REVELATION BIBLE COLLEGE

DIPLOMA

CHURCH HISTORY

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What is Church?

The word Church is a Greek word Ec–ecclesia. It

means “The called-out ones.”

Studying a concise summary of Church History, is a

great blessing and significance to understand where
we come from, where we are going, and also how to
deal with the future.
The perspective of time: He is a God of time but is
not limited.
The things that are happening in Christian Dom today
had happened before. God has used people before,
and he’ll use people again and again. He is not a
respecter of people, but a respecter of principles.

From the book of Genesis, God marks out the

existence of man to the culmination of his purpose on
Earth.
In Genesis chapter 1, the Earth was null and void,
then we have Adam arriving on the scene, he lives
130 yrs., and an entire generation after him, and
generations after, and then comes the flood. (The
deluge) then we find that there is a roughly a period of
1,700 years between Adam and the flood.

The Key characters here are Adam - 130yrs. Seth –

912 yrs.
Enoch -365 yrs. And God took him. He had a son
Methuselah who lived the longest on the face of the
Earth. 969 yrs.
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His son Lamech lived 182 yrs. Then comes Noah who finds grace
After the flood God called Abraham from Ur of the
Chaldeans. Genesis 12, where we have the
patriarchal age, with his sons, then the entry into
Egypt.

We have the prominent names here Abraham,

changed to Abram
Jacob who becomes Israel, and the uncompromising
Joseph.
You have the captivity in Egypt which lasted for 430
years, and then the Exodus, meaning “actual flight”.
After the exodus the children of Israel occupy the land
of promise, and God sets over them Judges. (The
dispensation of judges)
Ending with the installation of Saul as King of Israel,
and then you have the Kingdom Era.

King Saul who ruled for 40 years. Then King David

who ruled for 40 years. Then King Solomon who
ruled for 40 years. Then the division of the Kingdoms,
Israel and Judah, because of iniquity.
After the Kingdom Era, we have the captivity in
Babylon which took 70 years. They went back home
and there was a period of restoration.
Then came the highlight of the ministry of Nehemiah,
Ezra, Haggai, and the prophet Malachi. Then was the
close of the Old Testament with the prophecies of
Malachi that closed on paper.
They came back and build the temple in Jerusalem
and they also restored the Law and Judaism, and the
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practices prescribed.

There are 400 silent years, and the bible does not tell
us about them, some things are not in the Bible
because there’s science of theology called
canonology., which helps us understand canon, or
what is the rule or standard, which writings are sacred
enough to be put in the Bible, and which are not. By
careful study we learn that some of the things
mentioned in the New Testament,
In Matthew are never mentioned in the Old
Testament.
We don’t understand where Pharisees came from or
Sadducee s.
They must have developed over the period of the
silent years. Even synagogues are not mentioned in
the Old Testament. This must have been the time
when some of the things that affected the early
Church were birthed.

There arose a ruler in Rome, whose name was

“Alexander the Great” WHO RULED THE WORLD,
and he waged war between Egypt and Syria, but he
did not conquer. He died prematurely at the age of
33yrs. And his 4 generals took over the Kingdom.
They began to contend for Judea because Israel was
on the land mass between the North and the south.
Syria was in the North and so some of the generals
who took over from Alexander waged war between
the ruling class of Egypt and Judea was the battle
ground.
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The Kingdom succession that we’re familiar with in

the Old Testament came to cease. David’s house
didn’t rule any more, because the people who ruled
the world at this time were never descendants of
David.
What had happened is that God had closed the
kingdom with Jesus seated on the throne, till he re-
opens it again with Jesus seated on the throne.

THE ARRIVAL OF THE N.TESTAMENT

At the arrival of the N. Testament the Lord Jesus

becomes incarnate,, and we find the first Advent of
the Messiah. He’s born in Bethlehem, and fulfils
scripture from Isaiah 9:6 and he lives for 30 yrs, and
for 3 yrs. He carries out his earthly ministry, according
to the desire and purpose of God and that culminates
his crucifixion, on the cross his burial, and his
resurrection, on the 3rd day. What we find is that 50
days after crucifixion, a group of 120 people gather
together in Jerusalem, at the command of the
messiah that they should not leave Jerusalem, until
they receive power from on-high. So they gather
themselves and wait until the 50 days are fulfilled, and
on the day of Pentecost, as we gather from Luke’s
account, the Holy Ghost comes, and they are
baptised with the Holy –Spirit, and God in us is
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birthed into the Earth. So we find the day of Pentecost marks the b
The Church (1st century church) started with the
ministry of the twelve, Luke 6:13. Namely:

1. SIMON ALSO NAMED PETER

2. ANDREW – SIMON’S BROTHER
3. JAMES - THE SON OF ZEBEDEE
4. JOHN
5. PHILLIP
6. BARTHOLOMEW
7. MATTHEW
8. THOMAS
9. JAMES - SON OF ALPHAEUS
10. SIMON – THE CANAANITE
11. JUDAS – BROTHER TO JAMES
12. MATTHIAS (who replaced Judas Iscariot, the betrayer).
Acts 1: 20-26.

THE RISE OF THE EARLY CHURCH:

The first Church was Jewish, it began in Jerusalem.

They met in homes, and had fellowship meeting. They
broke bread and drunk wine. They had no Pastor, or
apostle, it was only one elder to preside and guard
against error, to comfort, to preach , to encourage,
and providing for those who had needs.
Titles like Bishop, Archbishops, or Archdeacons were
not apostolic terminology.

Bishop - is a Greek word Episcopus

Epis -- means on top.
Scopus - means to look or have
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oversight.

It had size and growth:

From 120 people Acts 2:41 records, so then those

who had received his word were baptised and that
day there were added about 3,000 souls.
Acts: 1:13 – they met in an upper room but not any
more but not any more, the addition of 3,000 turned
them into an instant mega Church. Acts 2:47.

It got bigger, everyday acts 4:4, and says it grew to

5,000. With the women and children it could have
doubled.
They loved one another, they broke bread, they were
teaching, worshipping, evangelizing, and praying.

It was a mega thriving ministry, moving in signs and

wonders.
They were called with varying Apostleship just as we
are called to different offices, they were called to
different areas.

Peter remained with the Jews, Paul went to the

gentiles, Thomas went to India, and he arrived in
South India and had a thriving ministry in Bombay,
where he died. (According to S. India ministry
archives.)
All of them had signs and wonders following them so
they launched out with the confirmation of the Holy
Ghost, signs and wonders following them, and their
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ministries.

PETER:
Peter came from Bethsaida on lake Galilee,
and his first and his fisherman father John originally
named him Simon, he was living in Capernaum with
his wife, brother and mother-in law when first
introduced to Jesus by his brother Andrew. He quickly
became the leader of Jesus’ twelve close followers
and he was often their spokesman. He was the first to
declare publicly that Jesus was the messiah, at
Caesarea Phillipi Jesus gave him the nick-name
“peter” (Cephas in Aramaic) meaning Rock.

Rash and red hot-blooded Peter was ready to die with

Jesus, then three times denied knowing him on the
night of Jesus’ arrest. But peter was one of the first to
meet the risen Jesus who specifically restored him to
his position as Leader. After Jesus ascended, Peter
took the initiative in the appointment of a successor to
Judas among the twelve and was the chief preacher
when the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost.
Peter and John took the lead in the Early days of the
Church, disciplining Anania and Sapphira after they
deceived the believers, healing and preaching and
taking a special interest in the mission to Samaria.

Later Peter had a vision which Launched the mission

to take the Gospel to the gentiles. Although he was
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wary of this view and later wavered under criticism of strict Jewish

Peter’s later career is obscure, he may have worked

in Asia Minor, perhaps visited Corinth, but ultimately
settled in Rome. Here he described himself as a
fellow –Elder which may mean he was one of the
Church Elders but not the sole Leader. Two New-
Testament letters bear his name, and he was
probably the main source of information for Mark’s
Gospel. Peter is believed to have been martyred at
Rome during Nero’s persecution of Christians, around
Ad 64.

Although he did not found the Church at Rome,

Peter’s martyrdom in Rome gave it great prestige.
Paul’s association with the Church added to this and
the Church of Rome, later claimed to be the chief
Church in the West of the Empire, and the only one
with assured Apostolic roots.

A considerable cult began to surround Peter and Paul

from about AD 200. by the time of the Emperor
Constantine the site of Peter’s martyrdom was held to
be now occupied by the Vatican Basilica of St.
Peter’s .recent excavations have revealed a shrine in
honor of Peter dating from the late second century. In
the name of Pope Leo the great who died in 461 AD
.Peter was given more prominence, the Popes of
Rome now claimed direct spiritual descent from Peter,
the Leader of the twelve.

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Several apocryphal works are attributed to peter. The Gospel of pe

THE ARRIVAL OF PAUL:

Paul a man
small in size, with meeting eyebrows and a rather
large nose, bald-headed, bow-legged, strongly built,
full of grace for at times he looked like a man, and at
times he had the face of an Eagle.

He was born into a Jewish family in Tarsus, where his

parents were Roman citizens. He was a strict
Pharisee and even as a young man was outstanding
in his orthodox beliefs and in his hatred of Christians.
He was present at the stoning of Steven and was
commissioned by the high priest to arrest Christians
at Damascus.

Paul was converted through a vision of the risen

Christ on his way to Damascus. He was befriended by
a Christian Ananias, Attempts were made against his
life,and he was lowered down the city wall in a basket.
He fled to Arabia then Damascus he later came to
Jerusalem where he was befriended by Barnabas and
introduced to Peter. Gurther Jewish threats forced him
to go back to Tarsus, and spent 10 years there. When
the gentile mission began to flourish at Antiorch,
Barnabas summoned him from Tarsus to join the
work.

Paul visit Jerusalem again taking famine relief funds

and discovered the Gentile missions with Peter. Then
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began Evangelistic word making him the most outstanding Christia

Further successful missionary work followed,

especially in Macedonia, Corinth and Ephesus. After
another visit to Jerusalem, Paul left with Timothy for
further Evangelistic work, finally returning to
Jerusalem with money collected for the poor
Christians there.
On his arrival Paul was seized by a Jewish mob, and
would have been lynched, but for the prompt
intervention of the Roman Garrison. He was kept in
protective custody at Caesarea for two years by the
Roman Governor Felix, whose successor Festus,
suggested that Paul be tried at Jerusalem, but Paul
refused to face such a biased court and appealed to
the Roman Emperor for justice. Paul was taken under
escort to Rome surviving a shipwreck at Malta, on the
way. After two years in Rome (At which point
the account in Acts ends)

Paul - Saul of Tarsus is better known to us as Paul.

Saul was his Jewish name. and Paul his Roman
name. For a time he violently opposed the Christian
movement, but suddenly the chief persecutor became
a leading witness to the risen Christ, as result of his
personal encounter with Jesus on the road to
Damascus, after a period in Arabia. Paul returned
home to Tarsus near the South coast of modern
Turkey. He may have spent the next 10 years or so
preaching the Gospel there.

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When the Jerusalem believers sent a man called Barnabas to visit

Paul quickly emerged as leader of the strong group of

Christians in Antioch, who now became the beach
head for a concerted campaign to evangelize the
gentiles. Jerusalem was to remain important in the
world-wide Christian community until the Roman army
destroyed the city in A.D. 70, and Paul reported back
to the believers there after each of his missionary
journeys abroad. But it was the church in Antioch that
set the pattern for the future. Paul was ideally
equipped to be the greatest of all missionaries. He
belonged to 3 worlds, Jewish, Greek, and Romans.
His parents were strictly orthodox Jews, who used the
Hebrew language and observed Jewish customs at
home.

They were sufficiently concerned about a correct

religious up-bringing to send Paul to Jerusalem at an
early age, possibly to live with an older married sister.
In Jerusalem Paul learned the traditions of his people
and was ultimately taught by Gamaliel the elder, one
of the most famous Rabbis of the day.
Paul also inherited Greek culture, which he
permeated the Eastern Mediterranean following the
conquests of Alexander the great. 335 -323 B.C.)
Paul later showed his mastery of Greek in his pastoral
letters to Timothy and Titus 1and 2.

In addition, Paul was a Roman citizen, which gave

him special freedom of movement, protection in his
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travels and access to the higher strata of society. Ultimately it mea

What Paul achieved:

Paul’s missionary achievements
were immense, The years A.D. 35-45 remain
obscure., but during the next 10=12 yrs. His activity
was astounding. Between 47-48 A.D. when he set sail
with Barnabas on his 1st missionary journey and A.D.
57 when he returned to Jerusalem for the last time he
established flourishing Churches in Major cities in the
Roman Provinces of Galatia, Asia, Macedonia, and
Achaia.

When he wrote to the Church in Rome, towards the

end of this period, his work in Eastern Provinces was
now finished, and he was heading to Spain.
Why did he play such a decisive role in Christian
Mission?
First, it was he who championed the missions to the
gentiles and won it’s acceptance by the rest of the
Church. Secondly, it was Paul who developed the
theological defence of the gentile mission which was
clearly in Romans 1-11. he worked very hard to keep
Jewish and gentile Christians united. He kept in
constant touch with the mother church in Jerusalem.

Paul’s personal example as a self- supporting

travelling missionary and his concentration on
important cities rather than rural areas, provided a
pattern for others to follow. Paul was not the only
pioneer missionary among the early generation of
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Christians., in spite of the earlier hesitancy of peter and other Apos

Paul’s surviving letters are found in the new

Testament. Galatians was probably written before the
council of Jerusalem. 1 and 2 Thessalonian s date
from Paul’s first journey into Greece Romans and 1
and 2 Corinthians come from his last visit in Greece
before his arrest in Jerusalem. Phillipians Colossians,
Ephesians and Philemon were probably written from
Rome during Paul’s fires imprisonment (although
some scholars date them from an earlier
imprisonment in Ephesus) 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus
were probably written after Paul’s first stay in Rome.

Paul’s letters were highly valued during his lifetime,

and were probably collected together soon after his
death. They were already accepted on an equal
basis with other scriptures. They were certainly in
their present collected form by the time of Marcion
the emperor (about AD140)

Paul’s theology was not well understood in the period

immediately after his death, This was partly because
the heretic Marcion rejected the Old Testament, and
much that was Jewish in the new Testament, and
made great use of Paul’s writings to support his own
ideas.

As long as Marcion’s heresy was a threat,

mainstream Christians, Teachers did not stress many
of Paul’s distinctive doctrines, such as law and grace.
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Augustine was the first to give full weight to Paul’s theology.

Peter preached the Gospel in Rome, John

evangelized long and found the Church in the city of
Alexandria, and Thaddeus the Church in Edessa
about 180 miles North-west of Syrian Antioch.

Thomas is believed to have taken Christianity to India,

after another 50 years.
Around A.D. 300, Christians formed a majority in parts
of the provinces of Asia, minor, and Africa. Paul died
in A.D. 62 in Rome.

In A.D 64, there was severe persecution which was

mediated by an eccentric ruler of Rome called Nero.
He set fire to the city and blamed the Christians. He
set 3 council charges against the Christians:

1. They were anti-social and believed in only one

God.

2. They believed Christians were involved in

cannibalism, - because they talked about eating the
body and drinking the blood of Jesus, so they called
them cannibals.

3. They openly confessed that they loved one another

and so the Romans thought it was erotism –or love
making.

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They murdered them, dogs chased them, they burnt them alive, th

The Romans sucked the Church out of Jerusalem, the

temple was torn brink by brick, 1.1 million people left
Jerusalem, and moved to Gentile territory. In A.D. 74.
the persecution was so vivid that they had to choose
between faith and life.

One thing that bore witness to the resurrection, was

that they were very courageous in the face of death,
they died worshipping and praising. When the
Apostles went to be with the Lord, they had trained
other people to succeed them. Paul had trained
Timothy and Titus, Peter had trained Ignatius of
Antioch,
Other successors were, Policap of Syrmna, and
Justin Martyr.

Justin Martyr, was one of the men who wrote the

Bible.

THE DEATH OF THE APOSTLES

 ANDREW brother to PETER was crucified in
EDDESSA (NEAR Ephesus in Greece)
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 BATHOLOMEW was beaten and crucified in INDIA

 JAMES the great older brother of JOHN was
beheaded in JUDEA in A.D. 44
 JAMES less brother to Jesus was beaten,
stoned and clubbed to death at 94 yrs old in
JERUSALEM
 JUDE Brother of James was crucified in 72 A.D in
EDESA (IN GREECE)
 LUKE was hanged on a Nolly Tree in GREECE
 MARK was dragged to death in ALEXANDRIA
 MATHEW was killed with a weapon that had a
blade and a spike in 60 A.D In NADABAH
(INDIA)
 MATHIAS was stoned and then beheaded in
JERUSALEM IN A.D. 67
 PAUL was beheaded with a sword in ROME in
A.D69.
 PETER was crucified head down by request as
unworthy to die the same as Christ in ROME.
AD. 70
 PHILIP was scourged, imprisoned and then
crucified in A.D. 54 in HEOLIOPOLIS – REGIA
(IN N. AFRICA- Egypt)
 SIMON was crucified in 74 A.D in BRITAIN
 STEPHEN was stoned to death in 34 A.D in
JERUSALEM
 THOMAS was thrust through with a spear in
INDIA
 JOHN brother to JAMES the great was boiled in
a pot in Ephesus. He was the only Apostle who
did not suffer a violent death. An attempt was
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made however after he survived boiling in a pot of oil without

The Romans sucked the Church out of Jerusalem, the

temple was torn brick by brick, and 1.1 million people
left Jerusalem and moved to Gentile territory.
In A.D. 74, the persecution was so vivid that they had
to choose between faith and life.

One thing that bore witness to the resurrection was

that they were very courageous in the face of death,
they died worshipping and praising. When the
Apostles went to be with the Lord, they had trained
other people to succeed them.
Paul had trained Timothy and Titus,
Peter had trained Ignatius of Antioch,
Other successors were Policap of Syrmna, and Justin
Martyr.
Policap of Syrmna, lost his life when handling the
Church to Apostle John.
Justin Martyr, was one of the men who wrote the
Bible.

THE SAVAGE PERSECUTION:

In A.D. 250, there was a particular man who

ascended the imperial throne of Rome, his name was
Dacius. He wanted to be worshipped, and faced with
a large number of Christians unlike Nero, he
provocation a decree that everybody must offer
incense to the Roman gods, and obtain a certificate to
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buy or sell. This became a challenge to the Christians.

1. The first set of Christians refused to offer the

incense and offered to die.

2. The second set of Christians said we won’t offer

the sacrifice but we will get a certificate by the back
door.

3. The third set of Christian’s backslide d and offered

the incense.

In A.D. 285 the persecution came to a close and

the Roman emperor divided the empire into two.
A. Eastern Roman Empire known as Constantinople
B. Western Roman Empire whose capital was
Rome.

He set a senior Emperor in each house – Augustus

and Caesar.
One of the junior Emperors Constantine, decided to
break the empires. He waged war against his
opponents in the East.

While heading for battle he saw a vision of the cross

above the sun, he heard a voice say, in this sign you
will conquer. He instructed each man to inscribe a
cross on their shields. He went to battle believing the
God of the Christians was going to give them victory.

He won the battle at Malvern, and henceforth he

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worked for freedom of worship in the entire Roman domain.

In A.D.313, there was freedom of worship and this

became a big turning point for the Christians.
Constantine became very popular, although he did not
immediately become a Christian. He still worshipped
his symbols of the Sun god. Although he became
exposed he did not follow the Christians.

25th December became a Christian holiday for the first

time in 300 yrs. Christians never celebrated any
festival.
25th Dec. was the celebration of the sun god. Jesus
was not born on 25th of Dec. It was forced into the
Church by Constantine. Xmas means (celebration)
Jesus was seen as one of their gods.

Church membership was introduced, you had to pay a

certain amount of money to be a church member, and
have a tithing book he began to favour them and
returned to them property and land. They were no
longer persecuted.

They began to build magnificent buildings with

magnificent décor, they obtained massive land, and
there was incentive for a priest, and clergy men,
because they were very influential.

They got a lot of money, so they became corrupt, and

there was bribery and corruption and extortion. They
brought incense into the Church, under the
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progressive teachings of Ignatius of Antioch, who was one of the A

He was an old bishop who died in the 2nd century, who

wrote a lot of letters like Paul. He was the first to use
the word CATHOLICAL CHURCH.
Catholic means global or universal. He believed the
church should be one, but the Romans named it,
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Roman Catholic was powerfully in-charge all over

Europe.
The spirit of the Mammon’s crept into the Church,
and took away the purity of the first Church.

Constantine arbitrated between 5 bishops,

1. Bishop of Antioch – Syria
2. Bishop of Alexandria – N. Africa (though he was
pagan)
3. Bishop of Constantinople – East of empire
4. Bishop of Jerusalem – (a class by himself in his
province)
5. Bishop of Rome - West of empire

Constantine said the Bishop whose Church was in

great cities should be above, and so Rome became
the headquarters of the Church it became Roman
Catholic Churches for 1,000 yrs. It had all the say, and
the Bishop was called “papa” and so the word (pope)
developed from there.

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THE DARKAGES:

The decline of the Church……………… The Word of

God was trapped in the Roman language LATIN for a
thousand years. Certain people had access to the
word of God so they manipulated the masses.
Four steps watered down the Early Church:
1. Regional Bishops ---happened in stages. By 2nd
century they were emerging men of power and
influence. – Many churches to one Bishop.
2. Magic sacraments developed a belief that
baptism and formula saved. Some baptised as
infants, some on deathbeds.
3. Established Religion – communion developing
ideas of sacrifice and need for a priest.
4. Church became fashionable and respectable –
there was Nominal membership. People had to
register to become a member, they had to pay for
weddings and funerals and Baptisms.

There were many non-biblical practices and

teachings. E.g. The penance, the concept of
purgatory, Roman catholic inquisition, or prayer
books like catechism, the holy rosary, stations of
the cross, palm Sunday ash Wednesday, worship of
the virgin Mary, worship of saints, holy water,
confession to a priest, worship of the dead, as far
as bringing coffins into the Church. From simple
salvation message to a huge institution. Pope
emerged as father of the Church, and leader with
great power and authority. There was a demand
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that he should be called “Father” ” Christ’s injunctions to call no

SAVAGE PERSECUTION ROMAN CATHOLICS:

Papal rivalry: They had two popes, The Churches

split up into the East and Western Churches, The
eastern churches became ORTHODOX Churches
and Western remained the same, (Western Europe)
When the Western Empire fell, the Roman Empire
did not fall, it was reconstituted. – It was
resuscitated as the HOLY ROMAN Empire. Though
it fell in the west, it was reconstituted under the
auspices of the Church, and so the churches
became an influential party to decide who rules the
Holy Roman Empire.

So Rome held on to power and by that time there was

no printing press, until the 15th century, and so it was
hard to get the Bible. so the people did not get hold of
the scripture to read it for themselves, so when they
sinned, they made confession to the priest, because
he stood in the place of God.

The Church AD between 30 to AD 400

The period from the death of the apostles to the
official toleration and establishment of Christianity in
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the last years of the Roman Empire takes the gospel from a handf

Aided by:
Good Communications (Roman Roads)
One Common Language (Greek Peace (Pa
Romana)
Jews of the Diaspora provided a ready audience

Christianity spread through facing three battles:

1. Spiritual Battle – began with the Jews
2. Mental Battle – began with the Greeks
3. Physical Battle – began with the Romans

The Spiritual Battle:

Had to fight for the uniqueness of the Gospel.

