CHURCH: History and Today Jan. 13

Good morning everyone, and welcome to the first Sunday School class of 2019! I'll just start by introducing myself and what the class is going to be about.

Welcome

Good morning everyone, and welcome to the first Sunday School class of 2019! I'll just start by introducing myself and what the class is going to be about.

I attended Steinbach Bible College for three years and graduated in April last year with my Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies with a focus in Bible/Theology. I am married to my wife Teya, who I met in college and we live here in Winkler and are expecting to become parents in June!

I have never taught my own adult SS class before, so you guys are sort of my guinea pigs, although Pastor Dale and you all were gracious enough to let me get involved with his Romans class in the fall. I am very excited for this class and I think there's lots to learn, for you and even more for me.

My name is Jason Friesen, and my parents are Diedrich and Nettie Friesen from Reinland, southeast of Winkler. I have been attending this church since 2009 and have been a member here for the past several years as well. My family has been involved in worship leading in this church for several years now, so many of you may recognize me from there. I attended Steinbach Bible College for three years and graduated in April last year with my Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies with a focus in Bible/Theology. I have never taught my own adult SS class before, so you guys are sort of my guinea pigs, although Pastor Dale and you all were gracious enough to let me get involved with his Romans class in the fall. I am very excited for this class and I think there's lots to learn. I'm the lucky one because I'm going to learn more than any of you (at least I think so)! I hope that everything that is said in this class will be used to build each other up and to teach each other.. I should also add a disclaimer: As much as I enjoy the subject matter that we'll be going through, I don't know everything; in fact, there are probably at least several of you that know more about this than I do. So if you want an answer that I don't know, you may have to ask someone smarter, or I will try to get an answer for you the next week of Sunday School.

This is the adult SS class and starting today we're starting a new class called CHURCH: History and Today. Now I think the title of the class summarizes what we're going to be looking at but I'll give just a short introduction.

I should also add a disclaimer: As much as I enjoy the subject matter that we'll be going through, I don't know everything; in fact, there are probably at least several of you that know more about this than I do. So if you want an answer that I don't know, you may have to ask someone smarter, or I will try to get an answer for you the next week of Sunday School.

When we think of the church, what do we think about?

Class Introduction

Very often the first idea to come into our head is our local church family, or the Winkler EMMC for us. And that's where it should start! But if we look around, even just in the Pembina Valley, there are lots of different churches, including but not limited to: a Catholic church, Lutheran church, Baptist church, and a host of Mennonite churches. Some of these church bodies are more traditional in their services and lifestyles, others resemble Pentecostalism, or lean towards the other side of the spectrum. Each of these churches is also, in some way, part of the universal church. So, how did all of these different churches get here? And we're not just talking about physically, but theologically as well? What are the differences between Lutheran beliefs and Catholic beliefs, or Reformed theology and Anabaptist theology? What do we have in common?

This is the adult SS class and today we're starting a new topic called CHURCH: History and Today. If you’re here for Romans with Pastor Dale, sorry but that ended before Christmas. Now I think the title of the class summarizes what we're going to be looking at but I'll give just a short introduction.

When we think of the church, what do we think about?

a Catholic church

a Lutheran church

a Baptist church

and a host of Mennonite churches.

Some of these church bodies are more traditional in their services and lifestyles, others resemble Pentecostalism, or lean towards the other side of the spectrum. Each of these churches is also, in some way, part of the universal church. So, how did all of these different churches get here? And we're not just talking about physically, but theologically as well? What are the differences between Lutheran beliefs and Catholic beliefs, or Reformed theology and Anabaptist theology? What do we have in common?

- a Catholic church, Lutheran church, Baptist church, and a host of Mennonite churches. Some of these church bodies are more traditional in their services and lifestyles, others resemble Pentecostalism, or lean towards the other side of the spectrum. Each of these churches is also, in some way, part of the universal church. So, how did all of these different churches get here? And we're not just talking about physically, but theologically as well? What are the differences between Lutheran beliefs and Catholic beliefs, or Reformed theology and Anabaptist theology? What do we have in common?

Some of these church bodies are more traditional in their services and lifestyles, and others take on a more liberal approach. Each of these churches is also, in some way, part of the universal church.* So, how did all of these different churches get here? And we're not just talking about physically, but theologically as well? What are the differences between Lutheran beliefs and Catholic beliefs, or Reformed theology and Anabaptist theology? What do we have in common?

