The Immutable Kingdom – Part 41

By Scott A. Klaft

(Denominationalism in America continued)

Amidst the Roman Catholic’s conflicts with the Protestants in America, amidst the failing struggle of the Puritans (Congregationalists) to have unity with the Presbyterians, and amidst the Baptist’s divisions among themselves, the Church of England was not immune to inner skirmishes. While the Wesley’s only intended to supplement the Church of England, the “Wesleyan Societies” were considered a “thorn in the side” by the Anglicans of England. The resulting passions were inflamed in America.

The Methodists

A Wesleyan preacher first came to New York in 1766 and began his work; another assembled a small group in Maryland around the same time. It was in 1771 that Francis Asbury came to Philadelphia and became the dominant figure among the Episcopalian Methodists. As the Societies began to grow, John and Charles Wesley, and George Whitfield came to preach and encourage further growth. The young Methodist congregations were still reliant upon the Episcopal clergy to perform the “sacraments” of the Lord’s Supper, baptisms, marriages, and funerals, but the Bishop of London refused to ordain any ministers for the Wesleyan Societies. As the Revolutionary War drew on, the fires of liberty burned fiercely in the heart of the colonists. With great reservation, John Wesley “ordained” Thomas Coke and imbued him with authority to ordain other ministers. Wesley specifically told Coke to ordain Francis Asbury, and the two served as joint superintendents over the Societies in America.

On December 24, 1784, Coke assembled sixty preachers in Baltimore, Maryland to read a letter from Wesley. It declared that the Methodist churches in America no longer had any connection either to the government or to the Church of England, and that they should be subject to the administrating authority of Coke and Asbury. It was at this meeting the name “Methodist Episcopal Church” was taken, and it officially became a distinct denomination. It is the connection to Coke, through Wesley, to the Church of England, back to the papacy that the Methodists attempt to trace their bishops to the apostles of Christ.

Trends

From the beginning of the Reformation Movement until the early 1800’s, there was a tendency toward separation, segregation, and division into more and more denominations. Although many new divisions have had their beginning since that time, the trend had changed toward attempts at unity. The various attempts to bring about unity can be labeled in one of three categories: authoritarian, interdenominational, and undenominational.

The Authoritarian concept centers on the Roman Catholic hierarchy where all are required to accept the organization and doctrines, and must retain an attitude of submission, without questioning the traditions that might be imposed. The Interdenominational concept rests on the idea that there is no divine pattern of organization, doctrine, or worship in Christianity. It is obvious to the casual Bible reader that both of those proposals for unity are futile at best. The more reasonable philosophy of uniting from an undenominational basis proposes that individuals should diligently search pages of the New Testament Scripture to find the pattern for organization, doctrine, work, and worship of the New Testament church.

Near the beginning of the 1800’s, the first movement aiming at undenominational Christianity materialized in American history. Many sincerely attempted a return to the scriptures, and several initiated principles that would have eventually brought them to undenominational Christianity. As it has been suggested, it is entirely possible that true Christianity may have been maintained throughout all ages in some secluded corner of the world, but we have no historical evidence to be certain. Thus, because it is a return to the Word of God as an unchanging seed of truth (which, when sown produces only what God intended) we look now to the period of the Restoration Movement for the New Testament church.

(Next Week: Early Beginnings of the Restoration)

The Immutable Kingdom – Part 40

The Immutable Kingdom – Part 40

By Scott A. Klaft

Denominationalism moves to America

From the very first attempts at colonization in the “New World,” numerous religious factions have been competing for dominance. With a new hope of religious freedom, the settlers set out to be able to live at peace while worshiping God according to their conscience. Complete freedom, however, would not come as they had hoped; but then, debatably, it could not come, yet.

Roman Catholicism

Jesuit priests accompanied the very first Spanish voyage to the shores of the Americas, and as early as 1510, papal power was being exercised in Mexico and in all of South America. Catholics from France were actively evangelistic in Louisiana, Canada, New York, Maine, and Vermont. There were also Catholics from England who were eager to take part in the development of the colonies. Greatly in the minority among the anti-Catholic communities of the colonies, they found establishment to be a daunting task. In 1634, there was a Catholic refuge colony formed in Maryland, but the majority of settlers in that state were Protestant, making it impossible to enforce Roman Catholicism as the state religion. Maryland was made a royal colony in 1692, and the Church of England was made the established religion.

The Church of England

Jamestown, Virginia was the first established colony of the English settlers, but these only came for business and commercial interests rather than religious freedom; they were all adherents to the Church of England. The Bishop of London appointed clergymen to oversee all religious activities, but as certain colonies began to break, politically, from England, those churches, once Anglican, would take the name “Episcopal Church,” named after the Episcopal form of church government. In doctrine, organization, and practice, they remained the same as the Church of England.

