The
History of Christianity (Roman)
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The historical formation and progress of Christianity; from the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ on through the origin of the different Christian denominations, up to our modern day Christianity, then on through the prophesied 'Great' Apostasy of the book of Revelation, and into the Second Advent of the Messiah Jesus Christ.
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Continuation of Dr. Halley's "Church History":
Forerunners of the Reformation:
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Albigenses or Carthari: In Southern France, Northern Spain and Northern Italy. Preached against the immoralities of the priesthood, pilgrimages, worship of saints and images; completely rejected the clergy and its claims; criticized church conditions; opposed the claims of the Church of Rome; made great use of the Scriptures; lived self denying lives and had great zeal for moral purity. By 1167 they embraced possibly a majority of the population of South France; by 1200 very numerous in North Italy. In 1208 a crusade was ordered by Pope Innocent III; a bloody war of extermination followed; scarcely paralleled in history; town after town was put to the sword and the inhabitants murdered without distinction of age or sex; in 1229 the Inquisition was established and within a hundred years the Albigenses were utterly rooted out.
Waldenses: Southern France and Northern Italy. Similar to Albigenses, but not identical. Waldo, a rich merchant of Lyons, South France (1176), gave his property to the poor and went about preaching; opposed clerical usurpation and profligacy; denied the exclusive right of the clergy to teach the Gospel; rejected masses, prayers for the dead and purgatory; taught the Bible as the sole rule of belief and life; their preaching kindled a great desire among the people to read the Bible. They were gradually repressed by the Inquisition except in the Alpine Valleys southwest of Turin where they still are found, the only medieval sect still surviving, a story of heroic endurance of persecutions. Now the leading Protestant body in Italy.
John Wyclif (1324-1384): A teacher at Oxford, England. Preached against the spiritual domination of the priesthood, the authority of the Pope; opposed the existence of Popes, cardinals, patriarchs, monks attacked transubstantiation, and auricular confession. Advocated the peoples right to read the Bible. Translated it into English language. His followers were called Lollards.
John Huss (1369-1415): Rector of the University of Prague, Bohemia. He was a student of Wyclif, whose writings had penetrated Bohemia. He became a fearless preacher; attacked the vices of the clergy and the corruptions of the church; with impassioned vehemence condemned the sale of indulgences; rejected purgatory, worship of saints and worship in a foreign language; exalted the Scriptures above the dogmas and ordinances of the church. He was burned alive at the stake, and his followers, a large part of the Bohemian population, were almost extirpated by a crusade ordered by the Pope.
Savonarola (1452-1498): Florence, Italy. Preached, like a Hebrew prophet, to vast crowds who thronged his cathedral, against the sensuality and sin of the city, and against Papal vice. The penitent city reformed. But Pope Alexander VI sought in every way to silence the righteous preacher; even tried to bribe him with a cardinals hat; but in vain. He was hanged and burned in the great square in Florence 19 years before Luther posted his 95 theses.
Anabaptists: Appeared through the Middle Ages, in various European countries, under different names, in independent groups, representing a variety of doctrines, but usually strongly Anti-Clerical, rejecting Infant Baptism, devoted to the Scriptures, and standing for Absolute Separation of Church and State; very numerous in Germany, Holland, and Switzerland at the time of the Reformation, perpetuating ideas that had come down from preceding generations; as a rule, a quiet and genuinely pious people, but bitterly persecuted, especially in the Netherlands.
The Renaissance: or Revival of Learning, occasioned, in part, as a result of the Crusades, helped along the Reformation movement. There arose a passion for the ancient classics. Vast sums of money were spent in the collection of manuscripts and the founding of libraries. Just at that time printing was invented. And there followed an abundance of dictionaries, grammars, versions and commentaries. There was study of the Scriptures in their original languages. "Renewed knowledge of the sources of Christian doctrine revealed the vast difference between the native simplicity of the Gospel and the ecclesiastical fabric that professed to be founded upon it." "THE REFORMATION OWED ITS BEING TO THE DIRECT CONTACT OF THE MIND WITH THE SCRIPTURES," and it resulted in the emancipation of the human mind from priestly and Papal authority.
