History of Christianity Commons^™

Privatisation And Toleration: How The Eighteenth-Century Enlightenment Impacted European Attitudes Towards Religion, Cody Mitchell

Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal

For centuries, scholars have debated the significance of the Enlightenment in its impact on European attitudes to religion. On one hand, many scholars immediately following the eighteenth century saw the period as a particularly anti-religious one. For many, particularly at the popular level, the supposed birth of toleration during the Enlightenment and the post-Renaissance rise of free thought and rationalism brought about a dramatic shift in opinions and attitudes towards religion—manifesting, particularly, in the widespread acceptance of irreligion. Today, most historians adopt a more cautious approach, recognising that rarely does history conform to such simple narratives. This paper seeks to …

Timothy Keller: Champion For The City: Keller's Philosophy Of Urban Contextualization, Michael W. Cunningham

Liberty Theological Review

Timothy Keller's 2023 passing serves as an occasion to consider his ministry legacy. His magnum opus, Center Church, encapsulated his philosophy of contextualization. This philosophy was rooted in a robust theology that informed and balanced missions, evangelism, and church planting. Keller's passion for city missions defied current ministry trends that favored suburbia and avoided urban contexts. His ministry conviction overcame cultural opposition and ministry bias and grew a thriving ministry in an unlikely ministry setting. Keller’s ministry captured the imagination of rising generations of pastors, missionaries, and ministry practitioners and provided the needed theological framework and training for successful …

Res Historica, Volume 2, Lynneth Miller Renberg Phd, Alpha Rho Epsilon Phi Alpha Theta

Res Historica

The 2023 journal of historical research by Anderson University students, Res Historica.

The editorial team for this edition of Res Historica was Dr. Lynneth Miller Renberg. Johnathan Sorce, and Helen Smith. Cover art for this volume by Helen Smith.

What Can Church History Tell Us About The Debate Between Just War Theory And Pacifism And What Does This Mean For The Church Today?, Michael Payne

Liberty Theological Review

This paper, in addressing Just War Theory and Pacifism, will argue that throughout church history there are faithful Christians that can be found on both sides of the debate. With that being said, each side has an obligation to uphold peace and justice. The Just War adherent has an obligation to seek peace, be selective in what is deemed “just war,” and be conscious of the dangers of supporting his nation’s priorities over the teachings of Christ. On the other side, in the case of a just war, the pacifist cannot use his pacifism as an excuse to sit out. …

The Ecclesiastical Role Of Women During The Reformation, Emily Thomas

Senior Honors Theses

Women have held various positions of authority in the church. During the Protestant Reformation (1517-1600), women grew in religious influence through breaks with cold traditionalism, offering greater interpretive power to women. Through an examination of literature from both primary and secondary sources, views concerning the scope and depth of women’s expositional authority will be discussed, with specific analyses on Marie Dentire, Argula von Grumbach, and Anna Zwingli. The conclusion follows that the source and role of women’s authority in the church realm varied between Catholicism and Protestantism. The former provides respect of femininity given its emphasis on the Virgin Mary, …

Sola Fide The Relevance Of Remembering The Reformation, Erik Herrmann

Concordia Pages

This two-part publication presents Erik Herrmann’s essay on the ongoing relevance of Martin Luther’s Reformation in light of its 500th anniversary, as well as his sermon on “sola fide” (faith alone), one of the hallmark slogans of the Reformation, which he preached on the 500th anniversary, October 31, 2017.

Reformation, Conquest, And Circumnavigation: The Global Destiny Of Luther’S Theology, Vitor Westhelle

Consensus

No abstract provided.

The Tough Wedge: Reformation Now And Onward, Matthew R. Anderson

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Commemorating The Reformation: An Opportunity For Common Witness, Donna Geernaert

Consensus

No abstract provided.

