Intro to Church History

IGNORANCE IS DOCTRINALLY DANGEROUS1

1 Dayton Hartman, Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 3.

IGNORANCE IS PROBLEMATIC FOR POLITY1

1 Dayton Hartman, Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 5.

Through this exploration I discovered that most Christians go through life with incredible historical bias and prejudice without realizing it. For instance, as an American, I assumed that democracy is a “Christian” thing and that churches have always practiced this form of government. I was wrong. I found that many, including my own tradition, had formerly practiced a much more biblical form of church government—elder-led congregationalism.1

1 Dayton Hartman, Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 5.

Moreover, as I began to examine the historical distinctions that led to the current state of my own tradition, I found out that Southern Baptists were not always deacon-led, democratic congregationalists who hate dancing and syncopated rhythms. Instead, ours is a tradition that emphasizes baptism by immersion, religious liberty, regenerate church membership, and biblical authority (among other distinctives). History led me to understand that I was not a Baptist by tradition, but by conviction. Tradition that lacks biblical conviction can only lead to error. Convictions informed by traditions protect against error.1

1 Dayton Hartman, Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 5–6.

Why Church History?

Church history equips pastors and churches to address social issues1

1 Dayton Hartman, Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 7.

we can emphasize that Christianity has always been an ethnically diverse family of faith. We actually have the only basis for genuine racial diversity: the gospel. Through Christ, the church is unified, but it is not uniform. Thus, church history does not narrate the struggles and successes of only one ethnicity or culture. Instead, we encounter people in various cultures in various places at various times: 4th- and 5th-century North African bishops, 12th-century French preachers, 16th-century German monks, 18th-century Anglo-American theologians, 20-century African-American and Latino social activists.1

1 Dayton Hartman, Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 7.

Church history supplies the tools and models necessary for healthy approaches to discipleship in the local church1

1 Dayton Hartman, Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 8.

Church history is useful for effectively proclaiming and preaching the gospel in cultures indifferent and even hostile to Christianity1

1 Dayton Hartman, Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 8.

Church history enables us to critically assess culture as we resolve to create culture1

1 Dayton Hartman, Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 8.

Throughout history, Christianity has been seen as subversive and threatening to emperors and empires. We profess citizenship in a heavenly kingdom, we see our churches as outposts of a that kingdom, and we declare allegiance to a heavenly King. Why, then, do we perpetuate Christian subcultures that repackage sanitized versions of what the prevailing culture of our day produces? Why do we not produce persuasive cultural products that reflect a kingdom culture? Is this what Christians have always done? Have we always preached a gospel that can redeem the world, but failed to produce redemption-reflecting culture that is good and worthwhile?1

1 Dayton Hartman, Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 8.

Church history serves as a road map from the present to the future1

1 Dayton Hartman, Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 9.

  ANCIENT TRUTH FOR NEW QUESTIONS

So many miss that Christian doctrine and practice have developed over time. This is not to say Christian doctrine was “invented” in stages. Rather, previous struggles and conflicts regarding doctrine and daily devotion have clarified ancient truths, refining and reforming our doctrine and practice today. Real world questions in a given period and place always shape Christian theology. The church must answer these new questions with ancient truths. Today, pastors and theologians are being asked to address questions on issues ranging from immigration and enculturation to transhumanism and the transgender community.1

1 Dayton Hartman, Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 9.