Initially, Christians faced pressure from Jews who

claimed Judaism and Christianity could be mixed
together. Stephen, the first martyr died for this cause.
Jesus taught His message wouldn’t mix with any
other Mark 3:22 (For there is nothing hidden which
will not be revealed, nor but that it should come to
light.)

AD 70 fall of Jerusalem misfortunes of mankind.” But

the study of History can also inspire and encourage,
as you read of the lives of the ‘heroes of the faith’ – of
men and women who knew God and accomplished
great things for him. History, then, is not just a tool
of understanding; it is also a practical tool both of
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warning and inspiration.

Many contemporary problems are perennial ones,

which have been faced by the Church over centuries.
Sometimes there were dealt with very ably,
sometimes with disastrous results. But, as Solomon
observed, “There is nothing new under the Sun.”

The problems are though, as someone else noticed.

“The one thing we never learned from history is that
we never learn from history.

THE PHYSICAL BATTLE:

Physical opposition arose out of fears of Christian’s
secrecy and threat to the order. Wave, after wave
of persecution under Emperors.

Church has never grown so much as to when it

suffers in 312 AD Emperor Constantine professed
Christianity. End of physical battle in Roman
Empire as Church and State are merged. The
battles continued unabated.

In AD 400 to A D 1000 The period of the Dark

Ages. Three battles were victories for the Gospel.
The Church won because they outlived, outfought
and out died. Their opponents.

MENTAL BATTLES:
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AGE OF THE CHURCH FATHERS

Charlemagne was crowned the Emperor of the Holy

Roman Empire, and he got his strength to rule from
the pope. The pope became a prophet to the
Emperor, what the Church did not want the
Emperor did not do – He forced celibacy of the
clergy.
In 400 A.D. a man called Jerome who was Catholic,
translated bible into Latin. That translation of the
bible is known as “The Vulgate”. The interesting
thing about the Bible is that it remained in Latin for
over a thousand years, until John Wycliffe
translated it into English in the 14th Century.

The masses did not understand English, it was a

language of the learned and the scholars. The
clergy understood, but the masses didn’t.

And so it means the people depended on the clergy

to tell them what God was saying. The clergy took
advantage and twisted the scripture for their own
gain. So they manipulated the people, a burden to
force them to do what they made confession to the
priest, because he stood in the place of God.

This was one of the things that sparked off the

reformation, and everybody said it was enough,
because they had to worship the pope. Roman
Catholicism held the sway and they told people
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they ‘d go to hell if they didn’t do what they were told. This perio

In 1054 AD there was schism, split between the

church in the west and the church in the East.
The schism was along geographical lines, that is
why you find in some parts of Russia which fell on
the Eastern side of the Roman Empire divisions.
Their practice is different from the practice in
London. They celebrate Ester a week after we do,
and they call their Church Elders Patriots, as
opposed to Bishops here.

The schism really took place because there was an

argument about Easter, when we should celebrate
it, and when we shouldn’t.

CONTROVERSY IN NORTH AFRICA:

Athenasius the young deacon opposed Arius the
powerful and charismatic Bishop. AD 325 Council
of Nicea called to settle the controversy. Produced
the Nicene creed. (Great statement of Faith) –

DISPUTE IN NORTH AFRICA

PROFILE OF THE NICENE CREED.

The Arian controversy was a Trinitarian dispute that

began in Alexandria between the followers of a man
named Arius and the followers of another man St
Alexander of Alexandria. In North Africa.

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We must know where we differ, one of the major controversies o

Around 318 AD he clashed with Bishop Alexander.

Of Alexandria. Arius claimed that the Father alone
was really God, The son was essentially different
from his Father. He did not possess by nature or
right any of the divine qualities from his Father of
immortality, sovereignty, perfect wisdom, goodness
and purity. He did not exist before he was begotten
by the father.

That the Father produced him as a creature as the

creator of the rest of creation. Nevertheless he did
not share in the being of God the Father, and did
not know him perfectly. That he was called “God “
by grace and favour, moreover the son did not
receive wisdom and light from the Father to enable
him to reveal the Father to mankind. Never the
Less, by dividing off the son from God the Father,
Arius undermined Christ’s standing as God’s
revelation and the redeemer of mankind.
The teaching was dangerous in that it developed
Anti-bodies against the truth. They said that Christ
was not divine.

The persecution had come to a close – and

Christians had to choose between life and death.
Left with no option they stated their faith.

Alexander and his followers believed that the son

was co-eternal with the Father and divine in just the
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same sense that the Father is.

The Arians on the other hand believed that the son

shared neither the eternity nor the true divinity of
the Father but was just a perfect human being. And
this same error.

For about 2 months the 2 sides argued and

debated with each other appealing to Scriptures to
justify their respective positions. According to many
accounts the debate became so heated, at one
point Arius was slapped on the face.

Much of the debate hanged on the difference

between being born, being created and begotten.
The Arians saw this as essentially the same. The
followers of Alexander did not.
A council of Bishops met at a place called Nicea in
AD 325 convened by the Emperor at that time that
was called Constantine. He had invited 1,800
Bishops (1,000 from the west) and 800 (from the
East) Transport was provided for. They were
charged with investigation of the trouble that was
brought about by the Arian Controversy.

To Most Bishops the teaching of Arius was heretical

and dangerous to the salvation of souls. In summer
of AD 325 the Bishops of all provinces were
summoned to NICEA BITHYNIA now known as
ANATOLIA IZNIK IN MODERN DAY Turkey,

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Result of the debate – The council declared that the son was tru

The Nicene Creed was established to identify

conformity of beliefs among Christians as a means
of recognising heresy, or deviation from Orthodox
biblical Doctrines, and as a public profession of
faith.

The original Nicene Creed was adopted at the first

council of Nicea in AD 325, and came to be known
as the first Ecumenical Conference of Bishops for
the Christian Church.

In 381 AD the second Ecumenical council met and

in the same year a Third Ecumenical Council met
and formally re-affirmed the version and declared
that no further changes could be made nor could
any other creeds be adopted.

The debate was “Is Christ Jesus truly the son of

God?”

The Nicene Creed was now formed on this basis.

And everybody declared that Jesus Christ was truly
the son of God and shared the same being with the
Father.

THE NICENE CREED

We believe in one God, the Father, The Almighty, the

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maker of Heaven and Earth, of all that is seen, and unseen.

We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ the only son of God,

Eternally begotten of the Father Light from Light true God
from true God, begotten not made, of one being with the
father, through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation, He came down from

Heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit; he became
incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made a man.

For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, He

suffered, died and was buried. on the third day he rose
again in fulfilment of the scriptures. He ascended into
Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father. He will
come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his
kingdom will have no end.

We believe in one Holy Spirit the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son, with the Father
and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken
through his prophets.

We believe in one Holy Universal and Apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one Baptism for forgiveness of sins. We
look forward for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of
the world to come.

A…M…E…N

KEY SCRIPTURES FEATURES:

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John 14. 23-26 “Jesus answered and said to him, if anyone love

John 16:27-28 “For the Father himself loves you

because you have loved me, and have believed
that I came from God. “I came forth from the Father
and have come into the world. Again, I leave the
world and go to the Father.”

He who does not love me does not keep my words

and the word which you hear is not mine but the
Father’s who sent me. These things I have spoken
to you while being present with you. But the helper
the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my
name he will teach you all things and bring to your
remembrance all things that I said to you.

AD 400 to AD 1000 The period of the Dark Ages.

Three battles were victories for the Gospel. The
Church won because they outlived, outfought and
outdied. Their opponents. Over the next 1,000.
From simple salvation message to a huge institution

Montanism (assemblies of people) :

Rediscovered the Holy Spirit and the Gifts of God.
Vital Experiential in Asia Minor. Opposed severely
by the Bishop. The First Pentecostal movement
went wrong. Went into prophetic excess because
they wouldn’t listen to Scriptural teaching on how to
exercise the gifts.

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Many left the Church-world altogether. A group of people called

Communities: Benedict of Monte Carlo

Experiments in Christian community as a protest to
a world Church.

These went wrong also. Because introverted and

self-absorbed it was alien to the world both strands
said Church wasn’t what it out to be. The net result
was the beginnings of a two-tiered Christianity.

In AD410 Rome fell to the Barbarians. Jerome

wrote “The human race is included in the ruins”
profound influence. St Augustine converted from a
life of waywardness became great voice of the
Church. Wrote city of God. Brought hope and
inspiration that how the heavenly empire could be
established. Had, damaging effect. Let to rise of
the Roman Bishop as head of this empire.

RISE OF POPE:
Pope emerged as Father of Church and Leader
with great power and Authority. Christ’s injunction
to “call no man father” progressively ignored. Parts
of the Church did not accept papal authority.
England did. AD660 Celtic and Papal Christianity
met at Whitby. Papal authority established.

The Eastern Church would not accept Papal

Authority, Split competed in AD 1054 still in effect.

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THE EASTERN EMPIRE

Would not accept Roman Authority. Split competed
in AD1054 still in effect. “Constantine”. Pope
claimed Peter appointed 1st Pope and all of Italy
belongs to him.

Charlemagne – revived Empire with Emperor of

Holy Roman Empire. Pope crowned Charlemagne
as Emperor. Coined “Christendom”. – Even land
became “Christian”. Forced celibacy of the clergy.

Protest increases:
Small groups of true Christian believers met in homes
all over Europe to study the Bible.

AD 1000 – 1450: MIDDLE AGES

AT the beginning of this period, Europe was largely

ruled by the New Emperor of the Holy Roman
Empire. The next 500 years however, were to be
dominated by the role and rule of the Pope.
Hildebrand made this change. Battle between
Henry IV and Hildebrand settled in the Alps. This
put the physical force of armies in hand of
Pope/Church. He began putting force to spread
of the Gospel- biggest mistake. The Church
exerted its force through the following
developments:-

A – The Crusades

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The Use of Force Hildebrand initiated the First Crusade- AD 1095,

THE RISE OF ISLAM

In the late 6th century, a boy was born in Mecca in 570

AD His name was Ubil Kazzim. That was
Mohammed’s original name. His dad died when
he was yet a baby, and his mum died when he
was 6 yrs old. His uncle who was a merchant at
that time adopted him, and so the little boy
followed his uncle to his trade routes, and in so
doing, he met Christians and Jews and it is said
that he listened to them and some of the things
he said, would form some of his theology and
propagate Islam. As we know it. At this time the
Arabian peninsular was populated by wandering
tribes, that believed in poly in polytheism
(worship of many gods) and there was no way
Islam would strive under that condition.

Ubil Kazzim was believed to be a very eccentric

person he used to spend a lot of time in solitary
confinement. He married a lady by the name
Khadija who was 15 yrs older than him she was
very wealthy, and so it was her wealth that made
Ubil Kazzim spend many hours meditating. And
so his wife’s wealth gave him a licence to
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meditate. So Ubil Kazzim started to meditate, and shut himse

The creature said to Ubil Kazzim, Proclaim! X3 that
there is only one God, and he created man from
a, clot of blood. (And that’s contradicts what we
study in Genesis that man was created from the
dust of the earth). So he took hold of this
enlightenment and proclaimed it. They rejected
him in Mecca because there was worship of too
many idols. And people were very rich they had
no time to listen to him. And so he fled with a few
followers to an Oasis in Medina, then his
followers grew. He saw repeated visions of
things he could recite that had been said to him,
because he was illiterate. He did not read or
write. He stayed in obscurity for 10 years.
MUHAMMAD ‘S VISIONS:

1. He saw an angel and his companions bring him a

robe and cap of honour, traditionally given by a
great ruler to his subject with whom he is
especially pleased. They are a way of showing
Muhammad’s special status with God. The green
robe is always associated with the prophet.
2. He saw himself being guided by the angel
Gabriel, The chief of God’s angelic servants.
Gabriel brought God’s revelations to Muhammad,
and often listened to him reciting them.
3. He found himself taking a night’s journey to God’s
presence which is commemorated in the Koran.
He was carried by night from the holy mosque to
the far distant mosque. The holy mosque is
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understood to be the Ka’aba in Mecca and the far distant mos

4. Accompanied by angels Muhammad ascended
towards the highest of the 7 heavens. According
to some of the accounts he gave, both he and
Gabriel when they came into God’s presence
they had to shield their eyes from the brilliance.
Gabriel retired but the prophet (Muhammad) was
eventually able to see God from whom he
received directions about the daily prayers that all
Muslims should perform. He was told to institute
5 times of prayer throughout the day.
5. These are the first words brought to Mohammad
through revelation by Gabriel “Recite in the name
of your Lord who has created, created man from
a drop of blood, recite for your Lord is generous,
who taught by the pen, who taught men what
they did not know)
6. Muhammad ascended into Heaven the 27th day
of Islamic month of Rajab from the rock of the
temple Mt in Jerusalem, now marked by the
sacred dome of the rock shrine. This rock is said
to bear the prophet’s footprint and even to hang
in the air. On the day of judgement the angel
“Israfil” will blow the trumpet from the rock and
according to some traditions the Ka’aba (holy
shrine) will come to it from Mecca like a bride.
7. Muhammad was carried through the heaves on a
fabulous horse like a beast with a female human
head called Alburaq meaning lighting. This was
his mount for his journey from Mecca to
Jerusalem, where before ascending he led other
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prophets including Moses, Abraham and Jesus in prayer.

So he memorized those things which were later

written down as the Koran. He went back to Mecca
with ten thousand followers who were men and took
Mecca by force in a bloodless coup. He was now
overwhelmed with this vision to Islamise the whole
world. So Mecca became the city of Islam and He
began the Islamic rule which lasted for a 1,000 years.
He called it the Khalifit rule, where the King was a
Khalif. And subject was supposed to a Muslim,
meaning “One who submits to Allah’s will.” If you
speak to a Muslim, they say Inshallah- it is the will of
God. (E.g. Earthquakes-Inshallah) They needed that
kind of thinking to wage the kind of war that they
waged. They had to be convinced that it is the will of
God to kill. It was a way to sear their conscience
before they could be charged to war and to kill to rape
to pillage and to suck.

In the middle of the 7th Century to the early years of

the 8th century, there was massive advance of
Islam. Such that Jerusalem fell, Antioch fell
Alexandria fell to Muslims. They sucked the
entire North Africa. Alexandria, a very religious
city we got there before the Muslims. They
waged war towards the Southern direction into
the East of Africa. The rest moved into India and
areas now known as Pakistan. They began to
wage war westwards. This was a time when the
church was sleeping. And had backslidden and
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so Satan sought an open door and today 1 billion people are

The Mediterranean, the Middle East in the land bridge

between the continent of Europe and Africa and
Asia Minor. But Spain dips in the Mediterranean
Sea and almost Tunisia and Algeria. What they
did was waged war between Mecca and
Baghdad and was stopped at Constantinople
modern day Turkey. The Seven Churches of Asia
Minor most places Paul evangelized, Galatia in
Asia Minor was sucked by Islam. They tried to
teach Europe coming from North Africa that is
why a population of the Spaniards are Muslims
are called Morse. They were met by the Roman
Holy Emperor who limit the advance of Islam by
Force into Western Europe. So the map of the
World was redrawn by beginning of 7th century
and you have patches that were never existed
before of people who were Antichrist to the
Gospel. God preserved the continent of
America it wasn’t known at that time. God
preserved it for a move that was about to take
place. So they didn’t dream about going to
America because they didn’t know it ever existed.
Mohammed hadn’t found it, by the beginning of
the 7th century most Christian territories was
Islamized. What was the Christians response?
War. All this happened because the church was
asleep. We need to content this spirits in the city
of David Jerusalem there is a Mosque we hear
that Ubil Kazzim suffered from epileptic fits and
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that he went into unconscious transits, and seizures, foaming

In the Ministry of Benny Hinn people are inviting him

to areas that otherwise were forbidden for the
gospel. Iraq, Iran, Indonesia, Jerusalem will be
taken back. When we pray we should ask God to
give us back all the territories that Islam has
taken, and some parts of the World that are
under the captives of Satan.

REVERENCE TO THE PROPHET:

The prophet’s face is hidden by veil, to show his

exalted status, and because Islam conventionally
prohibits of him, no Muslim will hear criticism of
Muhammad, and nearly all are accustomed to invoke
God’s blessings on him each time they mention or
write his name. A minority of Muslims accord such
great importance to Muhammad that they attribute to
him almost superhuman status.

Although they insist upon his humanity Muslims

revere Muhammad as the perfect example of living.
The majority follow his “Sunna”, which means
customary practice and thereby call themselves
“Sunni Muslims”.

They base their lives upon his sayings and actions

which are compiled into six authoritative collections by
careful and pious experts who separated the
authentic Hadith saying of the prophets from others
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that had doubtful status. This collections rank second to the Qu’ra

There are three (3) main roots for cults and false
religion :}

1. One is ENLIGHTENMENT: where people are

seeking for special knowledge and Revelation
– when people tell you, you can’t know it until
you become like them, then better watch out.
2. REINCARNATION: False teachings about the
“After life”. Many cults hold it that we will come
back to this realm. Once you die you don’t
come back here.
3. MEDITATION; Most cults in some form practice
meditation, it is not wrong if it is practised
based on the bible. But if you meditate on
anything else it will steal you up. Spend time
thinking about Jesus instead of money)

The church responded to the advancing of

Islam by mounting wars that were called
Crusades. That is where the word came from.
Crusades today is to go out and evangelise win
souls for God – Same thing. Crusades were
attempts to win back territories that were lost to
Islam. They were very unsuccessful. The one
that was more successful produced a partial
gain in Jerusalem but was quickly lost again,
quite a number of people died. The Muslim’s
equivalent was called a Jihad or Holy War.
They recruited young men and told them that if
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they died they would go to paradise, if you don’t fight you w

In 1054 there was a schism (split)

There were two popes – In Rome and Avignam which

lasted between late 14th century and early 15th
century.

THE BIRTH OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH

The birth of the Anglican Church, in late 6th century

precisely 596 A D. a man called Augustine arrived to
evangelise the English, and his base was Canterbury.
He had a successful ministry because he evangelized
the Saxons, and that was the seal of the Anglican
Church. Augustine of Canterbury was a Benedictine
monk who became the first archbishop of Canterbury
in the year 597 AD. He is considered the Apostle of
the English. And a fonder of the English ?Church.

Augustine was the prior of a monastry in Rome when

Pope Gregory the great chose him in 595 to lead a
mission usually known the Gregorian Mission to
Britain to Christianize Ethelberht and his kingdom of
Kent from Anglo-Saxon paganism. Kent was probably
chosen because Ethelberht had married a Christian
princess Bertha, daughter of Chariberthe king of
Paris, who was expected to exert some influence
over her husband. Before reaching Kent the
missionaries had considered turning back, but
Gregory urged them on, and in 597 Augustine landed
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the Isle of Thanet and proceeded to Ethelbert’s main town of Cant

King Henry VIII created the Anglican Church in 1534.

He wanted to divorce his wife Queen Catherine of
Aragon because she wouldn’t produce a male heir but
the pope wouldn’t do it. So Henry got Thomas
Cranmer to grant an annulment. The pope
excommunicated him. King Henry the VIII established
The Church of England in1534 when parliament
declared that the King was the supreme head of the
church. He wanted to establish it because he wanted
to divorce. He wanted his own church that would give
him a divorce.

The Church of England is the Anglican Christian state

Church of England in London England governed by
Queen Elizabeth ll, it operates as the mother Church
of the Anglican communion International.

It dates its formal establishment to the 6th century

Gregorian mission in kent led by Augustine of
Canterbury , with considerable features introduced
and Established during the English Reformation of the
16th century.

Since the English reformation the Church of England

has used a liturgy in English. The church contains
several doctrinal strands, the main 3 known as 1.
Anglo-Catholic 2.Evangelical
3. Broad Church.
Tensions between theological Conservatives and
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progressives find expression in debates over ordination of women

The church includes both Liberal and conservative
clergy members.
The governing structure of the church is based on
dioceses, each presided over by a Bishop. Within
each Diocese are local parishes. The general Synod
of the Church of England is the Legislative body for
the church and comprises Bishops, other clergy and
laity its measures must be approved by both Houses
of Parliament.

Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity

comprising The Church of England and churches
which are historically tied to it or hold similar beliefs.
King Henry VIII created the Anglican Church in 1534
He was heirless and wished to exchange one wife
(the unfruitful Catherine of Aragon) for another (Ann
Boleyn.) he wanted to divorce her but the pope
would not permit him so he got Thomas Cranmer to
grant an annulment. The pope excommunicated him.
King Henry the VIII established The Church of
England in1534 when parliament declared that the
King was the supreme head of the church. He wanted
to establish it because he wanted to divorce. He
wanted his own church that would give him a divorce.

THE ENGLISH REFORMATION :

In England Reformation was unique : First political

then religious. Henry VIII its author, resisted for a
time, many of the religious consequences which
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accompanied elsewhere in Europe, the legal and political changed

2. He widened the application of old powers to limit
Roman law in England.
3. Ann Boleyn was crowned queen.
Ironically, Henry’s opposition to Martin Luther had
caused the pope himself to label Henry ‘Defender of
the Faith” a Title he now assumed for all of England.
However Henry was no religious radical. He was very
catholic and left the Church of England. Catholic

Canterbury became the Cathedral that had the

seat of the Arch-Bishop. That is why the Arch-Bishop
of Canterbury is the head of the Anglican Church.
That was the seat of Augustine who started to
evangelize the English Bible (church).
It was initially known as Anglo Saxon Church.
The Anglican has Churches all over the world. Most
of them funded from the U.K
.

The Inquisition > A reason to Reform

The use of force within the church. The church saw
itself as earthly empire valid in using force to spread
the word of Christ. Priests refused to enforce it.
Dominicans took it up. Absolute power – collapsed
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absolutely. At one time there were 3 popes all with the framework

1. corruption of the monasteries, priest

2. prayers to Mary, Saints, and for the dead
3. doctrine of purgatory
4. Indulgences.

The basic fault is that the church had begun to think

she was Christ, and she still does.
The Church went downhill during the dark ages. The
beginning of 15th century end of 16th century sparks of
light ignited across Western Europe as it were a
foretelling us something that was about to happen-
suddenly the darkness may be too long but light
shone in the morning.

THE REFORMATION: 1500 - 1700

In 1517 a man called Martin Luther openly challenged
Catholicism. October 1517 was the start of the
reformation of the Christians Church – Salvation was
by Faith not by works. he was set on collusion force
against Rome. Pope Leo the 10th appointed John
Texo to go round raising funds to build a new basilica
in Rome. He wanted a new Cathedral. They began
to sell certificates to people to free their relatives from
purgatory. The illumination of faith came to Martin
Luther.

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The printing press.

