HistoryFour

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE ERA OF DIVERSITY AND THE GROWTH OF LIBERALISM: 1799-1933

1799-1834 ~ In central Europe, Friedrich Schleiermacher defends Christianity against atheistic critics, but also
reduces it to a system of ethics, minimizing the necessity of faith in Christ. This helps lay the foundation for
Liberalism, which tends to seek non-miraculous explanations for the Bible and its message.

1799-1852 ~ In Cincinnati, Ohio, Presbyterian Lyman Beecher preaches against Catholicism, Unitarianism,
liquor, and slavery. Many preachers follow his example.

1802 ~ The geological discoveries of James Hutton, indicating that the earth is extremely old, are published in
Britain.

1804-1840 ~ In what is now the American Midwest, Barton W. Stone, Thomas & Alexander Campbell, and Walter
Scott begin the Restoration Movement, withdrawing from Presbyterian and Baptist denominations in favor of
Christianity which tends emphasizes Biblical authority, and rejects creeds as tests of fellowship. They tend to be
Arminian, and promote immersion of believers for forgiveness of sins. Due largely to the preaching, writing, and
debating done by Alexander Campbell, their ideas (some of which are borrowed from John Locke) spread rapidly.
Several small groups opposed to denominationalism join the Restoration Movement.

1819-1865 ~ The Unitarian Church, which denies the Trinity (Godhead) and emphasizes free will and personal
experience, expands in the United States.

1824 ~ Charles Finney, a Presbyterian, holds revivals using the "altar call" method.

1825 ~ William Miller, an American Baptist, claims that Christ will return in 1843. Many of his followers support
observance of the Sabbath (Saturday) as a test of fellowship.

1833 ~ Slavery in Britain and British territories is outlawed, due largely to the work of Anglican abolitionist William
Wilberforce.

1826-1860 ~ F.C. Baur and David Strauss advance liberalism in Tubingen, Germany. The Tubingen school
denies the apostolic authorship of most of the New Testament, and interprets Biblical miracles, including Christ's
resurrection, as figurative mythology. Strauss eventually renounces Christianity altogether. Their work is later
modified by Albrecht Ritschl.

1820-1844 ~ Mormonism is founded in the U.S. by Joseph Smith, Jr., who practices polygamy and promotes a
variety of strange beliefs. Later, after Smith is killed, Brigham Young leads the Mormons westward to Utah.

1843-1844 ~ William Miller's prophecies do not come true. Most of his followers disband. Some of them regroup
(in 1863) and form the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, which grows under the leadership of Ellen Gould White.

1840's ~ Soren Kierkegaard, a Dutch theologian/philosopher, proposes that the gospel demands a willful "leap
of faith," inasmuch as it cannot be scientifically proven but its truths can be personally experienced.

1851 ~ Charles Darwin publishes Origin of the Species, proposing and explaining the theory of evolution. Many
Christians interpret Darwin's work as an attack on the Bible.

1854 ~ Pope Pius IX decrees that the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary (that is, that Mary was
conceived without a fallen nature) is dogma, though previous leaders such as Bernard de Clairvaux and Thomas
Aquinas did not accept it.

1845-1865 ~ Before and during the American Civil War, many denominations divide into Northern and Southern
units. After the war, many of these divisions remain.

1850-1920 ~ Liberal theology gradually spreads to American preacher-training schools, especially in the
northeast. Protestant conservatives, with traditional beliefs, withdraw from liberal schools and establish new,
more traditional ones. Charles Hodge, B.B. Warfield, Dwight L. Moody, and C.I. Scofield lead the
conservative front in the US. Some of their followers develop a school of thought known as Fundamentalism.

1865 ~ In England, William Booth, a former Methodist, founds the Salvation Army, a denomination devoted to
social justice, with no sacraments.

1870 ~ Due to political/military upheavals in Italy led by Giuseppi Garibaldi and Victor Emmanuel II, the Papal
States are combined with the rest of the Italian Peninsula into one nation. Pius IX, refusing to recognize the new
government, confines himself to the church headquarters in the part of Rome called Vatican City. The next four
Popes do the same.

1870 ~ The First Vatican Council is held in Rome. The doctrine of Papal Infallibility (that is, that the Pope's
official, "ex cathedra" decrees on doctrine and morality have full apostolic authority) is affirmed, although a
substantial minority of council-members withdraws in protest before the issue is voted on.

1881 ~ The Revised Version of the Bible is published, based on the Biblical text as refined by "textual criticism,"
the scientific analysis of ancient manuscripts.

