Podcasts about socinianism

This is the third lesson in Dr. Lane G. Tipton's Reformed Academy course, Calvinism: The Plan of Salvation. This lesson covers the following topics: 0:00 Who Saves? (Naturalism vs. Supernaturalism) 2:58 Pelagianism 6:58 Socinianism 8:49 Classical Liberalism 11:35 How does God Save? (Sacerdotalism) 19:17 Protestantism Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress, download supplemental materials, and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to twenty-four additional five-hour video courses in covenant theology, apologetics, biblical studies, church history, and more: https://reformedforum.org/courses/calvinism-the-plan-of-salvation/ Your donations enable us to provide free Reformed resources for students like you all across the world: https://reformedforum.org/donate/  #Calvinism #salvation #reformedtheology

The three humans Doctrine of the Lord 35. vi. By successive steps the Lord put off the human taken from the mother, and put on a Human from the Divine within Him, which is the Divine Human, and is the Son of God. That in the Lord were the Divine and the human, the Divine from Jehovah the Father, and the human from the virgin Mary, is known. Hence He was God and Man, having a Divine essence and a human nature; a Divine essence from the Father, and a human nature from the mother; and therefore was equal to the Father as to the Divine, and less than the Father as to the human. It is also known that this human nature from the mother was not transmuted into the Divine essence, nor commingled with it, for this is taught in the Doctrine of Faith which is called the Athanasian Creed. For a human nature cannot be transmuted into the Divine essence, nor can it be commingled therewith. [2] In accordance with the same creed is also our doctrine, that the Divine assumed the Human, that is, united itself to it, as a soul to its body, so that they were not two, but one Person. From this it follows that the Lord put off the human from the mother, which in itself was like that of another man, and thus material, and put on a Human from the Father, which in itself was like His Divine, and thus substantial, so that the Human too became Divine. This is why in the Word of the Prophets the Lord even as to the Human is called Jehovah, and God; and in the Word of the Evangelists, Lord, God, Messiah or Christ, and the Son of God in whom we must believe, and by whom we are to be saved.   The human from the Father is NOT the son of Mary True Christian Religion 94. In the Christian churches of the present day it is customary to call the Lord our Savior the son of Mary, and rarely the Son of God, except when a Son of God born from eternity is meant. This is because the Roman Catholics have made Mary the mother more holy than all others, and have exalted her as a goddess or queen over all their saints. When, however, the Lord glorified His Human He put off everything belonging to His mother, and put on everything belonging to His Father. This shall be fully shown in subsequent pages of this work. From this saying, so common with all, that the Lord is the son of Mary, many enormities have flowed into the church; especially with those who have not taken into consideration what is said of the Lord in the Word; as that the Father and He are one, that He is in the Father and the Father in Him, that all things of the Father are His, that He called Jehovah His Father, and that Jehovah the Father called Him His Son. These enormities that have flowed into the church as a result of His being called the son of Mary, and not the Son of God, are, that the idea of Divinity in respect to the Lord perishes, and with it all that is said of Him in the Word as the Son of God; also that through this, Judaism, Arianism, Socinianism, Calvinism, as it was at its beginning, gain entrance, and at length Naturalism, and with it the insane notion that He was the son of Mary by Joseph, and that His soul was from the mother; and therefore that He is not the Son of God, although He is so called. Let everyone, whether clergyman or layman, question himself whether he has conceived and cherishes any other idea of the Lord as the son of Mary than that He was merely man. Because even in the third century, when Arianism arose, such an idea had begun to prevail among Christians, the Nicene Council, for the purpose of maintaining the Divinity of the Lord, fabricated a Son of God born from eternity. By this fiction the Human of the Lord was then exalted, and with many is still exalted, to Divinity; but it is not so exalted with those who by the hypostatic union understand a union like that between two beings, one of whom is superior and the other inferior. Yet what else results from this than the destruction of the entire Christian church,

