protestant22

PROTESTANT HISTORY:

JENNY GEDDES AND HER THREE LEGGED STOOL

I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. (Psalm 78:2-4)

INTRODUCTION: BIBLE PROTESTANTISM HAS A GLORIOUS HISTORY. It is an epic story of a deadly struggle from under the heel of the Roman system to the glorious liberty of the sons of God. In our ecumenical and apostate age, this story needs to be retold that the battle may continue. This is the eighteenth of a number of posts (hence entitled: Protestant22) and is just another shot fired in this great battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. We are deliberately aiming at brevity, leaving it to other works (listed later) to satisfy any hunger for further information. These pages may therefore be viewed as tasty appetisers. May God give us the faith of these old Protestants who loved not their lives unto death and of whom, the world in its sin, was not worthy. 

JENNY GEDDES AND HER THREE LEGGED STOOL!

Although not strictly a Reformation event, yet we include it here as an example of a good old Protestant spirit alive and well after the deeds of earlier times. In 1637 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the minister of St Giles tried to introduce the English Prayer Book, which although drawn up by the English Reformers, nevertheless still retained some Popish features. Jenny Geddes, a street trader, threw her stool at the head of the minister when he commenced reading it. She cried: "Deil colic the wame o’ ye, fause thief; daur ye say Mass in my lug?" meaning "The Devil cause you severe pain and flatulent distention of your abdomen, false thief: dare you say the Mass in my ear?"

INDEXES:

* CALVINIST INDEX
* PROTESTANT INDEX
* CH SPURGEON INDEX
* EVANGELISM INDEX
* HERE AND THERE INDEX
* YOUTUBE VIDEO INDEX
* 3 MINUTE AUDIOBOO INDEX

protestant21

PROTESTANT HISTORY:

MARTYRDOM OF PATRICK HAMILTON

I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. (Psalm 78:2-4)

INTRODUCTION: BIBLE PROTESTANTISM HAS A GLORIOUS HISTORY. It is an epic story of a deadly struggle from under the heel of the Roman system to the glorious liberty of the sons of God. In our ecumenical and apostate age, this story needs to be retold that the battle may continue. This is the eighteenth of a number of posts (hence entitled: Protestant21) and is just another shot fired in this great battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. We are deliberately aiming at brevity, leaving it to other works (listed later) to satisfy any hunger for further information. These pages may therefore be viewed as tasty appetisers. May God give us the faith of these old Protestants who loved not their lives unto death and of whom, the world in its sin, was not worthy. 

THE MARTYRDOM OF PATRICK HAMILTON (1503-1528)

Since all things work together for good - the best (Geneva Bible) - to them that love God and who are the called according to His good purpose, then IT WAS (in that sense) A GOOD DAY when our first Scottish martyr, Patrick Hamilton was ordered to be burned by RC Archbishop Beaton in St. Andrews. This Presbyterian giant went there, understanding that it was to debate his doctrines, but he was seized and quickly burned before his friends could muster any support. It was thought that this summary execution would intimidate others, but Rome was badly mistaken. One bystander remarked, "The reek [smoke] of Mr Hamilton has infected as many as it did blow upon."Truly the blood of the martyrs has always proved to be the seed of the church.

* Spurgeon on the martyrdom of 'our Protestant forefathers' (Graphic)


INDEXES: 
* CALVINIST INDEX
* PROTESTANT INDEX
* CH SPURGEON INDEX
* EVANGELISM INDEX
* HERE AND THERE INDEX
* 3 MINUTE AUDIOBOO INDEX
* YouTube VIDEO INDEX

protestant 21

PROTESTANT HISTORY:

MARTYRDOM OF THOMAS CRANMER

I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. (Psalm 78:2-4)

INTRODUCTION: BIBLE PROTESTANTISM HAS A GLORIOUS HISTORY. It is an epic story of a deadly struggle from under the heel of the Roman system to the glorious liberty of the sons of God. In our ecumenical and apostate age, this story needs to be retold that the battle may continue. This is the twenty first of a number of posts (hence entitled: Protestant21) and is just another shot fired in this great battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. We are deliberately aiming at brevity, leaving it to other works (listed later) to satisfy any hunger for further information. These pages may therefore be viewed as tasty appetisers. May God give us the faith of these old Protestants who loved not their lives unto death and of whom, the world in its sin, was not worthy. 

