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By Monk Preston (Co-Founder & President, The Prayer Foundation ™) |
Page 2: Luther to Today |
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1517 A.D. Martin Luther Begins the Protestant Reformation Martin Luther (1483-1546), an ordained Roman Catholic Priest and an Augustinian Monk, on Oct. 31, 1517 nails his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenburg Cathedral in an attempt to reform abuses in the Roman Catholic Church, and without intending to, begins the Protestant Reformation. 1525 A.D. Tyndale Translates the Bible Into English William Tyndale (ca. 1494-1536) translates the Bible into English and begins smuggling copies into England (where it is illegal to possess a copy) from Continental Europe. Tyndale gave us the Bible in English (Wycliffe had translated it into English 200 years before, but the Roman Catholic Hierarchy of the time had successfully suppressed it, though it inspired the Moravian Revival through Wycliffe's Moravian students). Tyndale's New Testament translation was taken almost word for word into the Authorized Version of 1611 (our King James Bible), as was much of his Old Testament. In Tyndale's time, not only the Bible in English, but even prayers in English were against the law. Fathers who taught their children The Lord's Prayer in English were burned at the stake (the Church Hierarchy allowed the mother to live, so that there would be someone to take care of the children). William Tyndale had to flee England and print his Bibles on the Continent, and then smuggle them into England. The Bibles were hunted down and confiscated and burned; anyone possessing an English Bible was burnt as a heretic. Agents of the Rome hunted Tyndale down and executed him by public strangling and burning at the stake outside Brussels, Belgium, in 1536. Only one year later King Henry VIII declared the Bible legal to be read and possessed in English, and that the Roman Catholic Church was outlawed in England. William Tyndale's smuggled Bibles had sparked and fueled the English Protestant Reformation. 1500's Anabaptist Movement / Calvin / Arminius / Church of England The Anabaptists reject the idea of State Churches (they believe that Church membership should be voluntary and limited to the regenerate; those who have had a conversion experience and are truly believers). They reject infant baptism (they teach that baptism should follow a personal conversion experience). They refuse to serve in the military because they are opposed to taking the life of another human being. 1539: Menno Simons teaches "The New Birth" Menno Simons (1492-1559), a Roman Catholic Priest, founds (organizes) the Mennonites (they came out of the Anabaptists movement). In 1539 he writes "The New Birth", explaining that to actually become a Christian, a person must be transformed by Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. They must be "born again". John Calvin (1509-1564): his "Calvinist" theology stressed God's sovereignty. John Knox (1513-1572), in 1546 becomes the leader in Scotland of the newly formed Presbyterian Church. Jacob Arminius (1560-1609): his "Arminian" theology stressed free will. Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), influenced by Martin Luther, recommends that England reject the authority of the Pope. King Henry VIII agrees because he wants to divorce his current wife and marry again in hope of obtaining a male heir. Parliament takes up the issue and gradually passes various religious legislation over a seven year period. The Church of England becomes Protestant (1531). Cranmer writes The Book of Common Prayer. He did not participate in Henry VIII's attempt to raise money by the dissolution of England's monasteries in order to confiscate their property. 1600's Baptists Founded / Brother Lawrence / Quakers Founded John Smythe (ca.1554-1612): beginning of the Baptists in England (1609). Roger Williams (1603-1684) founds Rhode Island, the first government allowing total freedom of religion to others of differing beliefs. Brother Lawrence (1611-1691), a Carmelite Monk, teaches The Practice of the Presence of God. George Fox (1624-1691), founds (organizes) The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). In common with the Anabaptists, Mennonites, Amish, and some other groups, they are one of the historic "peace churches," refusing military service in the practice of "non-resistance." 