We want to take a look at the diversity of believers in this area and go through history to find out how they got here today. But not only that. There is a LOT we can learn by going back in time. So we're not just trying to find out about these different church bodies. We want to see the journey we have been going on and find out what it can teach us about God and His Word, His people, and how to follow Him faithfully today.

What is Covered in this Class

Now there’s a lot of material that we could potentially cover, but we don’t have nearly enough time for that. This class won’t be able to go into deep detail on everything, but rather it hopes to give us an overview sketch of what happened and how all these parts fit together.

What will be Covered

An overview of what the Catholic church was like before the Reformation began.

Some key figures that appeared BEFORE the Reformation.

The Reformation itself and the differences the Reformers had with the Catholic church

From there we will mostly move into Anabaptist history and trace their movements throughout Europe and into America

Some basic overviews of the Baptist movement, as well as Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism

What will not be Covered

The early church, by which I mean the church from the time right after Jesus’ resurrection and the first few centuries

The first 1500 years of church history. We will look here just long enough to set the context of the Reformation

The Eastern Orthodox Church. We'll just summarize by saying that there used to be one church, the Catholic Church. But over time two halves began to emerge because of distance and different ideas. Finally they disagreed so strongly on some theology that this became the last straw, and there was a split: The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. There, that is as far as we are going in that direction!

The Reformation in England, as fascinating as it is.

Today’s German or Russian churches in the Pembina Valley, once again for the sake of time.

We want to take a look at the diversity of believers in this area and go through history to find out how they got here today. But not only that. There is a LOT we can learn by going back in time. So we're not just trying to find out about these different church bodies. We want to see the journey we have been going on and find out what it can teach us today about God and His Word, His people, and how to follow Him faithfully.

Resources used in class

Why Study Church History?

I’ll be using a few different resources for this cl

Now I thought, "How in the world are we going to get through all of that in only 6 months?! This is like three or four college classes rolled into one class that meets only once a week! Time will be our limiter here, and that's probably for the best. I very much enjoyed learning about church history, but I know that this is not the case for everyone. So I hope we can get the best of both worlds by giving a bit of an overview sketch. I'm also going to clarify what exactly we'll be looking at in this class, because 2000 years and billions of people is a bit too much. I'll start with what we won't be covering.

Why should we study church history?

Biblical Foundation

Not Covered

The Bible itself is an historical document, so whenever we read or study the Bible we are, in a sense, studying history. Not only that, but there are several passages that point us to the importance of looking back to those that came before us. And while the Bible doesn’t say much about studying history, it does have a lot to say about not forgetting what God has done.

Can someone please read ?

And can someone read ?

More references to remembering: ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Benefits of Studying Church History

What are some more benefits to studying history?

-We will not be looking at the early church. The early church being the time right after Jesus' resurrection and the first few centuries.

Not only is there a Biblical support for looking back, but there are also many benefits to doing this

There is a wealth of knowledge in the past of people who have served Christ. We are not the first people to read our Bibles, so sometimes it’s a good idea to go back and learn from our brothers and sisters who came before us.

It is the ultimate "Mennonite Game." Mennonites joke among themselves about finding family connections. Here, church history is family history. We are finding out more about the organization and people that we are connected to across time and space.

There is a wealth of knowledge in the past of people who have served Christ. We are not the first people to read our Bibles, and as times change, the way we view Scripture changes too. So it may be a good idea to see what someone learned from the Bible 400 years ago, because we might not even think about how it applies in that way!It is the ultimate "Mennonite Game." Mennonites joke among themselves about finding relations, wanting to find family connections. Here, church history is family history. We are finding out more about the organization and people that we are connected to across time and space.

It can teach us what the church has accepted and rejected in the past. The early church had to deal with a lot of ideas in the first few centuries. There were many councils and meetings to discuss if a certain teaching was biblical or not. Looking at what they accepted or rejected as godly teaching can help us when we run into questionable ideas or material. This relates to point 1, they were Christians too and based their conclusions on Scripture.

It can warn us of going certain directions theologically and actively. Maybe we look at something the Mennonites did in Prussia and think that it wasn't a good idea. Well, there's our practical application! Let's not do that then!

It can inspire us. This rings true to me. Even when I was going through the Bible for this lesson, I got inspired as I kept reading more and more verses that said, “Remember the Lord and keep His commands,” or “Remember the Lord’s commandments.” There have been times when I was reading about a certain theologian or a Christian teacher in history, and I was convicted over and over again to be as passionate for Christ as they were.

A Build-Up of Bad Times: Why Did the Reformation Even Start?

