Seminars in Practical Church History

Part 3: The 20th Century

Amos Yang, MD, MDiv

All original material © amosyang.net and may not be reproduced or redistributed without permission from the author.

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Outline

•  Fundamentalism

•  Evangelicalism

•  Pentecostalism

•  The Charismatic Movement

•  Discussion

•  Evaluation

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Fundamentalism

•  Seeds for beginning of fundamentalism: •  Mid-to-late 19th century American Christian

denominations increasingly influenced by liberal European theology •  Denial of divine inspiration of Scripture

•  Denial of miracles in Scripture

•  Denial of Christ’s virgin birth

•  Denial of necessity of Christ for salvation

•  Belief in inherent goodness (not depravity) of man

•  Emphasis of social work over Bible teaching

•  Popularization of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution

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Fundamentalism

•  Fundamentalism was conservative reaction to liberal direction of established churches •  “Liberalism” a.k.a. “secularism” or “modernism”

•  Conservatives from various denominations united to battle common enemy of liberalism •  Started parachurch ministries

•  Founded schools (e.g. Bible Institutes)

•  At first believed they could reform the denominations back to conservatism. Ultimately failed.

•  Eventually withdrew from denominations

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Fundamentalism

•  Fundamentalism was conservative reaction to liberal direction of established churches (cont’d): •  Published 12 pamphlets known as The Fundamentals

•  Gave rise to the term “fundamentalism”

•  Funded by two Christian businessmen

•  3 million copies distributed throughout world

•  Handout: Denominational Divisions over the Modernist-Fundamentalist Controversy

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Fundamentalism

•  The “fundamentals” of Fundamentalism: 1.  Inerrancy of the original manuscripts of the Bible.

2.  Virgin birth of Christ

3.  Substitutionary atonement of Christ

4.  Bodily resurrection of Christ

5.  Authenticity of miracles recorded in Scripture

6.  Deity of Christ

7.  Literal future return of Christ in His second coming

•  Original formulation: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5

•  Later formulations included #6, #7 6

Fundamentalism

•  The Scopes trial •  March 1925: Legislature of Tennessee prohibited

teaching of evolution in public schools.

•  John Scopes, high school biology teacher, taught evolution and was put on trial. •  Prosecutors: Fundamentalists, William Jennings Bryan

•  Defendants: Scopes and American Civil Liberties Union

•  Outcomes: •  Scopes found guilty and fined

•  Public opinion turned against Fundamentalism

•  Fundamentalists increasingly viewed as imbecilic idiots

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Fundamentalism

•  Divide continued to widen between fundamentalists and modernists •  Fundamentalists largely separatistic and removed from

mainstream society •  Politically

•  Academically

•  Socially

•  Society at large and mainline denominations increasingly viewed fundamentalists with disdain

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Fundamentalism

•  Fundamentalist separation: •  1st degree: Separation from world and nonbelievers (2

Cor 6:14-7:1)

•  2nd degree: Separation from those who don’t separate from the world (1 Cor 5:11, 2 Th 3:14)

•  Fundamentalists vary in how much second-degree separation they practice

•  Higher degree (3rd, 4th, etc…) separation has caused self-cannibalization of more conservative wings of Fundamentalism

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Evangelicalism

•  Seeds for beginning of evangelicalism: •  Many fundamentalists dissatisfied with several

characteristics of Fundamentalism: •  Isolated from world with little impact on it

•  Lack of respectability in eyes of secular intellectuals

•  Excessive negativism

•  Apathy regarding social action

•  Founding of Fuller Theological Seminary (1947)

•  New movement become known as “neo-evangelicalism” or “evangelicalism”

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Evangelicalism

•  Billy Graham (1918 - ) •  Evangelist with fundamentalist roots

•  Perhaps most eloquent American preacher in 1940s

•  Held evangelistic “crusades” of steadily increasing size •  Organized through collaboration with churches in a city

•  Gospel preached at event to large crowds

•  New converts referred to local churches for follow-up

•  Through 1940s, consistently rejected invitations to collaborate with liberals

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Evangelicalism

•  Billy Graham (1918 - ) •  In 1950s, began subtly rejecting fundamentalism:

•  Began disassociating with other fundamentalists

•  Began associating with liberals

•  Began collaborating with and praising liberals in crusades •  e.g. 1957 New York Crusade

•  Eventually collaborating even with non-Protestants

•  Due to desire to impact more people with Gospel

•  Became champion and leader of neo-evangelicalism

•  Steadily became increasingly liberal

•  Video clip: Billy Graham denial of exclusivity of Christ

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Evangelicalism

•  Evangelicalism continued diversifying: •  Certain segments increasingly and outright liberal

