What would Christians 100 years ago have been discussing on a forum like this?

[ViolinistforChrist]

If they had Christian internet forums 100 years ago what do you think they would have been talking about? Ordinary committed church going Christians not heavy duty theologians. Do you think they would have been discussing the Azusa street Pentecostal revival and movement? Was it widely known by 1910 I wonder? Would they have been discussing the fundamentalist/modernist takes on the Bible? Wasn't that when THE "fundamentals" were written? Would they have been discussing women in ministry? I understand that holiness and pentecostal churches were ordaining women even back then. Would they have been discussing outreach options? My husband's great grandmother was trying to teach Sunday school in the local bar on Sundays at that time in an effort to reach the community. Would they have been discussing Sunday schools? I wonder if Sunday schools were controversial at the time? It seems like they were popular and prevalent. Christian Endeavor youth meetings?

Would they have been discussing family life and mens and women's roles?

Lots of rules and regulations for Christian conduct which we would find baffling today?

Music controversies?

Denominational controversies?

The roles of pastors?

Dreams and visions?

Vegetarianism?

 

[Archivist]

Interesting thread.

The rights of women would certainly have been a big topic--perhaps the most hotly debated of the one's you listed--in 1910 since women's suffrage was a major issue. Among the arguments used against giving women the right to vote were religious arguments that to do so would deprive husbands of their role as head of their wives. Fortunately we got passed that.

I'm sure that some in the older generation looked down on the music of the younger generation--that always seems to happen--although you hear more stories about that from the Roaring 20's and that "evil" Jazz music.

I'm sure that race relations remained a major issue in 1910. It would have been illegal in many places for a black and a white to marry.

Anyway, I will be interested to see what else gets posted here.

 

[Hairy Tic]

If they had Christian internet forums 100 years ago what do you think they would have been talking about? Ordinary committed church going Christians not heavy duty theologians. Do you think they would have been discussing the Azusa street Pentecostal revival and movement? Was it widely known by 1910 I wonder? Would they have been discussing the fundamentalist/modernist takes on the Bible? Wasn't that when THE "fundamentals" were written? Would they have been discussing women in ministry? I understand that holiness and pentecostal churches were ordaining women even back then. Would they have been discussing outreach options? My husband's great grandmother was trying to teach Sunday school in the local bar on Sundays at that time in an effort to reach the community. Would they have been discussing Sunday schools? I wonder if Sunday schools were controversial at the time? It seems like they were popular and prevalent. Christian Endeavor youth meetings?

Would they have been discussing family life and mens and women's roles?

Lots of rules and regulations for Christian conduct which we would find baffling today?

Music controversies?

Denominational controversies?

The roles of pastors?

Dreams and visions?

Vegetarianism?

## Perhaps:

• Votes for women (at least in the UK)
  
• Christian Science (Mary Baker Eddy died in 1910)
• The relevance of psychology to religion
• The New Thought movement, & similar movements
• Prison reform
• Whether it is ethical to kill birds to use their plumage on womens' hats
• "The Fundamentals" (which were in pricess of being published)
• The Pope's recent condemnations of "Modernism", & the possible effects of these on Protestant attitudes to the Bible
• The "Social Gospel" - to be welcomed, or rejected ?
  
• the 1910 World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh
• The death of Edward VII in May 1910
• Its possible effects upon the rivalry betw. Kaiser Wilhelm II & Great Britain
• Halley's Comet
• What if anything its passing might mean
• the death of Mark Twain
  
• the race riots in the US
  
• Whether the black man was fit to take a full part in American society
• the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured Persons - good thing or not ?
  

Just a few possibilities, from through the year

Good question

 

[DreamOutLoud]

That's a good question to address them in heaven

 

[AlexBP]

I've read some books and essays by Christian authors who were working a century ago, such as G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc. Overall, I find it quite amazing how the things that they wrote are often directly relevant to controversies and issues that are prominent today, including everything from foreign wars to debates about music and liturgy in the Church.

 

[Codger]

Maybe Eschatology - Postmillennialism was very popular 100 years ago. People saw that things were progressively getting better. There is always a social input into People's popular eschatology. Then WWI happened and the horror of it caused people to stray away from this belief system as the hope of a gradual coming of the kingdom was dashed to pieces. WWII finished it off.

Then Israel was formed to everyone's shock and suprise. This caused people to be drawn to the Eschatology of Futurism/Dispensationalism. This eschatology has its lifeblood in the existance and success of today's Israel. This is a doctrine that is based on a hyper-literal interpretation of Prophesy. Prophesy if not fulfilled literally is moved to the future and plugged into the central anchor of Israelism.

Prophesy is written mostly in symbolic/apocalyptic language, which is scoffed at by these persons, but it is true nevertheless. And so they have generated thousands of prophestic speculations over the last 62 years since Israel was formed. My challenge to these Futurists/dispensationalists is to name just one - only one - of their endless speculations over the past 62 years that have come true. NONE OF THEM - and they are still churning them out on a daily basis on sites like this one.

Name just one publically stated speculation that has come to pass. They will not because they are most all already fulfilled in history. If they are already fulfilled they are not going to be fulfilled again and they are never going to be fulfilled literally in any time period of time.

 

[Notedstrangeperson]

What would Christians 100 years ago have been discussing on a forum like this?

Evolution: Work of the Devil?

 

[Julian of York]

How about going back 100 years and reading what A.W.Pink was thinking about the Lordship of Christ"?
You can find that by "GOOGLING" A.W.Pink on "Is Christ Your Lord?" Still as hard hitting now as it was 100 years ago! And as pertinent!

Julian of York

P.S. And the Old Codger is right...Post Miliniallism was the thing prior to August,1914.

 

[Touma]

"Women shouldn't have rights. Its in the bible" would be a big one

Also, there'd be a group of people who would argue against using automobiles, because their fathers used horses, and if it was good enough for them, then its good enough for us.

 

[OzSpen]

Violinist,

If they had Christian internet forums 100 years ago what do you think they would have been talking about? Ordinary committed church going Christians not heavy duty theologians. Do you think they would have been discussing the Azusa street Pentecostal revival and movement? Was it widely known by 1910 I wonder? Would they have been discussing the fundamentalist/modernist takes on the Bible? Wasn't that when THE "fundamentals" were written? Would they have been discussing women in ministry? I understand that holiness and pentecostal churches were ordaining women even back then. Would they have been discussing outreach options? My husband's great grandmother was trying to teach Sunday school in the local bar on Sundays at that time in an effort to reach the community. Would they have been discussing Sunday schools? I wonder if Sunday schools were controversial at the time? It seems like they were popular and prevalent. Christian Endeavor youth meetings?

Would they have been discussing family life and mens and women's roles?

Lots of rules and regulations for Christian conduct which we would find baffling today?

Music controversies?

Denominational controversies?

The roles of pastors?

Dreams and visions?

Vegetarianism?

About 100 years ago, the Pentecostal Movement was ruffling a few theological feathers. Is it doing that today or not? Have we come to accept the charismatics and Pentecostals as a normal part of the evangelical church scene?


The fundamentalist-modernist controversy at Princeton Theological Seminary had erupted between evangelicalism and liberalism and led to the formation of Westminster Theological Seminary. J. Gresham Machen was one of the prominent advocates of fundamentalism.


The evangelical-modernist controversy, while still current in some areas, has moved on to the evangelical-postmodernist controversy. However, the modernist controversy would have been high on the CF agenda about 100 years ago.


Oz

 

[Faith.Man]

Evolution: Work of the Devil?

That's what I was going to say. How about the rise of Marxism? Also, how about the Temperance Movement?