If you think about what could have caused the Reformation, what are some ideas that come to mind?

The Early Church

It may be surprising to learn that the Reformation was several hundred years in the making. In the early years the church became the stabilizing anchor that people turned to when everything else was falling apart. The Roman Empire fell, but the Church remained. This was where people looked for answers. When all else was gone there was still…the church. It gave people stability, as it continued from the past into the present and gave them hope for the future.

And at the start, things seemed to go well. Good leaders were chosen, bishops were appointed and the priests taught the common people from Scripture in their own language. But over the next few hundred years, things started to go downhill. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was not perfect, and even before this there were already some questionable practices and teachings going around. But the church was in a good position of doing good.

But it didn’t take long for things to start going downhill. Kingdoms were torn apart by bad kings and bad decisions. The Church was still stable and strong, and as the power of kingdoms went down, the power of the church went up. By the 900’s, the church was the largest landholder in all of Europe, wealthier than any monarch or nobleman. And

Factors Leading to the Reformation

When we think about the Reformation, what or who do we think about?

What may have been some of the factors that led to the Reformation?

I want to point out that Martin Luther and the other reformers were not random anomalies in their thinking. Over the years there were many many people who longed for the church to change. Luther wasn’t the only one who saw problems, and he definitely wasn’t the first one to see them either. We’ll take a look at some of the biggest factors that led up to the Reformation. These events made people look differently at the church and think, “Hold on, something doesn’t add up here.”

Renaissance (14th and 15th Centuries)

The Renaissance was a time of great enlightenment and intellectual growth. People started viewing the previous 1000 years as the “Dark Ages.” There was a BIG revival of Classical learning, going back to Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle (lots of this classical literature had been lost in the Dark Ages). People wanted to go back “to the sources!” meaning go back to the original texts. Aristotle’s original works were rediscovered, and there was a big surge in interest in the original Greek and Hebrew text of Scripture rather than the Latin that was used at the time.

But the problem was that as people started studying Greek and Hebrew texts, they realized that the Latin translations were pretty inaccurate at times. You can imagine what this made people think! Is the church trying to be true to Scripture or just pushing their own agenda?

100 Years War (1337-1475)

The 100 Years War between France and England had a big influence on people’s view of the church. Basically this was a conflict between France and England but involved a bunch of other countries as well. France and England had intermarried their royal lines, so England decided to claim the French throne. France doesn’t like this, so they start fighting. All of England’s allies AND all of France’s allies get involved too. And it ends over 100 years later…with nothing changed. Borders, monarchy, and both countries stayed the same. And the church suffered during this time.

Before the war, the Pope moved his headquarters from Rome to Avignon, France, because he was French and liked it better there. It was only 30 years AFTER the war started that the pope moved back to Rome. Now you can imagine what the English thought about this. The Pope lives in France…so he is probably taking sides with the French, so what would we want to have to do with him? Long story short, the English didn’t like it at all. From then on England as a country and as a church is separate from the rest of Europe and from the Catholic church, and all of England’s allies started feeling the same too.

Germany also felt the sting of this war, and the Germans felt frustrated. “Our men are dying for no reason in a war that doesn’t involve us for someone that we don’t actually care about.” This led to

The Black Death (1348-1350)

The Black Death caused massive upheaval in Europe, because it affected almost every location and almost every person. In just over two years, bubonic plague wiped out over 1/3 of Europe’s population. So people weren’t only killing each other in war, but they were dying of disease now too! With death always at your doorstep, life was basically only preparation for death. Fear was everywhere, and people started becoming incredibly superstitious in their religion.

The Inquisition (15th Century)

Renaissance (14th and 15th Centuries)

Corruption of the Church (Just Happened Over Time)

Corruption of the Papacy

We already mentioned that the Papacy had moved to Avignon, France for several decades. Many disliked this move, and some even called it the ‘Babylonian Captivity of the Church.’ And things didn’t get much better from there. Even after the pope moved back to Rome, there were arguments about who should be pope, and at one point there were even three ‘popes’ simultaneously! Now while we might chuckle at this, to everyone back then this was a serious issue. Who is the rightful successor of Peter? As Peter’s successor, the pope held the keys of heaven and hell, so we had better follow the right guy, but who do we follow if there’s three popes?

There were also popes who didn’t seem like good church leader material. Some showed off all of their illegitimate children and even gave them positions in the church. So people started doubting the capabilities of the papacy. Some popes were also more interested in the wealth and power than they were in being good leaders. So how can people trust the pope when he doesn’t care about anything or anyone except money and power?

