The Second Millenium

[civilwarbuff]

Man, you are gonna get all kinds of hate mail, but keep telling the Truth.

 

[Vince53]

Thank you, Civil War Buff. I'd like to remind readers that comments, including courteous disagreements, are welcome.

 

[Vince53]

The Rise and Success of the Charismatic Movement

I need to explain the difference between a charismatic and a Pentecostal. Charismatics attach a great deal of importance to spiritual gifts, often emphasizing speaking in tongues, but they can belong to any denomination. There are Catholic, Lutheran, and Presbyterian charismatics. Not all charismatics are Pentecostals.

Pentecostals are charismatics who belong to a denomination that is officially charismatic, such as the Assemblies of God. All Pentecostals are charismatics.

Bursting out of a small American revival in the early Twentieth Century, the charismatic movement rivals the Protestant Reformation in its size and importance. A century later, one out of every 25 people on earth are Pentecostal, while one out of 12 are charismatic (about 584 million). The Assemblies of God is second in size only to the Catholic Church (about 1.2 billion members) among professing Christians. About 27% of professing Christians are charismatic.

There are about 800 million Protestants in the world, many of whom (including Anglicans, Baptists, and Pentecostals) do not consider themselves Protestants. About 100 million people are Baptist (about 1 out of 70 people on Earth).

If spiritual gifts were automobiles, the early American charismatics were driving without a license, while the Baptists rode bicycles. Charismatics clashed, split, merged, fought, united, and grew--so heavily that they rapidly expanded outside the US, forming megachurches (averaging 2,000 weekly attendance) in Latin America and elsewhere.

And the early charismatics had their problems. Power-hungry crackpots would declare themselves to be prophets and demand ruling power, unregenerated charismatics would teach salvation by baptism and/or speaking in tongues, and crazy behavior was sometimes regarded as a manifestation of the Spirit. But colleges were established, doctrine corrected many of the flaws, born-again non-charismatics helped out, competent leaders emerged, and charismatics have left many of those problems behind.

 

[Vince53]

The Success of the Assemblies of God

Not even existing when the Twentieth Century began, the AOG rapidly grew into one of the world's largest religions. I do not agree with all these reasons, but here is whynot necessarily in this order of importance)

1) A strong belief in God's Word. The AOG has done a far better job of keeping out modernism than any other Christian group.

2) Arminianism (the belief that a born-again Christian can lose his salvation). The AOG has done a far better job than other Christians in keeping Calvinism out. (There are Calvinist charismatics, by the way).

3) A declining emphasis on speaking in tongues. Early Pentecostals could perform their own miracle--speaking in tongues. Linguists who recorded this see an over-abundance of the same consonants, no pattern of subjects and verbs, and no pattern in the use of the same words. Claims that priests and rabbis heard charismatics speaking in Latin or Hebrew have been discredited. But it gave life to Christians with dead religions. Today, in my OPINION, the AOG is burdened with the doctrine that speaking in tongues is the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The new doctrine that you can be filled with the Spirit without the evidence gives the AOG a chance to bypass the problem.

4) My fundamentalist friends (I am a fundamentalist) are dismayed to learn that the New Testament put FAR greater emphasis on spiritual gifts than it does on reading the Bible. Paul devotes entire chapters to explaining the hows and whys of spiritual gifts, which most non-charismatic Christians ignore. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to edify the church (building up both numbers and strength) and the AOG uses these gifts.

5) They really do go soul-winning. Brethren, I am going to tell you an ugly spiritual truth: the key to building a successful church is to steal people from other churches. When you see a "great, soul-winning church," you'll find that most of its deacons, elders, teachers, and tithers were saved somewhere else; they came to the growing church because they wanted to do something with their lives. Most American megachurches are in the Bible Belt, where they grew by attracting born-again Christians from other churches. But the AOG actually did win unsaved people to Christ in large numbers. And Pentecostals actually do have mega-churches in Catholic countries. And by teaching poorly-educated peasants how to use their spiritual gifts, the AOG is able to keep them.

6) Purification through splits. Without a central leadership, early charismatics could not be controlled. Unsaved charismatics were free to split off into groups that reject the Gospel, reject the Trinity or reject spiritual growth in favor of showing off. The AOG didn't throw them out--they left eagerly.

 

[Vince53]

The Failure of "Christian" Modernism

Loosely speaking, "Modernism" is the belief that the Bible and modern society should be blended so that popular sins are no longer condemned. In the Twentieth Century, this often meant that immorality was all right.

