From Pentecost to Wittenburg...

Today was the orientation period for a new class called "Historical Theology," and I was more than intrigued. The class is taught by Nathan Busenitz, and is a survey of Christian history from Pentecost to the pre-Reformation period. What is so interesting to me is how so many people, including myself, claim to love history, love the church, but know little or absolutely nothing about what happened in the church for 1500 years. Oh, sure, I could spout on all day long about Luther, and Calvin, and Swingli. I could tell you about Edwards, and Whitfield, the Puritans, and Spurgeon, all the way up to today. My professor had a much better summary, but the point is this: Even if I had a thorough knowledge of Reformation history, I cannot claim to know much about church history. They are two very seperate things. While I confess that because of the printing press there is far more material available on the reformation period, it would be foolish of me to assume that a knowledge of the reformation can serve as any foundation for a thorough knowledge of church history. On the contrary, the Reformation was built on a thorough and accurate knowledge of church history. Men like Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli did not just come up with their ideas out of thin air, they developed what had been preserved by God through the age of the history of the church, and I don't think it's to bold to suggest that if we were to speak to these men, they would point us back to men they learned from, who I'm sure would point us back further to men they learned from, who I know would point us even further back to where they received their doctrine, and where does that lead us? Simple: To a seemingly insignificant Jewish carpenter who was in fact God in the flesh. His Words were the very essence and nature of Truth Itself, and what were they? (among other things...)

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My Word, and believes in Him who sent me has eternal life."

I believe there is great value in studying church history, and confess I am guilty of making the mistake of thinking that the church age started in Pentecost, and then jumped in a time machine for 1500 years, and popped out again in Germany. I look forward to studying my brothers and sisters before me who, like Luther and Calvin, understood the Words of Jesus that I shared with you above, and who, also like Luther and Calvin, have joined the cloud of witnesses that will praise His name forever.