Church Matters: Retrieving the Great Tradition

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Chur ch Mat ter s : Ret r i ev i ng the Great Trad i t i on

A. Strong religious convictions led to a decimation of the population. The reason for Europe’s present religious apathy and indifference : the division, bloody war, and intolerance of the post-Reformation period.

1. The tragedy of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648)

2. Dramatic conflict and intolerance: case in point, England (Puritan revolution, civil war, the execution of King Charles I)

a. Doctrine crafted in difficulty: Westminster Confession (King Charles ongoing battle with the Parliament which refused to disband, called the Assembly of Westminster ); the Assembly of Westminster’s Confession (1647) still stands today as a clear statement of Calvinist theology and practice

b. Civil war led to the defeat of King Charles I by the Parliament, which executed him.

3. Squabbles, anti-Puritan reactions, William Orange (1688), England embraces the Thirty-nine Articles , Scotland embraces the Westminster Confession , with Presbyterianism reigning there.

B. Emergence of inflexible spirits and cruel orthodoxies within major elements of the Church

1. Debates and disagreements among RCC folk: disagreements primarily about the authority of the pope, relationship of salvation to grace (cf. Church History: An Essential Guide , pp. 79ff.)