Posts Tagged ‘church history’
Wolf Creek Church of Christ
by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 4, December 31, 1990 From the Belmont Bible Banner. Paul Caldwell, editor, November 19, 1974, we reprint the following: “‘For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called’ (I Corinthians 1:26). Based on…
Read MoreReligion in Germany
by Hans H. Waetjen via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 2, June 30, 1990 Floyd asked me some time ago to write an article on the state of religion in Germany. With all the latest political developments in East Germany, this information may be even more relevant now. So, I will try to describe today’s religion…
Read MoreBe an Example
by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 2, June 30, 1989 A mature man who had been preaching full-time for only a couple of years once told me that he picked five men to study before he began such work. He examined the work and lives of these five men to pattern himself…
Read MoreThe Church of Christ Is Not a Denomination, But It Became One Again and Again!
by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 31, 1989 There are certain axiomatic truths (that is, statements so certainly correct that none will deny them) concerning the church of our Lord. One is that the “Church of Christ is not a denomination.” Even the most jaded among the liberals will admit…
Read MoreSongs of the Saints: Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell
by Wayne S. Walker Anyone who has studied and is familiar with the history of the call for religious reformation and restoration in the early 1800s of this nation will certainly recognize these two names. Barton Warren Stone was born on December 24, 1772, near Port Tobacco in Charles County, Maryland. The preaching of James…
Read MoreA Second Century Look at the Covering
by Jeffery Kingry via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 30, 1988 Quintus Septimus Florens Tertullian was born about A.D. 150-155 in Carthage, modern-day Tunisia. His father was a Roman Centurion in a North African unit of the Roman Empire. Young Tertullian was raised and educated in Carthage, a city of culture and education…
Read MoreDivision in the Restoration Movement
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol. 5, No. 1, January-March, 2025 As a reminder, when we talk about the Restoration Movement, we refer to the religious movement that began around the start of the nineteenth century in the United States and endeavored to restore the doctrines and practices of the first-century church as described…
Read MoreMarshall Keeble
by Hugh Fulford Marshall Keeble (1878-1968) Marshall Keeble was a famous African-American evangelist among churches of Christ who began preaching in 1897 and spent the entirety of his life in evangelistic meetings all across America. He preached in most of the major cities of the U. S. –north, south, east, and west — as well…
Read MoreThe Restoration Movement
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol 4. No. 4, October-December 2024 Earlier in this series, we discussed the Reformation Movement. This movement set out to reform the Roman Catholic Church to correct the errors and abuses that had developed over the centuries. While the reformers’ intentions may have been good, the unintended result of their…
Read MoreEarly House of Worship
Source: “Christians didn’t worship in houses? New study drops bombshell on religious archaeology,” StudyFinds.org, 30 August 2024. Early Christians “may have been more intentional in creating distinct sacred spaces than previously thought.” “One of the most striking findings was the removal of key features that defined Durene houses, such as the building’s cistern and food…
Read MoreBaptism in History
by Ed Harrell via Christianity Magazine, December 1984 My reading of the New Testament makes very clear the meaning and intent of baptism — it was a “burial” that put one “into Christ” and resulted in the “remission of sins” (Romans 6:3–4; Acts 2:38). Of course, we should always be willing to examine our reading…
Read MoreChurch and State: Civil Enforcement of Religion
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Church-and-State-Civil-Enforcement-of-Religion.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 110 I. By merging the church and state, the state received a “weapon” to promote loyalty int its citizens A. But the church also began using the state as a “weapon” to enforce its teachings B. Psalms 110 is a prophecy about Christ conquering the nations. I’m sure the Catholic…
Read MoreJefferson D. Tant – J. C. McQuiddy Exchange