The Yoke that stopped the publishing of the word had
been broken. Martin was able to use the printing
press as a means of facilitating the publishing of the
bible. Martin Luther believed that salvation was by
the finished work of Calvary. And for the first time the
bible was translated into German language and was
quickly copied-by the time Rome realized what was
happening. They were able to read for themselves
only to see that for a thousand
Years they had been deceived. Their grandfathers
had gone to be with the Lord without knowing the
original truth- salvation was by faith. Martin Luther
was an Augustinian Monk. – He was Roman Catholic
when he started. his views was not to break away
from Rome or Catholic Church. He did not know what
God was doing. He only wanted Reformation – but it
went beyond his control.
When he handed 95 Pieces to Rome –he was
summoned and so went to hiding.
Martin Luther German: was born on 10 November
1483 in Eisleben Saxony Holy Roman Empire and
died on 18 February 1546) at the age of 63. He
married Katharina von Bora. He was a German friar,
priest, professor of theology and seminal figure of the
16th-century movement in Christianity known later as
the Protestant Reformation Initially an Augustinian
friar, Luther came to reject several teachings and
practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He strongly
disputed the claim that freedom from God's

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punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted

Luther taught that salvation and subsequently eternity
in heaven is not earned by good deeds but is received
only as a free gift of God's grace through faith in
Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin and subsequently
eternity in Hell. His theology challenged the authority
and office of the Pope by teaching that the Bible is the
only source of divinely revealed knowledge from God
and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all
baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those
who identify with these, and all of Luther's wider
teachings, are called Lutherans even though Luther
insisted on Christian as the only acceptable name for
individuals who professed Christ. Today, Lutheranism
constitutes a major branch of Protestantism and
overall Christianity with some 80 million adherents
His translation of the Bible into the vernacular (instead
of Latin) made it more accessible, which had a
tremendous impact on the church and on German
culture. It fostered the development of a standard
version of the German language, added several
principles to the art of translatio] and influenced the
writing of an English translation, the Tyndale Bible ]His
hymns influenced the development of singing in
churches] His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a
model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing
Protestant priests to marry
In his later works, notably On the Jews and Their Lies
, Luther expressed antagonistic views toward Jews,
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writing that Jewish synagogues and homes should be destroyed, t

.
95 Theses

All saints’ Eve. 31 October 1517, Luther pinned to

door of castle church at Wittenberg, 95 theses. These
were formal points for debate and he was ready to
defend them at a public disputation. Never intend to
be revolutionary. They are dry, Catholic, but his heart
is engaged! Luther believed the Pope would
disapprove of iniquitous trade of indulgences if he
knew.

Luther’s Theology

He had been developing a simpler theology, a return

to scripture. He found as divinity teacher at
Wittenberg in turning to St Paul and Romans in
particular, the inner people and understanding his
heart was searching for.

Luther suffered real agony of Soul, really acute

sense of conviction – inner wrestling. The perception
came slowly, and focused in The Just Shall Live by
Faith. The theses don’t mention justification by faith,
but it is at the centre of them. Luther applied his
belief to a particular case – the indulgence.

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CHARACTER

Deeply committed Catholic believer. His protest not

merely about doctrine or abuse of church, but
INSEPARABLY BOUND UP WITH HIS CHARACTER
AND HIS OWN PERSONAL STRUGGLE WITH
FAITH.

He dominated the Reformation. Simple, austere,

forthright not sophisticated, a man of the people. He
could be course, obstinate, vulgar, and bitter. His
hates and his laughter were titanic. But he caught the
population imagination. A genius for preaching and
speaking and writing the poor.
1483 Born
1512 Doctor and Professor of Holy Scripture at
University of Wittenberg. (A doctorate was a
rare achievement in those days
And meant much more than it sometimes
does now. It was the
Pinnacle of academic success) Dr and
Professor of Theology.
1513-15 Lecturers on Psalms. (Most scholars put
Luther’s discovery of his evangelical
theology at this point, but Dickens dates it
1518).
1515-16 Lectures on Romans. (These were lost until
1908, but form one of the most vital
documents for an understanding of Luther’s
theology).
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1516 By this time he had finally repudiated Aristotle, Aquinas a

1517 The Ninety-five Things against indulgences.
1518 Heidelberg Disputation with fellow
Augustinians – very successful
1518 Diet of Augsburg. Before Cajetan. This was
Luther’s bravest stand; he was completely;
alone.
1519 Disputation with John Eck at Liepzig. (This
rallied German support. Luther moved his
ground to ‘Scripture alone’ “Perhaps the
most important episode in Luther’s life” T M
Lindsay)
1525 This was Luther’s literary annus mirabilis’ –
(he issued twenty four publications.
Including; ‘Appeal to the Nobility of the
German Nation’. The Babylonian Captivity of
the Church’ and the Freedom of a Christian
Man’

1520 Luther burned the Papal Bill of

condemnation
1521 Luther excommunication
1522 Diet of Worms. (He appeared before the
Emperor, Charles V, who based his
opposition to Luther
On the plausible formula, “A single friar who
goes up his historic stand. “Unless I am
convicted by Scripture and plain reason - I
do not accept the authority of Popes and
councils, for they have contradicted each
other - my books are to be eradicated from
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the memory of man”)

Following this, he was hidden in the

Wartburg where he began his translation of
the Bible. The tumults at Wittenberg were
inspired by the radicals led by the so-called
Zwickau prophets. Luther returned and
quelled the trouble by a week of sermons.
“(This was written when the rebellion
seemed to carry all before it and I the
circumstances was even an act of courage”
(Elton), but the rapid collapse of the war
made it come out after the event so that it
read like a brutal call to stamp out the
defeated.)

1525 Clash with Erasmus over free-will

1525 Luther’s marriage. (This did mire to
influence the development of German family
life over the Next four hundred years than
anything else)
1529 Colloquy of Marburg.
1530 Augsburg Confession. (This was the work of
Philip Melanchton, while Luther fretted
behind the scenes. This attempt to meet the
Catholics half-way was a failure like all other
such attempts that were made in the
sixteenth century).
1539 The Bigamy of Philip of Hesse
1546 Luther died. (The chariots of Israel and the
horsemen thereof!
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The Indulgence

“As soon as the coin in the coffer rings. The soul

into heaven springs”

Corruption of the church revealed by

administration of indulgences. (to reduce the
amount of punishment one has to undergo
for sins to reduce the penance required after
a sin has been forgiven)
(Or a temporal punishment after death or a
process of purification called purgatory)
Everyone took their share. The Indulgence
was a means of raising money by selling
forgiveness. It enslaved the people by
advocating that they had no further need of
penitence. Teztzel, working for Archbishop
Mainz near Wittenberg, enraged Luther with
his persuasive oratory and selling of
Indulgences. This was to become the spark
that lit the fire all over Europe.

He had friends in high places.

Martin Luther returned to Wittenburg Germany in
1522 and formed the Lutheran Churches. He did not
think he would be founding a new Church merely
ironing out problems in the universal Church.

The German Bible was introduced. Priests were

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allowed to marry, worship was revolutionalized, they had German

Luther’s catechism (1529) became the German Bible
the foundation of parochial instructions and religion in
the house Luther wrote one book per fortnight for 25
years.
He put the spotlight back on Christ. Christ-centred
Gospel for justification, by faith not works. He
awakened a mixed but massive popular movement
which essentially opened up the whole of Europe to
the truth of the Gospel.

There was Catholicism and Protestantism which

started in 1650 in Germany and people were no
longer loyal to the Pope. There was war. They raised
arms to stop them- France, German, and Central
Europe. It was direct response to reformation –
reformation produced – Lutheran Church in Germany
the Presbyterian in Scotland. 1611 King James 1st
ordered a New Translation of the Bible. King James
Version published 1611. They thought you are not
spiritual if you did not use it. 1642 there was religious
civil war.

Three significant developments – reformation time

compilation of the Bible – Canon of Scripture was
developed to show Christians the real truth.

The faith was stated (Apostles Creed) made lists of

what they believed in contrast to the Gnostics.

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John Calvin:
The roots of the Presbyterian Church trace back to
John Calvin a 16th century French reformer.. Calvin
was born a Frenchman 2nd generation reformer he
was born a catholic and often times was said to have
been delivered from idolatry. Calvin trained for the
catholic priesthood but later converted to the
reformation movement. John Calvin died at 54 he
has a legacy, because in Bible school there is no way
you will escape without hearing about Calvin. Calvin’s
views have been the most influential views in any
reformation theology. It is often said at the beginning
of 16th century Isaac Newton was the most famous
person in Western Europe. But John Calvin was the
most famous person in the 16th century In Western
Europe. he was a theologian, and an excellent, a
person believed to have studied the word of God and
dismantled it by careful study to say what God was
actually saying by studying the original languages.
Calvin dedicated a great deal of thought to practical
matters such as the Ministry, “the Church, Religious
education and Christian life. He was somewhat
coerced into leading the reformation in Geneva.,
Switzerland in 1541.
The town council of Geneva enacted Calvin’s
Ecclesiastical ordinances, which set forth regulations
on issues related to church order, religious training,
gambling, dancing and even swearing. Strict
disciplinary measures were enacted to deal with those
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who broke these ordinances.

Calvin’s theology was similar to Martin Luther’s. He
agreed with Luther on the doctrines of original sin,
justification by faith alone, the priesthood of all
believers, and the sole authority of the scriptures. He
distinguishes himself theologically from Luther
primarily with the doctrines of predestination and
eternal security.

Second in importance of John Calvin in the history of

Presbyterianism is Kohn Knox. He lived in Scotland in
the mid 1500’s. He led the reformation in Scotland
following Calvinistic principles, protesting against the
Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots and Catholic practices.
His ideas set the moral tone for the Church of
Scotland and also shaped its democratic form
government. The Presbyterian form of church
government.
The Presbyterian form of church government and
reformed theology were formally adopted as the
national Church of Scotland in 1690. The Church of
Scotland remains Presbyterian today. Since the
colonial period, Presbyterianism has had a strong
presence in America. Reformed Churches were first
established in the early 1600’s with Presbyterians
shaping the religious and political life of the newly
established nation. The only Christian minister to sign
the Declaration of Independence was Reverend John
Wilterspoon a Presbyterian. In many ways the United
States of America is founded on Calvinist point of
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view , with emphasis on hard work, discipline, the salvation of sou

John Calvin 5 point Calvinism

Calvinism is area theology, it can be explained simply

using the 5 letter acronym. This set of religious
principles is the work of John Calvin 1509-1564, a
French church reformer who had a permanent
influence on several branches of protestanism. Like
Martin Luther before him , John Calvin broke from the
Roman Catholic Church and based his theology of the
bible and tradition after Calvin’s death, his followers
spread those beliefs throughout Europe and the
American Colonies.

Tulip Calvinism explained:

The 5 points of Calvinism can be remembered using

acronym TULIP.

T- Total Depravity.
Humanity is stained by sin in every aspect of heart,
emotions , will, mind and body. This means people
cannot independently choose God. God must
intervene to save people. Calvinism insists that God
must do all the work from choosing those who will be
saved to sanctifying them throughout their lives until
they die and go to heaven, Calvinists cite numerous
scripture verses supporting humanity’s fallen and
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sinful nature, such as Mark 7:21-23, Romans 6:20 and 1Cor. 2:14.

U- Unconditional Election
God chooses who will be saved. These people are
called the elect. God picks them based not on their
personal character or seeing into the future, but out of
his kindness and sovereign will. Since some are
chosen for salvation, others are not. Those not
chosen are damned, destined for eternity in hell.

L- Limited Atonement
Jesus Christ died only for the sins of elect, according
to John Calvin, support for this belief comes from
verses that say Jesus died for many Mat;20:28
Heb;9:28.
Those who teach 4 point Calvinism believe Christ
died not just the elect but for the entire world. They
cite these verses, among others John 3:16, Acts2:21,
1Tim; 2:3-4, 1John; 2:2.

I-Irresistible Grace
God brings his elect to salvation through an
internal call which they are powerless to resist the
Holy Spirit supplies grace
to them until they repent and are born again.
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Calvinists back this doctrine such verses as romans;9:16 , Philippi

P- Perseverance of the Saints:

The elect cannot lose their salvation, Calvin said.
Because salvation is the work of God the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit the Saviour and the Holy Spirit. It
cannot be thwarted. Technically however it is God
who perseveres, not the saints themselves. Calvin’s
doctrine of perseverance of the saints is in contrast to
theology of Lutheranism and the Roman Catholic
Church which hold that people can loose their
salvation. Calvinists support external security with
verses such as John10:27-28, Romans 8:1 1Cor
10:13 Phil.1:6

His ideas set the moral tone for the Church of

Scotland
And he was the first person to write the first
Commentary – On line discussion of scriptures. And
he began to present certain views, doctrinal views,
systematic theology views, and these views outlived
him, that today you will still find that some people are
Calvinists. You may ask what does it mean to be a
Calvinist in Theology or even ask what it theology.
Theology is a study of Two Words Theos- in Greek
for God and Logo for Word. It is the study of the word
of God. He believed that in God’s omnipotence, he
has predestined that certain people will go to hell and
some to heaven.

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The doctrine of predestination meant if you are destined to go to h

Most learned theologians believe in the doctrine of

predestination. And some of the most learned
theologians don’t. Calvin backed his belief through
scripture, you can spend hours arguing about it and
get nowhere. But we should believe in Sovereign
Grace and not believe that the scripture of Jesus
exclusive. We should believe that the heart of God
was when Paul said, it is not the will of God that any
man should perish. That everyman should be saved
and come to the knowledge of Christ. We should
also believe that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who
was slain for the sins of the world. we should believe
that for God so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should
not perish but have everlasting life. We should
believe salvation is dependent on the human will, and
if a man wants to be saved he can be saved. We
should believe certain people will go to hell, but not
believe God predestined them to. We believe that
certain people will reject the sacrifice of our Lord
Jesus as they have done over the years. And the
reason why you and I will escape judgement is
because it has been meted by Jesus Christ on the
cross, but that is what we believe.
Calvin’s example:
As a man he combined deep piety and incredible self-
discipline with the values and methods of humanism
and unrivalled learning. He was the personification of
his doctrine, and who can say how his personal
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example commended his teaching? He was indeed ‘the man God

In his own days Geneva sent dozens of young
pastors, trained by Calvin, into France where they
“had to live in the face of a persecution so severe and
a legislation so repressive as to be without parallel in
the annals of any civilised country.

In England the puritans claimed to be his disciples,

but even the establishment was Calvinist – as the
XXXIX Articles witness. the ecclesiastical history of
Scotland is a history of the attempt to create or to
reject a system of presbyteries with a legal status and
independence.” And through the puritans, the
religious history of the USA has continually been
witness to the power of Calvin’s doctrine.

JOHN KNOX

John Knox (1513 – 1572) Great man, of God. He

came in contact with Martin Luther, and he began to
put forward together Protestant views in Scotland.
The background was Scotland was Catholic and
England was Catholic. Scotland had a queen called
Mary. And the Key thing about John Knox is that he
was a model . His reformation went all the way and
changed the state of his nation. And for a man to
have that kind of influence such that is the message
of the Gospel permeates all works for life, then that
IS A MODEL TO LOOK OUT TO.
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He was a Scottish Minister theologian and writer who

was a leader of the reformation and is considered the
founder of the Presbyterian church of Scotland. He is
believed to have been educated at the University of
St. Andrews and worked as a notary priest .
Influenced by early church reformers such as George
Wishart , he joined the movement to reform the
Sottish church. He was caught up in the ecclesiastical
and political events that involved in the murder of
cardinal Beaton in 1546 and the regent of Scotland
Mary of Guise. He was taken prisoner by French
Forces the following year and exiled to England on
release in 1549.
While in exile Knox was licensed to work in the
Church of England where he rose in the ranks to
serve King Edward VI of England as a royal Chaplain.
He exerted a reforming influence on the text of is a
model we can look at. the book of common prayer . in
England he met and married his wife Margery Bowes
. When Mary Tudor ascended the throne and re-
established Roman Catholicism , Knox was forced to
resign his position and leave the country. Knox moved
to Geneva and then to Frankfurt . In Geneva he met
John Calvin from whom he gained experience and
knowledge of reformed Theology and Presbyterian
policy. He created a new order of service , which was
eventually adopted by Reformed church in Scotland.
He left Geneva to head the English refugee church in
Frankfurt but he was forced to leave over differences
concerning Liturgy thus ending his association with
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The Church of England. On his return to Scotland , Knox led the p

John Knox was feared by Mary queen of the Scots.

She often said “I fear the prayers of John Knox more
than the armies of England and France put together.
He was a fearless man who preached reformation
views, got the church completely reformed in Scotland
and had parliament accept protestant views. And so
the parliament began to use prayer books that were
written after protestant views. So he is a module of
how far you can go with God.
In comparison with the Reformation in England you
will find that that England Reformation was very weak,
and didn’t go all the way.
The reformation of Knox, In Scotland was totally
parliament accepted, so the confession was
protestant Christianity. We have the Presbyterian
Church
In Scotland, which is a legacy of the work of a man
called Knox.

Reformation views came in the 16th Century. It was

toppled. Roman Catholic came back, and there was
a struggle between Roman Catholicism and
Protestantism, and England was never really
established as a protestant country until the reign of
Queen Elizabeth II What happened after all this there
was war between the Roman Catholics and the
Protestants. The Roman Catholics raised arms to
stop the protestant movement, because it was
threatening the authority of Roman Catholic in the
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continent. There was war in France, Germany 30 years of war in C

THE BAPTIST CHURCHES

The roots of the Baptist movement date back to

the sixteenth century and the post –reformation
period, although the first Baptist congregation
appeared in 1609 in Holland. It was here that the
church of England minister, John Smyth,
performed a radical and scandalous act of
baptizing himself by pouring water on his head.
He then baptized his fellow reformer, Thomas
Helwys and other members of the congregation.
Smyth and Helwys had left England for Holland in
1607 after being persecuted for wanting to purify
the Church of England of all traces of Roman
Catholicism. Both Smyth and Helwys had joined
a group of “Separatists in Gainsborough in 1606.
Eventually Smyth and Helwys parted company in
Holland as Smyth questioned the authenticity of
his self-administered baptism.
In 1612 Helywys and others returned to England
to establish the first Baptist church on English
soil.
Baptists initially developed in two streams of
theological thought: these two groups eventually
came together in 1813 to form a General
Union,which became the Baptist Union of Great
Britain and Ireland in the late 19th century.
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Throughout the 17th century Baptists were

persecuted for their beliefs, being known as “Non-
conformists” they refused to become members of
the Church of England, saying Christ and not the
monarch – was head of the church.”

The 19th century saw a period of significant

growth for the Baptist movement. Great preachers
such as Charles haddon Spurgeon in London and
Alexander Maclaren in Manchester drew crowds
in their thousands.

Today, Baptists are represented globally by the

Baptist World Alliance which was founded in
1905. It provides an international forum for the
exchange of Baptist thought, paying special
attention to matters concerning Christian
education, religious freedom, human rights and
missions.
Baptists form the 5th largest Christian Church in
the world. Baptist Churches are found almost in
every country in the world and have about 40
million members world-wide.
In Britain 2,150 churches belong to the Baptist
Union of great Britain, between them having
150,000 members.
In 2009, Baptists celebrated the 400th anniversary
of the Baptist movement.
The name Baptist comes from the Baptist practice
of immersion in water.
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COUNTER REFORMATION:
Another response to the reformation of the Roman
Catholic Church was the formation of the Jesuits.

The Jesuits were a specialized Band of Priests that

were trained and raised by the Roman Catholic
Church to produce a Counter Effect to the
Reformation.

The founder was Ignatius of Loyola and lived from

1491-1556. What did they do?
It was an Exclusive Band of men who took on oath of
complete loyalty to the pope. They were trained in
Roman Catholic doctrine and practice, and so many
other kinds of practices, and they were a special
guild as it were, and sent out to the uttermost parts of
the earth, to take new territories for Rome. To force
places that had become descending to Rome to
come back, to Roman Catholicism. They were trained
to build schools, trained in medical care. They would
go to places and catholicize the place by Social
Services. Some of the best schools in developing
world are Catholic schools. Some of the best
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hospitals – Catholic hospitals, it was all part of a catholic plan to br

But despite the Counter Reformation, the reformation

was established. And this was just over 500 yrs ago.
And from that moment onwards, God started to
restore the church, line upon line,, precept upon
precept. And so we find New Truth introduced into the
church. We had it but we lost it. All what God was
doing is to restore what the church lost. What he is
doing is not a new thing – it was lost during the time
of the dark ages. So when we speak about Azusa
Street and holiness movement in the churches and
the Baptist churches, all God was doing is he was
restoring us as a body. What we lost, The Saddest
thing is that only certain people embraced it. And the
old persecuted the young as it always happens.
When the Baptist Movement first began the
Protestants who were hounded down by the Catholics
began to persecute the Baptists. In fact an entire
town was drowned because they believed in total
immersion of water.

So the Protestants had a passion, and they believed

everything Catholic was the devil, and anything that
wasn’t protestant was also the devil. And so when
God began to move on they refused to go, they said
there can’t be anything greater than this, we are the
ones who have the revelation of God and so anything
other than this is demonic.

And so they were found guilty of what the Roman

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Catholic was found guilty of … and of what the Roman authority w

OTHER REFORMISTS:
The basic fault says, David Pawson was that the
church began to think she was Christ and she still
does . All the way however, there were protests, men
and women said this isn’t the way:

Erasmus laid the egg and Luther hatched it. “This

was a 16th century saying”
Erasmus would not and could not have brought
reformation (he ended up as Luther’s opponent ) but
his writings did more than any to expose folly and
error of Church and point way to simple biblical truth.
A scholar A satirist, a brilliant writer who forced all
educated Europe to laugh at folly, superstition and
idolatry of Church. Mixed motives, but significant
effect.

He said, “ if you believe that your sins are washed

away with a little paper, a sealed parchment, with the
gift or a little money or some wax images, with a little
pilgrimage you are utterly deceived”.

In 1516 Erasmus wrote an edition of greek New

Testament – 1st significant use of Greek manuscripts
though it was not a good version.

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JOHN WYCLIFFE:
Oxford Professor of theology
Critic of medieval scholarsticism and powerful biblical
scholar. He criticised papacy and his theology
influenced preachers throughout England.

Wycliffe’s Bible was translation of vulgate (Latin- into

English, hand written, very influential in higher circles.
Indicative of key issues of the Bible being translated
into the language of the people. Seen as heretical and
revolutionary movement.

GROUPS:
NEW GROUP - ENGLAND
BEGHARDS - NETHERLANDS
WALDENSES - ITALY
ABIGENSES - N. FRANCE

Radical Groups:
BRETHREN OF COMMON LIFE -
GERMANY
Erasmus was trained under them, basically cells of
reforming zeal. From them rose Thomas Kempis
“IMITATION OF C HRIST” the flower of medieval
devotional writing.

LOLLARDS:
Feared and savagely suppressed. A group of Bible
students who lived in the hill region in England.
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Supported by London Merchants, they operated like an undergrou

All studied the bible in vernacular language, often
persecuted for their beliefs’

Within the Orthodox Church many withdrew privately.

E.g. Bernard Clairvaux and francis of assisi
The situation was that people were crying for the
truth. These protests gained momentum until they
formed a mighty torrent.
a. John Wycliffe – doctor and evangelist, 1st man to
translate Bible into English from Latin, he
rediscovered the Bible. He caused even
ploughboys to know this book.

b. John Huss – radical preacher was burnt alive.

The church would not tolerate these protests, but
people thirsty for God would not long tolerate their
abuses, men and women were beginning to read the
bible in their language.