I mention Aphrahat the Persian Sage, the Apostle Paul, Constantine the Great, King Sharpur II, Yazdegerd I, Nestorius of Constantinople, Bishop Mar Mari Immanuel, Mohammad, Genghis Kahn, Tamerlane, Aristotle, Plato, the Ming Dynasty, Doubting Thomas, Patrick Bets-David, Jacob Faturechi (  @faturechi  ), James McGrath, the Mandaeans, Mar Awa III, Bishop Barron, Robert Shlimon, Andrew Tate, Jake Brancatella the Muslim Metaphysician (  @TheMuslimMetaphysician  ), Daniel Haqiqatjou,  @ReasonandTheology  , Trent Horn, Elon Musk, Michael Servetus, John Calvin, Marian Hillar, Fausto Sozzini, Lelio Sozzini, Socinianism, John Locke, Benedict Spinoza, Pierre Bayle, Voltaire, David Hume, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Justinian, Theodosius the Great, Khalil Andani, Shabir Ally, Robert Spencer, Paul Vanderklay (  @PaulVanderKlay  ), Tim Keller, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, (  @triggerpod  ), Tom Holland, Louis Perry, (  @maidenmothermatriarch  ), Aphrahat the Persian Sage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mH3BDSMIbg PBD (  @PBDPodcast  ) religious roundtable - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzjoHtYN05k Jake on Transfigured - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11wxT_FYRbs Jake on Mar Mari - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHH-tP-RmXc&t=127s Tim Keller on secularism - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n7BDf9KK-s&t=328s Ayaan Hirsi Ali - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4VJofC_PFA&t=443s

Back in Phoenix in our regular studio, so we looked briefly at the racist Rutgers professor and -white folks,- then we spent about twenty minutes responding to more of Muhammed Hijab's opening statement against the Trinity, and then listened to a few minutes of the -Coffee House Sessions- webcast on the modern state of Reformed Baptist and Robert Briggs' accusation that biblicism is neo-Socinianism and that this is the reason for the division amongst real, confessional Reformed Baptists and those who just -pretend.- Sad days for the RB movement, to be sure.

Back in Phoenix in our regular studio, so we looked briefly at the racist Rutgers professor and "white folks," then we spent about twenty minutes responding to more of Muhammed Hijab's opening statement against the Trinity, and then listened to a few minutes of the "Coffee House Sessions" webcast on the modern state of Reformed Baptist and Robert Briggs' accusation that biblicism is neo-Socinianism and that this is the reason for the division amongst real, confessional Reformed Baptists and those who just "pretend." Sad days for the RB movement, to be sure.

Back in Phoenix in our regular studio, so we looked briefly at the racist Rutgers professor and -white folks,- then we spent about twenty minutes responding to more of Muhammed Hijab's opening statement against the Trinity, and then listened to a few minutes of the -Coffee House Sessions- webcast on the modern state of Reformed Baptist and Robert Briggs' accusation that biblicism is neo-Socinianism and that this is the reason for the division amongst real, confessional Reformed Baptists and those who just -pretend.- Sad days for the RB movement, to be sure.

In this episode the guys have Steve Meister and Robert Briggs in the Coffee House, the two Pastors of Immanuel Baptist Church in Sacramento. They discuss the modern Reformed Baptist scene, the problems that we face with sectarianism and other issues, and how we ought to move forward as Baptists confessing the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith.Support the Show.Contact Broken Wharfe Tweet us @Brokenwharfe Find us on Facebook at BrokenWharfe Follow us on Instagram at BrokenWharfe Email us at info@brokenwharfe.com Thanks for listening!

This continuation of our series on Trinitarian heresies addresses the history and theology of the Socinians.

Join Dr. Renihan and I as we discuss the Particular Baptist response to the 17th c. heretic, Thomas Collier, through the means of a young but gifted Nehemiah Coxe.

In this episode we discuss our new book: Vindiciae Veritatis, with Dr Jim Renihan. He answers some questions concerning Socinianism, Thomas Collier's heresies and Nehemiah Coxe's crucial role in their refutation throughout this book. Tune in to find out more!To view 'Vindiciae Veritatis' in the Bookshop, click HEREContact Broken Wharfe Tweet us @Brokenwharfe Find us on Facebook at BrokenWharfe Follow us on Instagram at BrokenWharfe Email us at info@brokenwharfe.com Thanks for listening!

This part of our Christology series addresses the  ideas of Socinius and other Rationist Christological systems.

Is it the foundational commitment of biblical unitarians that Scripture must be inoffensive to human reason?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.

Started off looking closely at Jude 3-5, then moved on to listen to a section of an interview with Carl Trueman, and then brought it all together to respond to the topic of people destroying their credibility by talking about Socinianism.

Started off looking closely at Jude 3-5, then moved on to listen to a section of an interview with Carl Trueman, and then brought it all together to respond to the topic of people destroying their credibility by talking about Socinianism.

