasticism emerged as a reaction against the lax attitude of official
Christianity
·
The classic development of Christian theology
Heretics challenged both the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ
The church defined the doctrine of the Trinity and the person and work of
Christ
14. What is meant by "white martyrdom"?
· Monks devoted their entire lives to prayer, Bible reading, and fasting
· They changed the spirit of martyrdom into an ascetic imitation of Christ
15. Who was the father of monasticism and why?
· Anthony wanted to follow Christ’s words to the rich young ruler (Luke 18:22)
· He gave away his possessions and began his life as a hermit (ca. 270)
· He later organized the first hermit community among the caves of Egypt
16. Ponder the strange living conditions of Simeon Stylites. Why did he live this way?
· Simeon Stylites lived a solitary life of prayer atop a 70 foot high stone pillar
· To avoid the crowds of people that gathered at the cave where he was living
17. Describe the early debates over the nature of God and the person of Christ.
· Heretical groups tried to separate the God of creation from the God of redemption
· Gnostics claimed that Jesus only appeared to have a physical body (Docetism)
· The church developed basic principles of belief such as the Apostle’s Creed
18. In the early fourth century, explain the issues at stake in the fierce conflict between Arius and Athanasius.
· The doctrine of the Trinity is an effort to reconcile monotheism with the deity of Christ
· Arius taught that the God’s essence cannot be shared and that Jesus was a created being
· Athanasius taught that only God could atone for our sins, not a created being
19. What was decided at the Council of Nicea in 325? Did the Council of Nicea stop the controversy over the Trinity?
· The Council decided that Jesus was “of the same essence” (homoousios) as the Father
· The controversy over the Trinity continued for centuries
20. Who was St. Augustine? Describe his conversion and his former beliefs. When was he baptized by Ambrose? In what work did Augustine describe his spiritual pilgrimage?
· Augustine was an important theologian, bishop, and advocate of monasticism
· He followed the Manicheans, Skeptics, and Neo-Platonists before his conversion
· He read a passage from Romans 13 that was a turning point in his quest for God
· He was baptized by Ambrose on Easter Sunday in 387
· He described his spiritual pilgrimage in The Confessions
21. Adolf Von Harnack once characterized Augustine as "the first modern man." What did he mean?
· His life and theology had a profound influence on Christianity for centuries
· His writings dealt with various problems faced by ordinary Christians
· His doctrine of grace and salvation stressed God’s sovereignty and election
· He emphasized the helplessness of human beings apart from grace
22. What happened to Christianity after the death of St. Augustine (in 430)?
· The world of classical antiquity gave way to 1000 years of turbulence and change
· His ideas formed the basis of many different forms of medieval spirituality
23. Ponder the statement of Augustine as written in The Confessions: "Thou has made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee. Whoever does not want to fear, let him probe his inmost self. Do not just touch the surface; go down into yourselves; reach into the farthest corner of your heart."
PROGRAM 2: MEDIEVAL CHRISTENDOM
1. What event took place in the year 410? How did this event change history? What was the response of St. Jerome? What answer came from St. Augustine?
· Rome was sacked and burned by a Gothic chieftain named Alaric
· Rome was no longer a symbol of stability and continuity, an “eternal city”
· Jerome asked, “If Rome can perish, what then is safe?”
·
Augustine replied, “Do not fear, your youth shall
be renewed as an eagle.”
For Augustine, Christianity was the wellspring of youth
2. What was "the first philosophy of history written by a Christian author" and who wrote it?
· The City of God written by Augustine
3. When did the Middle Ages begin? When did they end? Why are they referred to as "the dark ages"?
· The Middle Ages began in 430 with the death of Augustine
· They ended in 1483 with the birth of Martin Luther
· Civilization was ravaged by barbarian and Muslim invaders
4. What marked the Middle Ages?
· They were marked by violence and great suffering throughout Europe
5. Describe the armed forces of Muhammad. Who stopped them?
· They swept across the Mediterranean in a blitzkrieg-like holy war, or jihad.