A Historical Overview Of The Impact Of The Reformation On East Asia, Christina Han

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Women, Priests And The Anglican Church In Southern Africa: Reformation Of Holy Hierarchies, Miranda N. Pillay

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Reformation Is Germane To African Women: An African Lutheran Woman’S Imagination, Faith Laguzia

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Justification By Faith According To The Old Testament: In The Footsteps Of The Reformers, Richard M. Davidson

Faculty Publications

Martin Luther asserted that “if we lose the doctrine of justification, we lose simply everything.” Luther believed that justification is “the article with and by which the church stands, without which it falls.” In the preface to his Forty-Five Theses drawn up in 1537, Luther makes this impassioned plea: “The article of justification is the master and prince, the lord, the ruler, and the judge over all kinds of doctrines; it preserves and governs all Church doctrine and raises up our conscience before God. Without this article the world is utter death and darkness.” John Calvin considered the doctrine of …

The Nature Of God & Predestination In John Davenant's Dissertatio De Praedestinatione Et Reprobatione, Jonathan Roberts

Theses

This paper is an exposition and defense of John Davenant's critique of the lapsarian understanding of the ordering of God's decrees. I evaluate Davenant's use of theology proper in his critique of said debate and contend that if Davenant is correct about divine simplicity and divine immutability, his critique of lapsarianism is successful.

Martin Luther And Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus (“Outside Of The Church There Is No Salvation”): Did Luther Really Abandon Cyprian?, Darius Jankiewicz

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"... careful study of the Luther’s writings reveals that, while he repudiated many Catholic ways of understanding and conducting church, and while he attempted to harmonize ecclesiastical structures and sacramental theology with the foundational principles of Protestantism, he was essentially unable to break away from medieval modes of thinking. Notwithstanding his rejection of the Catholic emphasis on the visible church, he struggled to free himself from reliance on institutional structures for salvation. Ultimately, Luther affirmed the necessity of the visible church for salvation. In His wisdom, Luther believed, God had decreed the church to be the means of grace, without …

Martin Luther's Legacy: Inspiring For 500 Years And Counting, Jack Vander Slik

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Ad Gloriam Dei Humanism And Theology In David Chytraeus’ Regulae Studiorum, Timios Cook

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Cook, Timios E. “Ad Gloriam Dei: Humanism and Theology in David Chytraeus’ Regulae Studiorum.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2017. 296 pp.

Luther theologian David Chytraeus (1530–1600) devoted much of his career to education, serving especially at the University of Rostock. While today is he is often remembered for his contributions to the Formula of Concord, in his own time he was highly regarded as an educator and was sought out beyond Rostock to design and implement curriculum reforms. Chytraeus was a student of Melanchthon and built both upon and beyond his mentor’s insights throughout his pedagogical works. This dissertation explores …

Reformation Sunday • Romans 3:19–28 • October 25, 2015, Robert Rosin

Concordia Journal

The gospel flies in the face of logic, which is why Luther (in his 1517 “Disputation against Scholastic Theology”) said Aristotle is to theology as darkness is to light.

The Gospel Luther’S Linchpin For Catholicity, Gordon Jensen

Concordia Journal

Much has been made about the fact that after Luther launched the reformation in Germany, he changed the wording of the third article of the Apostles’ Creed from “holy catholic Church” to “holy Christian Church.”

The Role Of Edward Vi In The Development Of The English Reformation, Lisa Eaton-Adams

Master of Art Theology Thesis

The implied conclusion is that since the reforms were forced-the connotations of the term make its use questionable, but that is a separate issue-upon the church by the government, and since Edward was a minor, the government being dominated by the dukes of Somerset and Northumberland, Edward himself was therefore a negligible factor in the reforms implemented during his reign.

It is not within the scope of this paper to assess the secular politics or military developments of Edward's reign. What does concern us here is the question of the extent to which Edward was a factor in the development …

The Deserving Poor: The Reimagining Of Poverty In Reformation Theology And Poor Relief, Jared Thomley

Departmental Honors Projects

The Reformation is one of the most studied periods an history, with a rich historiography and body of theological literature; however, historians and scholars of religion alike have yet to fully capture the imaginative redefining of poverty that occurred during this time. The objective of the study is to do just that. Following the model set by church historian Peter Matheson, who is keen to portray the reformation in a new light – as a shift in peoples’ consciousness, rather than in terms of dogmatic changes – this study has endeavored to re-investigate the changing definition of poverty in the …