A new MP3 sermon from Alpha and Omega Ministries is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: On Emotionalism, the Accusation of Socinianism, Further Clarifications on Exegesis an Subtitle: The Dividing Line 2022 Speaker: Dr. James White Broadcaster: Alpha and Omega Ministries Event: Podcast Date: 5/26/2022 Length: 61 min.

We had to move the program around a bit today, and I ended up having to do it from home, so my apologies for needing to deal with -providential hindrances.- Started off extending our sincere condolences to Doug Wilson, his family and everyone associated with Christ Church in the passing of his dear father last evening, Jim Wilson. Here is a nice tribute. Then we talked a bit about wisdom and emotionalism, and the decay of the West. Then I responded to an accusation on the Puritanboard that I am becoming a Socinian -seriously--, and finished up with some more clarifications from Tuesday's program -which, I predict, will be ignored by many-. Kept her to an hour today-

We had to move the program around a bit today, and I ended up having to do it from home, so my apologies for needing to deal with -providential hindrances.- Started off extending our sincere condolences to Doug Wilson, his family and everyone associated with Christ Church in the passing of his dear father last evening, Jim Wilson. Here is a nice tribute. Then we talked a bit about wisdom and emotionalism, and the decay of the West. Then I responded to an accusation on the Puritanboard that I am becoming a Socinian -seriously--, and finished up with some more clarifications from Tuesday's program -which, I predict, will be ignored by many-. Kept her to an hour today-

How long can the Christian Faith survive in recognizable form in a Church context where the work of theology is held in suspicion and the priority of divine authorship of Holy Scripture plays little to no role in biblical interpretation? Is there not a true sense in which the frontlines of the Church's spiritual warfare today is in the library? The heart of the challenge facing the church in the UK may be approached by one or the other side of the current state of affairs. On one side is a challenge to Christian theology. There is among self-professed evangelicals in the UK (and of course in many other countries in the West) a palpable suspicion of serious theological study and thinking. The roots of this suspicion are predictably complex, but the fact that serious theological study was for a long time linked with university contexts where higher critical and atheistic rejections of orthodoxy prevailed and matters of Christian piety were ignored, does certainly account for a lot of the rather curious absence of theology in British churches and in the work of ministers--even in how ministry is understood. Theology is assumed by many to be at odds with warm piety, evangelism and mission, and biblical Christianity, and so it is held in suspicion. On the other side is the challenge to orthodox biblical hermeneutics posed by a thoroughgoing biblicism which is quite unbiblical. Again the critical work of the universities is a factor here as critical rejection of the Bible as inspired Holy Scripture provoked evangelical reactions that prioritized, ironically, the very human authorship and intention which lead those higher critics to reject orthodox theology. Alongside this phenomena, and related to it, is a transformation of the rules of Christian reading of Scripture including a very narrow and modernist set of criteria by which we are supposed to evaluate the legitimacy of typological, figural, or allegorical and spiritual senses of biblical texts. Lost in that transformation, and that new way of understanding what qualifies as biblical, is the very reading of Scripture that yielded the key tenets of orthodox Christianity including the Trinity, the person and work of Jesus Christ, the nature of the Gospel, and more. For this reason--among many others--the trajectory of anti-intellectualism and naive modernism in British evangelical circles warrants the greatest possible concern about the prospects for a recognizable Christian faith in this former bulwark of orthodoxy. Socinianism, Marcionism, and other classic heresies seem to be crouching at the door--if not halfway through it already. How might we think about the nature of, and background to, this urgent state of affairs where Christian faith and gospel seem empty of any theological concern or content and we have a Bible that is treated much as a book but not as Holy Scripture? To discuss this and more Greystone President and Fellow in Scripture and Theology, Dr. Mark A. Garcia, is joined with Greystone Fellows, Dr. Garry Williams and Dr. Robert Letham. Dr. Robert Letham is Greystone Fellow in Theology and History and professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Union School of Theology. Dr. Garry Williams is Greystone Fellow in Theology and History and director of the Pastor's Academy in London. Drs. Garcia, Letham, and Williams have extensive experience teaching and writing theology in the UK, and are therefore keenly aware of the challenges facing the church in that context.

We look at the ancient heresy of socinianism and its modern counterpart, open theology. Plus, Frank Farrell, hero and why hardships are hard.

Podcast audio version of episode 002 of the Theopologetics live YouTube stream, available for on-demand viewing at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiUFuaVu0S4.