· Their advance into Europe was stopped at the Battle of Poitiers (Tours) in 732
· Charles Martel, the grandfather of Charlemagne
6. Who was St. Bernard of Clairvaux? How did he describe Christianity?
· He was a leader in an important monastic reform movement called the Cistercians
· He founded a monastery at Clairvaux (1115) and instigated the second crusade (1146)
· He called it “a sweet yoke of love” and “a bond of society with God”
7. Explain the "remarkable wave of church-building" that occurred from the eleventh through the fourteenth centuries.
· Gothic cathedrals featured soaring spires, flying buttresses, and stained glass windows
· They told the story of salvation to medieval people through art and architecture
· Medieval society was very religious and anxious about salvation
8. Define rosary, relics, pilgrimages, and indulgences.
· Rosary (prayer beads), relics (sacred objects), pilgrimages (a religious journey)
· An indulgence was a certificate releasing someone from purgatorial suffering
· People believed that religious works and objects helped them to obtain salvation
9. Who was Thomas Aquinas? What impact did he have on Christianity?
· Thomas Aquinas was an important, 13th century Catholic theologian
· In his Summa Theologica, he tried to show that faith is in harmony with reason
· His theology became the standard for the Roman Catholic tradition
10. Who was St. Anselm? What did he believe?
· Anselm was an 11th century monk who combined a love of learning and a desire for God
· He was a philosopher, a theologian, an archbishop, and the father of scholasticism
· He said, “I do not seek to understand in order to believe, but I believe in order to understand”
11. What did the Mendicant orders, the Dominicans, and the Franciscans introduce into the religious life of the Middle Ages, that was radically new and different? What does the word "mendicant" mean?
· The word "mendicant" means “beggar”
· They moved about freely, begging for food and ministering to the needy
12. Of the Mendicant reformers, who stands out above all others and why?
· Francis of Assisi established a way of life that challenged medieval power structures
13. Describe the life of St. Francis of Assisi. What difference did it make to Christianity? Why did St. Francis draw opposition from the leaders of the church?
· He felt a divine call to rebuild the church and renounced all material wealth
· He spent the rest of his life preaching to others and caring for the poor and the sick
· He organized a group of like-minded disciples and founded the Dominican order
· His actions challenged the lifestyles and power structures of medieval society
14. How did Pope Innocent III react to his meeting with St. Francis and why?
· He bowed before Francis and kissed his feet as a public act of devotion
15. Describe the "two contrasting figures of Jesus Christ" in the Middle Ages.
· Pope Innocent III represented the Christ of power and glory
· Francis represented the naked, suffering, and crucified Christ
16. Why is St. Francis loved by both Catholics and Protestants?
· His life is a reminder that Jesus’ call to follow Him can break through any social barrier or ecclesiastical system
17. Ponder the following statement: "We can still see the spirit of St. Francis living today in a figure like Mother Teresa." Why is this true?
18. Discuss each of the following and his impact on Christianity:
·
John Wycliffe in England
Wycliffe was an Oxford philosopher and leading reformer in the later Middle
Ages
He translated the Vulgate into English and challenged the authority of clerics
He organized a band of traveling preachers known as the “Lollards”
·
John Huss in Bohemia
Huss was an ordained priest and a professor at the Charles University of Prague
He was burned at the stake for challenging the authority and corruption of clerics
The Czech people started a reform movement that influenced later leaders
·
Savanarola in Florence
Savanarola was a Dominican monk and popular preacher who reformed Florence
He was burned for publicly denouncing Pope Alexander VI and the papal court
PROGRAM 3: THE REFORMATION
1. Who was Martin Luther? What was happening in the world when he was born?
· Martin Luther (1483-1546) started the Protestant Reformation and the Lutheran Church
· The Renaissance, the printing press, Columbus, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Galileo
· The Bubonic Plague, peasant revolts, and the burning of “witches”
2. How did the invention of the printing press promote the Gospel?
· It made literacy and learning possible for common people
3. How did the printing press promote the Reformation?
· Erasmus published the first critical Greek New Testament, which Luther studied
4. What is meant by the "Renaissance"?
· Renaissance means “rebirth” or “revival.”
· It was a vigorous period of artistic and intellectual development
5. Describe the horrors of the "Bubonic Plague." How can it be compared to the disease of this time, AIDS?
· It struck in 1347, and within 3 years, the “Black Death” killed ¼ of Europe
· AIDS is also an incurable and fatal disease that has become a global epidemic
6. How do we remember Desiderius Erasmus?
· He was a forerunner of the Reformation, and a scholar of Greek and Latin
· In 1516, he published the first critical Greek New Testament
7. What were "indulgences"?
· An indulgence was a release from earthly or purgatorial suffering due to sin
· The church sold indulgences based on the accumulated merits of the saints
8. What problems plagued the Medieval Church and why?
· Sexual immorality, absenteeism, and negligence were common among the clergy
· Religion was based on sacraments and penance rather than Scripture and faith
9. How did the Reformation begin and why?
· Luther strongly and publicly opposed the sale of indulgences
· On October 31, 1517, he posted his 95 theses on the Castle Church door in Wittenberg
10. Discuss the following statement by Luther: "He fought the church, not because it demanded too much, but because it demanded too little." What do you think Luther meant?