Developments in learning:
Entering the age of Discovery – Christopher
Columbus – 1492 – Scientist explorer – Africa
Copernicus – Galileo (were sailors)
An age of developing science, questioning, reason.
Rediscovery of Greek and /Art/literature. Printing
press was invented.
Erasmus began to rediscover Greek and Hebrew text
and work with them. There was a desire for accuracy
of scripture. The time was ripe for an explosion of true
Biblical truth.
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(ZWINGLI- (1484-1531)

Swiss reformer a true community of believers

gathered around Zwingli in Zurich. In 1519 Zwingli
was converted. A priest, he had a face to face
encounter with God, which changed his life. He
turned to the Bible, and found out that the church was
in error, using diving message to dominate people.
The bible became Zinglis and Zurich book. Zwingli
was radical. He taught a real and individual presence
of Jesus Christ. He believed communion was only a
symbol, a remembrance he humanised the gospel.
He died in local war in 1531. Yet his zeal and
teaching fuelled the reformation throughout
Switzerland.

1500-1700: The Reformation

1. INTRODUCTION:

Two centuries of tremendous change in the

Church – emergence from medieval world of
superstitions, bondage and corruption into new era of
social, cultural, Europe changed beyond recognition.

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THE REFORMATION BECAME THE DEFINING PRINCIPLE OF

4 Major issues any student of the Reformation must

address:

a) What conditions caused it? Ans. False

teachings, false practices, e.g worship of the pope No
scriptures for the masses, only the clergy and person
in power. Severe persecution.

b) Was the Reformation one Identifiable thing –

Homogeneous? Ans. Yes it produced National
Churches.
A question of defining terms – The
Reformation or Reformations?

c) Relations of Church and State – extent to

which Reformation went hand with political and
social realities were conditioned, caused affected
by them. – The State and the Church matched.
Protestantism was introduced in Parliament.
Henry the eighth rebelled against the Catholic
Church.

d) What factors enabled the Spread of

Reformation? Ans. Persecution, people willing
to know the truth, John Calvin, John Knox, Martin
Luther, John Huss etc.
Personality, politics, economics, intellectualism
etc.

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Reformation can be characterised by comparison of 3 figures

LUTHER – Rugged German peasant – popular,

down to eath – salvation by faith not works.

CRANMER - English Gentlemen, squire with

University links.

CALVIN – Clever French Lawyer

Each character is represented within larger

history of Reformation, and each stamped their
personality upon it.

THE REFORMATION WAS ESSENTIALLY AN

ANSWER TO THE QUESTION;

“WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED”

2. THE CALL FOR REFORM.

Both groups are indicative of a rising tide of

protest and a desire to return to biblical standards
of life and doctrine. They reveal the explosive
nature of reformation thought. As does:

JOHN HUSS (died 1415)

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Bohemian. Seen as pre-figurer of

Reformation. Burnt as a heretic at Council of
Constance in 1415. Regarded as most notorious
of heretics. Luther would embrace Huss’s
doctrine in one of the most significant gestures of
his career: “WE ARE ALL HUSSITIES
WITHOUT KNOWING IT…ST PAUL AND ST
AUGUSTINE ARE HUSSITES”.

EUROPE WANTED REFORM, BUT NOT

REVOLUTION. MANY WISHED THE CHURCH
COULD BE RIDDLED INTO CHANCE. BUT
MORE VIOLENT FORCES WOULD BE
NECESSARY TO CHANGE THE CHURCH AND
THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEMS.

The History of the English Bible -

1380s – John Wycliffe – translation of Latin “Vulgate”
into English Vernacular – Oxford Professor of
Theology. Powerful biblical scholar. He criticised
papacy and his theology influenced preachers
throughout England. His bible Wycliffe’s Bible was
translation of Latin into English – hand written and
very influential in higher circles. Indicative of the key
Issues of the bible being translated into the language
of the people seen as heretical and revolutionary
movement.

1408 - Archbishop Arundel – said it was illegal to

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make or read any translation of the bible not authorised by ecclesi

1525-26 - William Tyndale – made the English

Edition of New Testament it was that 1st English
Version to go back to Greek Text completely.

1535 - Miles Coverdale – wrote the 1st

English BIBLE

15 39 - Cranmer’s the great Bible.

Review crammer survived the ups and downs of

Henry’s reign. Prudent, cautious, useful to Henry.
Honest, academic, reluctant to commit himself, made
wrong decisions but bound by unswerving allegiance
to the monarchy. He was executed at Oxford in 1553.
After initial weakness compromise, he died heroically
denouncing the pope and Roman doctrines. His
prayer books dictated the pace and format of church
worship for centuries. There were called Cranmer’s
Book of Common Prayer, published 1549-1552
ordinary, people of England were affected little by
reformation. Cranmer’s view liturgy effectively
brought reform to the people in the pew.

DISTINTIVE FEATURES ABOUT CRANMER:

1. As the new Archbishop of Canterbury, he
declared Henry’s VIII 1st marriage void.
2. He abolished the Latin Mass.
3. He introduced change of appearance of
churches. (buildings)
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4. He introduce change in the clergy.

1557 - The Geneva Bible – A group of English

exiles in Geneva produced what became most
popular English Bible until 1611. First produced only
New Testament, then the complete Bible in 1560. In
King Edward’s Reign (1547-53) there were 40
different editions of the Bible printed.

1611 The authorised (King James) version.

Something of a compromise became the Standard
Bible of the Orthodox Church:

English Protestants:

An emerging group of reformers would shape the

future of the English church. The Cambridge group
miles Coverdale. Hugh Latimer and others met to
discuss Luther and protestant reform. Broke up after
1525 and radicals moved to Germany or Switzerland.

The growth of reformed Protestantism encouraged a

counter movement within the Roman Catholic Church.
This is more often called the Counter Reformation.
However, the seeds of the Catholic Reformation can
in some senses be traced back to the pietism and
devotion of earlier movements for reform within the
Roman Catholic Church.

MAJOR FEATURES
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a) The fight against Protestantism encouraged reform within the

b) There was a politically reality – the Counter
Reformation was in some ways as much against
the protestant state as against the protestant
church.

God is moving and he will more again because God’s

move comes in trickles, and then there is the flood, so
when the flood comes see in eyes of the spirit and
not in the eyes of the flesh.

After the reformation there were established

churches, so you had religion return to normal, places
that were protestant remained protestant and placed
that were catholic remained catholic. And so God
moved his focus from the Catholic Church and moved
to a new people who believed that salvation was by
faith. God is a respecter of his word, and so if you
align with the word of God he will use you, and so
when God wants to move, he will move with someone
who is also willing to move and so when the
Protestants began to move with God, God moved with
them.
Abraham died believing that the was going to possess
Canaan, looking for a city whose builder was not man
but whose builder was God. And so the present move
of God will always he birthed by the last move and so
we cannot afford to abuse the men of God that God
used in the last move, because we cannot have a
present move, if there was no test move. Sometimes
we tend to think that those before us didn’t know a
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thing, but whether mistakes were made, they were there available

So the protestant movement was established and

then they calmed down. But there were some other
people who began to see that there was more to God
than justification by faith alone. Ok we are justified by
faith what next. Ok we don’t need works alone, but
we are not going to seat here and pitch a tabernacle,
like those three men of God who went into the net,
and saw two Unions of Moses and Elijah and said on
this place is ……..lets pitch tents here, one for
Moses and one for Elijah but these men said no lets
move to the valley. These people were called
dissenters. They were broadly based in this island,
initially and they said to the protestants, some of the
things that the Roman Catholics did you are doing it
again. There was a bishop who was monarchical,
and they said we need a congregational assembly,
we need freedom of worship this is too structured and
it’s too tight. So the leaders of the dissenters called
for a hearing and that hearing is called the Hampton
Conference which took place in 1604. They spoke
to the Bishops and said they needed to purify the
Church. That where we got the puritan fathers, but
the bishops said no, we are not going to have
anything more than this, so the dissenters became
the new group that were out casts. They were
separatists or puritans who were not in the
Established system you will find out that a new move
of God is collective, because they will be a group of
people who will not tolerate your views. The
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dissenters had no choice, they had to live and face the persecution

And so they left and went to North America which at

the time was a colony. The population was less than
16, 000 because most people had come there to
trade. The king of England had these colonies
established, but they were ruled by the crown from a
distance and the fact that they were ruled by the King
from a distance, enabled the puritan fathers to
establish churches and congregations that were
totally distinct from the established churches, in
worship styles. That is why you find in America most
of the churches don’t have Bishops, Arch-Bishops.
There is no church of America or Established
churches, what you have is congregational churches,
Baptist, Charismatic, Pentecostal churches, but you
don’t have that strong denominational structure that
you have here, the reason is that the first pilgrim
fathers who arrived in North America arrived with the
intention to worship freely if you think America as a
land of Liberty, you will also understand that religious
liberty was one of the foundations of that country. To
be Honest the founding stone of the USA was the
Gospel. God needed a virgin land to do h is works
because in Europe there was too much contentions
and to many strongholds, and so a new country
began to grown in North America. This new country
was a settlement of people who had travelled from
Europe, England, Holland, Spain, and Switzerland.
And the reason was they were escaping religious
persecution in the continent. Thy got to N America
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and started Congregational churches. In 1611 King James 1st ord

GEORGE FOX 1624-1691

There were other groups of people who were

followers of the dissenters one of them was George
Fox the founder of the Quakers.
They used to shake violently in their meetings, and
got people saved by thousands- they believed that the
holy spirit could give direct illumination without
organised church or doctrine. They had a moral
earnestness and a strong social passion. Another
man with a passion was Richard Baxter; John Elliot
was a missionary to the Red Indians of N America,
William Penn who was the founder of Pennsylvania
and |John Bolnian who was a preacher of orthodox
pilgrims’ progress, which was a strong protestant
literature of that line.

There was a mass immigration to N America and by

1690 the population exceeded ¼ million. More and
more people came from Europe to America and
birthed the |New Churches. And so God used this
freedom, to birth successive move of God. In the 17th
Century the Baptist churches developed, they were
born out of Calvinist views, and believed in total
immersion of water.

The Colonies of North America

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These were indigenous Indians in North America before Columbus

There were independent, and semi-independent

churches but it was not very long before they fell
asleep also. Because as you would expect in human
nature, when people settle they become complacent
and though it takes a lot of effort to build, it is very
east to bring down. It doesn’t take long for a fire to
die.
God is always on the move and God’s strides are
bigger than ours and so sometimes when we arrive at
a place we start to build like the tower of Babel when
we should be filling the earth looking for a name for
ourselves. The congregational churches of New
England started to slow down. And so there was a
need for a spiritual awakening to continue from
Counter Reformation.
c) The Counter Reformation inevitably came
with a lessening of the power of the pope in the
countries where it was evident
d) It spawned a quest for more adequate, better
educated and trained clergy. This was a major
feature of counter Reform.

COUNTER REFORMATIONS SIGNIFICANT

DEVELOPMENT

1. 1559-pope Paul IV published 1st index of

prohibited books caused mass burning of books
throughout Europe.
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2. MISSIONS: Between 1493 and 1620 Spanish and Portugue

3. 30 YRS OF WAR - Initially 1609-1639
religious wars, Calvinists vs. Catholics, later
became a modern war rivalry between revived
France and Imperial German.
4. INCREASE IN RC Devotion – Rome Re-valued
what Protestants attacked, relics, saints, the
virgin Mary etc.
5. MYSTICISM - Direct apprehension of divine
by senses and faculties of mind and soul Spanish
mystics like Teresa of Avila and St John of the
Cross.
6. Catholic Scholarship – in 1660 -= Latin still
language of scholarship
Reformation appealed to Bible. Counter Reformed to
Bible as understood by the masses.
Authority of Tradition – CATHOLICISM was
exposedInerrancy of pope not only pope was
reduced from 3 to 1

CHURCH HISTORY
16TH -18th CENTURY

ORTHODOXY
In the 16 century Protestantism began and was
developed by men such as Martin Luther and Calvin.
A fresh discovery of biblical truth led many to the joy
of finding Christ> It became merely a system of
intellectual dogma which one accepted intellectually.
Acceptance of doctrine became more important than
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how one lived life.

Together with severe religious wars between 1560

and 1648, the rise of rationalistic philosophy and
empirical science the Church was again in a sorry
state.

During the 18th Century two reposes to this occurred.

1. RATIONALISM
2. REVIVALISM

RATIONALISM - based on reason

This modern thought believes reason and the
scientific method of discovering the truth to be all –
important. It is not bound by traditions of the past.
Several factors helped rationalism to rise during the
17th and 18th century and drastically altered men view
about life and God.

Science
Many outstanding scientists changed man’s view of
the world.

Copernicus (1473-1543)
Galileo (1564-1642)
Isaac Newton (1642- 1727)

Quietism:
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During the 17th century there had been the mystical

movement of Quetism within the Roman Catholic
Church, which was a reaction against dogma. It
encouraged people to keep themselves passive and
open themselves to inner light although this may have
had the advantage of increasing some people ‘s
spiritual and devotional life, the dangers of false
spiritual experience were very real.

Pietisms:

His pietism movement in Germany arose as a

reaction to the cold orthodoxy of the 17th century
Lutheran Church.. It encouraged individuals to return
to Bible study and prayer and people to show the truth
of the gospel by lives of piety. People began to
believe there were basic principles that operated
throughout the universe. The universe was seen as a
mechanism that operated by inflexible natural laws.

Natural Law and Natural Religion

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Religion or a religion of reason. With man’s views about fixed natu

Deism sets forth a God who is above all who left
his creation after he had created it to be discovered
by natural laws discoverable by reason. He was an
“absentee God”.

Society in the 16th – 17 th century.

These new ideas were affecting society. It was
time of rebellion in the American colonies
and the establishing of the United States:
Jefferson wrote Locke’s philosophy into the
Declaration of Independence. In France in July
1989 these ideas brought the French Revolution
into being. They said “No more God and the
reign of terror began.
England was sliding into mediocrity.
There was : 1. Decay in Religion
2. Licentiousness in morals
3. Public corruption and
profaneness in
Language.
. There was worship of Gods, such as:
1) God of wealth
2) God of beauty and Invention
3) God of Power Invention of Tobacco,
drugs
4) God of Love Prostitution
5) God of protection etc.
cars. Engines – Alcohol
 Trains
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 Women selling their bodies

 Photography
 Novels magazines – T V Radio
Telephone
 Cozy living - heaters
 All these drew man away from God –
little by little
 It was discovery by reason
Money

FALSE HEALING METHODS:

ACUPUNCTURE: a medical treatment in which very
thin needless are inserted into skin at specific points.

AROMATHERAPY; THE use of aromatic oils

obtained from plants for healing or to promote well-
being.

ASTROLOGY: THE study of the supposed influence

of stars and planets on human affairs.

CHARMS: A small ornament worn on a necklace or

bracelet believed to have magic powers.

COLOUR HEALING: Predicting that a person can be

healed by use of a certain colour.

CRYSTAL BALLS: Solid globe of glass or crystal,

used for predicting the future FALSE Gods: fake
artificial gods used for worship.

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Hypnotism : THE practice of causing a person to enter a state of

ICONS: A person or thing which is treated as holy
and is used as an aid to prayer.

INDIAN HEAD MASSAGE; A practice originated

from India that involves use of different spices to cure
the body.

NEW AGE MEDICINE; Movement concerned with

alternative approaches to medicine.

PSYCHIC HEALING; healing by using abilities that

cannot be explained by natural laws.

RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS: Symbols used for worship

SACRIFICES TO IDOLS: Sacrifices offered to idols
such as meat, or money, in order to receive healing.

SPIRITUALIST HEALING; healing by using the belief

of communicating with the dead in order to heal a
person.

TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION a technique of

going beyond human knowledge into a spiritual area,
to promote healing.

WITCHCRAFT : The practice of magic, especially the

use of spells and calling up of evil spirits.

YOGA: Hindu spiritual discipline a part of which

includes breathing exercises, and the holding of
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specific body positions widely practiced for health and relaxation

MAGIC: The apparent use of mysterious or

supernatural forces to make something happen (use
of supernatural powers)

While Rationalism and Deism was developing,

certain revivalist movement grew.

People began to believe there were basic principles

that operated throughout the universe. The universe
was seen as a mechanism that operated by inflexible
natural laws.

Natural Law and Natural religion

These principles were applied to other areas such as

religion.

Natural Law and Society

People such as Locke and Rousseau applied these

laws to society.

Natural Law and Philosophy : (philosophy – rational,

reasonable sound-wise calm, collected composed
Cool, sedate)

Rationalist philosophy also became popular.

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Descartes (1596-1650)
John Locke (1632-1704)

Rationalism challenged tradition in the same of

reason. Empiricism provided the method.

Up till Francis Bacon (1561-1626) men had used a

deductive method of reasoning. They had general
principles they accepted on authority. This was linked
to the facts and a conclusion made. There was no
testing to see if the general principle itself was true.
Bacon developed in inductive method. This is the
scientific method we know today. Nothing was
accepted on authority alone. A scientist developed a
hypothesis, observed the facts concerning this idea,
checked it by repeated experimental and only then
developed a general law.

Enlightenment

“These philosophies substituted reason and man’s

senses for revelation as the main avenues to
knowledge”. Bacon and Descartes were saying laws
that cannot be broken governed the universe. They
are fixed and unalterable. Bacon said if you cannot
prove a thing by science you couldn’t say it is true.

This is still argued by people today! The

Enlightenment (as we have technology today – digital)
was the name given to this era of thinking. It was
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humanity’s determination not to be bound by the traditions and cus

The Enlightenment and Religion

Rousseau (1717-1778)
Voltaire (1694-1778)

The Enlightenment at first optimistically believed that

setting aside all prejudice and ignorance, rational
people with their naturally good and wise element
would bring a true happy society.

Pessimism in reality was soon to come. The French

Revolution brought the cry: “Liberty what crimes are
committed in they name” Even Rousseau had to say:
“It may be necessary to compel a man to be free”

Rise of Deism; Deism arose from this scientific and

philosophic approach to knowledge. It started in the
17th Century in England and from there spread to
France, Germany and America where it was to have a
big impact. It was a natural religion or a religion of
reason. With man’s views about fixed natural laws,
they did not cease to believe in God but switched
from Theism to Deism.

Deism sets forth a God who is above all but who left
His Creation after He had created it to be discovered
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by natural laws discoverable by reason. He was an “absentee God

David Hume (1711-1176)

People such as William Law (1686-1761) Joseph

Butler and William Palev

Deistic ideas spread to France where the philosopher

Rousseau and Voltaire took them up. They were to
have a significant effect on the French
Revolutionaries of 1789. They spread to Germany
care of the court of Frederick the Great. They also
spread to America when Franklin, Jefferson, Ethan
Allen and Thomas Paine were among the leading
Deists. Paine’s ‘Age of Reason’ (1795) helped to
make such thinking popular.

Society in the 18th Century

These new ideas were affecting society. It was a time

of rebellion in the American colonies and the
establishing of the United States. Jefferson wrote
Locke’s philosophy into the Declaration of
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Independence. In France in July 1989 those ideas brought the Fre

Napoleon later entered Rome and took the Pope

captive back to France.

England in the 18th Century

England was sliding into mediocrity.

One man writing at the time summed the 18th Century
up as:

“Decay in religion,
Licentiousness in morals,
Public corruption and
Profaneness in language”
God doing through His Holy Spirit the most amazing
things altered British history.

Mystical Movements:

While rationalism and Deism was developing, certain

revivalist movements grew.

SYLLABUS OF ERRORS (1864): ROMAN

CATHOLICISM

Much of modern progress and thought seemed hostile

to the ROMAN CATHOLIC Church.. The Pope in his
“Syllabus of Errors”
(1864) spoke out against many things. He concluded
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by CONDEMNING the claim that “The Roman pontiff can and oug

Papal Infallibility

Vatican Council began in 1869. On July 18 1870 at a

gathering which 100 avoided, they approved the
declaration of papal infallibility by a vote of 533.
to two. Outside heavy peals of thunder roared and
terrific lighting occurred in heavy storm. “with assent
of the Sacred Council we ordained and defined as a
dogma divinely revealed: that the Roman pontiff
when he speaks ex Cathedra, that is to say in his
capacity as pastor and teacher of all Christians and
by his supreme apostolic authority and by divine
assistance promise to him in blessed Peter defines
doctrine whether as touching faith or morals to be
observed by the church he is endowed with infallibility
with which the divine Redeemer willed that His
Church should be instructed in the defining of
doctrine as touching both faith and morals, and that
on this account the definitions of the Roman Pontiff
are of themselves – and not by virtue of the consent
of the Church irrevocable.

If anyone should presume to contradict this our

definition – which God forbid – let him be anathema!”
he meant that when the pope speaks “ex cathedra”i.e.
as the head of the head of Church on earth,
concerning either faith or morals, whatever he says is
infallible and must be accepted by the faithful and
morals was the Pope. Roman Catholics had hitherto
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believed the Church was infallible but did not know where. Not un

Anti Clerical Hostility

The declaration of papal infallibility and the loss of

Papal power were not far away in time. Italian
armies took Rome and a new national Italian
constitutional monarchy set up. In 1871, they offered
the pope self-government in the Vatican area, and
compensation for the loss of his temporal
possessions. The Pope refused and banned Roman
Catholics from voting or being involved in the
government. He remained in self- imprisoned exile
until an agreement with the government of Massolin in
1829.

Bismark in Germany feared the internationalism of the

Roman Catholic Church stood in the way of the
unification of the people of the German Empire and
brought many measures limiting Roman influence and
activity.

Roman Reaction

The Romantic Movement was a reaction against the

rationalism and individualism of the 18th Century it
made an appeal to the heart of the man rather than
the head Romanticism, which held sway in the
European between 1790 to 1850, strengthened the
hold of religion upon man. The colourful, ritualistic
sensuous religion of Roman Catholicism led to
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religious imagination and sentiment and subsequently was to see

1814 Revival of Jesuits.

The Jesuits had been disbanded by papal action in

1773. Pius VII in 1814 reconstituted the 1829
Emancipation. Until 1929 Roman Catholic had been
barred from voting and taking office in Britain. The
Catholic Emancipation Act removed this. In 1950 the
Roman Catholic English hierarchy was established.

PIUS IX was the Pope between 1846 and 1878 and

was controversial in his attempts to strengthen the
Roman Catholic Church. He was convinced the
Papacy was divinely chosen to answer the problems
of the world.

Doctrine of Immaculate Conception (1854)

In 1854 he proclaimed the doctrine of the immaculate
conception of Mary. Mary was conceived without it
“any taint of original sin”

REVIVALS:
Welsh Revival:

Evan Roberts in led thousands of Welsh to Christ.

Estimated 80 000 plus were converted. Crime
stopped in whole villages. The Times carried news of
the revival. Many Pentecostal leaders were
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converted in or as a result of Welsh revival.- Including the Jefrey’s

In Britain – Alexander A. Boddy, Anglican Minister of

Monkweermouth, Sunderland visited Wales during
the Welsh Revival, was hungry for revival. Read of
happenings in Norway and invited Barratt to
Sunderland. 7 week visit – August-December 1907.
First few weeks 20 baptised in Spirit including Marry
Boddy and their two daughters. Boddy had to wait a
few months. London papers came to see and report
Repercussions enormous. Sunderland conventions
began. People were awakened throughout Britain to
the power of the Holy Spirit.

GEORGE AND STEPHEN JEFRIES:

George - (1889-1962)
Stephen - (1876-1943)
Born in Maesteg Wales, these brothers (especially
George) were to become the most successful British
Evangelists….. Wesley and Whitfield. With little or no
education and little obvious advantage (advertising,
publicity, no TV pr radio) they were to have a
dramatic effect on the British Church drawing many
thousands to Christ and filling the largest hails in the
land.