Erasmus (1466-1536): Greatest scholar of the Reformation. His great ambition was to free men from false ideas about religion; and thought the best way to do it was to return to the Scriptures. A relentless critic of the Roman Catholic Church; delighted especially to ridicule "unholy men in holy orders." Greatly helped the Reformation, but never joined it.
Conditions: There was widespread discontent with the corruption of the Church and the clergy. The people had grown restive under the cruelties of the Inquisition. Civil rulers had grown tired of Papal interference in governmental matters. And "at the blast of Luther,s trumpet Germany, England, Scotland and other countries startled, like giants out of their sleep."
The reformation:
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MARTIN LUTHER (A.D. 1483-1546): Next to Jesus and Paul, the Greatest Man of all the ages. He led the world in its break for Freedom from the most Despotic Institution in history. Born of poor parents at Eisleben (1483). Entered University of Erfurt (1501), to study law. "A fine student, great talker and debater, very sociable and very musical," he took his degrees in an unusually short time. 1505 he suddenly decided to enter a monastery. An exemplary monk, and very religious, he practiced all the forms of fastings and scourgings, and invented new ones, and for two years endured, he said, "such anguish as no pen can describe." One day, in 1508, while reading Romans, his enlightenment and peace came suddenly: "the just shall live by faith." He saw, at last, that salvation was to be gained by Trust in God through Christ, and not by the rituals and sacraments and penances of the Church. It changed his whole life, and the WHOLE COURSE OF HISTORY. 1508 he became a teacher in the University of Wittenberg, which position he held till his death in 1546. 1511 he went to Rome, and was appalled at the Corruption and Vice of the Papal Court. Returned to Wittenberg. His sermons on the Bible began to attract students from all parts of Germany.
INDULGENCES: Tetzels sale of Indulgences was the occasion of Luthers break with Rome. According to Romanist teaching, Purgatory is very much the same as Hell, only it does not last as long; but all have to pass through it. But the Pope claimed to have the power to lessen, or altogether remit, these sufferings; and this prerogative belonged exclusively to the Pope. It began with Popes Pascal I (817-24) and John VIII (872-82). Papal Indulgences were found to be exceedingly profitable, and soon came into general use. They were offered as inducement to go on Crusades, or Wars against Heretics, or against some King whom the Pope wished to punish, or to Inquisitors, or to those who brought faggots for the burning of a heretic, or SOLD for MONEY. Pope Sixtus IV (1476), was the first to apply them to souls already in Purgatory. Indulgences were farmed out, to be retailed. Thus "selling the privilege to sin" became one of the main sources of Papal Revenue. In 1517 John Tetzel came through Germany selling certificates, signed by the Pope, offering pardon of all sins, to buyers and their friends, without confession, repentance, penance, or absolution by the priest. He said to the people, "as soon as your coin clinks in the chest the souls of your friends will rise out of Purgatory into Heaven." This horrified Luther.
THE 95 THESES: On October 31, 1517, Luther posted on the church door in Wittenberg 95 theses, nearly all of which related to Indulgences, but which in substance struck at the authority of the Pope. It was merely a notice that he was willing to discuss these things in the University. But printed copies were eagerly sought all over Germany. It proved to be "the spark that set Europe aflame." By 1520 he had become the most popular man in Germany.
Luthers Ex-Communication: In 1520 the Pope issued a Bull excommunicating Luther, and declaring that, unless he would retract within 60 days, he should receive the "penalty due for heresy" (which meant death). When Luther received the Bull he Burned it Publicly (Dec. 10, 1520). "A New Age in History began That Day." (Nichols)
The Diet of Worms: 1521 Luther was summoned by Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (which at that time included Germany, Spain, Netherlands and Austria), to appear before the Diet of Worms, and in the presence of the assembled dignitaries of the Empire and the Church, ordered to retract. He replied that he could retract nothing except what was disproved by Scripture or reason:
"Here I stand; I can do naught else; so help me God." He was condemned; but he had too many friends among the German Princes for the Edict to be carried out. He was hid by a friend for about a year, and then returned to Wittenberg to continue his work of speaking and writing. Among other things he translated theBible into German; it "spiritualized Germany and made the German language."