When I was a teen-ager, I actually read an article teaching that fornication is all right, if it is meaningful. Modernism teaches that sin is all right, if it is committed properly--"properly" is defined by the Modernists.

In real life, Modernist churches and denominations declined during the Twentieth Century, while fundamentalists, evangelicals, and even cults (which have high moral standards) grew. Modernists have little to offer beyond permission to sin.

In 1981, Moral Majority helped sweep Ronald Reagan and the Republicans into control of the US government. Modernists began preparing a massive, expensive television campaign to combat the effects of born-again TV evangelists. But they dropped their plans when their hired advisers told them they would fail--evangelicals have something to offer, and Modernists do not. The National Council of Churches actually did run some television ads, but they failed.

Strangely, various polls show that most Americans have a high opinion of God's Word, even if they don't read or practice it; even people who practice Modernism don't respect it. Widespread acceptance of immorality is the legacy of Modernism--nothing else is.

 

[Vince53]

The Disaster of Evolution

People are surprised to learn that Charles Darwin's great work, "Origin of the Species," is so discredited that no one believes it today. But evolution keeps changing to deal with the scientific evidence against it, and the evolution of today is not the evolution that I learned in high school. And while in high school, I was astounded to learn that scientists were building and describing ancient creatures from bone fragments that might not even belong to the same creature--they didn't have complete skeletons.

In his book "Mein Kampf," Hitler justified his policies with theistic evolution. Communists justify their policies with atheistic evolution. The mass murders of both groups are justified by evolution, while evolution has produced NO benefits to the human race.

The only type of science that rejects the scientific method, evolution has never been produced in a laboratory, but devolution (devolving down into an inferior species) has. Under ideal conditions, inferior creatures increase--superior creatures do not evolve. When faced with scientific proof that evolution is impossible, evolutionists merely state that it can't be explained, and then ignore it. No other type of science does this.

Modernism teaches that religion, including Christianity, evolves, and their rejection of God's Word is justified by this belief.

 

[Vince53]

CERTAIN POLITICAL MOVEMENTS DOMINATED THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

1) The rise and failure of militant socialism
2) The collapse of European empires
3) The world-wide independence movement
4) The establishment of semi-permanent international alliances

 

[Vince53]

The Rise and Failure of Militant Socialism

Socialist governments own most or all of the productivity: factories, farms, and sometimes residences. Freedom is limited, because dissent decreases productivity. A few nations have voluntarily gone socialist, but usually socialists seize power violently.

The Communists, Nazis, and Fascists all came into power the same way. The government was in chaos, there were food shortages, and unemployment was high. Democracy was impossible, because the people were too badly divided to form a working majority. A strong man (Lenin, Hitler, Mussolini) then seized power, established order, increased productivity, provided food, and created jobs. So why didn't it work?

Because socialism is based on theft. You have to rob the Jews, the wealthy, foreign investments, and other countries in order to finance socialism. Stalemated against Britain, the Nazi socialists invaded the Communist socialists in order to steal the farmlands and other wealth of the Soviet Union. Productivity is stressed under socialism because new wealth is always needed and is not always available through theft. You have to limit freedom, because opposition decreases productivity while raising expenses.

Communist North Korea has nothing available to steal, so it steals its own people. The nation is a giant slave labor camp and is still poverty-stricken. Communist China uses capitalism to improve its cities, but most of the nation still lives in poverty.

And in the Twentieth Century, socialists killed more people than the Atheists (who were included with the Communist socialists). World War 2 was a socialist war that killed 3.5% of the human population (To be fair, Timorlane, "The Sword of Islam," killed 4% of the world population, and he did it with a lot less technology). Add on the other deaths under Communism and Naziism, and socialists have killed more people than all the world's religions combined.

 

[Vince53]

The Collapse of European Empires

After World War 2, a shell-shocked Europe looked at what it had done. The main cause of the first World War had been the conquest of colonies. Two world wars later, Europe had spent all the wealth it had gained from its colonies and still gone into debt. More efficient aircraft and ships made foreign bases less necessary, and the cost of keeping conquered people in subjection wasn't economically feasible.

The introduction of modern scientific medicine had not won the hearts of the colonies, but it did increase their populations beyond what the colonies could support. Surplus food that could have been sold was often given to the colonies instead.

It was a type of mutual disarmament: if everyone reduced their colonies, the world was better off. Some bitter wars were fought, but the colonies usually won--the Europeans couldn't afford to continue the war because of their World War 2 debts. And, always eager to conquer and enslave new peoples, the Communists were able to raise support from colonials who didn't realize that they would only be changing masters.

