Learning from the “Philadelphia” Period

Age of Reason [1648-1900]

Rene Descartes (1596-1650) is considered the 1st Modern Man because he thought Truth could arise from reflective thinking, apart from God’s Word. With the rebirth of art, literature, and science, men believed that human ability could chart its own course. Rationalists were uneasy with imposed authority whether priest or king and believed that governments should be ruled by voluntary consent of the people rather than divine right of a king. They desired to create “utopias” apart from dependence upon God

But as European Christians experienced true freedom through the new birth of a personal relationship with Christ, they intensely desired that EVERYONE, all over the newly discovered lands, could hear the good news of salvation in a personal relationship with God.

However, Satan was busy, no longer torturing those who distributed the Word of God, but now mocking and belittling the authority of His Word through man’s newfound scientific information— False teachers attempted to re-shape Christianity by questioning the integrity of the Bible (particularly the miracles), the person of Jesus Christ, and traditional teach about the sinfulness of man. True Christianity was replaced by an easy going optimism and moral “golden rule-ism” that promised to civilize brutish humanity—which was confusing, blinding, and distracting people from fully responding to God’s truth.

TRUTH / ERROR
THEISM: God is transcendent (above all) and NOT a part of His creation, but He is very immanent (nearly, actively involved) as its Provider and Redeemer through Christ.
PIETISTS (or “fanatics”): Mocking term used for those who argued that true Christianity should touch the heart as well as the mind (descended from Wycliff, Hus, & Lutheran Church). Emphasized feelings, personal religious experience, living a life of intense devotion. Small group study & discussion of Bible in daily application & piety, but indifference to doctrine led some to idealism. Led John Wesley to saving faith.
METHODISTS: Early Methodism began as desire to reform Anglican church. Tthe Holy Club, founded by John Wesley at Oxford University was a harsh legalistic discipline, but replaced by a totally new movement led by George Whitefield based on “ye must be born again”. Later joined by Wesley, this was the basis for America’s Great Awakening (1738-69)
1865- The Evangelical Alliance defined the line between fundamentalism & modernism (radical liberalism)
1. Inerrancy of Scripture
2. Deity of Jesus Christ
3. The Virgin Birth of Jesus
4. Jesus’ death is our substitutionary atonement
5. Jesus’ physical resurrection
6. Jesus’ imminent return for believers (rapture) / RATIONALISM: Voltaire (1694-1770) Father of the Enlightenment. Liberate the masses from traditional moral, social authority.
EMIRICISM: John Locke (1632-1704) The scientist accepts nothing on the basis of authority. Only thru inductive scientific methods is knowledge available.
ROMANTICISM: Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) believed man is basically good, but society is basically evil.
IDEALISM: Denied the existence of material bodies. No rational grounds to believe in the reality of anything. Ideas are the only reality. Impracticality-- thinking of things in their ideal form rather than as they really are. Type of nobleness
HUMANISM: while rightly respecting dignity of all men, this idea emphasized more concern for man, than the reality of knowing God. Noblesse Oblige, those of higher rank are responsible to care for poorer classes.
[Post Millennial Theology: Church would eventually “Christianize” all the nations of the world before Christ returned to earth. (dispelled by WWI, 1918)]
DEISM: God is ONLY transcendent, not Immanent) “Watchmaker” or absentee God who set the universe into motion & now sits back as an uninvolved observer as His natural law takes over As a result of world explorations, theorized that all religions have similar principles, a basic natural religion that is available to man APART from the Bible. Emphasized starry heaven above and moral law within. (cf. today’s Intelligent Design movement) Christ was only a moral teacher. Bible is an ethical guidebook for virtue, piety. God must be worshipped by repentance, ethical life. Applied to religion and politics. Glorify God with moral laws.
PANTHEISM: God is intimate with His Creation. He is integrated into ALL his creation.
NATURALISM: Creation operates under natural law, hence, no place for miracles.
MYSTICISM: passivity, contemplation of the soul opens one to the impartation of inner “divine light”.
LIBERALISM: the Bible “contains” truth. Reduced Christ to a caring human with deluded followers. The cross is a symbol of self-giving love.
MARXISM- Karl Marx (1818-1883) all profits from labor belong to labor. Religion is the opiate of the people.
EXISTENTIALISM: Nietzsche (1844-1900) God is dead. Man becomes his own god. (spent last 11 yrs of his life in insane asylum, , but at the end realized that without God man has existence, but no reason for living)