THE POPE'S WAR ON THE GERMAN PROTESTANTS:
Germany was made up of a great many small States. Many Princes, with their whole States, had been won to Luthers cause. By1540 all North Germany had become Lutheran. Pope Paul III urged the Emperor Charles V to proceed against them, and offered him an army. The Pope declared the war a Crusade, and offered Indulgences to all who would take part. The war lasted from 1546 to 1555, ending with the Peace of Augsburg, by which the Lutherans won legal recognition of their religion.
The Name "Protestant": The Diet of Spires (AD.1529) at which Roman Catholics were in the majority ruled that Catholics could teach their religion in Lutheran States, but forbade Lutheran teaching in Catholic States, in Germany. Against this the Lutheran Princes made formal protest, and henceforth were known as "Protestants." The name, originally applied to Lutherans, has now come to be applied in popular use, to those protesting against Papal Usurpation - including all Evangelical Christian Bodies.
IN SWITZERLAND, the historic land of freedom, reform was started by Zwingli, and carried on by Calvin, the union of their followers (1549), constituting the "Reformed Church." Their reforms were more sweeping than Luthers.
Zwingli (A.D. 1484-1531): Zurich, became convinced, about 1516, that the Bible was the means by which to purify the church. 1525 Zurich officially accepted his teaching; and the churches gradually abolished Indulgences, Mass, Celibacy, Images, using the Bible as Sole Authority.
John Calvin (AD.1509-64): A Frenchman, accepted Reformation teachings 1533. Driven out of France 1534. VVent to Geneva 1536. There his Academy became a pivotal center of Protestantism, attracting scholars from many lands.
IN THE NETHERLANDS: the Reformation was received early; Lutheranism, and then Calvinism; and Anabaptists were already numerous. Between 1513 and 1531 there were issued 25 different translations of the Bible in Dutch, Flemish and French. The Netherlands were a part of the dominion of Charles V. In 1522 he established the Inquisition, and ordered all Lutheran writings to be burned. In 1525 prohibited religious meetings in which the Bible would be read. 1546 prohibited the printing or possession of the Bible, either vulgate or translation. 1535 decreed "death by fire" for Anabaptists. Philip II (1566-98), successor to Charles V, re-issued the edicts of his father, and with Jesuit help carried on the persecution with still greater fury. By one sentence of the Inquisition the whole population was condemned to death, and under Charles V and Philip II more than 100,000 were massacred with unbelievable brutality. Some were chained to a stake near the fire and slowly roasted to death; some were thrown into dungeons, scourged, tortured on the rack, before being burned. Women were buried alive, pressed into coffins too small, trampled down with the feet of the executioner. Protestants of Netherlands, after incredible suffering, in 1609, won their independence; Holland, on the North became Protestant; Belgium, on the South, Roman Catholic. Holland was the first country to adopt public schools supported by taxation, and to legalize principles of religious toleration and freedom of the press.
IN SCANDINAVIA: Lutheranism was early introduced, and was made the State Religion, in Denmark (1536), Sweden (1539), Norway (1540). A hundred years later Gustavus Adolphus (1611-32), King of Sweden, rendered signal service in defeating Rome's effort to crush Protestant Germany.
IN FRANCE: By 1520 Luther's teachings had penetrated France. By 1559 there were about 400,000 Protestants. They were called "Huguenots." Their earnest piety and pure lives were in striking contrast to the scandalous lives of the Roman clergy. In 1557 Pope Pius urged their extermination. The king issued a decree for their massacre, and ordered all loyal subjects to help in hunting them out.
St. Bartholomews Massacre: Catherine de Medici, mother of the King, an ardent Romanist and willing tool of the Pope, gave the order, and on the night of August 24, 1572, 70,000 Huguenots, including most of their leaders, were Massacred. There was great rejoicing in Rome. The Pope and his College of Cardinals went, in solemn procession, to the Church of San Marco, and ordered the Te Deum to be sung in thanksgiving. The Pope struck a medal in commemoration of the Massacre; and sent a Cardinal to Paris to bear the King and Queen-Mother the Congratulations of Pope and Cardinals.
