42. Chapter 38: Serious Departures from Historic Protestantism

CHAPTER 38 Serious Departures from Historic Protestantism

You will recall that the Congre­gationalists departed from historic Protestantism in their system of church organization and govern­ment, and that the Baptists de­parted in their doctrine of adult baptism.

We come now to a study of other departures from the Christianity of the historic creeds. One of them, Socinianism, is a truly fatal error, for it denies the deity of Christ. Another, Quakerism, teaches that in addition to His revelation in His Word as recorded in the Bible, God still grants revelation today to in­dividual believers. And a third, Arminianism, while maintaining the doctrine of salvation by faith alone, stresses man’s will at the expense of God’s sovereignty.

1. Socinianism Denies the Trinity

Socinianism receives its name from two Italians, Laelius Socinus and his nephew, Faustus Socinus. Although outwardly they con­formed to the Catholic Church, they were nevertheless responsible for errors in doctrine which con­tradicted some of the basic truths held by that church.

Laelius gave up the study of law for that of theology. From 1550 to 1551 he lived in Wittenberg, where he enjoyed the friendship of Melanchthon. He traveled in France, Holland, and Poland, and spent the last ten years of his life in Zurich, Switzerland. The death of Servetus at the stake (ch. 27, sec. 7) caused Laelius Socinus to give serious thought to the doctrine of the Trinity. For his own satisfaction he wrote down his ideas on the subject. His ideas differed radically from the teach­ings of the historic church, and he did not publish his notes. It is probable that fear of a fate similar to that of Servetus kept him from doing so. The method which Laelius So­cinus used in making propaganda for his erroneous views was pe­culiar. He did not openly and frankly proclaim them, but tried to open the way for their accept­ance by undermining belief in true doctrine by means of clever ques­tions.

While the nephew, Faustus, was studying the Scriptures at Basel, in Switzerland, the unpublished manuscripts of his uncle came into his hands. They greatly influenced his thought. In 1579 Faustus So­cinus went to Poland and began to publish his unorthodox views on the Trinity. As a result he became involved in many controversies. In 1605, a year after the death of Faustus Socinus, there was pub­lished in the city of Rakow in Poland the Racovian Catechism. It was largely the work of Faustus Socinus, and set forth the basic teachings of Socinianism. Laelius and Faustus Socinus denied the deity of Christ. They taught that Christ is only a man, though He is the best man who ever lived. They also attacked the doctrine that Christ’s death on the cross was an atonement for man’s sins. They likewise denied the doctrine of total depravity (that man by na­ture is totally corrupt). The fol­lowers of Faustus Socinus in Po­land caused to be inscribed on his tomb: "Lofty Babylon (by this they meant the Catholic Church) lies prostrate. Luther destroyed its roofs, Calvin its wall, but Socinus its foundations." His writings were widely read, and had great influence in the Netherlands, England, and Amer­ica.

2. Socinianism Becomes Unitarian­ism In England during the eight­eenth century Socinianism came to be called Unitarianism.

Theophilus Lindsey, a Socinian clergyman in the Episcopal Church of England, circulated a petition that clergymen might be relieved from the obligation to subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles (ch. 30, sec. 5 and 7), and pledge their fidelity to the Bible only. You can readily understand the motive back of this petition. Socinian clergymen could not honestly subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles, for this docu­ment teaches the deity of Christ. But they could interpret the Bible to suit their purpose. The petition received some two hundred and fifty signatures. It was presented to Parliament in 1772, but Parlia­ment refused to receive it.

Lindsey then did the honest thing. He withdrew from the Epis­copal Church and in 1774 organ­ized a Unitarian Church in London. In 1779 the English Parliament did what it had refused to do in 1772. It amended the Toleration Act by accepting as satisfactory the profession of faith in the Scrip­tures instead of subscription to the Thirty-nine Articles. This set the door of the Established Anglican Church wide open for every kind of heresy. Later Parliament re­moved all penal acts against those who denied the Trinity.

English Unitarianism insisted on salvation by character rather than through the atoning blood of Christ, and claimed to reject "all creeds of human composition." But it had, of course, its own creed. That was unavoidable.

Unitarianism made heavy in­roads among the Presbyterians and the General Baptists. It was a blight upon their religious life, and their churches declined greatly. On the other hand the Congregation­alists and the Particular Baptists (ch. 37, sec. 10) were influenced only a little. Their numbers in­creased, and their churches flour­ished. At the time of the Toleration Act (ch. 35, sec. 4) the Presby­terians had been the most numer­ous of the non-conformist groups. Now the Congregationalists and Particular Baptists outnumbered them.

3. Arminius Denies Election and Other Historic Doctrines The Socinians and Unitarians, in denying the deity of Christ, placed themselves really outside the Church. The departure of the Arminians was of a different na­ture. They retained their belief in the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and salvation by faith in Christ’s aton­ing work on the cross.

Arminianism receives its name from a man named Arminius, who was born in Oudewater, the Neth­erlands, in 1560. When Jacobus Arminius was very young the Spaniards came and destroyed his native town, depriving him of par­ents and relatives. A number of kind-hearted Dutch people took him under their care and later had him educated at the University of Leyden, where he showed unusual ability. Because of his talent the burgomasters of Amsterdam sup­plied him with means for studying abroad. In Geneva he won the high esteem of Beza, the successor of Calvin in the Genevan church and university. He also studied in Italy.