by Terry Gardner comments by Jefferson David Tant III Tant was barred from the Gospel Advocate starting in 1909 for some ten years. In Tant’s biography, this is attributed to the fact that the Advocate became more “literary” with the addition of men like R. H. Boll to the staff. … The story goes that…
Read MoreThe Rise of Denominationalism
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol. 4, No. 3, July-September 2024 In the previous article, we discussed the Reformation Movement, which came when the Roman Catholic Church was a religiously and politically dominating force. Over the centuries, it became increasingly corrupt until Martin Luther challenged some of the errors and abuses of the prevailing system.…
Read MoreThe Reformation Movement
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol. 4, No. 2, April-June 2024 In terms of general “church” history, it is difficult to overstate the importance of the Reformation Movement. As we have already studied, the Roman Catholic Church dominated the world – religiously and politically. As “Christianity” became the official religion of the Roman Empire,…
Read MoreThe Development of Papal Power
By Andy Sochor Unmasking Sophistry, October-December, 2023, Vol. 3, No. 4 The pope is arguably the most influential religious figure in the world today. Yet there was a time when the one who occupied this office was even more powerful than the current pope. He would not only be the highest-ranking member of the Roman…
Read MoreChoirs and Solos
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Choirs-and-Solos.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 13:12-16 I. Satan never stops in his relentless pursuit of God’s people to lead them astray – I Peter 5:8-9 A. In the past, we talked about the introduction of musical instruments into the worship. 1. We showed from scripture that the practice was not authorized by God 2. We showed…
Read MoreA Look at Church History
by Andy Sochor Early Persecution The Beginning of Apostasy The Council of Nicea The Reformation and the Restoration: A Tale of Two Movements The Reformation Movement The Rise of Denominationalism The Restoration Movement The Same Movement, Yet We Are Different Division in the Restoration Movement
Read MoreThe Council of Nicea
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol. 3, No. 2 The first ecumenical council, that occurred in Nicea, was in 325 AD. It was a gathering of church leaders from across the Roman Empire who came together to discuss certain controversial issues and come to a consensus on the church’s “official” position on these matters. Before…
Read MoreThe Other Side of Church History
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/01/The-Other-Side-of-Church-History.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: I Timothy 4:1-3 I. When we study the history of the church since its beginnings, we tend to follow the paths of the major divisions. A. Thus we see the rise of Catholicism as innovation after innovation is accepted, the splits over those innovations which led to the…
Read MoreEarly Christians Speak Concerning Assembling
by Ron Halbrook The early saints speak to us in both word and deed regarding their assemblies. Their narrative is rich with lessons for us today if only we have hearts to hear. Let us review and reflect upon the record of their meetings in the book of Acts in the first century, and a…
Read MoreLarimore and Tant
by F. Yater Tant Gospel Guardian, September 22, 1955 In the 1890s the beloved T. B. Larimore held a six-month meeting at Sherman, Texas, and baptized something like 250 people. His prestige there and his influence were almost comparable to Paul’s in Galatia at the time the Galatians “would have plucked out their eyes” and…
Read MoreEarly Persecution
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, October-December 2022 As the apostles were commissioned to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19), this would include preparing these disciples to face persecution for the cause of Christ. Jesus warned about this in His Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you,…
Read MoreThe Beginning of Apostasy
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, January-March 2023 As we noticed in “Early Persecution,” the early Christians openly faced severe persecution for the cause of Christ. While many abandoned their faith in order to avoid these persecutions, there were others who remained faithful even to the point of death. Because of this, the enemies of…
Read MoreWhat differentiates your beliefs from the heresy of Pelagianism?