The Huguenot Wars: Following St. Bartholomews Massacre the Huguenots united and armed for resistance; till finally, in 1598 by the Edict of Nantes, they were granted freedom of conscience and worship. Pope Clement VIII called the Toleration, Edict of Nantes a "cursed thing"; and, after years of underground work by the Jesuits, the Edict was Revoked, (1685); and 500,000 Huguenots fled to Protestant Countries.
The French Revolution: A hundred years later, (1789), one of the most frightful convulsions in history. The people, in a frenzy against the tyrannies of the ruling class (among whom were the Clergy, owners of one-third of all land, wealthy, lazy, immoral, and heartless in their treatment of the poor), rose up in a Reign of Terror and Blood, abolished the government, closed the churches, confiscated their property, suppressed Christianity and Sunday. Napoleon restored the church, but not the property; 1802 granted Toleration to all; and almost ended the Political Power of the Popes in every country.
In Bohemia: By 1600, in a population of 4,000,000, 80 per cent were Protestant. When the Hapsburgs and Jesuits had done their work, 800,000 were left, all Catholics.
In Austria and Hungary: Half the population Protestant, but under the Hapsburgs and Jesuits they were slaughtered.
In Poland: By the end of the 16th century, it seemed as if Romanism was about to be entirely swept away, but here, too, the Jesuits, by persecution, killed Reform.
In Italy: The Popes own country, the Reformation was getting a real hold; but the Inquisition got busy, and hardly a trace of Protestantism was left.
IN SPAIN: The Reformation never made much headway, because the Inquisition was already there. Every effort for freedom or independent thinking was crushed with a ruthless hand. Torquemada (1420-98), a Dominican monk, arch-inquisitor, in 18 years burned 10,200 and condemned to perpetual imprisonment 97,000. Victims were usually burned alive in the public square; made the occasion of religious festivities. From 1481 to 1808 there were at least 100,000 martyrs and 1,500,000 banished. "In the 16th and 17th centuries the Inquisition extinguished the literary life of Spain, and put the nation almost outside the circle of European civilization." When the Reformation began Spain was the Most Powerful country in the world.
The Spanish Armada (1588): One of the features of Jesuit strategy was to seek the overthrow of Protestant countries. Pope Gregory XIII "left nothing undone to impel Philip II, Emperor, and King of Spain, to proceed in war against Protestant England." Sixtus V, who became Pope as the enterprise was maturing, made it a Crusade (that is offered Indulgences to those who would take part).
WBSG Note: In other words, the Pope promised 'tickets to Heaven' to those who would war, murder, and grab land for the Catholic Empire. And the people, ignorant to Biblical truth, believed him. For at this time in history the Bible was not yet available to the common man, the Scriptures were locked away in the Church and the priests told men what God said.
That is why it is so important for us to study God's Written Word, the Bible ourselves, lest someone comes along and deceives us as well. satan does his 'best' deceiving from the pulpit in priests robes, not from a barstool in some saloon slugging down shots. Nobody expects the un-expected, and it is upon those with self-induced ignorance that satan's plots best flourish. You must study God's Written Word, the Bible, or else how will you know the truth from a lie?!?
We continue in Halley's book excerpt:
At that time Spain had the most powerful Navy that had ever sailed the seas; but the proud Armada met defeat in the English Channel. "England's victory was the final turning point in the great duel between Protestantism and Romanism; not only assured England and Scotland, but Holland, North Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, to the Protestant cause." (Jacobs.)
IN ENGLAND: It was Revolt, and then Reform. From the days of William the Conqueror (1066), there had been repeated protests against Papal Control of England. Henry VIII (1509-47) believed, as his predecessors had, that the English Church should be independent of the Pope. His Divorce was not the Cause, but the Occasion, of his break with Rome. Henry was no saint; but neither was the contemporary Pope, Paul III, who had many illegitimate children. In 1534 the Church of England definitely repudiated Papal authority, and settled down to an independent life under the spiritual direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer was Archbishop of Canterbury, and under him Reform began; monasteries were abolished on the grounds of immorality; an English Bible was put in the churches and a Prayer-Book for services in English, and the churches were stripped of many Romanist practices. Out of the English Church came the Puritans and Methodists.