•  Battle over inerrancy in 1970s •  Fuller Theological Seminary: “Infallibility”

•  Trinity Evangelical Divinity School: “Inerrancy”

•  International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (1977)

•  Battle over feminism in 1970s •  Complementarian: Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

•  Egalitarian: Full embracement of women in all roles

•  Many other issues…

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Fundamentalism and evangelicalism

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Fundamentalism Evangelicalism

Top priorities Holiness and purity Evangelism and engagement

Defending the truth Love

View of world Disdain Varied, including acceptance

Tries to emphasize Whole Bible Gospel

Known for Fighting over doctrine Occasional controversy, love

Relating to others Separation from unfaithful Collaboration with others

Evangelistic method Proclamational Relational

View of scholarship Suspicion, rejection Embracement, pursuit

View of social justice Suspicion, de-emphasis Varied but mostly embracement

Political orientation Conservative Varied

Political participation Apathetic Activism

Fundamentalism and evangelicalism

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Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism Evangelicalism

a.k.a. “Neo-evangelicalism”

Inerrancy Infallibility

Mainline / Liberal /Modernist

Early 1900s

1950s

1960s

Evangelicalism

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RomanCatholicism

EasternOrthodox

TheMasters

Seminary

GraceTheologicalSeminary

TyndaleTheologicalSeminary

GraceCommunity

Church

Traditional

DallasTheologicalSeminary

TalbotTheologicalSeminary

MoodyBible

Institute

Progressive

Dispensationalism

CovenantTheologicalSeminary

WestminsterTheologicalSeminary

PresbyterianChurch

of America(PCA)

Reformed(covenantal) theology

TrinityEvangelical

DivinitySchool

EvangelicalFree

Churchof America

LutheranChurchMissouriSynod

Other

Conservative"Inerrancy"

FullerTheological Seminary

EvangelicalFormosan

Church

Moderate"Infallibility"

Evangelical

PrincetonTheologicalSeminary

UnionTheologicalSeminary

PresbyterianChurch

of the USA(PCUSA)

UnitedMethodistChurch

EvangelicalLutheranChurch

of America

Anglicanand

EpiscopalChurch

ReformedChurch

of America

Mainline

Protestantism

"Christianity"

Fundamentalism and evangelicalism

•  Lessons: •  Many (if not most) movements in Christianity are

reactionary movements

•  Rarely does a movement given thought to the long-term consequences of its inception

•  Often the reaction to an error is an overreaction

•  Present faithfulness never guarantees future faithfulness

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Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movement

•  Current day numbers: •  Over 523 million Pentecostal and charismatic

Christians in world

•  By far fastest growing segment of Christianity •  In some parts of world, growing 9-15 times faster than

historic churches

•  Often the dominant type of Christianity in various regions: •  Chile: >80% of evangelicals are Pentecostal

•  Brazil: >70% of evangelicals are Pentecostal

•  Majority of African and Latin American Christians

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Pentecostalism

•  Foundation: Wesleyan “second-blessing theology” •  First blessing: Conversion

•  Second blessing: Entire sanctification (after which a believer will no longer deliberately sin)

•  a.k.a. “Christian perfectionism”

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sanctification

time

Conversion, “first blessing” Spirit baptism,

“second blessing” entire sanctification

Pentecostalism

•  Beginnings: •  Charles Fox Parham (1873-1929)

•  Itinerant evangelist in holiness movement

•  Established Bethel Bible College (BBC) in Topeka, Kansas (1900)

•  Promoted holiness movement teachings and faith healing

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Pentecostalism

•  Beginnings: •  Parham gave his students an assignment:

•  Ponder Acts 2:38

•  What is the gift of the Holy Spirit?

•  What is the evidence of the gift of the Holy Spirit?

•  Students equipped with only a concordance and no exegetical guidance

•  Students concluded that speaking in tongues was the evidence of Holy Spirit’s descent upon someone •  In sharp contrast with widespread and long-held belief of

orthodox church that gift of tongues had ceased in 1st century

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Pentecostalism

•  Beginnings: •  Students at BBC prayed for

“gift of the Holy Spirit” •  1/1/1901

•  Student Agnes Ozman began speaking Chinese at 11 p.m. •  Reportedly could speak and write

no English but only Chinese for three days

•  Never objectively verified that Ozman’s Chinese was actually Chinese

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Pentecostalism

•  Beginnings: •  Parham and his 33 other students soon began speaking

Swedish in this new “Pentecost” •  This “Swedish” was also never verified

•  Bethel Bible College closed in 1901

•  This “Pentecostal” experience spread quickly •  By 1906, 13,000+ people had spoken in tongues

•  By 1909, 50,000+ people had received the gift

•  Video clips: Speaking in tongues

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Pentecostalism

•  Beginnings: •  William Joseph Seymour

•  Early convert to Pentecostalism in 1906

•  African-American holiness preacher

•  Led meetings at The Apostolic Faith Mission on 312 Azusa St. of Los Angeles.