1881 ~ James Garfield, a Christian preacher, becomes President of the USA, but is assassinated.

1884-1916 ~ Charles T. Russell organizes the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, later known as the cult of
Jehovah's Witnesses, merging conservative practices with some liberal theology and his own unique
interpretations of prophecy.

1889-1906 ~ Conservative leaders in the Restoration Movement divide over the issues of musical instruments
and missionary-societies. Underlying this split is a question of whether Scriptural silence on a given practice
prohibits it or permits it.

1880's ~ Conservatives organize the Student Volunteer Movement, which results in thousands of young
Christian missionaries being sent overseas during the following decades.

1893-1927 ~ Conservatives in the Restoration Movement gradually withdraw from liberals. Three groups emerge
from this period: the Churches of Christ (conservative non-instrumentalists), Churches of Christ/Christian
Churches (conservative non-non-instrumentalists) and the Disciples of Christ (mostly liberal).

1895 ~ Various American denominations, composed mainly of black members, merge to form the National
Baptist Convention.

1906 ~ Pentecostalism begins when many people speak in tongues during revival meetings at the Azusa Street
Mission in Los Angeles. As a result, Charles Mason eventually forms the Church of God in Christ, which
grows rapidly.

1908 ~ The Church of the Nazarene is organized, merging some Methodists and moderate Pentecostal groups.
"Sanctification" – the teaching that individuals may reach a state of holy living in total harmony with God's will – is
emphasized.

1910-1950's ~ Pre-Millennialism, the belief that Christ will establish a 1,000-year-long kingdom on earth after His
return, is adopted by most new conservative denominations, resisting the "social gospel" view that the Millennial
Kingdom will be a golden age of Christian civilization brought about by social reform.

1914 ~ The Assemblies of God denomination is formed, uniting various Pentecostal groups. It distinctly
emphasizes speaking in tongues and other spiritual gifts.

1919 ~ Martin Dibelius constructs Form Criticism, a type of textual analysis applied to the Biblical text.

1929 ~ The Lateran Treaty resolves the disagreement between the Pope and the Italian government. The Pope
is granted status as head-of-state in Vatican City.

1930-1967 ~ As liberal theologian Rudolph Bultmann attempts to "demythologize" the Bible, Karl Barth (in
Europe) and Reinhold Neibuhr (in the USA) criticize many aspects of liberalism. The result of their influence is
"Neo-Orthodoxy," a combination of ecumenical and evangelical thought which affirms some, but not nearly all,
traditional Christian beliefs.

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE RISE OF EVANGELICALISM: 1933-PRESENT

1942-present ~ Various denominations loosely unite in the USA as the National Association of
Evangelicals. While basically Bible-based, Evangelicals hold a wide spectrum of views on several points:

Is the Bible free of errors in all respects, or only error-free regarding doctrine?

What is the purpose of baptism? (Also, does non-immersion = baptism?)

Should women be given positions as preachers and elders?

Are miraculous gifts, and speaking-in-tongues, meant for the church today?

Will Christ return twice (before and after a Great Tribulation) or once?

Can the theory of evolution be harmonized with the book of Genesis?

What is the nature of hell's suffering – eternal or temporary?

Although each Evangelical denomination sees its own view on these issues as correct, Evangelicals widely
treat these questions as non-essential aspects of Christianity. Evangelist Billy Graham popularizes
Evangelicalism.

1950 ~ Pope Pius XII officially ("ex cathedra") decrees that the Bodily Assumption of Mary (the belief that
Mary's body was taken to heaven after her death) is Roman Catholic dogma.

1958 ~ The World Council of Churches is formed, loosely uniting diverse denominations in efforts to improve
society. Its leaders tend to be liberal and socialistic.

c. 1960 ~ The Charismatic Movement begins, in which speaking in tongues is regarded as a confirming sign
of salvation to be sought and expected by every believer. It grows rapidly, often through the use of modern
media, but is criticized for lack of doctrinal depth and for promoting false teachings.

1962-1965 ~ The Second Vatican Council meets to re-focus Catholic efforts at social reform, ecumenical
strategies, and modernization of church liturgy. The celibacy of priests is re-affirmed.

1973 ~ In Roe v. Wade, The U.S. Supreme Court legalizes abortion. The Pro-life Movement is organized to
defend the unborn.

1984 ~ Representatives from the conservative branches of the Restoration Movement begin annual meetings
to discuss fellowship and unity.