History of Christianity

Off topic somewhat, but I've always liked this...

One Solitary Life

He was born in an obscure village
The child of a peasant woman
He grew up in another obscure village
Where he worked in a carpenter shop
Until he was thirty when public opinion turned against him

He never wrote a book
He never held an office
He never went to college
He never visited a big city
He never travelled more than two hundred miles
From the place where he was born
He did none of the things
Usually associated with greatness
He had no credentials but himself

He was only thirty three

His friends ran away
One of them denied him
He was turned over to his enemies
And went through the mockery of a trial
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves
While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing
The only property he had on earth

When he was dead
He was laid in a borrowed grave
Through the pity of a friend

Nineteen centuries have come and gone
And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race
And the leader of mankind's progress
All the armies that have ever marched
All the navies that have ever sailed
All the parliaments that have ever sat
All the kings that ever reigned put together
Have not affected the life of mankind on earth
As powerfully as that one solitary life

Dr James Allan Francis © 1926.
http://www.changinglives.org.au/solitary-life.html

 

www.landmarkbaptist.org/documents/A Concise_History_Of_Baptists sorry, there is something wrong with the my syntax--type it in-- there is a pdf on the first page.

G. H. Orchard: a good place to start. There is a PDF on this site. There are some serious disagreements with modern Church and just what a Christian Church might look like.

There really are two streams of Christianity--one of them seriously flawed.

This study will keep some up past midnight.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. James

 

I think the very best place to begin with is the prophetic anticipation of church history presented in the Scriptures. The New Testament provides many prophetic insights into the future of Christianity after the writing of the New Testament where it contrasts the true characteristics of predicted false Christianity to that of true Biblical Christianity. This is the inspired preview of future attractions. Use the inspired pattern to interpret human opinion (secular church history).

Also, keep in mind that post New Testament writings are:

1. Uninspired - thus limited and biased and often erroneous
2. Incomplete - limited to a writers perspective knowledge and bias
3. Inaccurate - there are many inaccuracies due to many factors

I think Orchard or John T. Christian's book "A History of Baptists" volume 1 is a good secondary place to start with secular history.

 

If you want a universal churchite perspective (Newman) and/or a pedobaptist perspective (Schaff), but I prefer a Baptist perspective.

 

I've always recommended Justo Gonzalez "The Story of Christianity" to people. Its in two volumes and is highly accessible. Gonzalez plays a fair position between the issues and writes clearly.

Personally I'm no fan of Schaff. He was fine in his day but we've moved past that and his data is antiquated. He can't help it of course, his books are over 125 years old.

If you've considering a deeper step and don't mind a more rigorous pace, Jaroslav Pelikan's multi-volume "The Christian Tradition" is a standard bearer in this field. Thorough and erudite, the text moves through the course of Christian history and provides a great perspective.

Hope that helps.

 

Christian History made Easy by Timothy Paul Jones is a very valuable source for those with limited to no understanding of Church History

 

There are still two streams of history: according to the pedobaptists and according to antipedobaptists. These are two completely different paradigms, one true, the other false--even though the jargon may be similar. The world is overflowing with false religion, often supported by skewed by biased(spiritually blinded) historians. See Jesus and Nicodemus, John Ch.3.

Question: can a pedobaptist be born again?

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. James

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006YDFXQI/?tag=baptis04-20

 

After reading several of the reviews, one might conclude this book to be historical fiction, an interesting oxymoron. Any history which shows the Christians and the New Testament Church evolving to what is present day Christendom led by the holy see is in serious error from the beginning.

An interesting book title: History of Pseudo-Christianity or History of the Apostate.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. James.

 

You want to re-title it without reading it, only reading some reviews......Right!!!!!

 

Why not? Our Presbyterian brethren do not believe that water baptism saves. They believe it is the sign of the New Covenant. Regeneration must take place, even if they wrongly presume that it will because their children are part of the visible, New Covenant community.

 

Of course, as a Baptist, I believe that baptism comes after salvation, as a sign of a newness of life and symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It does not save, and the proper method is immersion. That is the way I see it from Scripture.

Having said that, it is not a salvation issue. Presbyterians, minus the PCUSA, have solid Biblical doctrine. To label a church apostate because of this issue is totally out of line. Yes, IMO, sprinkling infants is not Scriptural and accomplishes nothing. The covenant relationship between parent and child does not save an infant until they are old enough to know right from wrong. Only Jesus Christ saves. However, I could make a case and nit pick any denomination for an area of their doctrine that appears to be contrary to Scripture. Starting with my own group, the Baptists, one could ask where they get their pet sins from, like dancing and drinking alcohol, which nether is a sin in and of themselves, yet give a blind eye to church gossip. What is Biblical about their invitation at the end of each service trying to get someone to walk the aisle? And the worst one of all is the "repeat after me the sinner's prayer and you are saved." The bottom line is the essentials, starting with the nature and Person of Jesus Christ. The Gospel, is one saved by grace through faith? The Bible is inspired, and so on.

 

Off topic? Perhaps. The original rabbit was that the paedobaptists have their history and the anti-pedobaptists have theirs. Who does one read after? Read them all-- comparing them all to The Book of Acts. Not many New Testament Churches have survived. This is fulfillment of prophecy. The Elect will not be deceived even in the midst of the great apostasy.

Paedobaptism is much more than a minor aberration in doctrine.

"A little leaven leavens the whole lump"

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. James

 

I agree with everything you said, except the part about the Presbyterians having solid Biblical doctrine. But to each his own.

 

In school we used Everett Ferguson's Church History Vol 1: From Christ to the Pre-Reformation. It was very good.