Upon his return to his native country in 1588 he became pastor of the Reformed Church in Amster­dam. He was recognized as a very able and learned minister; his sermons were clear, eloquent, and well delivered, and they attracted large audiences. Gradually, how­ever, it was noticed that he no longer seemed to be in full agree­ment with Reformed doctrine. Nevertheless he was installed as professor of theology in the Uni­versity of Leyden. In his lectures his departure from historic Calvin­ism became more and more notice­able.

Pelagius, you will remember, had taught the essential goodness of man. Against him Augustine had defended the doctrine of man’s total depravity. Arminius held some ideas which remind us of Pe­lagius. He denied the total inability and depravity of man.

Arminius did not deny the doc­trine of election outright. But he taught that God had elected those who He had foreseen would believe. His teaching was a somewhat subtle and indirect denial of elec­tion. He made God’s election de­pend on the action of man. In that way, while seemingly holding to the doctrine of election, he actually denied and destroyed it. He also taught that Christ died for all men, and that it is possible to fall from grace. He denied that the work of the Spirit is irresistible. The young ministers whom Ar­minius had trained brought his teachings into the churches. Before long the whole country resounded with theological controversy. In 1609, in the midst of the uproar which he had caused, Arminius died.

4. The Synod of Dort Rejects Arminian Doctrines To settle the questions in dispute a synod was held in Dort from November 13, 1618, to May 9, 1619. The Synod of Dort was the great­est synod of Reformed Churches ever held. Present were delegates not only from the Reformed churches in the Netherlands, but also from the Reformed churches in England; in the Palatinate, Hesse, and Bremen in Germany; and in Switzerland. Delegates from France and from other parts of Germany had also been invited but were unable to attend. The Synod unanimously rejected and very positively condemned the teachings of the Arminians, and stated the true Reformed doctrine in the Canons of Dort. The form­ulation of the Canons of Dort is the high water mark in the creed making of the Reformed churches. The Belgic Confession, the Heid­elberg Catechism, and these Canons of Dort are to this day the creeds or doctrinal standards of the Re­formed churches in the Nether­lands and America.

5. Arminianism Lives On

There is still today a small group of Arminian (or Remonstrant, as they were also called) churches in the Netherlands, with a seminary in Amsterdam. However, Armin­ianism acquired a far greater in­fluence in England. It invaded the Anglican Church and nearly all the dissenting denominations. John Wesley adopted Arminianism, and it became the creed of the Wes­leyan Methodists. Today it has be­come the accepted doctrine in most of the churches in America.

DEPARTURES FROM HISTORIC PROTESTANTISM 339

THE SYNOD OF DORT, 1618
Bettmann Archive
Copper engraving by Visseher
This historic gathering of Reformed Church delegates was held in a large recreation hall in Dort.

6. George Fox, Founder of Quak­erism In England the seventeenth cen­tury was a time of unrest and change. This period produced some remarkable characters, one of whom was George Fox, the origi­nator of Quakerism.

Fox was the son of a weaver. He himself became a shoemaker. Practically the only book he knew anything about was the Bible. In the England of that day there was much religious insincerity and un­reality among church people. So it happened that at the age of nine­teen Fox was invited by a number of church members to a drinking party. Young Fox was downright distressed at their lack of integrity. They professed to be Christians, but they acted like worldlings. The soul of Fox thirsted for truth and sincerity in religion.

7. Fox’s Teachings

Fox was a deeply serious, re­ligious man. He believed in the Bible. But he also believed that the Bible remains a closed book unless the mind of man is illumined by the Holy Spirit. Fox called this illumination by the Spirit the In­ner Light. The first name of the people who accepted the teachings of Fox was "Children of Truth." But later they were called "Chil­dren of Light." They believed that something within them told them what is right and what is wrong. That something within them drew them away from the false to the true, from the low to the high, from the impure to the pure. They called it "Christ’s Light." Not only did it give illumination to mind and heart; it also gave life and power and joy. Therefore they called it the "Seed of God."

Fox had no use whatsoever for any of the existing churches, nor for their creeds or their theology. He did not believe in theological schools, in formal training for the ministry, or in engaging profes­sional ministers.

Because in the first days of en­thusiasm the followers of Fox trembled with emotion when they were assembled in their meeting-houses, especially when they prayed, their opponents nicknamed them Quakers. But they resent that name. They love the text in the Gospel of John: "I have called you friends," and by the name of Friends they wish to be known and addressed. Their organization is not called a church, but the Society of Friends. Their meeting-houses are ex­ceedingly plain. There is no pulpit. They do not sing. There are no musical instruments. They sit down and wait in silence for the Spirit to move them. If there is no moving by the Spirit within a certain length of time, they leave without a word having been spoken. But the Spirit may move one of the Friends present, be he man or woman, and He may move several. Then those so moved get up and give their message. Between mes­sages a considerable time of com­plete and sometimes painful silence may elapse. The Friends do not believe in oaths or war. They abhor slavery.

8. The Quakers Increase in Num­bers The followers of Fox increased rapidly in numbers, for there were many people in England who were disgusted with the lukewarm and worldly churches. In 1654 there were sixty Quakers. Four years later there were thirty thousand!

They were severely persecuted, but their numbers continued to grow. Possessed of an ardent mis­sionary zeal, they swarmed over Europe, Africa, and America, everywhere proclaiming the ideas of George Fox. They distinguish themselves by a peculiar mode of dress. You will recall seeing pic­tures of the Quaker dress which was common in the Quaker colony of Pennsylvania.

Today there are approximately twenty-two thousand Friends, or Quakers, in England, two thousand in Ireland, and one hundred fifteen thousand in America. Herbert Hoover, a former president of the United States, came from a Quaker family.