ARCHBISHOP THOMAS CRANMER (1489-1556)

Cranmer had risen to the high office of Archbishop in the Roman Church before coming to faith in Jesus Christ. He was the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury. Initially, he recanted under great pressures. However, when he was taken to St Mary's Church in Oxford to read a prepared sermon, he nailed his colours very firmly to the mast: "And now I come to the great thing which troubleth my conscience more than any other thing that ever I said or did in my life; and this is, the setting abroad things contrary to the truth; which here I now renounce and refuse, as things written with my hand, contrary to the truth which I thought in my heart, and writ for fear of death, and to save my life, if it might be; and that is, all such bills, which I have written or signed with mine own hand since my degradation; wherein I have written many things untrue. And forasmuch as my hand offended in writing  contrary to my heart, therefore my hand shall be first punished; for if I come to the fire, it shall be first burned. And as for the Pope, I refuse him as Christ's enemy and antichrist, with all his false doctrine." Cranmer was as good as his word. When he was martyred at the stake on 21st March, 1556 he plunged his hand into the flame and was heard to repeat on several occasions the phrase, "This unworthy right hand."

* Spurgeon on the martyrdom of 'our Protestant forefathers' (Graphic)


INDEXES:
* CALVINIST INDEX
* PROTESTANT INDEX
* CH SPURGEON INDEX
* EVANGELISM INDEX
* HERE AND THERE INDEX
* YOUTUBE VIDEO INDEX
* 3 MINUTE AUDIOBOO INDEX

yourfundamentalistpast

 

 YOUR LINK TO YOUR FUNDAMENTALIST PAST:

I remember once hearing Ian Paisley speak on the great Fundamentalists of the past. It was in the centre of London at the World Congress of Fundamentalists in the first week of July in 1990, which he co-chaired with Bob Jones Junior. He had only about 25 minutes to speak and his message consisted, largely, in fitting in as many names as he could with a very brief explanatory note as why they were worthy of being mentioned. He spoke very fast indeed, partly because he had an important appointment to keep immediately afterwards in the Houses of Parliament, literally just over the road. I felt sorry for the translators hired to translate the English based preaching into German and French. (Having said that, the German translator especially was good. In another session when Dr Paisley cracked a joke, the German orchestra laughed as quickly as those of us without the ear phones. But I digress.) Dr.  Paisley's message was effectively a "Who's who" in church history. 

The term "Fundamentalist" was evidently being used in a much wider way in which it is used in many quarters today. Had he been limited to speaking about #KJVO, Dispensationalist, anti Calvinist Baptists, then he had all the time in the world. He could have made Fundamentalist history by finishing about 10 minutes early and handing the meeting back to the chairman ;o)  

According to the speaker, William Tyndale was a Fundamentalist. As was John Calvin and Martin Luther. So was George Whitefield and John Wesley etc. Soon we were talking about Frank Norris and Billy Sunday etc.

Some of those named were Calvinists. For the sake of time, I'll put Martin Luther in there as well. If you find time, read his work on "Bondage of the Will" where his opponent and the defender of "free will" (The casting vote variety) is a Romanist priest. Others were not Calvinists (Wesley for example) but who had no problem worshipping and working with Calvinists. These men would never have heard of the 20th century term Fundamentalist, but they sure fought a good fight and kept the faith. 

Here's my point: If your definition of Fundamentalism excludes Calvinists and non Calvinist though Calvinist sympathisers, and must click the #KJVO box and Dispensational PreMillennialism boxes along with being Fundamental Baptist, then you don't have a real Fundamentalist history. In fact, it is possible that you can probably include yourself among its first better known one thousand adherents! History in the making, as they say. 

You have no real historical claim on anybody. Even the Waldenses (to quote JB Carroll's Trail of Blood) gave 'continual and valuable aid' to the emerging Calvinist Reformers and 'fought bravely' with them also.

If you want to go back to the modern beginnings of the Fundamentalist movement, then your history is that of Calvinistic Presbyterians like BB Warfield and Gresham Machen who fought the modernists. Billy Sunday was a Presbyterian evangelist who united the various Protestant denominations together in the cities of America for his campaigns. If JF Norris floats your boat because he was a Dispensational, modernist bashing Baptist, then remember that he sat happily, as a young man, at the feet of Post Mill Calvinist, BH Carroll. DL Moody preached for and with Calvinists. Spurgeon notably commentied on Moody's "Calvinistic theology" causing the  Methodists some concern, while Horatio Bonar claimed that he heard some of the most Calvinistic statements on the doctrine of election from Moody's lips. Some claim indeed from a solidly Calvinistic, Scottish Presbyterian minister.  