And so, it wasn't benevolence or repentance. Europe had advanced the technology of its conquered people but did little good otherwise. Except for vital military bases, Europe dumped their colonies into freedom, helped them a little, and walked away.

 

[Vince53]

The Rise of Independence Movements...

co-incided with the collapse of European empires, only worse. Frustrated at watching foreign companies taking their oil, their fish, their minerals, and other wealth, Europe's colonies naturally believed that they were better off being free. And although it is politically incorrect to tell the truth, race was a factor--ethnic groups wanted to rule themselves.

Then, within the newly-freed areas, civil wars broke out as ethnic minorities wanted to form tiny nations that could be easily conquered, and the controlling nation would not agree. The Soviet Union (which was essentially a Russian empire) broke apart, and civil wars then broke out in some of the newly-freed republics. Even Canada had a close vote with Quebec barely voting not to secede.

The US did rather well, however. Reluctantly granting independence to Cuba and the Philippines, the US kept the rest of the seized Spanish empire, along with Alaska, Hawaii, and a few purchases.

Surprisingly, Japan also did well. After losing everything but its home islands, the Japanese got back much of their empire when the inhabitants wanted to return, and the victorious Allies allowed them to.

 

[Vince53]

The Formation of Semi-Permanent Alliances

If you've been following this thread, you know that European nations would often form alliances and then go to war with their allies within a few years. But the course of world history was altered towards the end of the Nineteenth Century when the Anglo-American Alliance was formed.

The former rivals began protecting each other's ships and territories, sharing technology, and even using each other's bases. Two world wars and a cold war strengthened the alliance farther, benefiting both nations. Unofficially, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are part of the alliance. Through NATO and SEATO, World War 2 allies and enemies joined in.

Alliances like this strengthen world peace by making it more difficult to attack one of the allies, and easier for the allies to win if they are attacked. The cut military expenses and make trade agreements more stable. And they usually stop the allies from going to war with each other.

 

[Vince53]

Two major religious events dominated US history during the Twentieth Century.

1) The rise of the fundamentalist movement
2) The progress of the Baptist religion

World-wide events, especially the success of the Charismatic Movement and the failure of Modernism, also influenced the US.

 

[Vince53]

The rise of the Fundamentalist Movement in the US is even difficult for fundamentalists to understand. We'll be spending a few days on this one.

It helps to realize:

1) The word "fundamentalist" does not appear in Scripture.
2) The Bible never defines the word "fundamentalist."
3) There is more than one definition of "fundamentalist."
4) God never commanded you to be a fundamentalist.
5) God never forbade you to be a fundamentalist.

 

[Vince53]

Fundamentalist Doctrine

There are five "fundamental" doctrines, all of which are taught in the Bible and rejected by Modernists:

1)The Deity of Christ and his virgin birth
2) The total inerrancy of Scripture
3) Salvation through faith alone, in Christ alone
4) The literal, physical resurrection of Christ from the dead
5) The literal, physical, visible Second Coming of Christ

Now, it's hard to be a born-again Christian and not be a fundamentalist DOCTRINALLY. Yet most Christians reject the title, because there are other issues, such as...

 

[Vince53]

The first fundamentalists were members of mainline denominations who fought to drive out the modernists. When they lost, they withdrew to form new denominations that believed the same thing as the original denominations, except that the new ones stood without compromise for God's Word.

The Christians who stayed behind rejected the term "fundamentalist" and chose "evangelical." DOCTRINALLY, an evangelical believes the entire Word of God with an emphasis on the four Gospels. The first evangelicals viciously attacked the fundamentalists for their lack of love (Seriously) and the two groups became enemies.

Over time, fundamentalists emphasized separation, fighting, in-fighting, and "standards" (man-made rules). And,strangely, much of the genuine Christianity in the US today is the result. Evangelicals emphasized getting along with everyone (good and evil), learning from Christians outside their own groups, and genuine holiness. Most born-again Christians in the US today are evangelicals.

 

[Vince53]

Baptists in the US

The second-largest religion in the US today, Baptists thrived in early America due to freedom and the inability of European Protestant churches to enforce religious laws. Only the Bahamas has a higher percentage of Baptists.

Cursed by Calvinism, Modernism, and racism, Baptists were the first to evangelize the slaves, and then abandoned them when they became free. The National Baptist Convention is predominantly Black, rife with financial fraud, unable to win its own people to Christ, and suffers from a poorly-trained clergy.