Question: What differentiates your beliefs from the heresy of Pelagianism? Answer: I’m a bit curious why you would think that someone who lived some 1700 years ago has any impact on a group of Christians who focus on teaching the Bible. We follow the Bible and not the teachings of men. I’m also curious if…
Read MoreThe History of the La Vista Church of Christ
The La Vista Church of Christ was established in September of 1971. There were two families living in the area and they met for a time in the home of Ken and Rita Hirshey and their children. The other family was Wally and Nellie Bates and their children. Ken worked in a government position and Wally…
Read MoreThe Church of Christ in 1771
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton In a book titled, “A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia” by Robert Baylor Semple, published in 1810 is a copy of this journal entry: “Wednesday Morning — Met and proceeded as follows: The church of Christ on Black Water, in Bedford, having sent neither letter…
Read MoreI Have Fought a Good Fight
by J. D. Tant (1861-1941) Sixty years have come and gone. I hope and pray that long after I cross the great divide, hundreds will read my sermons, be taught the way of life, and take up their cross and follow Jesus. I am leaving this bit of history that others may know that life…
Read MoreThe Rise of Catholicism
by Julius C. Nwankwo Unmasking Sophistry, vol. 1, no. 2, July-September 2021 The history of God’s people in the Old Testament is a history of faithfulness, apostasy, and restoration. This is also true of the church. Next to a study of the Bible, church history is the most valuable study for a Christian. In this…
Read MoreThe Reformation and the Restoration: A Tale of Two Movements
by Andy Sochor The New Testament repeatedly warns about drifting; in particular, drifting away from the faith. This can be done either individually or collectively. The Hebrew writer warned the Christians to whom he wrote that they “must pay much closer attention to what [they had] heard, so that [they would] not drift away from…
Read MoreImmersion, Pouring, and Sprinkling: A History
by Bruce Edwards, Jr. Truth Magazine XIX:27 (May 15, 1975), pp. 422-424 This writer can remember witnessing at the age of five the “baptism” of his infant cousin; the denominational “pastor” sprinkled drops of water upon his forehead. I wondered at the significance of that action then, but now, with an increased understanding of the…
Read MoreThe Legacy of Campbell’s Error
by Steve Dewhirst Sentry Magazine, December 2000 Alexander Campbell Alexander Campbell (1788-1866) was a remarkable man, but he was just a man, subject to error even as the rest. for all of his great learning, teaching, and writing over many years, he was profoundly wrong in his understanding of one vital aspect of the New…
Read MoreThe History of the Institutional Controversy
by Jefferson David Tant Those who have a general knowledge of churches of Christ today are aware of the fact that a division took place during the last half of the 20th Century. This division took place over doctrinal issues concerning the organization, work, and mission of the Lord’s church. In many respects, this division…
Read MoreA Friendly Letter on Benevolence
by Irven Lee (1914-1991) April 1, 1958 A good friend that I have known and appreciated a long time sent a letter of inquiry which prompted this answer. Since so many are wondering about the same problems, I am making a few copies of the letter [that I wrote in response] with the hope…
Read MoreThe Charismatic Movement
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/CharismaticMovement.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: I Corinthians 14:6-12 I. As we continue our tracing of how various denominations came to be, A. We examined how the Pietiest influenced the beliefs of John Wesley and the Methodist societies that he established. 1. In particular was an emphasis on the need for a personal experience to…
Read MoreThe Holiness Movement
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/The-Holiness-Movement.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: I Thessalonians 5:16-28 I. Pietism took off during the 1600’s with Philipp Jakob Spener (1635-1705) A. Eventually a denomination form that was referred to as the Moravian church B. From here we skip ahead to the early 1700’s II. John Wesley (1703-1791) A. He was raised in the Church of England…
Read MorePietism
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Pietism.mp3 by Jeff Hamilton Download Audio Text: II Corinthians 11:1-4 I. In the late 1300s lived a man named John Wycliffe in Oxford, England, where he taught in Balliol College. A. He was a theologian and a lay preacher, strongly advocating evangelism. B. This man found many things wrong with Roman Catholicism 1. The Bible was the supreme…
Read MoreWhere Did They All Come From?
Where Did They All Come From? – Part 1Where Did They All Come From? – Part 2Where Did They All Come From? – Part 3Where Did They All Come From? – Part 4 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 4:1-11 I. Christ founded but one church – Matthew 16:18 A. It belongs solely to him. It…
Read MoreChristians in First Century Corinth
by Hugh DeLong We live (lived, past tense, as our world is quickly changing), in a time when Christianity (the basic principles) is the majority belief. The concept of one god is accepted. Such was not true back in the first century. The pagan world was full of gods. Such were woven into the very fabric of the lives…
Read MoreThe Church in Crisis
by Edward O. Bragwell, Sr. I have a sermon titled “Crises in the Jerusalem Church” that I preach from time to time. It is based on notes that I took on a sermon I heard brother Clinton Hamilton preach many years ago. It points to several crises faced by the first congregation of Christians ever.…
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