Posts

Showing posts with the label church history

The Way of the Towel: Greatness, Redefined by Jesus

-
Image
by Bart Denny Central text: John 13:12–17 (NIV) Over the years, in church settings, I’ve done a lot of dishes. I’ve raked a lot of leaves. I’ve painted plenty of church walls. I’ve plunged more than a few clogged toilets. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. But if I’m honest, at this age, with this many years in church, there’s a part of me that wants to say, “I’ve done my time.” I don’t usually say it out loud. I dress it up. I call it wisdom. Focus. Stewarding my time well. But the feeling sneaks up on me. It shows up when another need pops up. When the same few people carry the same load. When I feel tired. It shows up when I think, “Shouldn’t somebody else take a turn now?” And I’ll confess something else: I don’t mind serving. I just want to choose the terms. And if I’m not careful, I start thinking and acting like the low places belong to somebody else. Now let me be even more honest: I don’t struggle with getting my hands dirty. I struggle to keep my ego in check....
Post a Comment
Read more

Did the Early Church Fathers Believe in a Pretribulational Rapture?

-
Image
by Bart L. Denny, Ph.D., Th.M. I wrote this article years ago, and while I still see value in some of the arguments presented, my view has become more settled with time. Let me say it plainly: No, the early church fathers did not believe in a pretribulation rapture —at least not in the way John Nelson Darby and modern dispensationalists since the 1800s have taught it. They didn’t believe in it for one very good reason: the Bible didn’t teach it that way , and they were far closer—both chronologically and culturally—to the apostles than we are. But what did they believe? Let’s explore. Reading the Fathers with a Clear Eye Some scholars and popular writers have tried to find early traces of the pretribulation rapture among the church fathers. The argument often goes like this: If these early Christians believed in the imminent return of Christ and held to a millennial reign, then maybe—just maybe—they also believed in a secret rapture of the church before a Great Tribulation. Sounds in...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Baptist Bride? An Analysis of “Old Landmarkism”

-
This paper will show that “Old Landmarkism," or "Baptist Bride" theology, is an extreme variant of Baptist ecclesiology that is historically untenable and far out of line with traditional Baptist ecclesiology. Further, Landmarkism is also far removed from the New Testament practices Landmarkism purports to champion. This paper will briefly examine the historical roots of the Landmark Controversy and its influence on Baptist groups and denominations, particularly in the southern United States. The author will paper will examine the tenets of Landmark ecclesiology—including “Baptist succession” (or “Baptist perpetuity”), the marks of a “true” church, Baptist separation, and the Lord’s Supper. In all cases, this paper will show Landmark views of Baptist separation, succession, and the ordinances of the church—while emerging from valid concerns—are taken to an unbiblical extreme. A Brief History of the Old Landmark Movement It is beyond the scope of this paper to trace the c...
Post a Comment
Read more