Monday, October 6, 2008

Church History

...for those who neglect, belittle and are otherwise ignorant of the subject...

The First Five Centuries---by Doug Wilson
Topic: Thumbnail Church History

Most Christians today do not have a good grasp of the history of what they believe. They have no real idea of the "old paths," and this is the source of many errors among us. When you don't know where you have been, and where you are going, any road will get you there. "Thus says the Lord: 'Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it''" (Jer. 6:16).

read the rest here:
http://www.dougwils.com/index.asp?Action=Anchor&CategoryID=1&BlogID=5956

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been thinking of the same exact thing, because we have many in the church that disdain any thought of our historical roots as Christians.

To deny the importance of history, is to deny reality! Why? Because, God who is Triune created space and time(that includes history!).

Taken to its logical end. If past history doesn't matter, than past sins have no barring on the soul of man..no falleness then..I mean no corruption..no need for a savior.. The heretic pelagian must of liked that idea.

But the opposite is true, God does remember. Only in receiving Christ by faith alone though, is God's wrath satisified and there is forgiveness and the past is remembered no more!

Christianity is historical, redemption is historical... The virgin birth of Christ happened on a night in time and in a certain recorded land(space). He lived and suffered in real time on our behalf and on the third day was resurrected from the dead for our justification.

One of our old friends who treated me as his own little project told me that history wasn't a pillar of the Church, but only the Word of God. I disagree with that and well..christianity does also...Because history is a pillar and orthodoxy has proven that by its formulation of important systematic statements(creeds) of biblical truth..doctrines...by the church in the past taken from the very Word of God.

Maybe the Word of God is only a pillar to our old friend's doctrines, but it should be the very rock on which they are built!

sh said...

Yup. Our old friend is too afraid of what he & his church would become if he thought in those terms. Besides, it isn't spontaneous enough or up-to-the-minute, so it can't possibly be the Holy Spirit!

LOL

Anonymous said...

I figured out the cause and it's all caused not from the Alma bubble, but from the Wheeler bubble :P

Ok, but being serious...try teaching anything without any past reference to history and it's generally not successful. Try cutting a diamond or making gasoline without references to past successes or failures or better yet try teaching or learning music & theory without the historical approaches and methods....we daily need history..

ScottH said...

I was talking to Sam a few days ago about what a certain mid-Michigan pastor said about Calvinism. He called the "Five points of Calvinism" heresy. Okay, if he thinks Calvin was a heretic,so was Luther,Knox,Spurgeon,Edwards,the Puritans,Lutherans,Presbyterians,Reformed,Sproul,and lastly us I guess. As to church history hey who needs it? After all God is always "doing a new thing!" LOL!