Babylonian Captivity of the Church: Pope moves to Avignon, France from Rome

At one point there were three popes at once!

More interested in riches and glory than in shepherding the flock.

Corruption of the Clergy

But they weren’t the only ones. Priests were also often not the best of people. Monasteries, which started well, became places for easy living, and the study and discipline they were famous for became very limited. Now even those who wanted to be devoted in their lifestyles and church roles had difficulty. How can a priest avoid corruption when the only way to become a priest is to buy the position?

Conclusion

So as we can see, there was a lot going on that made the Reformation happen the way it did. There was a lot more than one man hammering a piece of paper to a church door in Germany. There was a long slow buildup of issues going on and circumstances taking place that made people wish for something better. Many people wanted something to change, and some tried. But more often than not those efforts were put out or silenced because the people on top liked the way things were done.

What are some areas in our churches today that we wish would change? If a new reformation were to take place in our lifetime, what would the issues be that they address?

If we think about the universal church - not just this church or the church in Winkler - what are some of the things that need to change?

I may not have been able to emphasize this, but this corruption, and the Renaissance, and the Hundred Year’s War took a long time! When things went downhill, it didn’t happen overnight. Most of the time, when something started, it started with good intentions, and for a while it went well. But then someone new is in charge, or policies change, or circumstances change, and then what was good becomes mediocre, and then even that becomes negative and unfruitful.

Today we saw that many of the factors leading up to the Reformation were a slow buildup of events over hundreds or dozens of years. What are some points that we can see among Mennonites that have seeped in over time? How can we prevent more of these bad situations from coming into our theology and our lives when a slow fade like this can be so hard to miss?

It’s easy to see how things went terribly wrong when we look back. It’s a lot more difficult to see those things in the moment. That’s why it is so important to stay rooted in the Bible as our guide, and not to let what is convenient or easy be what decides for us what is right or wrong.

Are there any parallels with what was discussed today with anything that took place in the Bible?

Deuteronomy 6:1–13 ESV

“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.

Deut.

Deuteronomy 6:1-

-We will not be looking at the first 1500 years of church history. While there is lots there to study and learn from, we will not start there either.

-We will not be looking at the Eastern Church. Let's just say - for those that don't know - there used to be one church, the Catholic Church. But over time there were two halves of the church because of distance and different ideas. Finally they disagreed so strongly on some theology that this became the last straw, and there was a split: The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. There, that is as far as we are going in that direction!

-We will not be looking very much at the Reformation in England, as fascinating as it is.

-We will not be looking at today's German or Russian Churches in the Pembina Valley, again for the sake of time. Maybe if there is an extra Sunday we can fit this in somewhere.

Covered

-What we will be doing is starting with a brief overview of what the Catholic church was like before the Reformation began.

-We will look at some key figures that appeared BEFORE the Reformation, again to give us some more familiarity and background.

-We will look at the Reformation itself and the differences that the Reformers had with the Catholic Church.

-From there we will mostly move into Anabaptist history and trace their movements throughout Europe and into America

-We will do some basic overviews of the Baptist movement, as well as Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism.

Most of the churches in this area are Mennonite churches, and so I thought it would be fitting to shift from the Reformation to our smaller Anabaptist church family. And while we mostly agree with them theologically, are there any differences we have in how we got here or what we believe now?

THE CLASS

*While we may be able to debate this, and also debate what it means to be part of the universal church, for the sake of this class and to keep on track we will just leave it there.

Now I have done my best to provide accurate historical information, and to be transparent I'll let you know where I'm getting this information from. Much of it will be from one of my college textbooks called "The Story of Christianity: The Reformation to the Present Day" by Justo L. Gonzalez. I will also be using my college notes that pertain to this class. Those will be my main sources, but I will also be using articles and podcasts as they are relevant and useful.

Why Study Church History?

Why should we study church history?

Related Media

Related Sermons

CHURCH: History and Today Jan. 13

Intro

Personal Introduction

Class Introduction

What is Covered in this Class

What will be Covered

What will not be Covered

Resources used in class

Why Study Church History?

Biblical Foundation

Benefits of Studying Church History

A Build-Up of Bad Times: Why Did the Reformation Even Start?

The Early Church

Factors Leading to the Reformation

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Renaissance (14th and 15th Centuries)

100 Years War (1337-1475)

The Black Death (1348-1350)

The Inquisition (15th Century)

Renaissance (14th and 15th Centuries)

Corruption of the Church (Just Happened Over Time)

Conclusion