Bring on HA Ironside and John R Rice and even good ole Jack Hyles if you will. They are all on record as endorsing the gospel ministry of John Calvin. What would you do if you had Hyles in your pulpit and you settled down to hear preach his sermon entitled 'The King James Bible Defended'? Pretty good stuff when he is knocking the Romanists and the Charismatics. You hear him say (and I quote verbatim) "The Presbyterian seminaries say, "The Bible is not the Word of God..." You might even shout "Amen!" there. But Hyles continues "... but John Calvin believed it, and they had the fire! John Knox and others believed it!"

I conclude. If your 'Fundamentalism' is the kind described in the tweet below, then the reality is that you don't really have a history at all.



THE END

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* 3 MINUTE AUDIOBOO INDEX

protestant15

 PROTESTANT HISTORY: THE COMMENTARIES OF JOHN CALVIN

I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. (Psalm 78:2-4)

INTRODUCTION: BIBLE PROTESTANTISM HAS A GLORIOUS HISTORY. It is an epic story of a deadly struggle from under the heel of the Roman system to the glorious liberty of the sons of God. In our ecumenical and apostate age, this story needs to be retold that the battle may continue. This is the fifteenth of a number of posts (hence entitled: Protestant15) and is just another shot fired in this great battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. We are deliberately aiming at brevity, leaving it to other works (listed later) to satisfy any hunger for further information. These pages may therefore be viewed as tasty appetisers. May God give us the faith of these old Protestants who loved not their lives unto death and of whom, the world in its sin, was not worthy. 

 
JOHN CALVIN - HIS COMMENTARIES

IT WAS A GOOD DAY when Calvin's commentaries began to be published.  Many of them are the sermons which he preached daily to mass crowds in the Cathedral in Geneva. C.H. Spurgeon wrote, "…that mighty servant of God, John Calvin, whom I honour, not as teaching these doctrines himself, but as one through whom God spoke, and one who, next to the apostle Paul, propounded truth more clearly than any other man that ever breathed, knew more of Scripture, and explained it more clearly…That man of God expounds the doctrines in so excellent and admirable a manner, that we cannot too much bless the Lord who sent him, or too much pray that others like him may be honest and sincere in the work of the Lord."

 
THE END 

 * Jacob Arminius strongly recommending John Calvin's Commentaries
* John Calvin Commentaries Online 

ALL INDEXES:

* PROTESTANT INDEX 
* CALVINISM INDEX 
* CH SPURGEON INDEX  
* EVANGELISM INDEX  
* HERE AND THERE INDEX

historybuff

(Apologies for any lay out discrepancies in this post. Numerous attempts have been made to be consistent, especially in spacing between paragraphs, but it doesn't always work out as desired.)

WHY I AM SURPRISED MY FRIEND #WYLIE WANTS YOU TO LEARN YOUR BAPTIST HISTORY 

My friend #Wylie, like myself is a bit of a history buff. Every now and again, he goes digging up some new name for us to think about, mostly some half ancient Baptist preacher and evangelist from his home state of Texas. Well and good. I owe it to #Wylie for introducing me to men like BH Carroll, RC Burleson and CE Jefferson. Google is well and fine, but you need to be able to type something into the find box before you even start and #Wylie done the early part of my homework for me. 

Having said all that, I stand over the observation that forms the title of this blog post. Notice his lament at the top. It can be easily broken down into several easy parts and quickly analysed as I see it:

1) Protestant history is well known to "most Baptists" (Protestants do have a history)

2) "Most Baptists" obviously like what they know about Protestant history (They know and talk about it. Generally favourably.)

3) #Wylie says "we" (presumably "most Baptists") have neglected Baptist history 

4) This neglect is "sad" (because mostly Baptist History is as glorious as Protestant history, but (see previous point) it is not as well known. And the Baptists still like and talk about the overall Protestant history and not just the Baptist segment. 