· He was protesting against the “cheap grace” offered by the clergy
11. Describe Luther's sudden decision to become a monk. Why do you think he joined the Augustinian Monks?
· He was caught in a terrible thunderstorm and promised to become a monk
· Augustine was also plagued by unrelenting guilt
12. Why did Luther struggle so with his confessions?
· He was always trying to earn God’s approval through penance
13. Ponder Martin Luther's understanding of Psalm 22. How did this "discovery;" this interpretation, change Luther's life?
· He saw that Jesus had felt just as forsaken as he did
· He realized that he could never earn salvation through penance
· The righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ
14. What is meant by "justification by faith" or allein?
· Because of faith in Christ, God accounts the sinner as acceptable in His sight
· Allein means “alone.” Believers are justified apart from good works and self-earned merits
15. Ponder the term Luther used: "born again."
· This was how Luther felt when he understood justification by faith
16. What profound effect did Luther's statement have regarding the cry for the Reformation, when he stated before the emperor, Charles V, at the Diet of Worms - "Unless I am persuaded by reason and by conscience, I cannot and I will not recant. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen"?
· The division within the church was destined to become permanent
17. Who was Huldrych Zwingli? Of what church in Zurich was he pastor?
· Zwingli was an early Swiss reformer and a contemporary of Luther
· In 1519, he became the pastor of the Great Minster Church in Zurich
18. How did Zwingli die?
· In 1531, he was killed at the Battle of Kappel
19. Describe the discussion between Zwingli and Luther concerning the Lord's Supper. What happened to the Protestant Reformation as a result of the encounter?
· Luther believed that Christ was bodily present in the elements of bread and wine
· Zwingli believed that the Lord’s Supper was a memorial feast
· The Protestant Reformation developed into two competing camps
20. Who was John Calvin?
· Calvin was an important French reformer and pastor in Geneva
· He developed the Reformed faith after the death of Zwingli
21. Discuss Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion.
· It is a systematic introduction to the Protestant theology
· The basic outline follows the order of the Apostle’s Creed:
· Book 1 is about the knowledge of God and His providential care
· Book 2 focuses on the person and work of Jesus Christ
· Book 3 deals with the Holy Spirit, prayer, predestination and resurrection
· Book 4 deals with the nature and organization of the church
22. What did Calvin mean when he said, "The world is the theater of God's glory"?
· Calvin believed that the church should direct every aspect of culture and life
· He sought to overcome the world, to transform it on the basis of the Word of God
23. Who were the Anabaptists?
· They were radical reformers who rejected the world as the domain of evil and darkness
· They abandoned infant baptism and organized congregational churches for believers only
24. What did John Robinson mean when he declared, "I have followed Calvin no further than he has followed Christ. For the Lord hath yet more truth and light to break forth from His Holy Word"?
· Calvin was only a pioneer; the quest for understanding still continues
25. Read or sing the hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Write down your reflections.
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing;
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate;
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be failing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing;
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabbaoth, His name, from age to age the same;
And He must win the battle.
And tho’ this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us;
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph thro’ us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure;
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours, thro’ Him who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still;
His kingdom is forever.
Words and music by Martin Luther. Translated by Frederick H. Hedge, 1805-1890.
26. To what was Zwingli referring when he stated: "One can perhaps dam it up for a while, but it is impossible to stop it"? Discuss.
· He was comparing the Word of God to the Rhine River
27. Explain ecclesia semper refermancla.
· The Church is always reforming and ever in need of further reformation
PROGRAM 4: THE CHURCH IN EARLY MODERN TIMES
1. What was the relationship between faith and reason in this age?
· There was tension between faith and reason
2. Why did the Apostle Paul warn Christians against "an overreliance on philosophy and vain speculation"?
· Human reason, apart from God, can go astray
3. What did Tertullian mean when he asked, "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What has the church to do with the academy?"
