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Session 9 (1900-2000)

1900

• Beginning of the “Post- Modern Age” (modernity).
• 1906 Emergence of Pentecostal and Fundamentalist Christian sects.
• 1940’s - The Holocaust of 6 million Jews and thousands of Christians during WW2.
• 1940’s - Rise of ecumenical and parachurch organizations.
• 1948 Israel is recognized as a State.
• 1950 Dogma of the Assumption of Mary.

5 Dogmas of Mary Mariology

Apparitions of Mary

• More Christians are said to have been martyred in the 20th century than in all earlier centuries combined.
• After the 1950’s, the decline of church attendance becomes marked in much of the Western world.
• 1950’s – Beginning of the rise of the “health and wealth Gospel” and an emphasis on miracles and the beginning of TV ministries.
• Crises in Darwinism revive Christian attacks on evolutionary theory and development of scientific models from a Christian perspective of Intelligent Design

• 1962-65- the Second Vatican Council under John XXIII makes changes to Catholicism. 21 Ecumenical Councils For more on Vatican 2 click on the following links Vat 2 V-2 Vat2.org Encyclicals
• 1960’s – The Charismatic renewal and rise of contemporary worship.
• 1970’s - Roe v Wade and the legalization of abortion.
• 1970’s - The rise of messianic Judaism.
• 1980’s - The rise of the internet, mass media and “seeker friendly” mega churches.
• Collapse of Communist atheistic states and an explosive growth of Chinese and Russian Christianity.
• Challenges of a “post-modern” society with relativism, secularism, humanism, liberalism, atheism, pluralism, political correctness, inclusiveness, new ageism, Inter-Faithism, ecumenism, Islam and terrorism, separation of Church and state issues, homosexuality in the Church and the redefining of the family and marriage.
• Over 30,000 denominations exist and there is an increase in apocalyptic cults.
• End Time madness and various Evangelical eschatological theories opposing Catholicism.

• 1994 New Catechism of the Catholic Church published Topical Index Catechism

• New translation methods put the Bible into the languages of 95% of mankind, but about 1,500 small tongues, representing 5% of mankind, lack scriptures. 1.9 billion Christians. Non-white Christians, especially in China, Africa, and Latin America exceed white Christians.

Does today’s church look like what existed with the apostles?

In the original History of Christianity class there was not an audio tape of session 10 because session 10 was added later. There is an audio tape / CD / DVD of session 10 from the New Testament Survey class that covers the topics below.

Session 10 – What is the future of the Church?

4 Views and other Terminologies

1. Historicist– believe that the book of Revelation surveys the whole of church history combining it with 7 periods of secular history. The final period is yet to be fulfilled. Most Historicists see the Catholic Church as the whore of Babylon and the Pope as the false Prophet which will be done away with upon the return of Jesus. They believe in a literal interpretation of prophecy. Many early Protestant leaders taught this. Today's Seventh Day Adventists have popularized this position.

2. Preterist– see many of the Bible’s prophecy’s as already having been fulfilled with the birth of Jesus to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70ad, the focal point being the destruction of Jerusalem as being the end of the age. They interpret time indicator words such as; “at hand, quickly, this generation and near” as meaning that it occurred within the generation of those hearing the prophecy. They believe that the kingdom of God will be established as a result of God working through the church in human history, eventually culminating with the return of Jesus. Extreme Preterism is called Pantelism.

3. Futurist– also called Dispensationalism or millenarians, see the book of Revelation and the prophecies of Jesus as still needing to be fulfilled. Most futurists see the Catholic Church as the whore of Babylon and the Pope as the false Prophet. They see society as getting worse and culminating with a "secret catching away" of the earthly Church, or Rapture, popularized by John Nelson Darby from the Brethren Church and William Miller, prior to the final earthly Battle of Armageddon and ushering in the return of Jesus to Israel in order to usher in a literal 1000 year reign of Jesus on this earth in Israel. After 1000 years Satan will be loosed and thus a final angelic battle leading up to a new earth, heaven and Jerusalem. Today's "Left Behind" authors have made this position contemporary.

4. Spiritual / Allegorical – interpret the book of Revelation as having no single historical fulfillment, only transcendent principles and recurrent themes. Much of scripture is symbolic. They do not take certain apocalyptic events as being literal. The Church is Christ on this earth. They do believe in a final return of Jesus to the earth.

Terms to define:

Premillennial - Satan is yet to be bound, which will take place when Jesus returns to the earth. The 1,000 years is a literal reign of Christ from Jerusalem. Satan will be let out after 1,000 years and he then will be finally judged followed by the judgment of all humanity. Then a new earth will be created for all to live on forever.

Amillennial - Satan is now bound representing Christ’s victory over darkness through the cross. 1,000 is symbolic of an indeterminate period of time into the church age now. At some point Satan will be loosed. Christ will then return. A final judgment will occur and a creation of a new earth.

Postmillenial - similar to the Amillennial view, except a more optimistic view of the Church’s influence in the present age. The 1,000 years may or may not be literal, but speaks of a future age when Christ will return to the earth.

For more information on end times events and the Book of Revelation click Revelation

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