Inspiring Piety: The Influence Of Caravaggio’S Paintings In Santa Maria Del Popolo, Cara Coleman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This article looks at the way Italian Baroque painter, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio broke from the artistic conventions of the Renaissance and Mannerist styles in his religious paintings to create an entirely new style that reflected the needs of the post-Tridentine Catholic Church. Caravaggio pushed painting throughout Europe in a new direction, away from the idealization of the Renaissance and the artistic extremes of Mannerism, by popularizing realism in art. Caravaggio’s unique style is examined through comparisons of his paintings, The Conversion of Paul, c.1601 and The Martyrdom of Saint Peter, c.1601 in the Roman basilica, Santa Maria del Popolo …

A Catholic Looks At Quakerism, Michael Mullett

Quaker Studies

In this article Michael Mullet first sketches the well-advertised dissimilarities between Catholicism, the epitome, for many, of 'conservative' Christianity, and Quakerism, which brought to a high point of development the religious radicalism implicit in the Reformation. However, Mullett argues that, underlyingly, relatively superficial dissonances over such issues as church order and (more significantly) sacrament, Tridentine Catholicism and Quakerism shared, in opposition to the Reformation's key principles of justification by faith alone and its corollary predestination, an abiding, soteriological and anthropological acceptance (grounded in the Epistle of James) of the role of free will and of justification and sanctification by works …

[Book Review Of] Reformation Und Konfessionelles Zeitalter (1517-1648), By Martin H. Jung, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

This book on the reformation and the confessional era (1517-1648) is succinct, informative, and very readable. It is a textbook that contains fifteen neatly arranged chapters. The advantage of Jung’s textbook lies in the fact that it is not merely another book about the reformation and post-reformation period for its real strength is found not as much in the presentation of the historical facts and developments per se as in the enclosed pertinent syllabus for university studies and exams on both epochs. Instructors and professors may benefit from Jung’s teaching experience, using the materials and adapting them according to their …

The Pelikan Movement - An Immigrant Story, Richard Blythe

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Blythe, Richard J. “The Pelikan Movement: An Immigrant Story.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2008. 306 pp.

The Pelikan Movement, led initially by Jan Pelikan, the grandfather of the Yale historian Jaroslav Pelikan, was a pivotal event in a Slovak Lutheran immigrant community that desired to provide a confessional Lutheran witness to their mother country. Shortly after the First World War, this immigrant community was resolute to return to Slovakia to share their confessional Lutheran understanding of the Christian faith, in the Hurban tradition, as well as their new church polity and practices that they adopted in America during the previous …

Contemporary Preaching To A Non-Contemporary Society: Nineteenth-Century Reformed Theology Comes To Non-Nineteenth-Century Brazil, Jorge Luiz Patrocinio

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Patrocinio, Jorge Luiz. “Contemporary Preaching to a Non-Contemporary Society: Nineteenth-Century Reformed Theology Comes to Non-Nineteenth-Century Brazil.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2009. 241 pp.

When Presbyterian missionaries came from America to nineteenth-century Brazil, they encountered a society strongly marked by a Roman Catholicism that was both tugged in several directions and also marked by a spirit more attuned to the later Middle Ages. In planting and then cultivating the Presbyterian Church, first the missionaries and then indigenous Brazilian pastors responded by spreading a message strongly rooted in Reformation theology, approaching their task almost as if the Reformation were unfolding again in …

Nicholaas H. Gootjes, The Belgic Confession: Its History And Sources, John B. Roney

History Faculty Publications

Book review by John Roney.

Gootjes, Nicholaas H. The Belgic Confession: Its History and Sources. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007.

ISBN 9780801032356

Catholicity Or Consensus? The Role Of The Consensus Patrum And The Vincentian Canon In Lutheran Orthodoxy: From Chemnitz To Quenstedt, Quentin Stewart

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Stewart, Quentin D. "Catholicity or Consensus? The Role of the Consensus Patrum and the Vincentian Canon in Lutheran Orthodoxy: From Chemnitz to Quenstedt." Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2006. 340 pp.

This dissertation traces the role played by the Vincentian Canon and its theological corollary, the consensus patrum, within the parameters of Lutheran Orthodoxy. Though Luther had no use for the consensus patrum, his chief colleague Philip Melanchthon had a high view of the consensus of the ancient church, especially whenever it could be applied to evangelical Lutheran theology. As a humanist, Melanchthon maintained a critical reverence for the ancient church …

Sacramental Theology And Ecclesiastical Authority, Darius Jankiewicz

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Holiness And The Christian Life In The Theology Of Martin Luther And John Calvin, John Hamilton Weston

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.