Puritans, Separatists, and Congregationalists

The Puritan groups varied widely in doctrine and organization from the start, but they each had in common the desire to purge Catholicism from the Church of England. Gradually, the Puritans adopted the Presbyterian theology and form of government, but with congregational autonomy. The differences between the Separatists and Puritans were forgotten in the New World. The first Puritans in America were the group who landed the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock and established the first “Congregational Church” in 1620. The rapidity of growth was such that, within twenty years, the Congregational Church was virtually the State religion. Those who would not accept their general interpretation of the Bible were cast out of the colony. Religious freedom was still beyond the grasp of the individual. After the Revolutionary War, the Baptists, Quakers, and Episcopalians developed a degree of toleration by opposing taxation for the support of Congregational Churches.

Presbyterian Church

Rooted to and historically traced back to John Calvin’s system of church government and theology, the Presbyterian Church as an independent organization was influenced from many lands, sources, and elements. Inasmuch as the Presbyterian Church is similar to the Puritan Congregational Church, there were many attempts to unite the two groups; all were unsuccessful. Many other groups have grown out of the Presbyterian movement, and nine major branches still retain the same name.

The Baptists

The first recorded Baptist congregation in the American continent was probably established in 1639 in Providence, Road Island by Roger Williams, who was cast out of a Massachusetts colony for refusal to conform to the Congregational Church. Near the same time, another group was started in Newport, Road Island, which adopted immersion for the baptism of the penitent believer in 1644. This soon became the accepted practice of the Baptists who were quickly scattering throughout the colonies. With disagreements among themselves in many points, they divided into more than twenty major branches.

(Continued next week)

-S. Klaft

The Immutable Kingdom – Part 39

The Immutable Kingdom – Part 39

By Scott A. Klaft

Wesleyans and the Methodists

John and Charles Wesley grew up in a nineteen-child family; John was the fifteenth and Charles the eighteenth. Both had an excellent education at Oxford University, and during his time there, Charles influenced several other young men to strive for a closer walk with God. They came together every night for mutual encouragement, Bible study, and a devotion period. They eventually came to be known as the “Holy Club.” In 1729, John came back to Oxford and given the leadership of this club. The campus of the University had developed into extreme worldliness, which, naturally, ridiculed the little group. They were given the name “Methodists” due to their strict adherence to the “method” of their “prayer book,” insisting on the manner in which religious observances were to be practiced in order to have an acceptable life before God. They fasted on all appointed days, took communion every Sunday, and denied themselves every possible luxury that more money might be given to the needy.

In 1735, John and Charles went to what is now known as the eastern Czech Republic on behalf of a missionary society, but their strictness for church ritual gave them little success, so they returned to England. During their journey, they encountered Peter Bohler who convinced them that one should be able to point to a specific point in time, place, circumstance, and by what means their soul came to have the confidence of salvation. After several years in England seeking it, John finally stated that at 8:45 on May 24^th, 1738, God “warmed” his heart, giving him the assurance of salvation. He decided he must go throughout England and wake the apathetic members of the Church of England. Up to that point, the pulpits had been freely open to him, but now the clergy was developing a strong opposition to his messages.

George Whitfield, an associate of the Wesley’s, decided to make a missionary trip to “the New World.” Upon his return to raise money to carry on the work, he met with great prejudice, and consequently began to preach in the open air. His influence was so great that audiences of nearly twenty thousand in number assembled, eager to hear his eloquent words and powerful voice. Wesley joined Whitfield in “field preaching.” Together, they created an interest in spiritual revival all over England. They soon discovered, however, a difference in salvation theories between them. Whitfield accepted Calvinism, while Wesley prescribed to the Armenian doctrine of free-will. The movement naturally split into two distinct groups: the Calvinistic Methodists, and the Armenian Methodists.

Not only was he a highly skilled public speaker, but John Wesley was unusually talented in organization. He established “study groups” which multiplied quickly, and he appointed preachers to each group. Mission halls opened all over, and by 1744, the “Wesleyan” plan was complete and organized. Preachers began to consider an appointment by Wesley equal to ordination by a bishop.

The English clergy reacted hostilely, refusing to serve communion to members of the “Wesleyan Societies.” Wesley taught his followers not to leave the Established Church, but to continue the work of revivalism. Before Charles died in 1788, he made the statement, “I have lived and I die in the communion of the Church of England, and I will be buried in the yard of my parish church.” Before John died in 1790, he said, “I hold all the doctrines of the Church of England, I love her liturgy and approve of her plan of discipline and only wish it could be carried out.” In 1793, the Methodist conference met and declared, “We are determined in a body to remain in connection with the Church of England.” Yet, without a formal declaration of separation, in 1795, the Methodist conference confirmed that it had the power to bestow priestly functions, which effectually separated them from the Anglican Church.

This particular conflict between the Wesleyan Societies (a.k.a. Methodists) and the Church of England (a.k.a. Anglicans), while seemingly a minor event, is very important because it truly led to the greatest of all historical efforts to restore New Testament Christianity, of which we shall have more to say later.

(Next week: Denominationalism moves to America)

Delay in the series…

I apologize to anyone visiting this blog expecting new installments of “The Immutable Kingdom,” only to be disappointed. This series is being published elsewhere in parallel. When an installment cannot be published one week for one reason or another, I have refrained from posting it online to prevent it from getting out of sequence with the other source. Please come back on Saturday or Sunday to see the furthering series.
God bless you all.
-S.