The Reformers and their Stepchildren

I'm rereading this book mentioned on the forum 10 years ago - My copy is 20 years old.

This is my 5-star review:

The Protestant churches & the musical world are celebrating 500 years of the Reformation.
Sadly "simple" believers who followed the teaching of Christ suffered from a new persecuting body as the Reformers were "adopted" by the civil authorities. Non-conformists, independents & those who rejected what amount to state baptism of infants, & who expected godly living of believers all suffered.
Verduin records their experience from all sides, & looks for a way forward for us.
Sixty years on we can see our own problems arising from church/state aggression against evangelical Bible believers. We need to stand our ground, more firmly than Luther, on Scripture & the Gospel, but without backing from the authorities.

 

These forum posts are from 10 years ago -

 

Basically the Reformers continued the Constantinian principle of church-state. Two swords, the church organising the religion & the state enforcing it. As in Muslim & Communist lands.

In England up to about 1835 couples could ONLY get married in the CofE - having been "baptised" in the CofE. You couldn't go to university or have a position in government unless you were a baptised, practising Anglican.

To baptise repentant sinners who had been baptised by the established church was a capital offense. Drowning was considered the appropriate sentence (make the punishment fit the crime) though burning was practised also.

And if you have a church-state link the whole community comprises a vast majority of unregenerate. The baptism service has these words:

"Seeing now. dearly beloved brethren, that this child is regenerate (born again) and grafted into the body of Christ's church, we give thanks to almighty God for these benefits...... "
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The ultimate irony concerns a godly woman who refused sex with a priest, & was therefore denounced as an Anabaptist & burned as a heretic.

John 19:12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, ‘If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.’

13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.

‘Here is your king,’ Pilate said to the Jews.

15 But they shouted, ‘Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!’

‘Shall I crucify your king?’ Pilate asked.

‘We have no king but Caesar,’ the chief priests answered.​

The vital New Covenant twin principles of accepting Jesus Christ as Lord & Saviour of Christians with a living & active faith, while living as loyal citizens of the state (Romans 13) was completely lost.

Acts 4:18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’​

John 18:33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’

34 ‘Is that your own idea,’ Jesus asked, ‘or did others talk to you about me?’

35 ‘Am I a Jew?’ Pilate replied. ‘Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?’

36 Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.’

37 ‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate.

Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’
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So they crucified Jesus, & persecuted his followers.

 

I have prepared a sermon based on information from this book. It's on-line here.

 

It's not just a problem from 500 years ago - it's going on it every country in the world & every religion - the state controls the religion & is opposed to conversion, & especially Gospel preaching & independent churches.

We should all be concerned in the "free countries" of the rise of the "religion" of secularism, political correctness, & sexual inclusivism.

Come on @TCassidy @robycop3 & @Yeshua1 & @agedman
You've argued against nearly everything I've posted - I challenge you to post constructively. @John of Japan what is the situation in Japan?

Has "The Trail of Blood" been discussed here recently?