· Hellenism and Christianity are two completely different worldviews
4. To what did Luther refer to as "The Devil's Whore" and why?
· Human reason. The Reformers saw humanity as “fallen”
5. When did the Christian world experience a major paradigm shift from the Age of Faith to the Age of Reason?
· Between the death of Martin Luther (1546) and the conversion of John Wesley (1738)
6. What was the purpose and thesis of Nicolas Copernicus' book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies, and how did this discovery change the world?
· He placed the sun at the center of the solar system
· People no longer viewed the earth as the center of the universe
7. What was the philosophy of Rene Descartes?
· He introduced a new method of knowledge based on the principle of radical doubt
· He divided reality into mind and matter and reduced God to a mere hypothesis
8. What is "the Age of Enlightenment"?
· The dominant worldview of the 17th and 18th centuries characterized by the rise of the imperial self and a radical distrust of authority and tradition
9. Ponder the two Latin words of Immanuel Kant, "sapere aude." What do they mean?
· “Dare to think for yourself”
· To seek the truth by one’s own reason
10. What did Voltaire mean by "Ecrasez l-infame"?
· “Destroy the infamous thing” (historic Christianity)
11. What was Voltaire's opinion of the miracles of the Bible? Of traditional Christian beliefs?
· He scoffed at miracles and denounced traditional Christian doctrine and belief
12. How did Thomas Jefferson "edit" his Bible and why?
· He cut out the verses that were offensive to his reason
13. What was the Christian response to the Enlightenment?
· To make Christianity appear more rational
14. What was the purpose of John Locke's book, The Reasonableness of Christianity? What did the book accomplish?
· To reconcile faith and reason
· He based Christian faith on experience
15. Who was Blaise Pascal and what did he accomplish? What did he reason by his statement, "The heart has its reasons which are unknown to reason"?
· A famous philosopher, scientist, and mathematician
· He invented an early computer and an underground transportation system
· Human thinking has limitations
16. What is meant by "little churches within the church," and what was the purpose of these groups?
· Pietists organized small groups within a congregation for Bible study and prayer meetings
· To demand a higher level of Christian commitment
17. What was Pietism, and what did the Pietists believe?
· A reaction against arid scholasticism in theology and extreme formalism in worship
· They stressed the importance of the new birth, small fellowship groups to encourage Christian commitment, and opposition to the world
18. Define "Gotteskinder." God’s children
Define "Weltkinder." Children of the world
19. Who was John Wesley?
· A leader in the Evangelical Revival and organizer of the Methodist Church
20. Who was Charles Wesley, and what did he do?
· The brother of John Wesley and a leader in the Evangelical Revival
· He started the Holy Club and wrote over 7000 hymns and poems
21. Who formed "the Holy Club"? John Wesley, Charles Wesley, and George Whitefield.
What was their purpose?
· They prayed together, read Scripture, and visited the sick and those in prison
22. Who was George Whitefield?
· The great preacher of the English and American revival and a friend of John Wesley
23. Describe John Wesley's "failure" in Georgia.
· He decided not to marry by casting lots, was imprisoned for slander, and fled to England
24. Describe the conversion experience of John Wesley.
· In 1738, at a Moravian meeting at Aldersgate Street, he felt his heart “strangely warmed” while listening to Luther’s preface to Romans
25. What was John Wesley "converted by"? What was John Wesley "converted to"?
· He was converted by faith in Christ’s sacrifice for his salvation
· He was converted to God’s grace in his life and an assurance of salvation
26. What did John Wesley declare as his "one point of view"?
· To promote vital, practical religion and to increase the life of God in the soul of man
27. Sum up the theology of John Wesley in three phrases:
a. faith alone
b. working in love
c. leading to holiness
28. Ponder this statement. If time permits, discuss:
"In an age when Christianity seemed to be overwhelmed by the rising tide of rationalism and unbelief, the Evangelical Awakening stirred new life in God's people making them once again to be a vital force in the life of the world."
PROGRAM 5: CHRISTIANITY IN THE NEW WORLD
1. Why was America thought to be "the land of new beginnings"? Why did Americans want to forget the past? What was their goal in America?