IN SCOTLAND: The story of the Scotch Reformation is the story of John Knox.
John Knox (1515-72): A Scotch priest, about 1540 began teaching Reformation ideas. On the accession of Bloody Mary (1553), he went to Geneva, where he thoroughly absorbed Calvins teaching. 1559 he was recalled to Scotland by the Parliament of Scotch Lords to become leader of the National Reform movement. The Political situation made Church Reform and National Independence ONE movement. Mary, Queen of Scots, had married Francis II, King of France, who was son of Catherine de Medici (of St. Bartholomew's Massacre fame). Scotland and France were thus in alliance, their crowns united by marriage. France was bent on the destruction of Protestantism. Philip II, King of Spain, with other Romanists, plotted the assassination of Queen Elizabeth, to put Mary queen of Scots on the English throne. Pope Pius V aided the scheme by issuing a Bull excommunicating Elizabeth and releasing her subjects from allegiance (which, by Jesuit teaching, meant that the assassin would be doing an act of service to God). Thus there was no chance for Reform of the Scotch Church as long as it was under French control. John Knox believed that the future of Protestantism was bound up in an alliance between Protestant England and Protestant Scotland. He proved to be a magnificent leader. The Reformed Church was established 1560; and, with the help of England, by 1567, the French were driven out; and Rornanism was more completely swept away than in any other country. John Knox, largely, made Scotland what it still is.
THE COUNTER-REFORMATION: In 50 years the
Reformation had swept Europe, with most of Germany, Switzerland,
Netherlands, Scandinavia, England, Scotland, Bohemia, Austria,
Hungary, Poland in its grasp; and making headway in France. This
was a terrific blow to the Roman Church, which, in turn,
organized the Counter-Reformation; and by means of the Council of
Trent (in session 18 years, 1545-63) and the Jesuits and the
Inquisition sonic of the moral abuses of the Papacy were
abolished, and by the close of the century Rome was organized for
an aggressive onslaught on Protestantism; and under the brilliant
and brutal leadership of the Jesuits regained much of the lost
territory; South Germany, Boheniia, Austria, Hungary, Poland,
Belgium, and crushed the Reformation in France. Within a hundred
years, by 1689, the Counter-Reformation had spent its force. The
principal Rulers who fought the Popes Wars were: Charles V (1519-56)
of Spain, against German Protestants; Philip II (1556-98), of
Spain, against Holland, England; Ferdinand II (1619-37), of
Austria, against Bohemians; Catherine de Medici, mother of three
kings of France, Francis II (1559-60), Charles IX (1560-74),
Henry III (1574- 89), in the wars for the extermination of French
Huguenots.
RELIGIOUS WARS: The Reformation movement was followed by a hundred years of religious war:
THE THIRTY YEARS WAR (1618-48): In Bohemia and Hungary, by 1580, Protestants were in the majority, including most of the land-owning nobles. Emperor Ferdinand II, of the House of Hapsburg, had been educated by the Jesuits; and with their help undertook to suppress Protestantism. The Protestants united for defense. The first part of the war (1618-29), was a Catholic victory; they succeeded in driving Protestantism out of all Catholic States. Then they determined to re-Catholicize the Protestant States of Germany. Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, realized that the fall of Protestant Germany would mean the fall of Sweden, and perhaps the end of Protestantism. He entered the war, and his army was victorious (1630--32). He saved the day for the Protestant cause. The rest of the war (1632-48), was mainly a struggle between France and the House of Hapsburg, ending with France the leading power in Europe. It ended with the Peace of Westphalia (1648), which fixed the lines between Romanist and Protestant States.
PAPAL PERSECUTIONS: The number of Martyrs under
Papal Persecutions far outnumbered the Early Christian Martyrs
under Pagan Rome: hundreds of thousands among the Albigenses,
Waldenses, and Protestants of Germany, Netherlands, Bohemia and
other countries. It is common to excuse the Popes in this matter
by saying that it was the "spirit of the age."