Carl Trueman joins us to speak about Socinianism, a non-Trinitarian system of doctrine that arose out of the Radical Reformation and developed in Poland during the 16th and 17th centuries. It was named for the Italian uncle/nephew tandem of Lelio and Fausto Sozzini (Latin: Socinus). While the label is not commonly used in our current historical context, Socinianism developed into contemporary Unitarianism. The Socinian system of doctrine is summarized in The Racovian Catechism. Dr. Carl Trueman is professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania and the author of numerous books, including The Creedal Imperative. Along with Aimee Byrd and Todd Pruitt, he is a contributor to the Mortification of Spin podcast. https://vimeo.com/372640828

Carl Trueman joins us to speak about Socinianism, a non-Trinitarian system of doctrine that arose out of the Radical Reformation and developed in Poland during the 16th and 17th centuries. It was named for the Italian uncle/nephew tandem of Lelio and Fausto Sozzini (Latin: Socinus). While the label is not commonly used in our current […]

Light From the Past Season 8, Episode 15 for Tuesday, May 21, 2019 In this episode, Dewayne discusses a relatively recent heresy that has connections to the early church as well as the present day. We want to hear from you! Email: mail@thelightnetwork.tv Voicemail: 903-26-LIGHT (903-265-4448) Subscription Links

Survey of Historical Heresies - Socinianism

At all costs, Weishaupt wished to keep the existence of the order secret from the Rosicrucians, who already had a considerable foothold in German Freemasonry. While clearly Protestant, the Rosicrucians were anything but anticlerical, were pro-monarchic, and held views clearly conflicting with the Illuminati vision of a rationalist state run by philosophers and scientists. The Rosicrucians were not above promoting their own brand of mysticism with fraudulent seances. A conflict became inevitable as the existence of the Illuminati became more evident, and as prominent Rosicrucians, and mystics with Rosicrucian sympathies, were actively recruited by Knigge and other over-enthusiastic helpers. Kolowrat was already a high ranking Rosicrucian, and the mystic Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel had a very low opinion of the rationalist higher grades of the Illuminati.[20] The Prussian Rosicrucians, under Johann Christoph von Wöllner, began a sustained attack on the Illuminati. Wöllner had a specially engineered room in which he convinced potential patrons of the effectiveness of Rosicrucian "magic", and his order had acquired effective control of the "Three Globes" and its attached lodges. Through this mouthpiece, the Illuminati were accused of atheism and revolutionary tendencies. In April 1783 Frederick the Great informed Charles of Hesse that the Berlin lodges had documents belonging to the Minervals or Illuminati which contained appalling material, and asked if he had heard of them. All Berlin masons were now warned against the order, which was now accused of Socinianism, and of using the liberal writings of Voltaire and others, alongside the tolerance of Freemasonry, to undermine all religion. In November 1783 the Three Globes described the Illuminati as a masonic sect which sought to undermine Christianity and turn Freemasonry into a political system. Their final anathema, in November 1784, refused to recognise any Illuminati as Freemasons.[20] In Austria, the Illuminati were blamed for anti-religious pamphlets that had recently appeared. The Rosicrucians spied on Joseph von Sonnenfels and other suspected Illuminati, and their campaign of denunciation within Freemasonry completely shut down Illuminati recruitment in Tyrol.[20] The Bavarian Illuminati, whose existence was already known to the Rosicrucians from an informant, were further betrayed by the reckless actions of Ferdinand Maria Baader, an Areopagite who now joined the Rosicrucians. Shortly after his admission it was made known to his superiors that he was one of the Illuminati, and he was informed that he could not be a member of both organisations. His letter of resignation stated that the Rosicrucians did not possess secret knowledge, and ignored the truly Illuminated, specifically identifying Lodge Theodore as an Illuminati Lodge.[20]