· There was no connection with the past in Europe
· The past in Europe was linked to corruption
· To build a holy commonwealth
2. What is meant by Governor John Winthrop's description of "a city set on a hill"?
· An example of the gospel for the entire world to see
3. Explain the Puritan story. To what did the Puritans object in old England? Why?
· They wanted to reform the Church of England according to the Bible
· They objected to vestiges of popery (Catholicism) within the established church
· They protested the slow pace of reform during Elizabeth’s reign
4. What was "the Puritan strategy" in America?
· The Puritans wanted to reform the Church of England, propagate the gospel in America
· The Separatists wanted to separate from the manifestly false Church of England
· They wanted to restore primitive Christianity in America by starting all over again
5. What was King James' opinion of the Puritans? Of the Separatists? What did he want to do with them?
· King James could barely tolerate the Puritans
· He could not abide the Separatists
· Make the Separatists conform or chase them out of the land
6. Who was the pastor of the band of Separatists driven into exile in Holland? What were his last words to them as they sailed for the New World?
· John Robinson
· “I am confident that the Lord has more truth and light yet to break forth out of His holy Word”
7. Where did the Pilgrim Fathers establish their first beachhead in the New World? Describe their community.
· Plymouth, Massachusetts
· They established a Christian community of courage and faith
8. What is meant by the expressions, "The Pilgrims had come to light a candle," and "The Puritans aimed to build a city set on a hill"?
· They wanted to build a new life as an example to others
9. Describe the Puritan way of life. What did they believe?
· They were exuberant about life; they wore bright clothes and lived in beautiful houses
· They read great books, listened to great music, and drank rum at wedding parties
· They believed that salvation was the work of grace resulting in the miracle of conversion
· They sought to bring every activity and relationship into conformity with the Bible
10. What ideals did the Puritans have for society? Why? Describe the average New England town square and its contents.
· They wanted to create an ordered and godly society
· New England was New Israel, the rule of Christ should prevailed over all
· Every town square had a schoolhouse, a church house and a meeting hall
11. How long did the Puritan vision dominate New England? During this time, what was happening in Europe between Protestants and Catholics?
· The Puritan vision dominated New England for a century and more
· Wars of religion were raging between Catholics and Protestants in Europe
12. Who was Anne Hutchinson? What did she do? What was her punishment? How did she die?
· Anne Hutchinson was a mid-wife and devotee of a Puritan minister named John Cotton
· She held private meetings, criticized Puritan sermons, and emphasized grace over moral law
· She was excommunicated, banished from the colony and later killed in an Indian raid
13. Explain the term "antinomianism."
· Antinomianism means “against the law”
· In other words, the Ten Commandments have become obsolete
14. Discuss the life, beliefs, and exile of Roger Williams. Where did he settle? What did he mean when he said: "Having bought truth dear, we must not sell it cheap - no, not the least grain of it for the whole world"?
· Roger Williams was a Cambridge graduate and a minister in Plymouth and Salem
· He was also a strict Separatist who believed in soul liberty (religious liberty)
· He criticized the whole system of church/state relations in Massachusetts Bay
· He was exiled from Massachusetts and founded Providence, Rhode Island
· A man should follow his conscience; religious coercion is never justified
15. What did the Puritans of Boston call Rhode Island? Why?
· The latrine of New England
· They permitted religious freedom and made no religious requirements for citizenship
16. What did Cotton Mather mean by "Piety has begotten prosperity, and the daughter has devoured the mother"? By the eighteenth century, what had happened to the Puritans?
· Material prosperity led to a loss of spiritual fervor and zeal
· The vision of “a city set on a hill” had grown dim with age
17. Who was the theologian of the Great Awakening? Describe his unusual experience in 1737 while riding through the woods.
· Jonathan Edwards
· He was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of the glory of the Son of God
· He desired to trust, serve, and follow Him with a divine and heavenly purity
18. Describe the contribution of Jonathan Edwards to the Great Awakening effort.
· He was a gifted writer, theologian, and preacher who chronicled the Great Awakening
· More than 300 were converted at Northampton, Massachusetts
19. Who was George Whitefield, and why is it said that "he carried the 'flame of revival' from England to the New World"?
· George Whitefield was the most effective preacher and promoter of the Great Awakening.
