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The Sola Panel is dead; long live the Sola Panel! by Tony Payne (4 comments). Regular Sola Panel readers will no doubt have detected a little slowness and quietness over the past six weeks or so. … more
Kids’ culture watch spot: Facing fear by Gordon Cheng (3 comments). By popular demand (two people asked), here is my next script for a culture watch spot I did with the kids … more
Daniel 2-7, Harry Potter and Narnia by Gordon Cheng (1 comment). It's a Sunday as I write this, and I'm speaking on Daniel 2 and 7 later this morning at a friend's … more
A constituent on same-sex marriage by Sandy Grant (34 comments). Last year, the Australian Parliament agreed that its Members of Parliament (MPs) should seek the … more
A tribute to John Stott by Sandy Grant (2 comments). Friends, I'm not ashamed to say I shed a tear when I opened up my computer on Thursday morning to read … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 3): On giants’ shoulders by Scott Newling (26 comments). This is the third post in this series; you can read part one, and more
Bible reading with kids by Sandy Grant (0 comments). I was asked for recommendations for resources that would encourage parents to read the Bible with their kids, especially … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 2): Stepping aside (not out) so others can step up (not in) by Scott Newling (3 comments). This is the second post in this series; you can read the first post, Unassuming … more
One more sip of the coffee by Tony Payne (8 comments). Sandy Grant is a man of integrity. Back in the early days of Sola Panel, I wrote a post … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 1): Unassuming generations by Scott Newling (30 comments). There is a model of ‘intergenerational theological decline’ that has been doing the rounds of late, and perhaps you … more
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Paul is one of the Staff Editors at Matthias Media. He is married to Cathy and has three fantastic kids. He loves student ministry, reading, writing music and playing the saxophone, and is looking forward to meeting Jesus face to face.
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I wonder whythere are few errors or heresies around today that do not have clear parallels and antecedents in church history?
Which are the newer heresies, and what do they tell us about our own Zeitgeist? Or is modern heresy the monopoly of a few notorious clerics who can safely be ignored by us, just as they are feted-and-promptly-ignored by the rest of the world?
What a great challenge, Carl! Recently, I did a Master’s subject on the doctrine of Cranmer, which combined church history with systematic theology. I just loved this course, and it helped inform many current debates and heresies concerning the means of salvation, church and the sacraments.
Thanks for your very timely challenge.
Thanks for the post Carl - a really good challenge. It intersects with what I’ve been writing about lately - the need for pastors to be reading and engaging with literature. It seems to me one of the great advantages of reading church history (apart from the great points you make) is that it gets pastors reading! Church history is exciting stuff. As well as being useful for thinking through current issues etc, its really engaging.
It is great to hear historical theology defended!
However, as one who has been accused (by association) of Arianism, I am aware of the abuses to which history may be put. In the wrong hands, historical theology can be a blunt instrument with which you can batter your opponents heads in. Throw around words like ‘Arian’ or ‘Socinian’ without due care, and you have tarred your opponent with a nasty brush.
For that reason, I would be wary of the ‘criminal profiling’ analogy - especially when the criminal profiler is self-appointed!
Hi Michael,
What’s wrong with the criminal profiling analogy. If the heretics were biblically wrong and studying them helps us to see the patterns repeated, then the analogy fits. Like anything in life, it’s possible to take “good” things and use them sinfully. But isn’t the problem in your case that people misunderstood the history or misapplied it to you rather than that the process was in and of itself flawed?
Well - I guess so long as the criminal profiler is accountable to the court of law, all is fine. But as a signed up Sydney Anglican, I stand accused of Arianism (as I suppose you are too) in several international scholarly publications. It’s a hard accusation to shake - a nasty piece of guilt by association. So, speaking as the criminal in the analogy, rather than the profiler, i can’t say I like it one bit!
Yep, I too would be accused of Arianism in said publications. And I’m none too happy about it either. I guess I’m just suggesting that the answer isn’t to declare the practice of profiling illegitimate but rather to be a better profiler.
The problem isn’t the profiling so much as asking ‘who’s the judge?’
But I wouldn’t want to take away from Trueman’s point about the value of history and the amnesia of contemporary evangelicalism.
Hi Mike,
How well do you think that Moore teaches church history?
As a B&M student, I missed out on the usual church history subjects. But from the comments of my classmates, I got the impression that they felt that 2nd year church history (Reformation) was better taught than early church history in first year.
I suspect that partly this was due to greater familiarity with the subject matter on my classmates’ part. But I also got the impression that people struggled to understand how everything fitted together. At least in 2004, it seemed that the subject could have done with more structure, and fewer lecturers.
Just to say thanks to all who have commented. As Mariah Carey `doesn’t do stairs’ so I don’t do `threads’ (unlike Mariah, I don’t do ghastly Jackson Memorials either—truly, God has been good to me) but I’ll try to respond privately to as many comments as I can. Again, thanks for the kind and stimulating responses
HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH! Well said! Well said! HEAR HEAR! HEAR HEAR!
I love Church History. It is a great tool that aids us in critiquing our culture and ‘church culture’. I love church History at College so much that I failed it 1st year so I could do it again!!!(I did fail it but not for that reason).
What I realised is how much owe to men like Luther, Ridley, Latimer, Augustine, Tertullian, Calvin, Cranmer. I also realised how I have bits of them theologically in me and did not even know it until I studied church history. And also to avoid the mistakes of the theological boofheads (who probably did not start out that way) was a very helpful thing.
So when it comes to Church History and the study of it I say “Huzzah!”
This was so good. Intellectually and spiritually entertaining!
It seems one of the main heresies that the enemy loves is evolution. (better yet, believers who spiritualize Darwinism).
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