John Edwards (1637-1726) was an Anglican Calvinist and would-be defender of Christian orthodoxy. Seemingly at the last minute, he tacked on to his Some Thoughts Concerning the Several Causes and Occasions of Atheism (1695) a critique of Locke's Reasonableness. Guns blazing, he charged Locke (among other things) with promoting "Socinianism" (aka "Racovian" theology, i.e. the type of unitarian theology famously expounded by the Polish Brethren, aka the Minor Reformed Church of Poland in the 17th c.), with despising the epistles of the New Testament, and so promoting biblical ignorance, perhaps, speculated Edwards, in service to Roman Catholicism! After a somewhat unsatisfying reply by Locke, Edwards followed with Socinianism Unmask'd (1696), in which he objects that if Locke is right, every Muslim is automatically a Christian - which, of course, is absurd. In this episode, we hear from Edwards's books, and I point out some shortcomings of Edwards's arguments. He can't seem to stop himself from arguing ad hominem - against the man, criticizing Locke's character - rather than sticking to the topic of dispute. And Edwards assumes that because Locke doesn't mention all the things Edwards would put into a summary of Christian belief, then Locke either denies or simply doesn't value them. In truth, probably Locke did deny some, and consider others as speculations, while believing others as firmly as Edwards. But what's important is that Edwards is missing the point. Of course, Locke agrees that Christians must believe whatever is divinely revealed (and he's far more concerned than Edwards about Christian disputes about the contents of revelation).But Locke is not listing what Christians should believe, but rather, what one must believe (or as I suggested in episode 53, must confess) in order to join the club. This latter list should be a lot shorter than the former list, lest there be a high barrier to entry into God's kingdom; it would be unwise for God to want to save many, and then to require beliefs which only a few are capable of. This is one of Locke's main points (and he thinks God has acted exceedingly wisely), but Edwards doesn't grapple with it. You can also listen to this episode (and all others) on youtube (scroll down), stitcher, or itunes (please rate us there).  If you would like to upload audio feedback for possible inclusion in a future episode of this podcast, put the audio file here. Next week, in episode 55, we'll hear some of Locke's A Second Vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity, & etc., where Locke calls out some shortcomings of Edwards's case, and makes some important points the ethics of belief, and about disagreements between informed, sincere, humble, and biblically literate Christians. We'll also discuss some shortcomings of Locke's responses. Links for this episode: John Locke: The Reasonableness of Christianity as Delivered in the Scriptures. A reprint edition, which also includes reprints of two follow-up books in which Locke defends himself. Includes helpful introduction by philosopher Victor Nuovo. John Locke: Vindications of the Reasonableness of Christianity. The definitive scholarly edition of the two follow-up books, edited with extensive notes by Victor Nuovo. Extracts of numerous writings relevant to Locke’s book and the ensuing controversy. John Locke and Christianity: Contemporary Responses to The Reasonableness of Christianity, ed. Victor Nuovo. Includes partial versions of Edwards's Some Thoughts Concerning the Several Causes and Occasions of Atheism and his Socinianism Unmaks'd - quoted in this episode. podcast episode 52 – John Locke’s The Reasonableness of Christianity, Part 1 podcast episode 53 – John Locke’s The Reasonableness of Christianity, Part 2

Unitarian Dave Barron joins me to share his thoughts in response to Trinitarian Dr. Chris Tilling’s thesis, which Chris and I discussed back in episode 111. Then, Chris comes on again to respond to Dave. A thought provoking, super-sized episode! Music … Continue reading →

My good friend Michael Burgos, author of Kiss the Son and editor of the JTSA, volumes one and two, joins me to discuss the important and profound “I am” statements of Jesus. Music Barbados Gospelfest Mass Choir, He Is the … Continue reading →

Dr. Chris Tilling joins me to discuss the deity of Christ and his book, Paul’s Divine Christology, as the first of what I hope will be a few episodes intended to help my friend Dr. Phil Fernandes prepare for his November … Continue reading →

• Survey of Historical Heresies - Socinianism by Phil Johnson

Debate topic: “The deity of Christ is taught in the following texts or families of texts: John 12:41 (cf. Isa. 6 and 53), 1 Cor. 8:5-6, Heb. 1, Col. 1:15-17, and the “I am” statements of Jesus (John 8:24/58, 13:19, … Continue reading →

Debate topic: “The deity of Christ is taught in the following texts or families of texts: John 12:41 (cf. Isa. 6 and 53), 1 Cor. 8:5-6, Heb. 1, Col. 1:15-17, and the “I am” statements of Jesus (John 8:24/58, 13:19, … Continue reading →

What is Socinianism? What were some of the early false beliefs about the Trinity?

