(1689)

While the Independents and the Dissenting Brethren of Westminster were effective in developing and spreading a new tolerant attitude toward other faith-groups with their new denominational theory, this view of the church found only limited acceptance in England, where the Church of England still retained a favored position, even after the Act of Toleration in 1689 recognized the rights of Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists and Quakers to worship freely.

[tags]Act-of-Toleration, Baptists, BlogRodent, church-history, Church-of-England, ChurchRodent, Congregationalists, Dissenting-Brethren, history, Presbyterians, Quakers, Westminster[/tags]

In 1608, John Smyth baptized himself in Amsterdam. He had been a fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, but as a Separatist fled from the harsh rule of James I's England. After his death one of his associates, Thomas Helwys, led back to England a group that had split from Smyth's former congregation. They formed the first General or Arminian Baptist congregation in England at Spitalfields, London, in 1612.

By 1638 at the latest there were also congregations holding a Calvinistic theology in London who practiced believers' baptism ("Particular Baptists"). These Baptists grew out of the first congregation of English Independents; although it is not know exactly when they adopted full Baptist views. A radical look at church principles, in the Puritan manner, led first to the understanding of the church as a gathered community, and then to a realization that only the baptism of believers fitted such a view.

Dismayed at the hundreds of divisions within Protestantism, in 1960, as chief executive officer of the United Presbyterian Church in USA, and later General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, he proposed that the Protestant Episcopal Church and Northern Presbyterians jointly invite the Methodists and the United Church of Christ to form a new Christian Church. This would have created a denomination of about 19 million members.

[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, Eugene-Carson-Blake, history, Presbyterians, Protestantism, World-Council-of-Churches[/tags]

The real architects of the denominational theory of the church were the seventeenth century Independents (Congregationalists) who represented the minority voice at the Westminster Assembly (1642-49). The majority at the Assembly held to Presbyterian principles and expressed these convictions classically in the Westminster Confession of Faith and in The Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms.

The Independents, however, who held to congregational principles, were keenly aware of the dangers of "dividing the godly Protestant party" in England so they looked for some way to express Christian unity even when Christians did not agree.

These Dissenting Brethren of Westminster articulated the denominational theory of the church in several fundamental truths: First, considering man's inability to always see the truth clearly, differences of opinion about the outward form of the church are inevitable. Second, even though these differences do not involve fundamentals of the faith, they are not matters of indifference.

(1599-1658)

Lord Protector of England (1642-1660?). England's Civil War occurred under his rule. As a colonel in the Parliamentary forces he proved to be a military genius. His regiment, known as Ironsides, was never defeated in part because Cromwell instilled in his men a sense of discipline and Christian mission. In time he became a leader of the New Model Army, a force of 21,000 men, who considered their role in English history a call from God. By the end of 1646 Cromwell's Army had forced Charles to surrender. But fierce resentment against Charles broke out in the Army and in 1648 war erupted anew. This time the Army defeated the allies of the king and the Presbyterians were purged from the House of Commons. In January 1649, Charles was executed in from of the royal palace of Whitehall in London.

[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, history, Oliver-Cromwell, Presbyterians[/tags]

Designating a church which upholds church government by presbyters, or elders. It is a form of church government which invests presbyters, or elders, with all spiritual power and admits no prelates over them. Under King Charles I, the Presbyterians held sway in England's Parliament. When Oliver Cromwell became the Lord Protector after Charles' execution he purged Parliament of Presbyterian control.

[tags]BlogRodent, Charles-I, church-history, ChurchRodent, history, Oliver-Cromwell, Presbyterians[/tags]

Calvin's leadership in Geneva shaped a third reformation tradition. Today we call it Reformed or Calvinistic Christianity. It includes all Presbyterians, Dutch and German Reformed Churches, and many Baptists and Congregationalists.

[tags]Baptists, BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, Congregationalists, history, Presbyterians, Reformed-Christianity[/tags]

When King Charles I tried to force his high church brand of Anglican religion upon the Presbyterian Scots they rose in opposition and joined in a "National League of the Covenant". To defend their Church they dared to take up arms against their king. To put an army in the field, Charles was forced to convene Parliament. But once parliament assembled, conflicting loyalties led to a "Royalist Party" and a "Parliamentary Party". The Parliamentarians, clearly a majority, were agreed on the broad Puritan principles but were divided over the form of the church. On the one hand were Presbyterians; on the other were Independents (or Congregationalists). United in their hatred of Archbishop Laud, the Parliamentarians succeeded in bringing him to trial and seeing him beheaded.

When Charles tried to punish the leaders of this opposition, civil war erupted. The Royalist members of Parliament left London to join the forces