Church and Religion in America

2. Church and Religion in America A Study of History and the Bible

3. Introduction • Foundation for Church in the Old Testament • The Early Church in the New Testament • The Heresies in the Early Church • The Creeds of the Early Church • The Roman Catholic Church • The Eastern Orthodox Churches • Other Christian Traditions in the World • The Churches of the Reformation and Pre-Reformation • Lutheranism and Lutherans • The Radical Reformation • Calvinism, Presbyterians, and Baptists • Anglicanism, Episcopalians • Arminianism, Methodism

4. The Religious Landscape in America • Judaism in America • Jehovah’s Witnesses • Mormonism • Spiritism • The Theosophical Society • Christian Science • Buddhism • The Baha’i Faith • Unitarian Universalism • Scientology • The Unification Church • New Age • Eastern Religions • Islam The Worldwide Church of God • Seventh Day Adventism • Swedenborgianism • Rosincrucianism • Demonolatry and Paganism • Kabbalahism • Astrology

5. Introduction • Greek – kuriakon - “that which belongs to the Lord.” • German – kirche • Anglo-Saxon – circe • Middle English – chirche • Modern English – church

6. The Foundation for Church in the Old Testament • ק ה ל (qahal) – meeting or gathering • ע ד ה (edhah) – meeting, gathering, or congregation apart from its meeting

8. Deuteronomy 4.10 Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.”

9. Deuteronomy 9.10 The LORD gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. On them were all the commandments the LORD proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.

10. Deuteronomy 10.4 The LORD wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me.

11. Deuteronomy 18.16 For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”

12. ק ה ל • Ekklesia- those who are called out • Sunagwgh– those who gather together

13. The Early Church in the New Testament • An assembly of persons for a particular purpose. • 1 Corinthians 11.18 - In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. • 1 Corinthians 14.4-5 - He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.

14. The Early Church in the New Testament • A community of believers which has been gathered from the inhabitants of a particular area or cultural group. • Acts 8.1 - On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. • Galatians 1.1-2 - Paul, an apostle - sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead - and all the brothers with me, to the churches in Galatia: • Romans 16.4 - They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

15. The Early Church in the New Testament • A community gathered by God through Christ. • Acts 20.28 - Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. • 1 Corinthians 1.2 - To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - their Lord and ours:

16. The Early Church in the New Testament • The people of God in the New Age. • Hebrews 12.22-24 - But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

17. The Early Church in the New Testament • The Saints and related terms • The Saints or Holy Ones (agioi) is a term related to the Holy Spirit (PneumaAgion). • 1 Corinthians 1.2 - To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours... • 2 Corinthians 1.1 - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia.

18. The Early Church in the New Testament • The Sanctified Ones (agiasmoi) or The Received Ones (hgiasmenoi) are those who receive the Holy Spirit and are reborn in baptism. • Hebrews 2.11 - Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

19. The Early Church in the New Testament • The Elect (eklektoi) or The Chosen (eklegesqai) is an identification of the Church with Jesus Christ, who is God’s Elect One or Chosen One. • Ephesians 1.4 - For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight... • James 2.5 - Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

20. The Early Church in the New Testament • The Justified (dikaioumenoi) or The Righteous (dikaioi) connects the Church with the results of God’s action in Jesus Christ. • Hebrews 11.4 - For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit...

21. The Early Church in the New Testament • The Believers and related terms • Disciples (maqhtai) and Followers (akolouqentes) are those who constitute the Church. • Matthew 28.19 - Therefore go and make disciples of all nations...

22. The Early Church in the New Testament • Christians (Cristianoi) are those who are identified as believers. • Acts 11.26 - The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. • Believers (pisteuomenoi) are those who respond to the message of Christ by the Church. • Acts 2.44 - All the believers were together and had everything in common.

23. The Early Church in the New Testament • The Slaves (douloi) and the Servants identifies the Church with the basic duties of following Jesus Christ. • 2 Corinthians 4.5 - For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. • Galatians 5:13 - You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

24. The Early Church in the New Testament • The People (laoi) of God is a term that connects the Church with the Old Testament people and covenant.

25. The Early Church in the New Testament • The Kingdom and the Temple are terms that recall the Old Testament relationship between God and His people. • Revelation 1.5-6 - To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

26. The Early Church in the New Testament • 1 Peter 2.9 - But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

27. The Early Church in the New Testament • The Household (oikos) and the Family or Children (uioi) of God or the Bride (numfh) of Christ suggests the intimacy of relationships between God and members of the Church who become brothers and sisters (adelfoi).

28. The Early Church in the New Testament • The New Exodus or the New Ark is an identification of the Church with the primary Old Testament act of God’s salvation. There is also an understanding of the Church as the New Exiles.

29. The Early Church in the New Testament • The Vineyard (ampelwn), The Flock (poimnion), and other agricultural analogies depict the Church’s dependence on God for all things, and the need to be productive.

30. The Early Church in the New Testament • The One Body in Christ stresses both the Unity of the Church and the leadership of Christ that creates a communion of life (koinonia). Being the body of Christ, the Church participates in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

31. The Early Church in the New Testament • The New Humanity/Creation connects the Church not only with the New Adam (Jesus Christ), but looks forward to the Second Coming. • 1 Corinthians 15.45 - It is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

32. Acts 2.42-47 42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

33. Organization • Apostles • Deacons • Elders • Acts 1.15-26 • Acts 12.2 • Galatians 1.1, 17 • Acts 21.18