There was a “Sign and Wonders Ministry”

Filled with the Spirit as a result of the example of
Stephen’s young son Edward, their ministries
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developed along very different courses. Both were itinerant evang

Each had phenomenal success in Campaigns through

the UK and Ireland. Stephen campaigned at Horbury
Chapel (Now Kensington Temple) and George let
thousands to Christ in a string of Campaigns in
virtually every manor town in the country between the
years of 1917-1938 approximately.

The theatre was shockingly vulgar and depraved. The

Literature could be called ‘hand porn’ even today.
Polygamy fornication and homosexuality were not
considered wrong Violent was rampant.

Gangs of drunken ruffians paraded the streets and

subjected women to nameless outrages, and
defenceless men to abominable tortures. The
constables shared the drunken habits of the time and
were mainly corrupt Sports were cruel and brutal such
as bear and bull baiting and cock- fighting. Boxing
which even women took part in was savage and
murderous. The death rate rose as cheap gin killed
many. Hanging was often the scene of gala for the
whole family. It was a “sick century”. And the church
was sleeping. Two men were used by God to change
things.

George Whitefield and Wesley.

Both Wesley and Whitefield received a Pentecostal
anointing on New Year’s day in 1739 and went out
with a new aggression. J C Ryle observes “They did
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not wait for sinners to come to them, they pursued them everywh

Whitefield went to speak at Moorfields, a place of

base pleasure for Londoners. He was told he would
never come out alive. He was listened to with awes
silence by
20, 000 people while he preached for an hour and a
half. Hundreds sought him afterwards for salvation.
Similar scenes occurred all over. He was soon
preaching to 30-40,000.

John Wesley (1703-1791)

John Wesley was the fifth of nineteen children born to
Samuel and Susannah Wesley. On 1709 he was
narrowly saved from death when the Wesley home
was on fire. “a brand plucked from the Burning, while
at Oxford he and some friends including his brother
Charles (1707-1788) formed the “Holy Slub”
Early Life of John Wesley:
Susanna Annesley Wesley, John's mother, had a
profound influence on his life. She and her husband
Samuel, an Anglican priest, had 19 children. John
was the 15th, born June 17, 1703 in Epworth,
England, where his father was rector.
Family life for the Wesleys was rigidly structured, with
exact times for meals, prayers, and sleep. Susanna
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home-schooled the children, teaching them religion and manners

In 1709, a fire destroyed the rectory, and young John
had to be rescued from a second story window by a
man standing on another man's shoulders. The
children were taken in by various parishioners until
the new rectory was built, at which time the family
was reunited and Mrs. Wesley started "reforming" her
children from the bad things they had learned in other
homes
John and his brother Charles became priests in
the Church of England and soon after went to Georgia
as missionaries in 1735. Financial Support had kept
pace with the rapid expansion of the work.
On the way out the boat underwent a tremendous
storm: The Wesley’s panicked like the others. In the
middle of this was a group of people who were un
afraid and calm. A group of Moravians. John Wesley
asked them why they went unafraid? They replied
Why should we be? “ The Moravian leader
Spangenberg Challenged him. “Do you know Jesus
Christ?” Wesley could not reply, “I know he is the
Saviour of the world” To this Spangenberg replied
“True; but do you know that He has saved you”
Wesley replied “yes” but in his diary that night he
admitted that was a lie and wrote “I go to Georgia to
save my own soul how can I save the soul of the
Indians.”
The Aldersgate Experience of John Wesley
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As priests in the Church of England, John and

Charles Wesley traveled from Great Britain to
Georgia, in the American colonies in 1735. While
John's desire had been to preach to the Indians, he
was appointed pastor of the church in Savannah.
When he imposed church discipline on members who
failed to notify him that they were taking communion,
John Wesley found himself accused in civil courts by
one of the powerful families of Savannah. The juries
were stacked against him. To make matters worse, a
woman he had been courting married another man.
John Wesley returned to England bitter, disillusioned
and spiritually low. He told Peter Boehler, a Moravian,
of his experience and his inner struggle. On May 24,
1738, Boehler convinced him to go to a meeting. Here
is Wesley's description:
"In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society in
Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's
preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter
before nine, while he was describing the change
which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I
felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in
Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance
was given me that he had taken away my sins, even
mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
This "Aldersgate Experience" had a permanent effect
on Wesley's life. He answered a request from fellow

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preacher George Whitefield to join him in Whitefield's evangelism

John Wesley the Organizer
As always, Wesley went about his new work
methodically. He organized the groups into societies,
then classes, connections and circuits, under the
direction of a superintendent. His brother Charles and
some other Anglican priests joined, but John did most
of the preaching. He later added lay preachers who
could deliver a message but not offer communion.
The clergy and lay preachers met on occasion to
discuss progress. That eventually became the annual
conference. By 1787, Wesley was required to register
his preachers as non-Anglicans. He, however,
remained an Anglican to his death.
He saw great opportunity outside England. Wesley
ordained two lay preachers to serve in the newly
independent United States of America and named
George Coke as superintendent in that country.
Methodism was breaking away from the Church of
England as a separate Christian denomination.
Meanwhile, John Wesley continued to preach
throughout the British Isles. Never one to waste time,
he discovered that he could read while walking, on
horseback, or in a carriage. Nothing stopped him.
Wesley pushed on through rainstorms and blizzards,
and if his coach got stuck, he continued on horse or
on foot.

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John eventually attended Oxford, where he proved to be a brilliant

."

He and Charles returned to England after three years

of failure. God however was in charge. They met
another Moravian . Back in England on May 24, 1738
at Moravan meeting while listening to Luther’s preface
to his commentary on Romans at a quarter to nine,
Wesley ‘s heart was “strangely warned” and he
trusted Christ alone for salvation from sin. His brother
had a similar experience two days earlier.

In 1739 George Whitefield asked Wesley to join him in

field preaching in Bristol. Wesley followed Whitefield
with great reluctance. When he did, he met with
immediate success. In April 1739 as he preached.
“Thy dropped on ………….thunderstruck “he records.
The miners tears rolled down their cheeks . As he
applied the Gospel of grace these people began to
rejoice. His works for God had begun. This was the
beginning of much travel preaching the gospel. He
was to travel about 250 000 miles on horseback and
preached about 42,000 sermons. Seven times a day
was the normal. He was often physically assaulted
and constantly criticised by fellow religions leaders.

His motto was: “All men need to be saved, all men

can be saved, all men can know themselves as
saved, and all men may be saved to the uttermost.
His brother Charles Wesley too was greatly used by

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God. He wrote over 6,000 hymns.

Break with the Anglican

Wesley did not want to break with the Anglican
Church but very often the church would not accept the
converts, nor the converts’ dead church.. He
established them into societies, which were
subdivided into hands and classes under lay leaders.
Lay leaders remained to teach as Wesley moved his
travels. When Wesley died there were 140,000
Methodist in England some 1500 travelling preachers
and 470 preaching houses. When Wesley died the
Methodist societies became Methodist churches
The Major doctrine Wesley stressed was justification
by faith through an instantaneous experience of
conversion. Both Wesley and Whitefield suffered
much persecution.
The strict discipline and relentless work ethic instilled
early in his life served Wesley well as a preacher,
evangelist, and church organizer. He was still
preaching at age 88, just a few days before he died in
1791.
John Wesley met death singing hymns, quoting the
Bible, and saying farewell to his family and friends.
Some of his last words were, "The best of all is, God
is with us

REVIVALS:
With the degraded lifestyle of the poor in Britain, the

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onslaught of rationalistic philosophy and the possibility of a revolut

(1734) NEW ENGLAND

The revival in New England was remarkable. Out of a

population of 250,000 at least 50, 000 were added to
the church. It came at a time of great religious
decline in America. The man raised up by God was
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758). In 1734 while he
was preaching sermons on “Justification by faith
alone” the Spirit of God began to work in power upon
the congregation. He wrote: “Very suddenly, one after
another five or six persons were to all appearance
safely converted… A great and earnest concern
about the great things of religion and the eternal word
became universal in all parts of the town, among all
classes and ages… From day to day, for many
months together, might be seen evident instances of
sinners bought out of darkness into marvellous light.

This work of God soon made a glorious alteration in

the town so that in the spring and the summer
following (1750), the town seemed to be of the
presence of God” The revival was to spread to other
areas around. News of the revival spread to Britain
where it was to stimulate belief for revival there.
Revival was rekindled in 1740 by the visit of George
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Whitefield to New England. Vast crowds came to hear him and va

(1735) WALES

God was to raise up in Wales a great revival too. One

of his chosen vessels was Howell Harris, a typical
Welshman of his day, who was more concerned with
“gambling at dice, drinking, lovemaking and improving
his personal appearance”. At 21 he came to know the
Lord. He became an evangelist and a man of much
prayer. Sacked from teaching for his preaching, he
carried on preaching all over South Wale until the
whole countryside was awakened. “Hundreds were
converted – among them some of the most notorious
characters. Under the power of the Holy Spirit, hearts
were broken and it was not uncommon for people to
come under such conviction that they would cry out to
God for mercy while he preached.

In 1739, Whitefield joined Harris. Harries preached in

Welsh, Whitefield in English. When Whitefield left for
America, Harris carried on preaching. Denouncing
the vices of the day he was often attacked and left for
dead. Daniel Rowlands (1713-90) too was chosen by
God to bring revival to Wales. He preached often in
the open-air amid great danger. He too was a man of
great prayer. He was to enjoy almost continuous
revival.

17 39 –ENGLAND : Whitefield and Wesley

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Methodist Revival “Historians readily acknowledge that Methodism

The situation: England at this time was in a dreadful

state. Deism affected the church. Sermons were
often long filled with moral platitudes. The upper
clergy were well paid, but the rest not. Morals were
very low:

Ranters Revival (1800-1830)

Within 16 years of the death of Wesley the Methodist

conference was prevented some of it fork from
holding open-air meetings. The result was to be
Primitive Methodist and a glorious revival.

Hugh Bourne and William Clowes were to be greatly

used by God.
Together they helped to bring revival. Being stirred by
stories of camp meetings in America Bourne
proposed it for England. It was taken up
enthusiastically. The first camp meeting was on 31st
May 1807. Many travelled miles to come. Clowes
described the first day as “a most magnificent and
sublime spectacle. Four preachers simultaneously
crying to sinners to flee from the wrath to come.
Thousands listerning many in deep distress and other
pleading with Heaven on behalf, some praising God
aloud for the great things which were brought to
pass, whilst others were rejoicing in testimony which
they had received that their sins had been forgiven.
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The camp meeting continued full of glory and converting power “

Then Wesley conference, however ruled these as

improper.
Hugh Bourne felt he must continue them.
Clowes agreed and in 1810 they were both expelled
from the Wesley Body. They were to continue with
greater success.

James Crawfoot:

James Crawfoot too was a preacher much used by

God. In 1811 a new denomination was born though
the name ‘Primitive Methodist” was not adopted until
February 1821. The camp meetings were times of
great revival into 1830s. They were to be termed
Ranters’ on account of meeting sprang up in Ulster.
On the 14th March 1869 at a prayer meeting which
hundreds thronged to a layman preached with such
anointing and power that outside in the chilling rain
hundreds were on their knees in the mud. This was
the beginning of revival.

In the next month three miles away suddenly a man of

30 fell on his knees and cried out for mercy. In May it
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seemed the whole town was under conviction besetting ministers f

GREAT BRITAIN (1859)

England, Scotland and Wales were to experience

revival in 1859. In Wales all classes of people, were
touched. It is reliably estimated that 100,000 people
were added to the church of a population of one
million. All parts of Scotland were touched also
England and especially London was blessed as
people turned to Christ in droves. At least a million
people were converted in the United Kingdom during
1859 Awakening.

Dwight L Moody: (was American based in Chicago.)

In 1857 a young businessman called D L Moody was
converted in the U S. He Did not have good
education and did not speak properly till he died.
He began to pursue his call regardless of the fact that
he didn’t have any education whatsoever.
He was never ordained never went to Bible School
was never called rev. he was very faithful to his calling
as an evangelist he proved his ministry even before
he handled the microphone. He preached outside the
established churches, and what made his ministry
unique He preached full time along with the singer
Ira Sankey.
And Moorhouse, so he was once travelling and asked
Moorhouse to preach in his stead, as we all do, and
when moorhuse preached he said god loves a sinner.
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In 1873 they came across to London and preached to-two-and-ha

Moody came to Cambridge and tremendous things

happened. As a result seven famous sportsmen and
students set off for China including C T Studd, the
famous cricketer. Out of this period came the great
preacher Spurgeon and Keir Hardle, the founder r of
the Independent Labour Party was another great
evangelist. In the original Labour party there were
many Christians. Torrey and Alexander came over
from the States.

C.H. SPURGEON:
C.H. Spurgeon was a 19th century England, what D. L.
Moody was to America. Although Spurgeon never
attended theological school by the age of 21 he was
the most popular preacher in London.

He preached to crowds of ten thousand at Exeter

Hall and the Surrey Music Hall. Then when the
metropolitan Tanernacle was built, thousands
gathered every Sunday for over 40 years to hear his
lively sermons. It is there till this day at Elephant and
Castle in London.

In addition to his regular Pastoral duties, he founded

Sunday Schools, churches, an orphanage and
Pastor’s college.
He edited a monthly church magazine and promoted
literature distribution.

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Sincerely and straightforwardly he denounced error both in the Ch

THE NON CONFORMISTS

THE SALVATION ARMY:

This movement was founded by a man known as

William Booth. He was an ex-Methodist minister, he
always maintained his ministry outside the
Established Church. He was a preacher, he has a
legacy that even the history of this country
recognises, he had the likes of Winston Churchill and
even the Queen of England secretly attended his
funeral.
In 1865 he started off the East London Christian
Mission.
Among the free Churches God was leading people to
himself. He tried to reach the poor by open –air
Evangelism and social work.

The Church would not accept his work, he and his

wife plunged into East End, of London and found
indescribable need. He saw economic, social and
spiritual needs. He organized an army to fight spiritual
and social battles.
They suffered violence and were misunderstood.

William Booth did not intend for it to become a

Church, as in Wesley’s days the Church would not
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accept his converts. He organized his many converts into the Salv
It was not called Salvation Army at first. But 100 years
ago, East London was not as it is now. There was no
place to sleep, no food, people were dying of
communicable diseases, so when William saw this,
he moved from West London and came to live in
hackney. He began to minister with passion to the
East Londers.

He couldn’t wear beautiful black-suits or nice-colours

and be accepted in Ministry by the East –Enders. He
had to put away all this.
Coz if you go to minister to the poor, all smartly
dressed and putting on alligator –skin shoes, they will
not accept you. It makes a statement. And so it was
his will to change that made him successful in
Ministry.

So he gave up all the things that linked him with the

people of the upper class to fit with the low-class
people of East London. They made a mockery of him,
especially when he went to preach in pubs, but he
stood firm, until 1868 when he preached at Christ-
mas morning service, and found that no-body was
listening to what he was saying they all wanted to be
drunk. from there he got a beautiful idea.

God speaks to us through ideas when we are rightly

located. Creative people and prolific people started
with an idea. In 1869, he thought to make a Christ-
mas meal for the people. He got his wife Catherine
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and on Xmas eve they cooked 300 Xmas meals. That was the beg
By the end of 1869 he had 60 solid converts. In 1878
they formed the Salvation Army Band. No Church in
England had that kind of success. So they started off
stations not knowing the Salvation Army would have
the distinct flavour it has today. They started more
stations, by following –up the people, and by 1880
they had 1,000 converts. They had 81 Stations where
the converts were being natured.

They had 127 full-time Evangelists, who were looking

after the 81 Stations. They held 75,000 services each
year the 80’s were not so fortunate because they had
a lot of persecutions. At this time, people used
polished poetry on the pulpit but his message touched
many people.

They burnt down his Stations and attacked the

workers, which lasted for almost 10 years. His wife
died in 1890 though she was the back-bone of the
ministry. He picked himself up again never married
again and continued the work.

By 1908 it had moved to 26 countries with thousands

of converts, William began to publicise his work,
asking people to support his work. He started a
business called the Cab-Horse, which helped raise
100,000 pounds, They opened a Job Centre which
preceded the work of the welfare State.

They set up a bank, to help small-scale business

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people to set up their own businesses. They would give them sma

He adorned the Gospel and saved people from

brothels. People caught up in a vicious cycle of
poverty were saved. They broke that yoke by simply
providing food and shelter, to make a living. So when
we see people who are caught up when they have a
right to have money and shelter, we should be moved
by compassion for those people. And we should reach
out to restore their dignity. It’s not easy when a person
stoops that low to beg.

When he died in 1912 the whole Nation was moved.

Queen Mary sleeped quietly in his funeral, it was not
normal for a Monarch to do that.one woman put a
flower on the coffin confessed, he brought me out of
prostitution.

The Salvation army continues till today, but the

Religion itself is based on unscriptural doctrines, They
use Military perceptions such as:
Generals, Captains, Corporals, Sergents, Soldiers,
Sergeant Major
Major General, which are not based on scripture,
Jesus himself never called anybody by those ranks,

They march on streets dressed in their Military

Uniforms, and badges, according to rank They do not
allow women to speak in their congregations They say
they are attacking the enemy, but you don’s attack the
enemy in uniform and rank. This are The inscriptions
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on their badges.

Blood and

Fire

OR

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fire

water

Blood

They march because they believe they are soldiers

but we are soldiers in the spiritual army of Christ. And
not in some sort of uniform and unscriptural ranks. It
is imperative to understand that doing the works of
Charity is good, but applying proper doctrine from
scripture is more profound.

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The Mormons Church:

The founder of this movement was known as Joseph
smith. He was born in 1805 and died in 1844.

This movement was started in 1823, and in his own

words he said that one evening he was in his room
and a light appeared in his room, which continued to
increase until the room was lighter than noon-day.

A person appeared at his bedside standing in the air,

for his feet did not touch the floor. His robe was
exceedingly white, and his whole person was glorious
beyond description. His countenance was like
lightning.

He called him by name and said that he was a

messenger sent from the presence of God to him and
that his name was Moroni. He claimed that God had
appeared to him in a vision and told him that all
Churches were very wrong, Their Pastors corrupt, and
all their creeds abominations, and that Joseph had to
be the man to restore the Church of God.

That God had a work for him to do, and that his
name should be heard for good and evil among all
nations kindreds and tongues, or that it should be
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both good and evil spoken of among all people.

He said there was a book deposited, on a hill written

upon gold plates, giving an account of the former
inhabitants of America, and the source from which
they sprang. He also said the fullness of the
everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered
by the saviour to the ancient inhabitants.

Also that there were two stones in silver bows and

these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted
what is called The Urim and Thummim these were 2
stones 1 black and 1 white used by the Leaders of
Israel to guide them and fore-tell the future. (oracle)
or seers in ancient times that God had prepared them
for the purpose of translating the book of mormon.

It is a wealthy organization, and boarders on the

occult. They have big educational training
institutions, and it’s members are very wealthy. They
call themselves “CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF
LATTER DAY SAINTS” but that does not mean it’s a
church.

JEHOVA WITNESSES:

We must know where we differ, one of the

controversies of the 4th century, was the Arien
Controversy, where Arien denied the diety of the Lord
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Jesus and said Jesus was not God.

Arius was a senior presybyter in charge of Baucalis

– one of the 12 parishes of Alexandria. He was a
persuasive preacher, with a following of clergy and
Ascetics, and circulated his teachings in popular
verses and songs. Around 318 A.D. he clashed with
Bishop Alexander. Arius claimed that the father alone
was really God, The son was essentially different from
his father.
He did not possess by nature or right any of the divine
qualities from his father, of immortality, sovereignty,
perfect wisdom, goodness and purity. He did not exist
before he was begotten by the father.

The Father produced him as a creature yet as the

creator of the rest of creation. Nevertheless he did but
share in the being of God the father and did not know
him perfectly.That he was called “God” by grace and
favour more-over the son received enough wisdom
and light from the father to enable him to reveal the
father to mankind. Nevertheless, by dividing off the
son from the God the father, Arius, undermined
Christ’s standing as God’s revelation and the
redeemer of mankind.

That same error has forced it’s expression in Jehova

witnesses. And if you listen to them carefully you’ll
find out that even though they give him accolade as
Lord, they do not accept him as divine. They make
people develop Anti-bodies against the truth.
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They don’t celebrate Christmas, They don’t do Birthdays, They do

THE BRETHREN
John Nelson Darby organised the groups known as
the Brethren about 1830 in Dublin. They came out of
this dead background, and decided to go right back
to the New Testament pattern of the scriptures. They
emphasised the priesthood of believers, refused
ordained ministry, and were earnest Bible students.

A split was later to occur and some left and went to

Bristol to the Bethesda Chapel who met on Brethren-
type lines. One was George Muller and the other
Henry Crake. They became known as the Open
Brethren. George Muller (1805-1898) founded a large
orphanage in Bristol which was supported merely by
answers to prayer.

The Seventh-Day Adventists:

The Seventh Day Adventist are another sect which

arose at the time. A man called William Miller
believed he had discovered the date of the return in
1843 as he and thousands of others expected. Miller
humbly repented and admitted his mistake. Many
however, refused to admit this was a mistake and
later explained Christ’s non-appearance by a theory
that he came in that year to a heavenly sanctuary
rather than an earthly one.
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They formed themselves into Adventist Churches.

Under the leadership of Ellen G White, a so-called
prophetess. They became known as the Seventh-
Day Adventist because of a revelation she claimed
she had of God showing her the importance of the
Ten Commandments, and especially the Sabbath.

CELESTIAL CHURCHES:
Most of these churches operate with a familiar spirit,
usually a counterfeit of the spirit of God. They use the
Bible and prophesy from scripture. It boarders on the
occult in that you could be asked to bring a bottle of
water or oil, e.g. Glycerine oil, to apply in your homes,
or over your body as a means of receiving a miracle
or healing. They light candles while praying, using
portraits of the Virgin Mary, or Jesus.

Their prophets are mediums who consult the dead,

satanic hosts or evil messengers. They tell mostly of
the past, or present but have inability to for-see the
future. They do not encourage but mostly ask you to
revenge and may give you harmful instructions to
follow in pursuit of your adversaries.

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WHITE GARMENT CHURCHES:

This movement was founded by a man known as

prophet Samuel Bilehou and another (Babatunde)
and has parishes all over the world. It has its
headquarters in Nigeria.
Prophet Oshoffa believed that god called him on the
day of total eclipse of the sun in west Africa when he
was in the forest of Dahomey (Now republic of benin )
on the 29th of September 1947. in Porto Novo. He
being a carpenter, had gone to purchase Ebony
wood for furniture.
Just like his Father he was in the wilderness 40 days
and 40 nights, and on return he said he had been
shown a vision of heaven, and that he should form a
denomination by divine order .

They believe that white indicates holiness. They

worship Angels (fallen angels) and consult them for
divine intervention, they are capable of predicting your
future but it is a give and never receive system. They
wear turbans because the bible tells us that
Shadrach, Meschack and Abednego, had turbans on
their heads. Their doctrine is based on the laws of
Moses most of them, though they are not able to
follow them themselves, nor fulfil them.

