Getting Saved

[Legal_Eagle]

The research I have done in this area seems to indicate this concept started with the so-called Great Awakening and snowballed after that. The fundamentalist movement is a direct ancestor of the ‘revivalism’ of Early America, which in turn was an ancestor to the Enlightenment. It was unknown at the time of the Reformation, however I believe one can find the seeds of this error in Luther’s “Tower Experience.”

Thank you.

I think I can deduce the answer to my follow up question from your answer, but do you know whether such practices exist in European communities not influenced by American Evangelicalism?

 

[Legal_Eagle]

But Ultimately, a lot of the beliefs you see today, especially in non denom churches, have their roots in American Religious movements of the mid 1800’s

Thank you.

Do you know why it is that, given this history, many American Evangelicals believe that they are practicing Christianity exactly the way the first Christians practiced it? Are they ignorant (as I was) of the history of their beliefs, or does it just not matter to them?

 

[heisenburg]

Dispensationalism and rapture theology have it’s roots across the pond in England among the Plymoth Brethren

Very true I knew that… :doh2: Perhaps I should have said that it was the American “religious” movements that picked up and ran with many of these “innovations”

In Christ

 

[heisenburg]

Do you know why it is that, given this history, many American Evangelicals believe that they are practicing Christianity exactly the way the first Christians practiced it? Are they ignorant (as I was) of the history of their beliefs, or does it just not matter to them?

I cannot speak for all of them because there are a variety of reasons…

Some are simply ignorant of it. This is probably the single Largest group of people with respect to history

The second largest group fall under the “It was that way at the beginning, but then something happened somewhere and all was lost, and the reformation was actually a restoration”. They acknowledge to a very small degree some of th history, but not enough to understand that even the leading reformers didn’t agree with many of todays beliefs.

Those that do understand the history say things like, yes, we know it didn’t real start until the 1800’s, but it was there at the very beginning, lost by the CC and then it took 300 years to fully remove ourselves from the influence and damage caused by “tyrannical Rome”

The smallest group probably consists of those that say it was always there but in hiding. Sorta the Conspiracy theory of Christianity. Every hunted by the CC in a vain attempt to hide the truth… There aren’t many, but some believe this… even on these boards… (i can think of one off the top of my head)

any way, as mentioned, there are a lot of different reasons o we need to be careful not to paint to broad a stroke.

Hope that helps

In Christ

 

[Legal_Eagle]

xxx

I read some of your blog. Most interesting. I’ll finish it later.

 

[Legal_Eagle]

Hope that helps

I helps very much. Thank you.

 

[JustaServant]

Thank you.
I think I can deduce the answer to my follow up question from your answer, but do you know whether such practices exist in European communities not influenced by American Evangelicalism?

European communities are nortoriously hostile to evangelical/fundamentalist doctrine. Europe is called the ‘graveyard of missionaries.’ Where it is taking hold unfortuntely is in places like the Philippines.

 

[JustaServant]

Very true I knew that… :doh2: Perhaps I should have said that it was the American “religious” movements that picked up and ran with many of these “innovations”
In Christ

If it had remained in England it might have died a well-deserved death.