| Church History | |
| The history of the church really spans from Adam & Eve to our present day. The "church" is the
universal body of God's elect down through the ages. The Bible
gives us a history of that church from Creation down through the first
century AD - the age of the Apostles. "Church History" here, as
we define it then, is the extra-Biblical account of God's workings with
God's people from the time of the Apostles to the present day. We should not be so quick to discount the value of this time. No, our accounts are not inspired, but we can learn a great deal from Godly men of the past, their lives, failings, and triumphs. We can also learn from the rich history of our church fathers who wrote down what they believed in the form of creeds and confessions. These do not replace nor superceed the Bible, but they were often written at a time when heresy was plaguing the church and they clarified and "confessed" what the Scriptures said. These documents were meant as tools to instruct the masses of God's people and refute the error of the day. They are no less relavent today. |
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Men of Faith
Historic Church Documents
The 95 Theses
- Martin Luther nailed these to the church door of Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. Each stroke of the hammer created a spark which ignited the Protestant Reformation.
Creeds
The Apostle's Creed
- Dating within less than a century from the end of the New Testament writings, this is the earlies known Christian creed. It is called the Apostle's Creed, not because of the author who is unknown, but because of its antiquity.
Athanasian Creed
- Athanasius was a 4th century church father and Bishop of Alexandria. He stood contra mundum or 'against the world' when it seemed that the entire church of his day fell to the Arian heresy. This heresy denied the deity of Christ.
Confessions of Faith
Westminster Confession of Faith
- In 1643 there convened an "Assembly of Divines" at Westminster Abbey in London, England. This assembly consisted of mostly Puritan ministers with a strong Scottish influence. They gathered to formulated a statement of doctrine which has come to be known as "Westminster Standards." This statement of faith largely defines Presbyterian belief. In 1646 and 1647 this group of men produced the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechism.
London Baptist Confession of 1689 (Modern English Version Click Here)
- In 1689 a group of Independent, Baptist, and "non-conformist" ministers met in London to formulate a confession of faith. These ministers, largely Particular Baptist (Calvinistic) had been charged with being unorthodox. They did not conform to the Church of England and could not adopt the Presbyterian church's Westminster Confession because of certain differences in theology. This document is largely based on the Westminster Confession, however, with exceptions largely in the area of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. The biggest difference being their belief in believer's baptism by immersion and the rejection of infant baptism (paedobaptism).
Philadelphia Confession of Faith (1742)
- Adopted by the Philadelphia Association of Baptist Churches (Particular or Calvinistic Baptists) in 1742, this confession is identical to the 1689 confession except that it adds 2 chapters - one regarding "The Singing of Praise" and the other regarding "The Laying on of Hands."