Michael Burgos from Grassroots Apologetics joins me to discuss his recent debate on my show with Oneness Pentecostal, James Anderson. This episode contains the second half of the discussion; see episode 41, “The Aftermath,” for the first half. Music Cameo, … Continue reading →

Michael Burgos from Grassroots Apologetics joins me to discuss his recent debate on my show with Oneness Pentecostal, James Anderson. This episode contains the first half of the discussion; see episode 42, “Post Mortem,” for the second half. Music The … Continue reading →

Debate topic: “The Son personally preexisted the incarnation with the Father.” Michael Burgos from Grassroots Apologetics affirms that statement, whereas Oneness Pentecostal James Anderson from Evidential Faith rejects it. This episode is part 2 of their debate, including cross-examination and … Continue reading →

Debate topic: “The Son personally preexisted the incarnation with the Father.” Michael Burgos from Grassroots Apologetics affirms that statement, whereas Oneness Pentecostal James Anderson from Evidential Faith rejects it. This episode is part 1 of their debate, including their opening … Continue reading →

In a number of places, the Bible uses variations of the phrase, “Call on the name of the Lord,” and its use in reference to Jesus Christ proves that He is God. Music Coffey Anderson, Call On The Name from … Continue reading →

This episode of CS is titled Results.Now that we've taken a look at some of the movements and luminaries of the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment, it's time for a review of the results and their impact on The Church.Once we embark in the next Era of Church History, we'll find ourselves in the weeds of so many movements we're going to have to back up and take it in an even more summary form than we have. Turns out, the warning Roman Catholics sounded when Protestants split off turned out to be true. They warned if Luther and other Reformers left the Mother Church, they'd commence a fragmenting that would never end. They foretold that anyone with their own idea of the way things ought to be would run off to start their own group, that would become another church, then a movement of churches and eventually a denomination. The hundreds of denominations and tens of thousands of independent churches today are testimony to that fragmenting.The problem for us here with CS is this – There's no way we can chronicle all the many directions the Church went in that fragmenting. We'll need to stand back to only mark the broad strokes.Though the Enlightenment heavyweight John Locke was an active advocate of religious tolerance, he made it clear tolerance didn't apply to Catholics. The fear in England of a Catholic-Jacobite conspiracy, valid it turned out, moved Locke and the Anglican clergy to be wary of granting Catholics the full spectrum of civil rights. On the contrary, the English were at one point so paranoid of Rome's attempt to seize the throne, a 1699 statute made the saying of a Latin mass a crime.Many Roman Church apologists were talented writers and challenged Anglican teachings. In 1665, Bishop Tillotson answered John Sergeant's treatise titled Sure Footing in Christianity, or Rational Discourses on the Rule of Faith. Sergeant worried some Protestants might convert to Catholicism for political reasons. His anxiety grew in 1685 when the Roman Catholic Duke of York, James II, became king. King James's Declaration of Indulgences removed restrictions blocking Catholics from serving in the government.The arrival of William III and the Glorious Revolution ended James' efforts to return England to the Catholic fold. He was allowed to leave England for France at the end of 1688. Then in 1714, with the Peace of Utrecht ending the War of the Spanish Succession, France's King Louis XIV, promised he'd no longer back the Stuart claim to England's throne.During the 18th C, Catholics in England were a minority. At the dawn of the century, there were only two convents in England, with a whopping 25 nuns. By 1770, the number of Catholics still only numbered some 80,000. They lacked civil and political rights and were considered social outsiders. The Marriage Act of 1753 disallowed any wedding not conducted according to the Anglican rite, excepting Quakers and Jews.This is not to say all English Protestants were intolerant of Roman Catholics. Some of the upper classes appreciated varied aspects of Roman culture. They owned art produced by Catholic artists and thought making the continental Grand Tour a vital part of proper education. One of the chief stops on that Tour was, of course, Rome.Still, anti-Catholic feelings on the part of the common people were seen in the Gordon Riots of 1780. When the 1699 statute banning the Mass was removed, a mob burned down Catholic homes and churches. Catholics didn't receive full civil liberty until the Emancipation Act of 1829.While Anglicans, Baptists, and Catholics sniped at each other, they all agreed Deism represented a serious threat to the Christian Faith. England proved to be Deism's most fertile soil.In 1645, Lord Herbert of Cherbury, Father of English Deism, proposed five articles as the basis of his rationalist religion.1) God exists;2) We are obliged to revere God;3) Worship consists of a practical morality;4) We should repent of sin;5) A future divine judgment awaits all people based on how they've lived.Charles Blount published several works that furthered the Deist cause in England. John Toland's Christianity not Mysterious in 1696 opened