Modernists have seized the American Baptist Convention, but suffered a major defeat in "The Fundamentalist Take-over" of the Southern Baptist Convention. It is Bible-believing Baptists who did more successful evangelism in the US than any other group.

In the Nineteenth Century, John Gill introduced Calvinism into the Baptist religion, virtually destroying European Baptists. In the US, Calvinists constantly struggle to seize Bible-believing Baptist churches, and they are often successful. When revival breaks out, Calvinist churches successfully attract deacons, Sunday School teachers, and tithers who were trained elsewhere but do not want to partake in revival.

Independent Fundamentalist Baptists (IFBs) hit their heyday in the sixties and seventies. At one point, the largest church in 17 states was IFB, while the largest non-Catholic church in another 17 states was IFB. Emphasizing man-made rules as the cause and result of holiness, MOST IFB growth came from Southern Baptists who wanted to do something with their lives, rather than from soul-winning. An ongoing series of sex scandals (still in progress) began in the early 1980s and has caused the movement to decline.

 

[Vince53]

Finally! We reach the year 1900!


A broken air hose leaves four freight cars stranded on a curved track (where they couldn’t be seen) in the path of a passenger train traveling 75 mph. Casey Jones becomes a legend when he dies at the throttle, slowing his train to 35 mph before the crash. No one else is killed.



Frustrated at foreign abuse of China, “The Fists of Righteous Harmony” begine the two- year- long Boxer rebellion. Learning that foreign nations were sending in armies to end the rebellion, China declares war on eight nations. But the foreign armies capture Peking and rescue diplomats and Chinese Christians trapped in the diplomatic section.

When it ends next year, about 2,500 foreign soldiers and 2,000 Chinese soldiers have been killed. The Boxers kill about 100,000 civilians, including 32,000 Christians and 200 missionaries.

The victorious allies force China to execute some government leaders who had supported the rebellion, make China pay indemnities spread over the next 38 years, and occupy parts of China.

 

[Vince53]

Welcome to 1901!

Britain grants Australia limited independence.

A small Pentecostal movement begins.

Oil is discovered in Texas.

Full-scale war continues in the Philippines, with the US losing most of the battles.

After 63 years on the throne, Britain's legendary Queen Victoria dies.

Paris railroad stations install the world's first public telephones.

America's first Stock Market crash ruins thousands of small investors.

US President Grover Cleveland is killed by an assassin, and the legendary Theodore Roosevelt assumes office.

The first trans-Atlantic radio signal is sent.

 

[Vince53]

You're just in time for 1902!


The US grudgingly acknowledges Cuban independence, as required by the treaty ending the Spanish-American War.

New Zealand becomes the first nation to require nurses to be registered.

The first movie theater in the US opens.

Three massive volcanoes in the Caribbean kill 33,000 people.

The teddy bear is invented.

The annual flooding of the Nile River has been a boon to Egypt since ancient times, but the flooding couldn't be controlled. This year, the Aswan Dam is finished, increasing food production in Egypt.

The US defeats the Philippines Insurrection.

 

[Vince53]

You're Wright, Brother! It's 1903!


Pius X begins his 11 year reign as Pope. He opposes modernism, codifies all Catholic laws into a single volume for the first time, and encourages individual Catholics to practice holiness. Thoroughly honest, he would not allow any favors for his family, some of whom lived in poverty. He was a devout worshiper of Mary, teaching that she is the most efficient means of the Catholic Church achieving its goals. During a major earthquake, he filled the Apostolic Palace with refugees. Forty years after his death, he was declared a saint.

Tired of death threats and everybody hating him, Arthur Conan Doyle brings back the fictional Sherlock Holmes, announcing that the great detective had faked his own death.

Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity" under the terms of the Cuban–American Treaty. Legalized at the peace treaty that ended the Spanish-American War, the bay has an excellent harbor and is isolated from the rest of Cuba by steep mountains. Currently used as a terrorist prison camp, it still serves as a minor US Navy base.

Terrorists assassinate the King and Queen of Serbia, creating an instability that will eventually lead to World War 1.

The Boston Red Sox beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series.

Wanting the US to build a canal, Panama secedes from Columbia.

On December 17, Wilbur and Orville Wright stagger into the air in the first controlled, piloted, heavier-than-air machine. Yes, the airplane had already been invented, but the first ones were not piloted. No, I reject unsubstantiated claims by tourist-hungry governments that claim that there were previous piloted flights.