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They use water to represent the blood as a means of healing, they

They mesmerize you, you can see there is something
wrong, yet you want to go back coz you can’t learn
errors and heresies of a cult the first days you attend

RITUALISM:
At this time the Church of England was made up of 3
parts:

a) the low who stuck to scripture and the 39 articles

b) The broad who had all sorts of beliefs and
teachings
c) the high who were taken keen on Catholicism.
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d) From the high church arose the Oxford Movement

OXFORD MOVEMENT:
The oxford movement included many Church leaders
and emphasised the importance of the Church and
ritual in the individuals’ life. It’s leaders included john
Keble John henry Newman ad Edward pusey

The Anglicans feared that as now the non-conformists

and roman Catholics could hold office this would bring
about the demise of the state of the Church. In order
to save their Church they went back to the Middle
ages an d the Latin and Greek Fathers for instructions
to restore the Church to its purity. They became
known as the tractarian movement because they
published 90 tracts for the times “expressing their
views.

Among subjects they emphasised were the

importance of apostolic succession, baptismal
regeneration the real physical presence of Christ in
the communion and the importance of rituals in
worship. Thse had a lot in common with the Roman
Catholic Church.
Indeed newman eventually joined the roman Catholic
Church along with nearly 875 others, and later
became a Cardinal.

These movements brought back colourful liturgy of

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the Church. It broadened the gap between the non-conformists ch

FOES OF THE FAITH

Liberalism
In the 19th Century through German idealistic
philosophy it became the fashion to see the Bible as
an ethical guidebook only. Such thinkers are known
as Liberals, Liberalism has been manor enemy of the
gospel.

BIBLICAL CRITICISM
Background
The philosophers of Kant, Schleirmacher, Hegel and
Ritschi proved the background for a critical approach
to the Bible.

Kant (1724-1804)

There was no place for revelation in his scheme of

things. The Bible was just a man-made book of
history.

Schleirmacher
God was "whatever people felt Him to be".

Hegel (1770-1831)
Ritschi (1822-18889)

Ritchel saw the Bible as a record of community

consciousness. Such philosophers made religion
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subjective and opened the way for extreme critical study of the Bib

Out must go all the Divine and in must remain the

human and the fallible. They were to pull the Bible to
pieces. And it was to become part of the church. They
were not scientific, but reading their philosophies into
the Bible. It arrived in the intellectual climate of belief
that everything should be tested.

The Higher Critics:

Astruc assumed that Genesis was in two parts
because he found the name Elohim (God) used in
some parts and Jehovah ( Lord) used in other parts.

Graf and Wellhauesn

These men denied that Moses wrote the entire
Pentateuch. They felt they were four documents
called J,E,D and P.

Later Critics:-
-divided Isaiah into at least two parts.
-put the date of Daniel into the Maccabean
period so it became history rather than prophecy and
history.
-questioned the order of the writing and dating of the
gospels.
-and said that the essential gospel was in the ethical
teachings of Jesus: Paul had changed the simple
ethical teaching of Jesus into redemptive religion.
German became the place which such criticism
developed. The work of Biblical archeologists has
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forced many critics to abandon their former radical positions and h

COMMERCIALISM:
The emphasis of material goods, and the importance
of having a high standard of living have contributed to
a decline in Christianity. People have increasingly
neglected spiritual values to concentrate on gain in
this life. The Industrial Revolution between 1760 and
1830 helped to bring about the increased standard of
living. Karl Marx emphasised in his system the
primary importance of material goods in life.

COMMUNISM:
The church has also found a big enemy in
communism, it's roots are in the 19th Century.

Karl Marx (1818-1838) and Friedrich Engels

developed a materialistic philosophy in "The
Communist Manifesto" (1848), which saw life as being
a history of class struggles which would continue until
the perfect system of Communism came into being.
They encouraged the proletariat to arise to bring this
system about. In 1867 Marx produced "Das Kapital".
Communism has no place in for foreign, when they
believe, is the "opiate of the people". As the church
has spread its missionary effort, so have the
Communist and the two have obviously been in
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opposition to win the people.

EVOLUTION:
While philosophy and criticism destroyed faith in
revelation from God and commercialism created an
indifference to spiritual things, evolution was to create
a further disbelief in God.

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Charles Darwin especially in his book saw a struggle
for survival among animals, and believed only the
fittest survived. He also thought the similarity of body
structure between animals and man substantiated his
theory. Darwin applied theory to man in " the decent
man" (1871) and argued man was linked with animal
life by common ancestral types. Great damage came
when the theory was brought to religion. God's unique
creation was increasingly denied. God and the Bible
were looked upon as evolutionary products of man's
religious consciousness. An evolution view came into
being that man was being increasingly improved by
human effort.
Evolution is generally accepted to be fact; it is also
generally accepted as disproving the creation story of
Genesis and thus disproving the Bible. It has been
possibly the most successful lie of Satan in modern
times.
Darwin himself believed in a creator.

SECTS:
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During the 19th Century religious sects began to arise. As God be

CLAPHAM SECTS:
The Clapham Sects were wealthy individuals who
lived in Clapham and met together for prayer and
study. They were to provide many of the lay leaders in
social reform under their rector John Venn. They
worked through Parliament to remove the evils in our
society. Formed parliament.

SOCIAL ACTS:
The evangelicals were to have a great effect on
society. Some followers of Adam Smith and the
Philosophical, who looked to the writings of John
Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham, promoted political
reform because they believed in the dignity of rational
human personality. The Evangelicals, however,
promoted social reform because they believed that
every man was an actual potential son of God.
Indeed most of the social reforms of the period
between 1787 and 1850 were the outcome of
Evangelical effort.

SOCIAL CONDITIONS:
SLAVERY
a) At the time there was slavery
b) Children at the age of seven were working from
5am in the morning until 8at night with only a half an
hour's break at noon.
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c) 5 year old were down the coal-mine for twelve hours opening an
d) Women and children pulled carts down the mines.
e) Little children were pushed up the chimney.
There were health rules, no inspector of factories, and
no limiting of work hours.

THE REFORMS:
William Wilberforce(1759-1833) was converted as a
result of Milner's efforts in 1784. He dedicated his life
to abolition of slavery in the British Empire. Slavery
was only ended in British possessions by an act
passed just before Wilberforce's death in 1833. The
act provided nearly 1000,000,000 dollars to
compensate the owners who feed 700,000 slaves.

MISSIONS:
The Protestant church did very little mission work at
this time; One exception was from Frank’s Halle. A
result of pietism some pioneer work was done in
Africa and the islands of pacific. What was to come in
the next century can be seen by the establishing by
William Carey, of the “Particular Baptist society for
propagating the Gospel among the heathens” (1792)

Followed by:
 The London Missionaries Society (1795)
 General Methodist Missionary Society (1796)
 Church Missionary Society (1799)
 ………….and Bible Society also began.
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Western Universities were providing high quality people for missio

Much intransigent opposition to the gospel as in

China, Japan had been broken down.

Moravians – West Indians.

The exception was the Moravian community of
Hernhut. By the middle of the 18th century
missionaries had been sent to the West Indies.
Greenland and Africa. A negro from St Thomas found
his way to Denmark where he found a sympathetic
hearing in Count Zinzendorf when he the pagan
condition of the fellow slaves. Zinzendorf told the
Moravians. They heard the call to Foreign Service;
some of their their members actually sold themselves
into slavery to get into contact with the poor heathen .

The influence of the gospel spread far beyond those

who accepted it.

During the Reformation much of Protestant activity

was involved in the struggle to exist. It was not until
the 19th Century that missionary work began in
earnest. It was to become known as the "great
century" in missionary effort. Prior to this century
things looked very favourable for foreign missions.
The missionary movement was the result of
revivalism among the Pietists, Methodists and
Evangelical Anglicans. They wished for the joyous
experience they had. The Dutch and British empires
had opened up the world and its needs to the
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Christian home.

It did not start in ecclesiastical circles, but among

private men. From very little mission outreach and
success at the beginning of the change brought by a
single century was astounding. Only three countries
were closed to missions Afghanistan religion.!

SOME RENOWNED MISSIONARIES:

WILLIAM CAREY (1761-1834)

William Carey was one of the initiators of mission

work. He was incredibly modern in his outlook. He
saw missionary work as being Five-pronged in attack
Preach the gospel all over by every way
Support preaching by Bibles given out in tongues
Establish as soon as possible a church
Study deeply the background and the thought of non-
Christian people
Train at earliest moment an indigenous ministry
Cary's motto was "Expect great things from God:
attempt great things for God"
William Carey was born in England in 1761. He was a
Baptist missionary who worked in India for 41 years.
He live in India never returned to England.

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Marriage
1. William Carey was married three times: first wife
was
Dorothy who was 25 and he was 19 years old.
They were married for 26 years and had seven
children.
2 Second wife of William Carey was Charlotte Emilia
Rumohr Carey
(1761-1821) She was the invalid daughter of wealthy
Chevalier de Rumohr. Her disability was a result of a
fire at the family home. Her intellectual and spiritual
life was an encouragement and help to Carey in the
work of the ministry. They were happily married for 13
years until she died at the age of 60.
3 Grace Hughes Carey (1778-1835) Third wife to
~William Carey was a 45 year old widow who was a
devoted companion during the last eleven years of
William’s life. She died July 27 1835.
At a meeting of Baptist leaders in the late 1700s, a
newly ordained minister stood to argue for the value
of overseas missions. He was abruptly interrupted by
an older minister who said, "Young man, sit down! You
are an enthusiast. When God pleases to convert the
heathen, he'll do it without consulting you or me."
That such an attitude is inconceivable today is largely
due to the subsequent efforts of that young man,
William Carey.

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Carey was raised in the obscure, rural village of Paulerpury, in the

When his master died, he took up shoemaking in
nearby Hackleton, where he met and married Dorothy
Plackett, who soon gave birth to a daughter. But the
apprentice cobbler's life was hard—the child died at
age 2—and his pay was insufficient. Carey's family
sunk into poverty and stayed there even after he took
over the business.
"I can plod," he wrote later, "I can persevere to any
definite pursuit." All the while, he continued his
language studies, adding Hebrew and Latin, and
became a preacher with the Particular Baptists. He
also continued pursuing his lifelong interest in
international affairs, especially the religious life of
other cultures.
Carey was impressed with early Moravian
missionaries and was increasingly dismayed at his
fellow Protestants' lack of missions interest. In
response, he penned An Enquiry into the Obligations
of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the
Heathens. He argued that Jesus' Great Commission
applied to all Christians of all times, and he castigated
fellow believers of his day for ignoring it: "Multitudes
sit at ease and give themselves no concern about the
far greater part of their fellow sinners, who to this day,
are lost in ignorance and idolatry."
Carey didn't stop there: in 1792 he organized a
missionary society, and at its inaugural meeting
preached a sermon with the call, "Expect great things
from God; attempt great things for God!" Within a
year, Carey, John Thomas (a former surgeon), and
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Carey's family (which now included three boys, and another child o
Thomas and Carey had grossly underestimated what
it would cost to live in India, and Carey's early years
there were miserable. When Thomas deserted the
enterprise, Carey was forced to move his family
repeatedly as he sought employment that could
sustain them. Illness racked the family, and loneliness
and regret set it: "I am in a strange land," he wrote,
"no Christian friend, a large family, and nothing to
supply their wants." But he also retained hope: "Well, I
have God, and his word is sure."
He learned Bengali with the help of a pundit, and in a
few weeks began translating the Bible into Bengali
and preaching to small gatherings.
When Carey himself contracted malaria, and then his
5-year-old Peter died of dysentery, it became too
much for his wife, Dorothy, whose mental health
deteriorated rapidly. She suffered delusions, accusing
Carey of adultery and threatening him with a knife.
She eventually had to be confined to a room and
physically restrained.

HUDSON TAYLOR:
A Yorkshire lad broken by God became troubled by
the millions dying in China. At 21 he went to China
with an incompetent organisation and had to learn to
depend on God alone for everything. He also dressed
like the Chinese for identification. He returned to
England in 1860 in ill health.

He remained burdened and in 1865 single-handedly

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he found China Inland Mission (now as the Overseas Missionary F

They decided not to share their financial needs with

anyone save The Lord. Despite many personal
difficulties, success was sensational for the Mission.

James Hudson Taylor was a British Protestant

Christian missionary to China.
Taylor spent 51 years in China. The society that he
began was responsible for bringing over 800
missionaries to the country who began 125 schools and
directly resulted in 18,000 Christian conversions, as well
as the establishment of more than 300 stations of work
with more than 500 local helpers in all eighteen
provinces.
Taylor was known for his sensitivity to Chinese culture
and zeal for evangelism. He adopted wearing native
Chinese clothing even though this was rare among
missionaries of that time. Under his leadership, the CIM
was singularly non-denominational in practice and
accepted members from all Protestant groups, including
individuals from the working class and single women as
well as multinational recruits. Primarily because of the
CIM's campaign against the Opium trade, Taylor has
been referred to as one of the most significant
Europeans to visit China in the 19th Century Historian
Ruth Tucker summarizes the theme of his life:
Taylor was able to preach in several varieties of
Chinese, including Mandarin Chaozhou and Wu dialects
of Shanghai and Ningbo. The last of these he knew well

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enough to help prepare a colloquial edition of the New Testament

Marriage
Maria Dyer Taylor (1837-1870): Daughter of one of the
first missionaries to China, she was orphaned at the age
of 10. She was a missionary to China when she married
Hudson Taylor, January 20, 1858. They had seven
children: Grace, Herbert Hudson, Frederick Howard
(who would later co-author Hudson's biography),
Samuel, Maria, Charles Edward, and Noel. Being fluent
in the Ningpo dialect, she helped Hudson with
translation work. They had been married for 12 1/2
years when at 33 yrs. of age, Maria died of cholera in
1870. She was a "tower of strength" and a comfort to
her husband. In her own words, she was "more
intimately acquainted than anyone else can be with his
trials, his temptations, his conflicts, his failures and
failings, and his conquests."

Jennie Faulding Taylor (1843-1904): Another CIM

missionary, she became the second wife of Hudson
Taylor in 1871. They had two children (a son, Ernest,
born in 1875 and a daughter, Amy, born in 1876), plus
the four from his previous marriage and an adopted
daughter. Jennie cared for her husband through injury
and illness, edited the periodical China's Millions for the
China Inland Mission, had a special ministry among the
women. In her later years she travelled with Hudson
Taylor, speaking, writing, and organizing the work of the
Mission. She died in 1904, preceding Hudson Taylor
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who died in 1905.

DAVID LIVINGSTONE (1813-1873)

Born in Blantyre south of Glasgow.

Livingstone was a Scottish missionary and one of the
greatest European explores of Africa, whose opening
up the interior of the continent contributed to the
“scramble of Africa”

David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary,

abolitionist and physician known for his explorations
of Africa, having crossed the continent during the mid-
19th century.

Synopsis:
Born on March 19, 1813, in Blantyre, South
Lanarkshire, Scotland, David Livingstone pursued
training in medicine and missionary work before
moving to Africa in 1841. He crossed the continent
from east to west and would ultimately come across
many bodies of water previously uncharted by
Europeans, including the Zambezi River and Victoria
Falls. He was a staunch abolitionist after witnessing
the horrors of the African slave trade, and returned to
the region twice after his initial voyage. He died on
May 1, 1873, in Chief Chitambo's Village, near Lake
Bangweulu, North Rhodesia (now Zambia).

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Early Life and Training

David Livingstone was born on March 19, 1813, in
Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, and grew up
with several siblings in a single tenement room. He
started working at a cotton mill company as a child
and would follow his long work schedule with
schooling during evenings and weekends. He
eventually studied medicine in Glasgow before going
on to train with the London Missionary Society for a
year. He completed his medical studies at various
institutions in 1840 in London, England.

Explorations of Africa
In the official role of a "medical missionary," he set
forth to Africa, arriving in Cape Town, South Africa in
March of 1841. A few years later, he married Mary
Moffat; the couple would have several children.

Livingstone eventually made his way north and set

out to trek across the Kalahari Desert. In 1849, he
came upon Lake Ngami and, in 1851, the Zambezi
River. Over the years, Livingstone continued his
explorations, reaching the western coastal region of
Luanda in 1853. In 1855, he came across another
famous body of water, the Zambezi falls, called by
native populations "Smoke That Thunders" and which
Livingstone dubbed Victoria Falls, after Queen
Victoria.

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By 1856, Livingstone had gone across the continent

from west to east, arriving at the coastal region of
Quelimane in what is present-day Mozambique.

Celebrated in Europe
Upon his return to England, Livingstone received
accolades and, in 1857, published Missionary Travels
and Researches in South Africa. The following year,
Livingstone was appointed by British authorities to
lead an expedition that would navigate the Zambezi.
The expedition did not fare well, with squabbling
among the crew and the original boat having to be
abandoned. Other bodies of water were discovered,
though Livingstone's wife, Mary, would perish from
fever upon returning to Africa in 1862.

Livingstone returned to England again in 1864,

speaking out against slavery, and the following year,
published Narrative of an Expedition to the Zambesi
and Its Tributaries. In this book, Livingstone also
wrote about his use of quinine as a malarial remedy
and theorized about the connection between malaria
and mosquitoes.

Livingstone undertook another expedition to Africa,

landing at Zanzibar in early 1866 and going on to find
more bodies of water, with the hope of locating the
source of the Nile River. He eventually ended up in
the village of Nyangwe, where he witnessed a
devastating massacre where Arabic slave traders

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killed hundreds of people.

With the explorer thought to be lost, a transatlantic

venture was developed by the London Daily
Telegraph and New York Herald, and journalist Henry
Stanley was sent to Africa to find Livingstone. Stanley
located the physician in Ujiji in late 1871, and upon
seeing him, uttered the now-well-known words, "Dr.
Livingstone, I presume?"

Livingstone chose to stay, and he and Stanley parted

ways in 1872. Livingstone died from dysentery and
malaria on May 1, 1873, at the age of 60, in Chief
Chitambo's Village, near Lake Bangweulu, North
Rhodesia (now Zambia). His body was
eventualltransported to and buried at Westminster
Abbey.

David Livingstone expanded geographical knowledge of

Central Africa and fought the Arab slave trade. He was a
missionary for 10 years in Africa, before being the first
explore, and took the gospel, into the Hinterland of Africa.
His manner with Africa. His manner with Africans was
so excellent he never had to use.

Before setting out on his great journey he wrote:

"I place no value on anything I have or possess,

except in relation to the Kingdom of Christ. If anything
will advance the interests of the Kingdom, it shall be
given away or kept, only as by giving or keeping it
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shall promote the glory of Him to whom I owe all my hopes in time

Robert Moffat: Missionary (1795-1883)

Moffat was a Scotish pioneer missionary to South
Africa for over 50 years. He opened mission stations
in the interior, translated the Bible into the language of
the Bechuanas, and wrote two missionary books on
South Africa: Labors and Scenes in South Africa and
Rivers of Water in a Dry Place. His oldest daughter
married David Livingstone.
Robert Moffat, rightly reminds us of the Scripture in
Zechariah 4:10, which witnesses, "For who hath
despised the day of small things?"
It seemed a small thing to some godly men in a
southern Scotland church when a boy about four
years old, from a home of poor but pious parents,
knelt at an altar to pray. His decision was despised by
the elders as one who was too young to understand.
Thank God, one unnamed, unknown-to-us brother
bothered to kneel in prayer with "Robbie."
Moffat may well have been converted to Christ then
— if not, it was the commencement of a chain of
events that led to his conversion and to the opening of
doors of evangelism to the uncharted depths of the
dark continent of Africa.
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In his mid-teens he left home for High Leigh, near Liverpool, Engla
His earliest ministries were treks taken into the
interior. There were few railroads or roads and
oftentimes those were washed away by rains. Travel
was difficult, dangerous and often death-bringing.
Rivers, rocks, swamps, and forests had to be avoided
or mastered somehow. Intense heat by day and chill
cold by night complicated travel. Always there were
the wild beasts: lions, jackals, hyenas, crocodiles,
snakes, monkeys and, worst of all, warlike and
untrustworthy native bushmen. Such journeys were
not often undertaken by those who knew the country
well, and to a newcomer like Moffat such treks were
deadly dangerous! But Moffat, motivated by his
missionary call, meant to master all such obstacles.
He gradually became physically acclimated to Africa's
extreme climates. He learned the country and
became proficient in its customs and its languages,
and he developed the great power of leadership that
was to be his badge and make him a blessing to
multitudes.
In 1817 he set out for the kraal, or village, of the
Namaquas where the chief, Afrikaner, a blood-thirsty
butcherer, was converted. That conversion has been
considered one of the great accounts of the grace of
God on the mission fields. On that trip he saw for the
first time the Kurumon River and the Bechuanas, the
peoples with whom he would spend most of his long
missionary ministry.

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The Bechuanas' reception of Moffat's ministry ranged from stony in

Probably one of the most momentous events in
Moffat's ministry was not preaching but attempting to
defend his Bechuanas from the warring Zuluas. He
did not avert a war, but procured firearms and
equipped his people. The Bechuanas conquered the
Zuluas and, realizing Moffat's bravery and
compassion in their behalf, they began to respect him
as a friend.
It was twelve more years before his message bore the
fruit of revival. Suddenly the meeting house was
crowded. Heathen songs were not sung in the village
and dancing stopped. Prayers came to the lips of the
Bechuanas, and the songs of Zion were sung. They
began to give up their dirty habits. Converts were
recorded, then time-tested, then baptized. Other
tribes, hearing the news, sent representatives to learn
of the white man's teaching. Moffat often would return
with them and thus the revival message and results
spread.
It was then that Moffat realized he must concentrate
on translating the New Testament into the language of
the people if they were to learn God's Word and live
God's way! And, customarily, he not only translated
the text, he procured a press and printed it.
Moffat returned to England only one time before
returning to die. On that visit he persuaded
Livingstone to go to Africa instead of China.

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Livingstone built mightily upon the foundation that Moffat had so a

He had opened jungle villages to the Gospel, he had
braved the dangers, the deadlines of African jungles,
he had withstood medicine men like Elijah had
withstood the prophets of Baal at Carmel. He had
preached, he had translated, he had instructed
Africans to read, write, sing and farm. He had exalted
Christ and magnified the ministry of a missionary.
August 9, 1883, he wound his watch with a trembling
hand. "For the last time," he said. And it was so. The
next morning the 88-year-old soldier of the Cross was
dead, with eighty-four years of life for his Lord since
that night as a four-year-old bairn (boy) he had come
to Christ. "For who hath despised the day of small
things?"

Robert Morrison (missionary) (1782-1834)

Robert Morrison studied the Chinese language and

provided a Chinese dictionary and a Chinese translation of
the Bible, which provided great use for the missionaries
when they were allowed in China 1858, after the ending of
the second Opium ward. The same treaty that forced China
to admit opium into the land opened China missions.

Robert was born on 5 January 1782 in

Northumberland, England and died 1st August 1834
aged 54
Robert Morrison was a Scottish evangelist and the
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first Christian Protestant missionary in China.

