Why can't we learn from present-day Quakers? Hmm...
Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary?
- Josh
- Posts: 24202
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:23 pm
- Location: 1000' ASL
- Affiliation: The church of God
Re: Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary?
I'm not sure how you can say this is "growing", considering it used to be standard belief as recently as 50 years ago. The idea that one's religion should not influence the public sphere at all is a relatively recent one.
2 x
Re: Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary?
Churches around me that I would have considered small "o" orthodox ten years ago.
0 x
- Josh
- Posts: 24202
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:23 pm
- Location: 1000' ASL
- Affiliation: The church of God
Re: Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary?
This has been a orthodox belief for most of Christianity’s history, plus most of the Protestant era.
0 x
-
- Posts: 5317
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2016 6:59 am
- Location: Medina OH
- Affiliation: non-denominational
Re: Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary?
It seems it was God's design. I don't think He wants ministers of the sword to be motivated by satan.
0 x
- Josh
- Posts: 24202
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:23 pm
- Location: 1000' ASL
- Affiliation: The church of God
Re: Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary?
If secular rule and law isn’t dictated by God’s church…
… who is it dictated by?
0 x
-
- Posts: 16245
- Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2019 12:02 am
- Location: Washington State
- Affiliation: former MCUSA
Re: Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary?
The Constitution, and by extension "we the people" ?
0 x
A fool can throw out more questions than a wise man can answer. -RZehr
- Josh
- Posts: 24202
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:23 pm
- Location: 1000' ASL
- Affiliation: The church of God
Re: Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary?
Except the Constitution and "we the people" is actually not the right source to find out right and wrong. I mean, the Constitution says that slaves were 3/5s of a person and explictly allowed slavery.
That's not a source of morality nor what I want guiding me to the common good. The only source of truth and guiding light for mankind is God, the Bible, and the words of Jesus. The church may speak into many spheres, including the public sphere, to explain right, wrong, good, and evil.
1 x
-
- Posts: 781
- Joined: Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:32 pm
- Location: Krefeld, Germany
- Affiliation: none
Re: Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary?
"Puritan" has mostly been used for the political side (or arm) of the reformed Churches. The typical instance being the Puritan movement around Cromwell.
As an opposition, Puritanism has meant a holy (civil) war against the "sinful" government.
When in government, Puritans are occupied with definig "sins" and organizing social crusades for to erase those "sins". Typical instances were abolition in the 19th century, prohibition in the early 20th century. Nowadays we have a complex crusade against a complex group of "sins": sexism, racism, fascism, nationalism, (domestic) terrorism etc (sins are mostly designed by words with -ism).
The common denominator: Puritans see themselves as the army of God who fights against an opposing army (which is by their logic the army against God).
I always quip that Americans are so infected that they have to have an outbreak of the Puritan disease every thirty years.
-
Nevertheless,I see that "reformed" has become so wishy-washy that people who would have been content to call themselves "strictly reformed" will now call themselves "puritans", without referring to politics.
As an opposition, Puritanism has meant a holy (civil) war against the "sinful" government.
When in government, Puritans are occupied with definig "sins" and organizing social crusades for to erase those "sins". Typical instances were abolition in the 19th century, prohibition in the early 20th century. Nowadays we have a complex crusade against a complex group of "sins": sexism, racism, fascism, nationalism, (domestic) terrorism etc (sins are mostly designed by words with -ism).
The common denominator: Puritans see themselves as the army of God who fights against an opposing army (which is by their logic the army against God).
I always quip that Americans are so infected that they have to have an outbreak of the Puritan disease every thirty years.
-
Nevertheless,I see that "reformed" has become so wishy-washy that people who would have been content to call themselves "strictly reformed" will now call themselves "puritans", without referring to politics.
1 x
- Josh
- Posts: 24202
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:23 pm
- Location: 1000' ASL
- Affiliation: The church of God
Re: Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary?
"Puritan" originally was people who wanted to "purify" the Anglican church. They eventually migrated to America and formed what is now mostly Unitarian-Universalist and United Church of Christ - Congregationalist churches.
I would agree with Petr that I see them continuing the original work, that is, trying to reform society apart from the saving power of the gospel.
I would agree with Petr that I see them continuing the original work, that is, trying to reform society apart from the saving power of the gospel.
This is exactly what was started in Massachusetts and it hasn't really ever stopped.Nowadays we have a complex crusade against a complex group of "sins": sexism, racism, fascism, nationalism, (domestic) terrorism etc (sins are mostly designed by words with -ism).
1 x