Fair enough. It is natural that people within the several denominations within Fundamental Christianity should have a desire for their own. Presbyterian history floats my boat, more (with due respect) than Methodist or Anglican stuff, although I do read widely and rejoice accordingly. I want those outside of Presbyterianism to rejoice in what God has done through men like Calvin and Knox and others. And to be fair, they do and do again. And it animates their prayer life. See here, where a good Baptist pleads with God to send a man like Calvin (and others) to Texas. FTR: I rejoice in the ministries of all who love the Lord in sincerity and truth. In my preaching etc., I readily and positively refer to the efforts and writings of men like Wesley, RA Torry, HA Ironside etc. Let's move unto our next tweet from #Wylie:

#Wylie really is on a roll with this subject. In many ways, it is a natural outcome of his lament above. It is a call to Baptists (although they are not specifically named) to dig up old books and read about the great Baptist leaders and soul winners. Presumably, to relieve the "most Baptist" people of their ignorance and give them something else to talk about, other than great Presbyterians and Methodists.

Before we move on to #Wylie's next tweet in his roll, it needs to be said that digging into Baptist history certainly won't be kind to Wylie and his somewhat modern brand of Independent Fundamental Baptists. #Wylie thinks it does (bless him) but it really doesn't. Fair enough, his heroes baptised only believers by immersion and kept the decision making processes within the four walls of a congregation, but beyond that (outside of sharing the fundamental doctrines that all Christians believe) there really isn't much more. I develop this thought more here, but keep reading this post and circle back again. # Wylie's next tweet is significant: 

 

 Here, #Wylie gives us his thoughts on one WE Penn. He was "an uncompromising Baptist" who (example given of this uncompromising man) "refused ecumenical meetings." Does this mean that he didn't preach outside Baptist circles? Or to word it another way - does preaching outside Baptist pulpits make you an ecumenical compromiser? Or having non Baptists e.g. Presbyterians and Methodists in your pulpit make you a compromiser? It is #Wylie who uses the word "uncompromising" and since #doctrinematters (one of #Wylies recently and frequently used hashtags) then to work with those who effectively deny your position is to make you a dread #Neo. (Again, keep going and circle back again)

 If so, then steal a glance at yet another of #Wylie's recent tweets. This gets interesting, because he encourages us to study the names in photograph. 

"Wow!" indeed, Mr #Wylie. What a lovely little ecumenical gathering we have here! Spot the ordained Presbyterian evangelist (Billy Sunday) and the Methodist evangelist! (Gypsy Smith). I would love to look at the others, but time isn't on my side, but the point is more than adequately proved. What a compromising church this proves itself to be. Imagine some horrid compromiser in #Wylie's circles inviting a Presbyterian to preach in their services? Or a Methodist? 

Let me encourage #Wylie's constituents indeed study Baptist history. They will find it weaving in and out of the Protestant stuff, so that they can hardly tell the two apart. Even the famed Trail of Blood tells of how the Baptists at the time of the Reformation sought to help and co-operate with the Reformers. No isolationalist policy there. I assume that #Wylie's constituency, although ignorant of Baptist history, aren't stupid. Ignorance and stupidity are not necessarily linked. In my opinion, if #Wylie wants to maintain his own stated position of cussing Calvinists, castigating those who are not #KJVO or who repudiate his Dispensationalism as compromisers, then Baptist History isn't the place to be. Even his great hero, Frank J Norris (mentioned in the roll of honour above) sat happily at the feet of a PostMill, Calvinist and Protestant (BH Carroll took all three titles). I must wonder if #Wylie can point to one person in Baptist history who has taken his position? Can #Wylie assure anyone that even WE Penn wasn't a Calvinist, or worked (within the Baptist denomination) with them? Or that WE Penn was not a PostMill but a card carrying Dispensationalist? If the jury is out on this one, then WE Penn could be as big a compromiser as any of the rest of them, not withstanding #Wylie's observations. There are a lot of dotted lines in #Wylie's assessments that can be readily challenged. Even men of God on pedestals have feet of clay. 

I readily acknowledged how helpful he has been to me in my opening paragraph. And if he can be so helpful to me as a cusséd Calvinistic, AMill, Presbyterian, then he can be helpful to you too. But only with caution.  Amazingly at times, #Wylie would teach us that the Calvinist translators of the Geneva Bible were 'exceptional Christian leaders and scholars' and that BH Carroll was a Baptist giant and genius and that BHC's PostMill, Calvinist, Protestant commentaries were a goldmine. #Wylie wants you to find out these things for yourself. Remember, if your Baptist forefathers can be and do all these things, then so can you. If it was glorious for them, it will be equally glorious for you too. 

THE END 

INDEXES:

* CALVINIST INDEX
* PROTESTANT INDEX
* CH SPURGEON INDEX
* EVANGELISM INDEX
* HERE AND THERE INDEX
* YOUTUBE VIDEO INDEX
* 3 MINUTE AUDIOBOO INDEX