Exploring Church History: Faith, Culture, and Transformation

Church history wants to look at more than ideas, because I don't want to shock you, but Christians are not always exclusively motivated by theology. Sometimes there are other factors that enter into their motivations. And so, as we look at the developing history of the church, we want to look at the surrounding culture, what is happening in the culture, because culture always makes some impact on the church. No matter how much the church may try to resist its culture, it can never escape culture altogether. [00:01:29]

The Reformation, which really looks at just about a hundred years from about 1500 to about 1600, that great time in which the Spirit of God raised up some of the most remarkable leaders of churches in the whole history of the church and turned the church around, remade the church. And, of course, for those of us who are Protestants, this is a particularly important part of our heritage. I tried to show how we as Protestants ought to feel connected to Christians in the Middle Ages, ought to feel connected to Christians in the ancient church period. [00:05:40]

When Calvin and Luther arose, the Roman argument was not so refined as it became later; and so new intellectual challenges that had to be faced. But one of the great concerns of the seventeenth century, particularly in England and amongst Puritans and those who had a religious conviction like the Puritans, Bunyan would be one of the great examples of that, was "If we now have Protestant churches that have reformed their worship according to the Word of God and have reformed their doctrine according to the Word of God, how do we ensure that hearts have been reformed by the Word of God? How do we avoid the great problem of formalism?" [00:11:03]

Formalism is the religious state where your forms and externals are right, but the heart is still dead. You can go to the church with the best doctrine and the best worship, the best everything external, you can go to the best conferences available, but that doesn't ensure that your heart has been changed, that you have been born again. And that became one of the great concerns of the Puritans in the seventeenth century, not their only concern by any means, but one of their great concerns. [00:11:54]

The Enlightenment posed a whole new intellectual challenge that comes to Christians in the latter part of the eighteenth century and the great symbolic moment of the Enlightenment comes with the French Revolution. And Voltaire, one of the, we might say, prophets of the French Revolution, had said that he longed to see the day when the last aristocrat was strangled with the entrails of the last priest. So, this is against the whole old order; aristocracy, monarchy, and Christianity, and we are going to have something new. [00:22:42]

The very title they gave themselves, sort of, points to their sense of self-confidence. They are the enlightened ones. They are enlightened beyond Christianity. They have come to see all of the weaknesses of Christianity, all of the problematics of Christianity, and they are going to be able to lead Western society on to something bigger and better than Christianity. So, here too is a whole new intellectual challenge that comes to Christians in the latter part of the eighteenth century. [00:22:04]

Ecclesiastes chapter 7 verse 10 where the preacher wrote, "Say not, 'Why were the former times better than these?' For this is not from wisdom that you ask this." And, of course, what the preacher means is God has given us this time to live in. It doesn't do any good to moon about other times that we might have preferred. It is the fool who wants and tries to live in a time when he does live. It is the wise person who says, "This is the time God has given me, and I need to make the very best use of it for Him that I can and I need to face the problems that my time has to find a way in which to communicate the truth of what God has revealed for all times." [00:25:46]

The Puritans' concern with formalism underscores the need for genuine heart transformation, not just external conformity to religious practices. This insight challenges us to examine our own spiritual lives for true regeneration. How do we ensure that hearts have been reformed by the Word of God? How do we avoid the great problem of formalism? [00:12:07]

The Reformation was a crucial period that emphasized a return to the Bible, highlighting the importance of Scripture in transforming the church and individual lives. This era reminds us of the power of God's Word to renew and reform. When we look at the Reformation, that great period of returning to the Bible, of really taking up the book in the hand again and allowing the Bible to live in the lives of the people that remade the church. [00:06:01]

The Enlightenment posed significant intellectual challenges to Christianity, prompting believers to find new ways to articulate their faith. This historical moment encourages us to engage thoughtfully with contemporary cultural and intellectual trends. Christians are being forced to find new ways to try to communicate their faith, new ways to try to connect with a culture that increasingly feels that it is superior to Christianity. [00:22:04]

Church history is not just about theological ideas but also about understanding the cultural and institutional contexts that have shaped the church. This broader perspective helps us appreciate the complex interplay between faith and culture. As we look at the developing history of the church, we want to look at the surrounding culture, what is happening in the culture, because culture always makes some impact on the church. [00:01:48]

Ecclesiastes 7:10 reminds us to live wisely in the present, recognizing that God has placed us in this time for a purpose. We are called to make the most of our opportunities to serve Him and communicate His truth. God has given us this time to live in. It doesn't do any good to moon about other times that we might have preferred. [00:25:38]