Whose age was it? and who made it so? The Popes. It was their
world. For 1000 years they had been training the world to be in
subjection to them. If the Popes had not taken the Bible from the
people, the people would have known better, and it would NOT have
been "the spirit of the age." It was NOT the
spirit of Christ, and "Vicars of Christ"
should have known better. Persecution is the spirit of the DEVIL,
even though carried on in the name of Christ.
Protestant persecutions:
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Calvin consented to the death of Servetus. In Holland Calvinists executed an Arminian. In Germany Lutherans put to death a few Anabaptists. In England Protestant Edward VI executed 2 Roman Catholics in 6 years (Romanist Mary in the 5 following years burned 282 Protestants). Elizabeth executed, in 45 years 187 Romanists, most of them for treason, not heresy. In Massachusetts, 1659, 3 Quakers were hanged by Puritans, and, in 1692, 20 were executed for witchcraft. All told a few hundred martyrs may be charged against Protestants, at most not over a few thousand; but to Rome, untold millions. While the Reformation was a grand struggle for Religious Freedom, the Reformers were slow in granting to others what they sought for themselves. In Protestant countries Persecution ceased by 1700.
Protestantism
ITS DIVISIONS: The Protestant Movement was an effort of a part of the Western Church to free itself from the authority of Rome, and to gain for every man the right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience. Inevitably, in the breakaway, the struggle for freedom resolved itself into different streams with different emphasis carrying over some of Romes errors. The Movement, now about 400 years old, has made enormous growth and remarkable improvement. There is a growing spirit of unity, and a clearer understanding of Christianity. The Protestant Church, though it is a long way from perfection, in spite of its cross-currents and its weaknesses, beyond any doubt whatever, represents the Purest Form of Christianity in the world today; and probably the purest the church has known since the first three centuries. On the whole, there is no nobler set of men in the world than the Protestant Ministers.
NATIONAL CHURCHES: Wherever Protestantism triumphed a National Church arose: Lutheran in Germany; Episcopal in England; Presbyterian in Scotland; etc. Worship conducted in the language of the country, as against the universal use of Latin in Romanist churches. Invariably when the church in any country gained its freedom from the Pope it began to make progress in self-purification.
THE UNITED STATES: Was colonized: 1607, by Anglican Puritans, in Virginia: 1615, by Dutch Reformed, in New York; 1620, by Puritans, in Massachusetts; 1634, by English Catholics, in Baltimore, who could obtain their charter only by allowing freedom to all religions; 1639, by Baptists, in Rhode Island, under Roger Williams pioneer in advocating unlimited toleration for all religions; 1681, by Quakers, in Pennsylvania; lured to our shores in search of Religious Liberty. Thus our country came into being on the principles of Religious Toleration for all, and of absolute Separation of Church and State; principles that are now permeating all the Governments of the world, so that, in recent years, very many countries, even Roman Catholic countries, have decreed Separation of Church and State (though there seems to be a setback just now).
THE FUTURE OF THE PROTESTANT MOVEMENT: Is bound up in its attitude toward the Bible. "With the traditional form of Christianity there was handed down, in the Sacred Text itself, a source of divine knowledge, not exposed in like manner to corruption, from which the Church might learn how to distinguish Primitive Christianity from all subsequent additions, and so carry forward the work of keeping the Church pure till its completion."
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL: Founded by Robert Raikes, an editor of Gloucester, England (1780), to give Christian training to poor and unschooled children. Founded as a missionary branch of the church, it has grown enormously, and has now become a normal part of church life. Its great value is its promotion of the Bible, and its development of layman leadership.
MODERN WORLD-WIDE MISSIONS: The Most Important movement in history. Supplies some of the most thrilling stories in all literature, vibrant with life and heroism and helpfulness. Neither preachers nor Sunday School teachers pay enough attention to the lives of missionaries. Every congregation ought to hear over and over the story of Livingstone, unmatched among the worlds heroes; and Carey, Morrison, Judson, Moffat, Martin, Paton and others, who have borne the tidings of Christ to distant lands and founded systems of preaching and Christian education and philanthropy which are transforming the world. When history is finished, and the whole story of mankind can be seen in its broad general perspective, it will probably be found that the World-Wide Missionary Movement of the past century, in its total influence on the nations, will have constituted THE MOST GLORIOUS CHAPTER IN THE ANNALS OF MAN.