the floodgates of Deistic literature. Contemporaries of John Locke viewed his The Reasonableness of Christianity as preparing the way for Toland's explicitly Deist work. Locke tried to blunt the accusation by saying while Toland was a friend, his ideas were his own and had no connection to his own.The first half of the 18th C saw an onslaught of literature from Deists that seemed to batter Anglicans into a corner and make the Gospel seem insipid. So much so that in 1722 Daniel Defoe complained that “no age, since the founding and forming the Christian Church was ever like, in openly avowed atheism, blasphemies, and heresies, to the age we now live in.” When Montesquieu visited England in 1729 he wrote “There is no religion, and the subject if mentioned, excites nothing but laughter.” The Baron certainly over-stated the case since other evidence indicates religious discussion was far from rare. But in his circle of contacts, the place theological discussion had once played was now greatly diminished.Eventually, in response to this wave of Deist literature, Christian apologists embarked on a campaign to address a number of -isms that had risen to silence the Faith. They dealt with Deism, Atheism, a resurgent Arianism, Socinianism, and Unitarianism. Their task was complicated by the fact many of their Deist opponents claimed to be proponents of the “true” teachings of the Christian faith.Richard Bentley observed that the claims of Deists attacked the very heart of the Christian faith. He summarized Deist ideas like this – “They say that the soul is material, Christianity a cheat, Scripture a falsehood, hell a fable, heaven a dream, our life without providence, and our death without hope, such are the items of the glorious gospel of these Deist evangelists.”A number of Deists argued that God, Who they referred to as the Architect of the Universe, does not providentially involve Himself in His creation. Rather, He established fixed laws to govern the way the world runs. Since the laws are fixed, no biblical miracles could have taken place. So, the Bible is filled with errors and nonsense, a premise deists like Anthony Collins claimed was confirmed by critics like Spinoza. Prophetic pointers to a Messiah in the Old Testament could not have been fulfilled by Christ since prophecy would violate the fixed law of time.Deists maintained that salvation is NOT an issue of believing the Gospel. Rather, God requires all peoples to follow rationally construed moral laws regarding what's right and wrong. Since a measure of reason is given to everyone, God is fair, they contended, in holding everyone accountable to the same rational, moral standards.The astute listener may note that that sounds close to what some scientists advocate today. We hear much about the growing number of once atheist scientists coming to a faith in God. That report is true, but we need to qualify the “god” many of them are coming to faith in. It's a god of the small ‘g', not a capital “G” as in the God of the Bible. The god of many recent scientist converts is more akin to the Watchmaker deity of the Deists than the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and The Apostle Paul.Deists believed what they called “natural religion” underlying all religion. We learn of this religion, not from the special revelation of Scripture. We learn it from, as Immanuel Kant would say “the starry heavens above, and the moral law within.”Christian apologists unleashed scores of books in an anti-deist counterattack. One of the most effective was Jacques Abbadie's Treatise on the Truth of the Christian Religion. Published in 1684, it was one of the earliest and most widely circulated apologetics for the truthfulness of the Christian faith based on “facts.” Abbadie was a Protestant pastor in London. He countered Deist arguments against the resurrection and alleged discrepancies in Scripture. The points he made remain some of the most potent apologetics today. He pointed out the public nature of Christ's appearances after the resurrection. The change in the disciples' attitudes, from trembling in fear to confidence in the truthfulness and power of The Gospel as evidenced by their preaching and willingness to die for the Faith. In the 18th C, Abbadie's work was found in the libraries of more French nobles than the best-selling works of Bossuet or Pascal.You may remember a couple of episodes back, our brief coverage of the work of the skeptic David Hume. Hume attacked the concept of “cause and effect,” claiming it was only an unsubstantiated presupposition allowing for it that made cause and effect a rule. Hume's criticism turned those who bought his ideas into inveterate critics unable to come to conclusions about anything. John Wesley described Hume as “the most insolent despiser of truth and virtue that ever appeared in the world, an avowed enemy to God and man, and to all that is sacred and valuable upon earth.”The Scottish philosopher Thomas Reid developed an erudite response to Hume's skepticism. In his An Essay on Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense, published in 1764, Reid critiqued Hume's theory: “The theory of ideas, like the Trojan horse, had a specious appearance both of innocence and beauty; but if those philosophers had known, that it carried in its belly death and destruction to all science and common sense, they would not have broken down their walls to give it admittance.” Hume's principles, Reid showed, led to absurd conclusions.While Skepticism and Deism gained many adherents early on, and