•  The Azusa Street Revival (1906-1909) was the result of Seymour’s meetings •  These were responsible for the rapid spread

of the new Pentecostalism

•  Remarkably and uniquely racially integrated

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Pentecostalism

The Apostolic Faith Mission at 312 Azusa St. in Los Angeles

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Pentecostalism

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Pentecostalism

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Pentecostalism

•  Select characteristics of Pentecostalism: •  Highly experiential rather than theoretical emphasis

•  Historically has appealed powerfully to poor and less educated people of world

•  Emphases on: •  Speaking in tongues as sign of baptism by Holy Spirit

•  Supernatural divine healing as right of believers

•  Handout: Assemblies of God Fundamental Truths

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Pentecostalism

•  Select Pentecostal denominations today: •  Assemblies of God (57 million)

•  The Church of God (6 million)

•  The Church of God in Christ (5.5 million)

•  International Church of the Foursquare Gospel (5 million) •  The Church on the Way (Van Nuys, CA)

•  United Pentecostal Church International (4 million) •  Denies Trinity (heretical)

•  Oneness theology (a.k.a “Apostolic”)

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Charismatic Movement

•  Grew out of the Pentecostal movement in 1960s. •  a.k.a. “Neo-Pentecostalism”

•  Occurred largely when Pentecostalism began influencing existing denominations •  Most effective at infiltrating mainline denominations and

Catholic church

•  Has impacted essentially every denomination

•  Jesus People movement began in 1967 •  Comprised largely of hippies formerly addicted to

drugs who became Christians

•  Led largely by Calvary Chapel and Chuck Smith

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Charismatic Movement

•  Distinction from Pentecostalism: •  Pentecostalism emphasizes for all Christians two issues:

Speaking in tongues and divine healing (see above)

•  Charismatic movement emphasizes all the supernatural “sign” spiritual gifts: •  Word of wisdom

•  Word of knowledge

•  Healing and miracles

•  Discerning spirits

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•  Speaking in tongues

•  Interpretation of tongues

•  Prophecy

Charismatic Movement

•  Distinction from Pentecostalism: •  Pentecostalism sometimes has emphasis on holiness

absent from charismatic churches

•  Video clip: Being “drunk with the Spirit”

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Charismatic Movement

•  Word of Faith movement: •  Teachings:

•  God wants everyone to be healthy and wealthy

•  Obtaining health and wealth achieved by acts of faith and by declaring by faith these realities to be true

•  a.k.a. •  “Positive confession”

•  “Faith message”

•  “Prosperity gospel”

•  Famous proponents: Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland

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•  “Health and wealth gospel”

•  “Name-it-and-claim-it theology”

Charismatic Movement

•  Other influential charismatic organizations: •  Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN)

•  Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN)

•  Oral Roberts University

•  Select influential charismatic churches: •  Vineyard Christian Fellowship

•  Sovereign Grace Ministries •  C.J. Mahaney

•  Joshua Harris

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Charismatic Movement

•  Other select famous American charismatic leaders: •  Pat Robertson

•  Jimmy Bakker

•  Jimmy Swaggert

•  Charismatic movement particularly successful in missions to lower socio-economic contexts: •  Africa

•  Latin America

•  Asia

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•  John Wimber

•  Peter Wagner

Charismatic Movement

•  Handout: Timeline, part 2 by Jim Ayres

•  Sermons in GOC archives by Amos Yang •  “Healing and Miracles”: Sept 6, 2007

•  “Speaking on Tongues”: Sept 13, 2007

•  Be sure to obtain slides from Amos before listening to sermons (due to amount of material covered)

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Lessons

•  Poor exegesis can have huge consequences

•  Popularity does not make a perspective true

•  Lack of education and Bible training makes people particularly vulnerable to merely experiential religion

•  Few things in Christianity are entirely good or entirely bad. Most things are a mixed bag.

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Discussion

1.  Discuss: •  What thoughts, comments, or reactions do you have to

tonight’s material? •  What exposure have you previously had to the

charismatic movement? •  Do you think we should be fundamentalist? Or neo-

evangelical?

2.  Share prayer requests and close in prayer for one another.

3.  After closing in prayer, please fill out a class evaluation before you leave!

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