.After twenty-five years of work he translated the
whole Bible into the Chinese language and baptized
ten Chinese believers. Morrison pioneered the
translation of the Bible into Chinese and planned for
the distribution of the Scriptures as broadly as
possible, unlike the previous Roman Catholic
translation work that had never been published.
Morrison cooperated with such contemporary
missionaries as Walter Henry Medhurst and William
Milne (the printers),Samuel Dyer (Hudson Taylor's
father-in-law), Karl Gutzlaff (the Prussian linguist),
and Peter Parker (China's first medical missionary).
He served for 27 years in China with one furlough
home to England. The only missionary efforts in China
were restricted to Guangzhou (Canton) and Macau at
this time. They concentrated on literature distribution
among members of the merchant class, gained a few
converts, and laid the foundations for more
educational and medical work that would significantly
impact the culture and history of the most populous
nation on earth. However, when Morrison was asked
shortly after his arrival in China if he expected to have
any spiritual impact on the Chinese, he answered,
"No sir, but I expect God will!" Son of James Morrison,
a Scottish farm laborer and Hannah Nicholson, an
English woman, who were both active members of
the Church of Scotland. They were married in 1768.
Robert was the youngest son of eight children. At age

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three, Robert and his family moved to Newcastle where his father
Robert Morrison Birth Place - Bullers Green near
Morpeth Northumberland England
Robert's parents were devout Christians and raised
their children to know the Bible and the Westminster
Shorter Catechism according to Presbyterian ideals.
At the age of 12 he recited the entire 119th Psalm
(176 verses long) from memory in front of his pastor
without a single mistake. John Wesley was still alive
and many foreign mission agencies were being
formed during this period of the Evangelical First
Great Awakening.
In 1796, young Robert Morrison followed his uncle
James Nicholson into apprenticeship and later joined
the Presbyterian church in 1798.
By age 14 Robert left school and was apprenticed to
his father’s business.[9] For a couple of years he kept
company in disregard of his Christian upbringing and
fell occasionally into drunkenness. However, this
behavior soon ended. In Robert’s own words
“ It was about five years ago [1798] that I was much
awakened to a sense of sin … and I was brought to
a serious concern about my soul. I felt the dread of
eternal condemnation. The fear of death compassed
me about and I was led nightly to cry to God that he
would pardon my sin, that he would grant me an
interest in the Savior, and that he would renew me in
”
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the spirit of my mind. Sin became a burden. It was then that I ex

When Morrison was at work at his father's business
he was employed at manual labour for twelve or
fourteen hours a day; yet he seldom omitted to find
time for one or two hours of reading and meditation.
Even at work, his Bible or some other book was
usually open before him. He was not able to obtain
many books, but such as he could get hold of he read
and re-read frequently. The diary, which he began to
keep very early in his life, shows that he did much
self-introspection; but his earnestness was clearly
intense, and his sense of his own shortcomings
continued to be remarkably vivid.
Soon he wanted to become a missionary and in 1801,
he started learning Latin, Greek Hebrew[9] as well as
systematic theology and shorthand from the Rev. W.
Laidler, a Presbyterian minister in Newcastle, but his
parents were opposed to his new vocation. During
this period, Robert often spent free time in the garden
in quiet meditation and prayer. At work, the Bible or
some other book such as Matthew Henry’s
Commentary was open before him while his hands
were busy. He regularly attended church on Sundays,
visited the sick with the "Friendless Poor and Sick
Society", and in his spare time during the week
instructed poor children. He shared his faith in Christ
with another young apprentice and to a sailor,
showing a deep concern for the conversion of friends
and family.
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On 7 January 1803 he entered George Collison's Hoxton Academ

Already at the age of 17 Robert had been deeply
moved by reading about the new missionary
movement in The Evangelical Magazine and The
Missionary Magazine. But he was deeply attached to
his mother and promised he would not go abroad so
long as she lived. He kept this promise and was
present to care for her in her last illness when he
received her blessing that he might go abroad.
Preparing to be a missionary
After his mother's death in 1804, he joined the London
Missionary Society. He had applied to the Society in a
letter dated 27 May 1804, offering himself for
missionary service. The next day he was interviewed
by the board and accepted at once without a second
interview. The next year, he went to David Bogue's
Academy in Gosport (near Portsmouth) for further
training. For a while he was torn between Timbuktu in
Africa and China as possible fields of service. His
prayer was:
“ that God would station him in that part of the
missionary field where the difficulties were greatest
and all to human appearances the most
insurmountable. ”
In 1798, just when the young Robert had been
converted, the Rev. William Willis Moseley of
Northamptonshire was strongly burdened for the

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spiritual needs of China. He issued a letter urging "the establishme

“ I wish I could persuade you to accompany me. Take
into account the 350 million souls in China who have
not the means of knowing Jesus Christ as Savior… ”
He returned to London and studied medicine with Dr.
Blair at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and astronomy
with Dr. Hutton at the Greenwich Observatory. After
the decision of the Directors as to his destination,
Morrison had most diligently and laboriously pursued
the study of Chinese. He learned the Chinese
language from a student that he shared lodgings with,
called Yong Sam-tak from Canton City. At first they
did not get on well together. Morrison absent-
mindedly burned a piece of paper with some Chinese
characters on it - and infuriated the superstitions of
his Chinese mentor, who left for three days. From that
time on, Morrison wrote his characters on a piece of
tin that could be erased. They continued to work
together and studied an early Chinese translation of
Gospels named Evangelia Quatuor Sinice which was
probably written by a Jesuit, as well as a hand-written
Latin-Chinese dictionary. Yong Sam-tak eventually
joined him in family worship. In this way Morrison
made considerable progress in speaking and writing
one of the most difficult of languages for an English-
speaking person to learn. The hope of the Directors
was that, first of all, Morrison would master the
ordinary speech of the people, and so be able to
compile a dictionary, and perhaps make a translation

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of the Scriptures for the benefit of all future missionaries. To accom

Early missionary work
Morrison was ordained in London on 8 January 1807
at the Scotch church on Swallow Street and was
eager to go to China. On 31 January, he sailed first to
America. The fact that the policy of the East India
Company was not to carry missionaries, and that
there were no other ships available that were bound
for China, forced him to stop first in New York on 20
April after a stormy and perilous voyage aboard the
"Remittance". Some have made the argument that
missionaries like Morrison were a tool of Western
commercial imperialism, but the general hostility that
he aroused from the British commercial endeavor in
China, like William Careyof India, prove that he acted
independently. Morrison spent nearly a month in
America. He was very anxious to secure the good
offices of the American Consul at Guangzhou, as it
was well known that he would need the influence of
some one in authority, if he was to be permitted to
stay in China. The promise of protection was made
from the United States consul, and on 12 May, he
boarded a second, the Trident, bound for Macau.
The Trident arrived in Macau on 4 September 1807
after 113 days at sea. The first move of the new-
comer was to present his letters of introduction to
some leading Englishmen and Americans, in Macau
and Guangzhou. He was kindly received, but he
needed a bold heart to bear up, without
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discouragement, under their frank announcement of the apparentl

Robert Morrison and Chinese helpers translating the

Bible:
During these early months his trials and
discouragements were great. He had to live in almost
complete seclusion. He was afraid of being seen
abroad. His Chinese servants cheated him. The man
who undertook to teach him demanded extortionate
sums. Another bought him a few Chinese books, and
robbed him handsomely in the transaction. Morrison
was alarmed at his expenditure. He tried living in one
room, until he had severe warnings that fever would
be the outcome. His utter loneliness oppressed him.
The prospect seemed cheerless in the extreme.
At first Morrison conformed as exactly as he could to
Chinese manners. He tried to live on Chinese food,
and became an adept with the chopsticks. He allowed
his nails to grow long, and cultivated a pigtail. " He
walked about the Hong with a Chinese frock on, and
with thick Chinese shoes." In time he came to think
this was a mistaken policy. So far as the food was
concerned, he could not live on it in health; and as for
the dress, it only served to render him the more
unusual, and to attract attention where he was
anxious to avoid publicity. A foreigner dressed up in
Chinese clothes excited suspicions, as one who was
endeavoring by stealth to insinuate himself into

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Chinese society, so as to introduce his contraband religion surrept

Morrison's position was menaced by political troubles.
One move in the war with France, which England was
waging at this time, was that an English squadron
bore down on Macau, to prevent the French from
striking a blow at English trade. This action was
resented by the Chinese authorities at Guangzhou,
and reprisals were threatened on the English
residents there. Panic prevailed. The English families
had to take refuge on ships, and make their way to
Macau. Among them came Morrison, with his
precious luggage of manuscripts and books. The
political difficulty soon passed, and the squadron left;
but the Chinese were even more intensely suspicious
of the "foreigner" than before.
With the East India Company:
Painting of the factories in 1780 with flags of
Denmark, Spain, US, Sweden, Britain, Holland
Morrison fell ill and returned to Macau on 1 June
1808. Fortunately he had mastered Mandarin and
Cantoneseduring this period. Morrison was miserably
housed at Macau. It was with difficulty he induced any
one to take him in. He paid an exorbitant price for a
miserable top-floor room, and had not been long in it
before the roof fell in with a crash. Even then he
would have stayed on, when some sort of covering
had been patched up, but his landlord raised his rent
by one-third, and he was forced to go out again into

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the streets. Still he struggled on, laboring at his Chinese dictionary

Morrison strove to establish relations between himself
and the people. He attempted to teach three Chinese
boys who lived on the streets in an attempt to help
both them and his own language skills. However, they
treated him maliciously and he was forced to let them
go.
In 1809, he met 17-year-old Mary Morton and married
her on 20 February that year in Macau.[11] They had
three children: James Morrison (b. 5 March 1811, died
on the same day), Mary Rebecca Morrison (b. July
1812), and John Robert Morrison (b. 17 April 1814).
Mary Morrison died of cholera on 10 June 1821 and is
buried in the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau.
On the day of their marriage Robert Morrison was
appointed translator to the East India Company with a
salary of £500 a year. He returned to Guangzhou
alone since foreign women were not allowed to reside
there.
This post afforded him, what most he needed, some
real security that he would be allowed to continue at
his work. He had now a definite commercial
appointment, and it was one which in no way
hindered the prosecution of the mission, which always
stood first in his thoughts.The daily work of translation
for the Company assisted him in gaining familiarity
with the language, and increased his opportunities for
intercourse with the Chinese. He could now go about
more freely and fearlessly. Already his mastery of the
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Chinese tongue was admitted by those shrewd business men, who

The sea between Macau and Canton was full of
pirates, and the Morrisons had to make many anxious
voyages. Sometimes the cry of alarm would be raised
even in Guangzhou, as the pirate raids came within a
few miles of the city; and the authorities were largely
helpless. The perils of their position, as well as its
solitude, seem to have greatly and painfully affected
Mary. She was affected by unhealthy anxiety. There
was no society at Guangzhou that was congenial to
them. The English and American residents were kind,
but had little sympathy with their work, or belief in it.
Their first child, a boy, died at birth, and the Chinese
demurred about the burial. Very sorrowfully Morrison
had to superintend the interment of the little one on a
mountainside. At that time his wife was dangerously
ill. All his comrades at the Company's Office thought
him a fool. His so-called Chinese assistants robbed
him. Letters from England came but seldom.
The Chinese grammar was finished in 1812, and sent
to Bengal for printing, and heard no more of for three
anxious, weary years for Morrison. But it was highly
approved and well printed, and it was a pivotal piece
of work done towards enabling England and America
to understand China. Morrison went on to print a tract
and a catechism. He translated the book of Acts into
Chinese, and was overcharged to the extent of thirty
pounds for the printing of a thousand copies. Then
Morrison translated the Gospel of Luke, and printed it.
The Roman Catholic bishop at Macau, on obtaining a

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copy of this latter production, ordered it to be burned as a heretica

The machinery of the Chinese criminal tribunal was
set in motion when the Chinese authorities read some
of his printed works. Morrison was first made aware of
the coming storm by the publication of an edict,
directed against him and all Europeans who sought to
undermine Chinese religion. Under this edict, to print
and publish Christian books in Chinese was declared
a capital crime. The author of any such work was
warned that he would subject himself to the penalty of
death. All his assistants would render themselves
liable to various severe forms of punishment. The
mandarins and all magistrates were enjoined to act
with energy in bringing to judgment any who might be
guilty of contravening this edict. Morrison forwarded a
translation of this famous proclamation to England, at
the same time announcing to the Directors that he
purposed to go quietly and resolutely forward. For
himself, indeed, he does not seem to have been
afraid. Undoubtedly his position under the East India
Company was a great protection to him; and a
grammar and dictionary were not distinctively
Christian publications. But the Directors were even
then sending out to join him the Rev. William Milne
and his wife, and Morrison knew that this edict would
make any attempt of another missionary to settle at
Guangzhou exceedingly hazardous and difficult.

William Milne arrived in 1813 to help with the workOn

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4 July 1813, at about three o'clock in the afternoon, it being the firs
In 1820, Morrison met the American businessman
David Olyphant in Canton, which marked the start of a
long friendship between the two men and resulted in
Olyphant naming his son Robert Morrison Olyphant.
[12]

Return to England:
In 1822 Morrison visited Malacca and Singapore,
returning to England in 1824.
The University of Glasgow had made him a Doctor of
Divinity in 1817. Upon his return to England, Morrison
was made a Fellow of the Royal Society. He brought a
large library of Chinese books to England, which were
donated to the London University College. Morrison
began The Language Institution in Bartlett's Buildings
in Holborn, London during his stay there, to teach
missionaries.
The years 1824 and 1825 were spent by Morrison in
England, where he presented his Chinese Bible to
King George IV, and was received by all classes with
great demonstrations of respect. He busied himself in
teaching Chinese to classes of English gentlemen
and English ladies, and in stirring up interest and
sympathy on behalf of China. Before returning to his
missionary labors he was married again, in November
1824 to Eliza Armstrong, with whom he had five more
children. The new Mrs. Morrison and the children of
his first marriage returned with him to China in 1826.
An incident of the voyage will illustrate the perils of

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those days, as well as Morrison's fortitude. After a terrible spell of

At Singapore, Morrison was confronted with fresh
trials. The Singapore Institution, now Raffles
Institution, which has one House named after him,[13]
had been in process of formation there, on his
departure for England, similar to the college at
Malacca. Little progress had been made with it. A new
governor manifested less interest, and Morrison had
not been present to see that the work went on. After a
stay here for purposes of organization, the missionary
and his family went on to Macau, and subsequently
Morrison proceeded to Guangzhou, where he found
that his property had been also neglected in his
absence.

Final days in China:

Together the Morrisons returned to China in 1826.
Changes in the East India Company had brought him
into relation with new officials, some of whom had not
the slightest respect for the calling of the missionary,
and were inclined to assume a high hand, until
Morrison's threat to resign induced a more respectful
temper. The relations, too, between the English
traders and the Chinese officials were daily becoming
more strained. Morrison strongly disapproved of much
of the correspondence which it fell to his lot to
conduct with the native mandarins. Clouds were
gathering, which were to break in a few years' time.
There were grave faults on both sides. The

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officiousness and tyranny of the mandarins were hard to bear, but

On Morrison's visit to England, he had been able to
leave a Chinese native teacher, Liang Fa, one of
Milne's converts, to carry on what work he could
among the people. This man had already endured
much for his faith, and he proved entirely consistent
and earnest during the long period of Morrison's
absence. Other native Christians were baptized; and
the little Church grew, while at the same time it was
well known that many believed in secret, who did not
dare to challenge persecution and ostracism by public
confession. American missionaries were sent to help
Morrison, and more Christian publications were
issued. Morrison welcomed the arrival of the
Americans, because they could conduct the service
for English residents, and set him free to preach and
talk to the Chinese who could be gathered together to
listen to the Gospel. In 1832 Morrison could write:
“ There is now in Canton a state of society, in
respect of Chinese, totally different from what I
found in 1807. Chinese scholars, missionary
students, English presses and Chinese Scriptures,
with public worship of God, have all grown up
since that period. I have served my generation,
and must the Lord know when I fall asleep. ”
The Roman Catholics rose against Morrison in 1833,
leading to the suppression of his presses and
publications and removing his preferred method of
spreading knowledge of Christ. His native agents,
however, continued to circulate publications that had
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already been printed. During this period Morrison also contributed

In 1834 the monopoly of the East India Company on
trade with China ended. Morrison's position with the
Company was abolished and his means of
sustenance ceased. He was subsequently appointed
Government translator under Lord Napier, but only
held the position for a few days.
Morrison prepared his last sermon in June 1834 on
the text, "In my Father's house are many mansions." It
was to show how much of the joy of the eternal Home
would "consist in the society formed there; the family
of God, from all ages and out of all nations." Even
now he was entering his last illness, and his solitude
was great, for his wife and family had been ordered to
England. On 1 August the pioneer Protestant
missionary to China died. He died at his residence:
Number six in the Danish Hong at the age of 52 in his
son’s arms. The following day his remains were
removed to Macau, and buried in the private
Protestant cemetery there on 5 August, beside those
of his first wife and child. He left a family of six
surviving children, two by his first wife, and four by his
second. His only daughter was married toBenjamin
Hobson, a medical missionary, in 1847.
.
He was born at Morpeth in Northumberland
5 January 1782
Was sent to China by the London Missionary Society
in 1807
Was for twenty five years Chinese translator in the
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employ of
The East India Company
and died in Canton 1 August 1834.
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from
henceforth
Yea saith the Spirit
that they may rest from their labours,
and their works do follow them.

Missionary work:
Translation of the Bible into Chinese
Morrison produced a Chinese translation of the Bible.
He also compiled a Chinese dictionary for the use of
westerners. The Bible translation took twelve years
and the compilation of the dictionary, sixteen years.
During this period, in 1815, he left the employment of
the East India Company.
By the end of the year 1813, the whole of the New
Testament translation was completed and printed. The
translator never claimed that it was perfect. On the
contrary, he readily conceded its defects. But he
claimed for it that it was a translation of the New
Testament into no stilted, scholastic dialect, but into
the genuine colloquial speech of the Chinese. The
possession of a large number of printed copies led
the two missionaries to devise a scheme for their wide
and effective distribution.
At this time several parts of the Malay Peninsula were

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under English protection. English Governors were resident, and co

A page from Morrison's dictionary (ca. 1820; 1865
reprint shown), possibly the first major Chinese-
English dictionary. Characters are arranged
alphabetically, based on Morrison's romanization,
which long predates bothWade-Giles and Pinyin. Note
that notones are marked.
It was well known that many thousands of Chinese
were scattered through these parts, and Milne
traveled around surveying the country, and distributing
tracts and Testaments as opportunity offered. For the
next seven or eight months the younger missionary
devoted himself to this itinerating mission. He visited
the island of Banca; and then went to Batavia, the
principal town in Java. Here the Governor welcomed
him, and sent him at the expense of the Government
through the interior settlements of Java. From Java
Milne made his way to Malacca, where he received
equal kindness from the authorities. He would have
gone to Penang, but his journey had already occupied
as much time as he could spare; and so, in the
autumn of 1814, he returned to Guangzhou.
The object of the two missionaries was now to select
some quiet spot where, under protection, the printing
press might be established, and Chinese missionaries
trained. Malacca had this advantage, that it lay
between India and China, and commanded means of
transport to almost any part of China and the
adjoining archipelago. After much deliberation it was
determined to advise the directors that Milne should
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proceed to establish himself at Malacca.

In this year Morrison baptized the first convert on 14
May 1814 (seven years after his arrival). The first
Protestant Chinese Christian, was named Tsae A-Ko.
Mr. Morrison acknowledged the imperfection of this
man's knowledge, but he relied on the words, "If thou
believest with all thy heart!" and hence he
administered the rite. From his diary the following was
noted:
“ At a spring of water, issuing from the foot of a lofty
hill, by the sea-side, away from human
observation, I baptised him in the name of the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit... May he be the first
fruits of a great harvest. ”
Amid such difficult circumstances the native Chinese
Church began.
About the same time the East India Company
undertook the cost of printing Morrison's Chinese
Dictionary. They spent £10,000 on the work, bringing
out for the purpose their own printer, Peter Perring
Thoms, along with a printing press. The Bible Society
voted two grants of £500 each towards the cost of
printing the New Testament. One of the Directors of
the East India Company also bequeathed to Morrison
$1000 for the propagation of the Christian religion.
This he devoted to the cost of printing a pocket edition
of the New Testament. The former edition had been
inconveniently large; and especially in the case of a
book that was likely to be seized and destroyed by
hostile authorities, this was a serious matter. A pocket
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Testament could be carried about without difficulty. The small editi

Mary Morrison was ordered to England, and she
sailed with her two children, and for six years her
husband was to toil on in solitude.
In 1817 Morrison accompanied Lord Amherst's
embassy to Beijing. His own knowledge of China was
very considerably enlarged by this. He was sent by
the Company on an embassy to the Emperor at
Beijing in the capacity of interpreter. The journey took
him through many cities and country districts, and
introduced him to some novel aspects of Chinese life
and character. The object of the embassy was not
attained, but to Morrison the experience was
invaluable; and it served, not only to revive his health,
but to stimulate his missionary zeal. Through all that
vast tract of country, and among that innumerable
population, there was not one solitary Protestant
missionary station.
Another accomplishment of Morrison's, in which he
proved himself a pioneer, was his establishment of a
public dispensary at Macau in 1820, where native
diseases might be treated more humanely and
effectively than was customary in China. Morrison
was profoundly stirred by the misery, the poverty, and
the unnecessary suffering of the Chinese poor. The
people were constantly persuaded to expend their all
on drugs and herbs that were absolutely useless.
Morrison sought out an intelligent and skilful Chinese
practitioner, and placed him at the head of his
dispensary. This man, who had learned the main
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principles of European treatment, received great help from Dr. Livi

The college in Malacca, Malaysia in 1834:

The original Anglo-Chinese College campus was
located in the British Straits Settlements of Malacca,
Malaysia.
Morrison and Milne also established a school for
Chinese and Malay children in 1818. The school,
named Anglo-Chinese College (later called Ying Wa
College), was moved to Hong Kong around 1843 after
the territory became a British possession. The
institution exists today in Hong Kong as a secondary
school for boys. Milne received the support of the
English Governor at Malacca. He represented the
extreme eastern outpost of Protestant missions in
Asia, and Morrison assumed the name " Ultra-Ganges
" mission.
Morrison and Milne translated the Old Testament
together; and although Morrison had the advantage of
a far more intimate knowledge of the language, and
was thus able to revise the work of his colleague,
Milne also had made remarkable progress in his
mastery of Chinese. The press was kept steadily at
work. Tracts of various kinds were issued. Morrison
wrote a little book called "A Tour round the World," the
object of which was to acquaint his Chinese readers
with the customs and ideas of European nations, and
the benefits that had flowed from Christianity.
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As if his manifold activities in China were not sufficient

to occupy him, Morrison began to formulate an even
broader scheme for the evangelization of China. This
was, to build at Malacca what he called an " Anglo-
Chinese College." Its object was to introduce the East
to the West, and the West to the East; in other words,
to mediate between the two civilizations, and thus to
prepare the way for the quiet and peaceful
dissemination of Christian thought in China. The idea
fired him with enthusiasm. He wrote home, urging the
friends of China to take it up. Here, he said in effect, is
a language which is the speech of something like
one-third of all our species. Tens of thousands of
English boys and girls are educated to know dead
languages. Surely some may be found to learn this
living one, and hence be enabled to make known the
Christian faith to the many lands where Chinese is
spoken. The college was to be open to all Chinese
students of European literature, and European
students of Chinese. Our missionaries, as they came
out to the field, would learn in the college the
language in which they were to preach.
The proposal was warmly taken up. The London
Missionary Society gave the ground. The Governor of
Malacca and many residents subscribed. Morrison
himself gave £1000 out of his small property to
establish the college. The building was erected and
opened. Printing presses were set up, and students
were enrolled. Milne was the president; and while no
student was compelled to declare himself a Christian,

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or to attend Christian worship, it was hoped that the strong Christia

A settlement having now been established, under
British protection, and in the midst of those islands
which are inhabited by a large Malay and Chinese
population, reinforcements were sent out from
England. After a period in Malacca they were sent on
from there to various centers: Penang, Java,
Singapore, Amboyna, wherever they could find a
footing and establish relations with the people. In this
way many new stations sprang up in the Ultra-
Ganges Mission. A magazine was issued, entitled The
Gleaner, the object of which was to keep the various
stations in touch with one another, and disseminate
information as to progress in the different parts. The
various printing presses poured forth pamphlets,
tracts, catechisms, translations of Gospels, in Malay
or in Chinese. Schools were founded for the teaching
of the children : for the great obstacle to the free use
of the printing press was that so few of the people
comparatively could read. The missionaries had to be
many-sided, now preaching to the Malays, now to the
Chinese, now to the English population; now setting
up types, now teaching in the schools; now
evangelizing new districts and neighboring islands,
now gathering together their little congregations at
their own settlement. The reports do not greatly vary
from year to year. The work was hard, and seemingly
unproductive. The people listened, but often did not
respond. The converts were few.
Mary Morrison returned to China only to die in 1821;

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Mrs. Milne had died already. Morrison was 39. In 1822 William Mil

Scholarly work:
Rober Morrison's work on the "court dialect" of
Chinese indicated that the dialect was based on
Nanjing Mandarin rather than Beijing Mandarin. He
said "The pronunciation in this work, is rather what the
Chinese call the Nanking dialect, than the Peking", in
the book "A Dictionary of the Chinese Language: in
three parts: Volume 1", and proceeded to list the
differences between the two

Henry Marytn:

Marytn went as a missionary to India in 1806. In

seven years he completed the New Testament in
Urdu; had completed a thorough revision of the
Persian; and was deeply launched on the Arabic. He
died in Persia in 1813.