Christianity struggled for a while as it adjusted to the new challenge, it eventually produced a plethora of responses that regained a good measure of the intellectual ground. This period can be said to be the breeding ground for today's apologetic culture and the core of its philosophical stream.In 1790, Edmund Burke rejoiced that Christian apologists had largely won out over the Deists.At the dawning of the 18th C, the Scottish clans with their rough and tumble culture and the warlike tradition continued to reign over a good part of the Scottish Highlands, which accounts for about a third of the total area. In contrast, the capital of Edinburgh was a small city of no more than 35,000 crowded into dirty tenements, stacked one above another.By the Act of Union of 1707, Scotland and England became one. The Scottish Parliament was dissolved and merged with the English. Scots were given 45 members in the House of Commons. But tension remained between north and south.In the Patronage Act of 1712, the English Crown claimed the right to choose Scottish pastors; an apparent end-run by the Anglican Church of England around the rights of Presbyterian Scotland. Seceder Presbyterians refused to honor the pastors appointed by England. They started their own independent churches.Then, in 1742 the Cambuslang Revival swept Scotland. For four months, the church in Cambuslang, a few miles from Glasgow, witnessed large numbers of people attending prayer meetings and showing great fervency in their devotion to God. In June, George Whitefield visited and preached several times. In August, meetings saw as many as 40,000. The pastor of the church wrote, “People sat unwearied till two in the morning to hear sermons, disregarding the weather. You could scarcely walk a yard, but you must tread upon some, either rejoicing in God for mercies received, or crying out for more. Thousands and thousands have I seen, melted down under the word and power of God.”Whitefield then preached to large crowds in Edinburgh and other cities. Other centers of revival popped up.In the second half of the 18th C, Scotland gained a reputation as a center for the Enlightenment under such men as David Hume, Thomas Reid, Adam Smith, and Francis Hutchison. Voltaire wrote that “today it is from Scotland that we get rules of taste in all the arts, from epic poetry to gardening.”An interesting development took place in Scotland at that time, maybe born by a weariness of the internecine conflict endemic to Scottish history. A cultured “literati” in Edinburgh participated in different clubs, but all aimed at striking some kind of balance where people of different persuasions could hold discourse without feeling the need to come to blows. They sought enlightened ways to improve society and agriculture. In the inaugural edition of the Edinburgh Review, 1755, the editor encouraged Scots “to a more eager pursuit of learning themselves, and to do honor to their country.”Evangelicals like Edinburgh pastors John Erskine and Robert Walker hoped to reform society using some of the new ideas of Enlightenment thinkers. They embarked on a campaign to safeguard and expand civil liberties. But unlike more moderate members of the Church of Scotland, they believed conversion to personal faith in Christ was a prerequisite for reform. Erskine appreciated George Whitefield and edited and published a number of Jonathan Edwards' works.In Ireland, the Glorious Revolution was not at all “glorious” for Catholics. On July 1, 1690, the armies of the Protestant King William III defeated the forces of the Catholic James II at the Battle of the Boyne and seized Dublin. In 1691, Jacobites in Ireland either fled or surrendered. The Banishment Act of 1697 ordered all Catholic clergy to leave Ireland or risk execution. Poverty and illiteracy made life miserable for large numbers of Irish Catholics.English restrictions on Ireland were brutal. Power resided in the hands of a small group of wealthy Anglican elite of the official Church of Ireland. Even Scottish Presbyterians who had settled in Ulster were excluded from civil and military roles. And the Irish had to pay the cost of quartering English troops to keep the peace.Not to be denied, some Catholic priests donned secular clothes so as to continue to minister to their spiritual charges without putting them in danger.In the last decades of the 18th Century the Irish population grew rapidly. Methodists numbered some 14,000 in 1790 and allied with other Protestants who'd come over from England, settled the north of the Island. Protestants in Ireland, whatever their stripe, typically held fierce anti-Catholic sentiments, just as Catholics were hostile toward Protestants.In 1778 the Catholic Relief Act allowed Catholics to buy and inherit land. In 1782 the Irish Parliament gained independence, and laws against Catholics were changed. But the English monarchy managed to maintain its authority and put down the Irish Rebellion of 1798.The upshot is this à The Gospel faced a withering barrage from some of the most potent of Enlightenment critics, skeptics, and foes. The Church was slow to respond, which allowed the ideas of rationalism to poison the well of much Western philosophical thought. The challenge was eventually answered, not only with an eloquent reply but by the stirring of the Holy Spirit Who brought winds of revival for which the most elite skeptic had no comeback.Christianity was tested in the British Isles during the 18th C, but it passed the test.

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