The Greek, or Eastern Orthodox, Catholic Church:
Christianity was first established in the Eastern, or Greek part of the Roman Empire. For two hundred years Greek was the language of Christianity.
At times there have been attempts to reunite the churches; but they have been futile, because the East would not acknowledge the authority of the Pope.
The Greek Church, now the church of southeastern Europe and Russia, is one of the three great divisions of Christendom, numbering 150,000,000 as against 340,000,000 Roman Catholics and 210,000,000 Protestants; or approximately one-fifth of Christian population of the world.
The Greek Church, in many of its practices, is very similar to the Roman Catholic Church. They do not require celibacy of their priests. They have no Popes.
Wyclif 14th century: The "morning star of the Reformation," translated the Bible into English, and paved the way for the Reformation in England.
Luther, Calvin, Knox 16th century: Were the leaders in the Protestant Revolution that freed Western Europe from bondage to the Papacy.
Puritanism:
Early half of the 17th century, arose in the latter part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. It was produced by a popular interest in the Bible. It was a reform movement within the Church of England, protesting against the lifeless formalism of the times, and aiming at general purity and righteousness of life. Because they were persecuted by the ecclesiastical authorities, they separated themselves into Independent Churches, mostly Baptist, Congregational and Presbyterian. It was from among these Puritans that New England was colonized, lured to the shores of the New World, in search of liberty.
Roger Williams,17th century: An Episcopal clergyman, was driven out of Massachusetts (1636), and founded the colony of Rhode Island, where he affiliated himself with the Baptists. The Puritans had been very zealous in demanding liberty of conscience for themselves. But Williams insisted on it for ALL. His great passion was for the ABSOLUTE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. All honor to the Baptists for their unceasing emphasis on it, for there are still mighty forces at work that would rob us of this precious heritage if they could.
John Wesley, 18th century: A hundred years after the rise of Puritanism, and a product of it, for his mother was of Puritan stock. At a time when the Church had again fallen into lifeless formalism, he preached the doctrine of the witness of the Spirit and of a holy life. He was a rector in the Church of England, but they would not let him preach his doctrines in the churches. So he preached in the fields, mining camps and street corners. Organized societies of holy living, and spent his long life looking after them. Like the Puritan movement of the preceding century, he changed the whole moral tone of England. His movement is generally credited with saving England from a French Revolution. One of earths greatest.
Map
of the lands of early Christianity:
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The
Mediterranean Basin: Extending across the middle
of the Eastern Hemisphere, between the Indian and
Atlantic Oceans, bounded on the North by Europe, on the
East by Asia, on the South by Africa, has been, until
modern times, the area within which flowed the course of
civilization. The Roman Empire, in the days of Christ,
controlled the entire basin, under the sway of the
Caesars.
World
situation (as of 1961):
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back to index
The figures on this and the following numbers are only approximate, and in round numbers. Some are merely rough estimates. Statistical tables and estimates vary greatly.
Protestant figures, in these tables, indicate actual church membership. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox figures count membership from birth and, in some cases, by families regardless of actual relationship with the church. So, Protestantism may, comparatively, be relatively stronger than the figures would indicate.
In Communist dominated lands the Church is suffering tremendous reverses. To what extent the Soviet has succeeded in crushing the Russian Church is not known.
To what extent present world convulsions may alter the religious status of the various countries is yet to be seen.
Religions
of the World, Roughly, as of 1961
Total World Population 2,500,000,000
- Confucianism: Is an ethical and philosophic system based on ancestor-worship.
- Buddhism: Is an ascetic religion whose main tenet is the annihilation of desire.
- Hinduism: The native religion of India, is an admixture of Buddhism, Brahmanism, and many deities residing in objects and animals.
- Animism: Is the belief that all inanimate objects are inhabited by spirits.
Figures above mentioned indicate about one-third of the worlds population have professed Christianity in some of its forms, a large part of the third being a grossly corrupted Christianity.
(End of Dr. Halley's book excerpt)