The results of missionary work were tremendous.

Although much damage was by colonialism, the
missionary work on the other hand brought many
cultural accomplishments. And they were able to give
people the Bible in their own language. And most
importantly many were to see the salvation of God in
their own lives. There were handicaps. The
identification of missionaries with Imperialist powers
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has led to much misunderstanding and hindrance to the gospel. S

Missionaries have often been accused of bringing

western habits and practices and destroying simple
peoples. Although mistakes have been made,
generally this is not true. From the start the
missionaries found themselves in butter opposition to
white traders and exploiters. By the end of the
century, mission work had brought much optimism.
John Mott charing the World Missionary Conference
in 1910 to coin the phrase:

"The Evangelism of the World in this Generation."

He pointed to the achievements of the century:

Except for two countries, missionaries had been able

to reach every country
The back pioneer work had been broken. Languages
had been learned and reduced to writing; all the main
living languages had a New Testament
Tropical medicine had solved the problem of disease
for the white man
Every religion had yielded some converts
No race had been found incapable of understanding
the gospel (even some were less ready to accept it
than others)
The missionaries now has the support of nationals
Young Churches were beginning to produce leaders
equal to the missionary himself in intellect and
spiritually
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The Churches were engaged as never before in missionary enterp

SAMUEL ADJAI CROWTHER:

Crowther became a teacher of the Church missionary

society, and was a pioneer of Yoruba services in
Freetown. He was one of the two CMS
representatives on the 1841 Niger expedition and
became convinced that the evangelization of inland
Africa must be carried out by Africans.

Samuel Adjai or Ajayi Crowther The African

missionary and bishop (1807 - 1891)

Crowther was born with the name Ajayi in Osogun, in

the Egba section of the Yoruba people, in what is now
western Nigeria. When about 13, he was taken as a
slave by Fulani and Yoruba Muslim raiders and sold
several times before being purchased by Portuguese
traders for the transatlantic market. His ship was
intercepted by the British navy’s anti-slave trade
patrol, and the slaves were liberated in Sierra Leone.
There he became a Christian, taking at baptism the
name of an eminent clergyman in England, Samuel
Crowther.

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Samuel was excelling at school, he became a mission teacher and

Ordained in London in 1843, he was appointed to the

new mission in his own Yoruba land. Among the first
converts were his long-lost mother and sister.
Crowther achieved much as an Evangelist, translator
and negotiator,he impressed many including queen
Victoria when he visited England. He led the new
Niger mission in 1857 and 1864 became the first
African-Anglican Bishop.

He studied at the CMS college in London preparatory

to ordination in 1843–a landmark for the Anglican
ministry. With Henry Townsend and C.A. Gollmer, he
then opened a new mission in Yorubaland, centered
in Abeokuta, by now the homeland of Crowther’s
Egba people. (He discovered some close relatives
there and was the means of conversion of his mother
and sister.) His role in producing the Yoruba bible,
which set new standards for later African translations,
was crucial. Crowther’s visit to Britain in 1851
influenced government, church, and public opinion
about Africa. The CMS secretary saw Crowther as a
potential demonstration of the feasibility of self-
governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating
African churches and in 1857 sent him to open a new
mission on the Niger. The entire staff was African,
mainly from Sierra Leone, and Venn moved toward an
Anglican version of the “three-self” formula by
securing Crowther’s appointment in 1864 as “Bishop
of the countries of Western Africa beyond the Queen’s
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dominions.” In the upper and middle Niger territories Crowther pion

In the 1880s clouds gathered over the Niger Mission.
Crowther was old, Venn dead. The morality or
efficiency of members of Crowther’s staff was
increasingly questioned by British missionaries.
Mission policy, racial attitudes, and evangelical
spirituality had taken new directions, and new sources
of European missionaries were now available. By
degrees, Crowther’s mission was dismantled: by
financial controls, by young Europeans taking over, by
dismissing, suspending, or transferring the African
staff. Crowther, desolated, died of a stroke. A
European bishop succeeded him.
Part of the Niger Mission retained its autonomy as the
Niger Delta Pastorate Church under Crowther’s son,
Archdeacon D.C. Crowther, and at least one of the
European missionaries, H.H. Dobinson, repented of
earlier hasty judgments. Everyone recognized
Crowther’s personal stature and godliness; his place
in the history of translation and evangelization has
often been undervalued.

MARTIN LUTHER KING:

Martin Luther King, the black Civil rights leader, was

born in Atlanta Georgia, in 1929. Both his father and
grandfather had been ministers of the Ebenezer
Baptist Church in Atlanta, where he too later served
as co-pastor with his father. King attended Morehouse
College, Crozer theological Seminary, and Boston
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university. In 1953 he married Corett Scott. In 1955, while King wa

Toyohiko Kagawa:

Toyohiko Kagawa (1888-1960) became well-known in

Japan as a Christian social reformer, evangelist and
author. The son of a wealthy businessman. He lost
both parents when he was only four. Kagawa was
baptised in his teens after he had come under the
influence of Presbyterian Seminary and Princeton,
U.SA. He started the more Church - related Kingdom
of God movement in an effort to combine the Church's
spiritual mission and his social movement. He
dedicated his life to the cause of the poor when his
life was spared during a serious illness.

Kagawa Toyohiko (1888-1960)

Japanese evangelist and social movement leader:
Toyohiko Kagawa Kagawa Toyohiko?, 10 July 1888
– 23 April 1960) was a Japanese Christian pacifist,
Christian reformer, and labour activist. Kagawa wrote,
spoke, and worked at length on ways to employ
Christian principles in the ordering of society and in

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cooperatives. His vocation to help the poor led him to live among t
Early Life: Kagawa was born in Kobe to Kame and
Junichi Kagawa. In lonely years following the death of
his parents at age four, Kagawa was born in Kobe to
Kame and Junichi Kagawa. In lonely years following
the death of his parents at age four, he met Harry W.
Myers and Charles A. Logan, missionaries of the
(Southern) Presbyterian Church, U.S. two American
missionary teachers, Drs. Harry W. Myers and
Charles A. Logan, who took him into their homes.,
and was baptized by Myers on February 14, 1904, at
the Tokushima church.
He pursued theological study at Meiji Gakuin in Tokyo
and Kobe Theological Seminary. During his student
days in Kobe he moved into the Shinkawa slum to
serve the physical and spiritual needs of some 7,500
people. Between August 1914 and May 1917 Kagawa
studied in the United States at Princeton Theological
Seminary and then became involved in labor and
peasants movements in Japan and in organizing
religious programs, with the Jesus Band of Kobe as
the base of his work.
Kagawa learned English from these missionaries and
converted to Christianity after taking a Bible class in
his youth, which led to his being disowned by his
remaining extended family. Kagawa studied at Tokyo
Presbyterian College, and later enrolled in Kobe
Theological Seminary. While studying there, Kagawa
was troubled by the seminarians' concern for

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technicalities of doctrine. He believed that Christianity in action wa

Activism:
In 1909 Kagawa moved into a Kobe slum with the
intention of acting as a missionary, social worker, and
sociologist. In 1914 he went to the United States to
study ways of combating the sources of poverty.[3] In
1916 he published Researches in the Psychology of
the Poor based on this experience in which he
recorded many aspects of slum society that were
previously unknown to middle-class Japanese.
Among these were the practices of illicit prostitution
(i.e., outside of Japan's legal prostitution regime),
informal marriages (which often overlapped with the
previous category), and the practice of accepting
money to care for children and then killing them.
Kagawa was arrested in Japan in 1921 and again in
1922 for his part in labour activism during strikes.
While in prison he wrote the novels Crossing the
Deathline and Shooting at the Sun. The former was a
semi-autobiographical depiction of his time among
Kobe's destitute. After his release, Kagawa helped
organize relief work in Tokyo following the 1923 Great
Kantō earthquake and assisted in bringing about
universal adult male suffrage in 1925.
He organized the Japanese Federation of Labour as
well as the National Anti-War League in 1928.
Throughout this period, he continued to evangelize to
Japan's poor, advocate women's suffrage and call for
a peaceful foreign policy. Between 1926 and 1934 he

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focused his evangelical work through the Kingdom of God Movem

In 1940, Kagawa made an apology to the Republic of
China for Japan's occupation of China, and was
arrested again for this act. After his release, he went
back to the United States in a futile attempt to prevent
war between that nation and Japan. He then returned
to Japan to continue his attempts to win women's
suffrage. After Japan's surrender, Kagawa was an
adviser to the transitional Japanese government.
During his life, Kagawa wrote over 150 books. He was
nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947
and 1948, and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1954 and
1955

Health and death:

In Osaka, March, 1955, Kagawa suffered collapse
from his deteriorating heart, and remained bedridden
for 2 weeks. He continued writing, preaching,
overseeing projects, and hosting guests, despite
concerns from his family and associates. Kagawa's
condition worsened throughout the years, and he was
hospitalized again, for 3 months in 1959, at Saint
Luke's Hospital in Takamatsu. Kagawa remained
bedridden at home for most of his time in Matsuzawa.
His health gradually improved in mid-April, then
worsened again. On April 23, Kagawa was
unconscious for 3 hours, then woke and smiled to his

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wife and others around him, his last words being "Please do your b
In 1921 Kagawa organized the Friends of Jesus. This
Franciscan-like band of young people strove for
spiritual discipline, compassion for the poor, and an
evangelical life of witness. When Tokyo suffered a
massive earthquake in 1923, he shifted the main
emphasis of his work to that city. He promoted
economic cooperatives in Japan and peace and
social reform programs before and after World War II.

Kagawa was a prolific writer. Most of his writings are

collected in the twenty-four volume Kagawa Toyohiko
Zenshu (The work of Kagawa Toyohiko) (1964). His
theological focus was on the redemptive love of God,
manifest in the life of Jesus Christ, to whom people
can commit themselves through a mystical
experience of faith and intellectual creativity. Kagawa
was known more as a Christian social reformer than
as a religious leader both in and out of Japan, but he
was fundamentally an evangelist throughout his life.

THE 19TH CENTURY:

Society in the 19th Century saw the Industrial
revolution. The people of Britain began to move from
the country to the towns. And into appalling working
and living conditions. It was a time of great pollution
explosion. There were 5 million in England at the time
of 1800. Malhus wrote of his fears of not being able to
feed such a large amount of people. By 1850 there
were 9 million people. At this time Romanticism

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began. People became interested not so much in the head but in f

RELIGION:
This brought people back to religion. The songs of this
day reflect this atmosphere such as "Abide with me".
This particularly helped the non-conformists: In 1800
5% of the churchgoers were non-conformists, but
in 1850 50% were. The Methodist was particularly
successful. There were many Para church
movements such as the YMCA. It was a condition to
use these services that you had to show that you
were born again. It was a great era of missionary
activity. The first 50 years were done by the
denominations, the last 50 years were done by
interdenominational organisations. On an ordinary
Sunday in 1851 a census found 41% of the population
of England was in church. This was the day when
England had the greatest influence on the world due
to missionary work.

ROMAN CATHOLICISM:
During the 17th and 18th centuries the Roman church
was increasingly feeble in the face of Catholic civil
government; and could not effectively fight
Protestantism except where it had been particularly
strong. Things were to change during the 19th
century. A number of significant things to occur during
this century.

Downie, stressed healing ministry. Downie had

remarkable success established Zion City, Illinois. A
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noted exponent of Divine Healing, his followers were among first P

There had been sporadic outbreaks of" speaking with
tongues" around the USA in the late 19th Century as
there had been throughout the Church in England in
1830s.

PENTECOSTALISM:
TOPEKAAAA, KANSAS October 1900. Rev Charles
Parham's Bethel Bible College. 40 students gathered
for its first and only year. " to discover the power
which would enable them to meet the challenge of the
new century". A faith school, converted a prayer
tower, invited all for an intensive training period to
equip them to go out and "make disciples".

Method of school students took a subject, researched,

prayer for Spirit's guidance and conviction, then spoke
as though seekers. Parham also lectured. December
1900- excelled on repentance, consecration,
conversion, sanctification, healing and "soon coming
of The Lord". Before leaving for Christmas Parham
was stuck at Acts 2. He sent students to study and
test "What the Bible evidence for the Baptism of the
Holy Ghost".

Three days later he returned - all had same story.

When the Spirit fell different things happened, but all
spoke in tongues. They sought, laid hands on Agnes
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Ozman and she was baptised in the Spirit. A dozen others were so

Parham preached on the baptism of the Spirit.

Crowds came to see and hear. Topeka papers ran the
story. However, though some people took the
message from her to other parts, the Topeka out
pouring was rather short lived. Parham went to
Houston Texas. It had begun, now his work in Texas,
remarkably successful, would lay foundation of later
outpouring in Los Angeles, which established
Pentecost was here to stay.

AZUSZ ST. LOS ANGELES:

William J. Symour –black holiness preacher in
Houston, Texas studying under Parham, was invited
to come to Los Angeles to hold meetings. He arrived
and spoke immediately on Acts 2. In April seven were
filled with the Spirit. He wasn’t baptised yet but
believed he did. The home were they met in Bonnie
Bray St couldn’t accommodate the crowds.
They moved to an ex- stable at Azusa Street.
Symour was an unlikely leader of major revivals,
humble, self –effacing.
Soon hundreds however, were drawn to Azusa Street
by the events. Healing, tongues. “No one knew what
could happen next”- the Spirit was in control.
On April 18, 1906, Los Angeles Times, carried news
of Azusa St. Pentecostal in same issue as the San
Francisco Earthquake was thus heralded around USA
AND ENTIRE GLOBE. AZUSA St launched its own
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magazine Apostolic Faith and the first issue carried news of reviva

Soon the messages were to be taken to Europe and

around the globe. In USA Azusa St converts spread
everywhere, establishing strong congregation but few
of these managed to come together in
organisation/centralisation. Initial movement at
organising churches failed in Carolina. Many diverse
groups, some excess. Pentecostalism had numbers
single “Father”- however, some major groups did
develop. Notably the American Assemblies of God
1914 formed at Hot Springs, Arkansas now the largest
Pentecostal denomination) and the church of God,
Cleveland Tennessee.
The term “Pentecostal” was first applied in Los
Angeles to describe the groups not associated with
Azusa St.

BRITISH PENTECOSTALISM:

T B BARRATT- English born Norwegian Methodist

Minister read 1st edition of Apostolic Faith about Azusa
St. went there to witness. On way back in New York
he received the baptism in the Spirit. Took message
back to Norway and Scandinavia.

Spiritual coldness- Coldness not energy or force in

itself, merely the absence of heat. Church leaders

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made a tragic mistake in supposing revivals are self-perpetuating

CONDITIONS THAT PRODUCED THE

PENTECOSTAL MOVEMENT
"If my people.............." 2 Chronicles 7:14

1. Repentance- plight of Church in 19th Century.

Many fasting, heart searching and repenting.

"Depth of every revival can be measured by the depth

of repentance".

2. Intercession- prayer was vital. A call to prayer

sounded at the end of the Century. "Fervent and
prolonged prayer is such a rarity that we may be sure
that God alone can produce it". Jeremiah 33:3- a
favourite text.

3. Searching Scriptures- back to Bible Conventions

began; ministers met together, Bible students turned
again to the word.

4. Expectation of the later rain- Bible conferences

stressed promise of outpouring of the Holy Spirit in
the last days called " the latter rain". Day of
Pentecost did not exhaust the fulfilment of Joel's
prophecy.

5. A subsequent Experience- concept of baptism of

Spirit increasingly seen as a subsequent to Salvation /
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repentance. Promise FOR ALL.

6. Emphasis on foreign missions- endowment of

power not an end in itself. A means for "the harvest".

Church awakening from isolation. Missionary zeal

swept Church at the end of 19th Century. (Symbol of
Livingstone's exploration).

7. Restoration of Super natural- Miracles, Signs and

Wonders. Some through centuries had dared to
believe it was the will of the Lord to heal the sick. Only
late in the 19th Century was Biblical view of Divine
Healing presented systematically. Men like A. J.
Gordon - Boston Baptist, Andrew Murray- South Africa
and John Alexander, their loud voices and likely
singing. They were often persecuted and attacked.

By this time Bourne and Clowes had retired, the

Primitive Methodist had 1, 278 chapels and 85,565
members. By the end of the century the membership
had reached 212,000. Reliable historians claim that
as did Wesley a century earlier, the Primitive
Methodists saved Britain from revolution in the 19th
Century, converting the ringleaders of anarchy and
violence in thousands of parishes.

SECOND US AWAKENING (1858)

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The second US awakening started with a missionary Jeremiah Lam

It was a prayer meeting revival, and not a Sunday
one, occurring in everyday business, college and
home life.

Edwin Orr after much study estimates that: “fully one

million were converted out of a population of less than
thirty million in the revival in two years period 1858-
1859”

The churches increased their numbers by that figure.

And the church was “reinvigorated by one million
nominal church members being revived”

ULSTER 1859
News of the American revival spread to Ulster, where
expectancy grew for a similar revival. The origin of the
Ulster revival, however, is generally felt to be a weekly
prayer meeting of four men which began in the same
month Lamphier began his. With the news of
American revival many prayer groups and meetings
started.

Most notably: Birmingham (10,000 converts in 9

weeks), Leeds (2,920), Glasgow (over 1,500) and
many more:
Gorge’s ministry ended sadly in division with Elim:
Both painful and costly. Neither party really escaped
intact. George lost the larger anointing of his

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evangelistic ministry; Elim lost its pioneer and most anointed serva
ASSEMBLIES OF GOD: Formed 1924 as a looser
association of churches. Pentecostals “Uniting for
sake and glory of God” Initials plans to unite with Elim
came to nothing Elim had centralised administration
Assemblies of God had Congregational, more
autonomous structure.
DONALD GEE: was great spokesman for Assemblies
of God. A writer of clarity and skill. He is not
celebrated Pentecostal author and commentator.

APOSTOLIC MOVEMENT: D.P and W.J Williams –

Emphasis on prophetic utterance (took it down….) A
more extreme and selective group with strong Welsh
Character. Based at Pen Y. Grois in Wales. Relatively
few churches still functioning.

SMITH WEGGLESWORTH:
Bradford. The Apostle of Faith. A blunt, rough,
ordinary man, baptised in Spirit AT Sunderland.
Tremendously live and popular. Great healing
ministry. Remained independent, moving from one
group to another to evangelise.
Essentially, Pentecostal Churches, born in vitality of
initial outpouring of Holy Spirit, were soon caught up
in the institutions of what they had started, Believers
became churches (necessarily), which became
denominations, administrations, owned land and
property, established setter and ordered churches and
soon, became in their own way as traditional as the
churches many of them left or were forced out of. This
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is a familiar pattern.

THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD; A

CONTEMPORARY SURVEY:
Matthew 10: 18-20 – Plan for the harvest. The
following Summary is based on information from C.
Peter WAGNER, Professor of Church Growth, Fuller
Theological Seminary. Wagner believes a great
harvest has already began. It will be like nothing the
Church as previously known.
1.       The “fruit that remains” is in the Church
2. Where most of the growth is taking place,
miraculous signs and wonders are taking place
Despite early growth of Pentecostalism, relatively
slow in the growth Church worldwide until Charismatic
outpouring in late 50’s and 60’s. Now an estimated
120 million Pentecostal/Charismatic believers in
world. 78,00 new Christians every day worldwide

EXEMPLARAY CASE STUDIES:

LATIN AMERICA; Beginning 20th Century – 50.000

evangelicals Project end 20th Century – 100million

Chile –Santiago; Church with 90,000 members. World

second largest Ordering pews by mile.

Argentina- Rev. Omar Cabrera- Santé Fe; Practices

breaking the power of Satan even geographical
areas. Thousands come to Christ.
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Nicaragua – 3.2% Evangelicals in population before

Civil War Risen to 12.9% by 1985. In a Marxist
Country

Guatemala- 1930- 1,000 evangelicals. 1980- Half

million (25% of population) First evangelical President
for one year.

AFRICA; Beginning of 20th Century- 3% evangelicals

Project end. 20th Cnetrury-50%

Ethiopia; 30, 00 to half a million- in Lutheran Church

growth. For many first experience of gospel
accompanied by signs and wonders

APOLOGISTS:
These were few of the men who wrote Church history:

1. JOSEPHUS:
he was a JEWISH Historian born in A.D 37 of a
priestly Jewish family. He was well-educated and
followed the Pharisaic form of Judaism. He did all his
writings in Rome a lot on the accounts of the Old
Testament collects which he managed to get from the
canon or sacred writhing in The Jerusalem Temple.

2. JUSTIN MATYR: - Gives a great insight on the

History of the Church, how the first century Church
conducted itself in the early days. He was a covert
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from paganism but became the most notable historians of the 2nd c

3. BEDE: - Born A.D 673-735 The most talented

historians of the middle ages, spent most of his entire
life in the monasteries of Wermouth and Jarrow in the
North of England. The development of Christianity in
Britain found its perfect Historians in BEBE who was
well known in the middle of the 9th century for his
holiness in life. He even translated the Bible into
English.

4. EUSEBIUS: - Wrote the History of the Church on a

grand scale. Born in Palestine (A.D 263-339) he was
on the run during the great persecution. He saw many
martyrdoms in Egypt and was himself imprisoned for
his faith. Though there were other Historians like
Hegesippus and Julius Africans before him, but only
fragments of their works remained.

5.John Foxe and Kenneth Latourrete- emerged in

the 18TH Century and some collections as well. In
1884-1968.
.

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