· He preached to large crowds from Georgia to Maine with passion, sincerity and eloquence
20. What happened during the period of revivalism? Describe the new form of preaching that became popular.
· Personal faith was emphasized; new schools, churches and denominations formed
· Edwards was measured and restrained; Whitefield was exuberant and unpredictable
21. How did the First Great Awakening spawn "a new kind of interdenominational evangelicalism"?
· Protestants joined forces to support Bible societies, missionary work and social reform
22. Do you think we are in a period of revival or awakening now?
PROGRAM 6: THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN AN AGE OF UNCERTAINTY
1. What happened on July 14, 1789? On November 9, 1989? How did these two events change history?
· The fall of the Bastille; end of French monarchy
· The fall of the Berlin Wall; end of communism
· They were significant advances in democracy
2. Who was William Carey, and what did he do for world missions? How did Dr. Carey interpret "The Great Commission" given by Jesus? How did the Christians, at that time, interpret "The Great Commission"?
· Carey published a practical plan for global missionary work
· He traveled to India and translated the Bible into many dialects
· He believed that the Great Commission applied to everyone
· Many thought that the Great Commission had been fulfilled
3. What was the practice of "infanticide"? Of sati?
· Infanticide: killing an infant at birth
· Sati: burning a widow alive on her husband’s funeral pyre
4. What did E. Stanley Jones mean by his comment, "A soul without a body is a ghost; a body without a soul is a corpse"?
· The gospel is addressed to the whole person, body and soul
5. What was William Carey's request when visited on his death bed by Alexander Duff?
· “When I am gone, speak no more of Dr. Carey; speak instead of Dr. Carey’s Savior”
6. Who were some of the people who followed in William Carey's footsteps? What primary principle guided them?
· Henry Martyn, David Livingstone, Lottie Moon, & J. Hudson Taylor
· In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity
7. What were the opinions of Karl Marx, Friedreich Engels, Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud, and Friedreich Nietzsche, concerning Christianity?
8. How did H. Richard Niebuhr characterize the theology which prevailed during this time?
· “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment, through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross”
9. Who was Karl Barth? What did he believe? What did he do?
· A Swiss pastor who abandoned liberal theology and returned to the Bible
· He focused on the transcendent God who revealed Himself in Jesus Christ
· He opposed the Nazi party and helped organize the Confessing C hurch
10. What was "the Confessing Church," and who started it and why?
· The Confessing Church was an alternative church opposed to the Nazi party
· Martin Niemoller organized it to resist the Nazi takeover of the church
11. Discuss Article 1 of the Barmen Declaration.
12. Who was Dietrich Bonhoeffer? What did Payne Best say about him? How did Bonhoeffer die and why?
· A close friend of Barth who opposed the Nazi movement
· He was humble, joyful, and grateful; God was real to him and close
· He was executed in a concentration camp for a plot to assassinate Hitler
13. How can we begin to reflect on the Holocaust?
· Only a minority of Christians opposed the Nazi regime during WW II
· More Christians have been martyred in the 20th century than any other time
14. What is the "church's one foundation"?
· The church's one foundation is still Jesus Christ her Lord
15. What was the purpose of the journal, The Christian Century?
· To chronicle the events of Christianity in the 20th century
16. Discuss Eastern Orthodoxy.
· They are the least open to change; strongly tied to national identity, ethnic history
· They have defended traditional doctrines and opposed liberal ecumenism
17. Who was Wolfhart Pannenberg? Alexander Solzhenitsin?
· Pannenberg: A German theologian who said that Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, & Conservative Evangelicalism would be 3 vital forces in the future of Christianity
· Solzhenitsin: A Russian reformer who called for renewal of Christian faith
18. What is happening today in the world of Roman Catholicism? Name the different beliefs of John XXIII and John Paul II.
· It is an aggressive global movement of numerous national churches, tied to the pope
· John XXIII encouraged Bible study, vernacular Masses, ecumenical dialog
· John Paul II opposed modernizing theology, returned to sources of tradition
19. What is meant by "aggiornamento"?
· Bringing up to date
20. Describe the life of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. Why has he had worldwide significance? What does he mean by "the culture of death"?
· He was the first non-Italian pope since the 16th century
· He opposed theological reform, communism, & the “culture of death”
· Culture of death: the cheapening of human life, euthanasia, and abortion
21. What is meant by the term "evangelicalism"?
· A moderate position between Protestant liberalism and Fundamentalism
· Emphasizes the New Birth experience, Christian living, & missionary fervor
22. Discuss the ministries of the following men:
· Carl F. H. Henry: founder of Fuller Theological Seminary, Christianity Today
· C. S. Lewis: author of popular books on apologetics, Christian Living
· Billy Graham: popular evangelist, teacher, and revival preacher
23. What are the five key principles that may be taken as hallmarks of the world evangelical movement? Discuss each as time permits.