1670 Philip Spener Founds Pietist Movement (Teaches "New Birth") Philip Jacob Spener (1635-1705), Father of Pietism. A Lutheran Clergyman, in 1670 begins teaching the necessity of the Christian life beginning with a conscious new birth. He began holding home Bible studies ("conventicles") for prayer, Bible reading, and study of the Sunday Sermon. These home Bible studies were called collegia pietatis ("associations of piety"). Thus was founded the German Pietist movement (He may have been godfather to Count Zinzendorf). 1600's -1700's Worldwide Protestant Missions Movement Begins: (August Francke, Count Zinzendorf, David Brainerd, William Carey) 1692 August Francke (Halle, Germany) August Hermann Francke (1663-1677) became a Pietist, traveled to the University of Halle (in Germany; founded in 1691) in 1692, and founded a ("born-again") Christian College as part of it. For doing this, he was thrown out of the University and town, met Philip Jacob Spener (founder of the Pietist movement) in person, returned to Halle and founded Christian schools and orphanages, "living on faith" (praying for needs and funds and asking only God, instead of asking people for them). Francke popularized Pietism, more than Spener himself had, making Halle the center of the movement. Francke's life of faith and Christian orphanage would inspire George Müller to likewise "live by faith" and found a Christian orphanage, some 200 years later. Francke also began sending missionaries out, even as far away as India. 1727 Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians / Worldwide Protestant Missions Count Zinzendorf (1700-1760) in 1727 brought about a renewal of the Moravian Brethren (Moravians, Moravian Church, Bohemian Brethren, Unitas Fratrum: originally founded in 1457). The Unitas Fratrum had been influenced by the writings of John Wycliffe in the 1300's (some of his students had been from Bohemia). The renewed Moravian Brethren under Count Zinzendorf (who was raised in the Lutheran German Pietist movement) stressed the love of Christ and the need for a personal relationship through regeneration (Pietists taught the need to be "born-again"), justification by faith alone being the means. The Moravians stressed grace, and prayer, seeing Baptism and the Lord's Supper as the only two sacraments. They had a great influence throughout the world on many other Christian groups which were inspired to deeper prayer lives and missionary outreach. They (a Christian community of 600 persons) sent missionaries all over the world, including to slaves in the Caribbean. In 1731, two young Moravians, Leonard Dober and David Nitchmann went to St. Thomas to begin work as missionaries among the slave population (their story is told in the Movie: First Fruits: Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians). This was soon followed by the Moravians sending missionaries to the indigenous peoples of Greenland, Southern Africa, and both North and South America. They were the inspiration (along with David Brainerd's mission to the Native American Indians of North America) that led William Carey to go to India in 1793, kicking off the modern foreign-mission movement. At a meeting that the Moravians were holding at Aldersgate in London, a young man named John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, was "born again" while listening to a reading of Martin Luther's "Preface to the Book of Romans." 1700's John Wesley Founds Methodists / Whitefield & the" Great Awakening" John Wesley (1703-1791) founds the Methodists. Criss-crossed England on horseback, often preaching three times a day. His message: the necessity for "the new birth" experience (John Wesley had learned about the "new birth" from the Moravians when he received Christ at a Moravian meeting at Aldersgate. The Moravian Church had been renewed under Count Zinzendorf, who taught them the necessity of being "born again." Zinzendorf had learned this truth through being raised as a German Pietist, a movement founded by Philip Jacob Spener (1635-1705), a Lutheran Clergyman known as the Father of Pietism. Spener had begun teaching in 1670 about the "new birth": the need to consciously receive Christ (and not just intellectually assent to the truths of Lutheranism and the Protestant Reformation). For a more in-depth explanation of how you can personally receive Christ and be "born again," see our page: Plan of Salvation). George Whitefield (1714-1770) With John Wesley, he was one of the three great evangelists of his era. An Englishman, his preaching, along with that of Jonathan Edwards', was instrumental in igniting the revival called The Great Awakening in early Colonial America (the third great Evangelist of this era was John Wesley, preaching in England). David Brainerd (1718-1747) preaches to the North American Indians, living a life of prayer, and dying at age 29, in the home of Jonathan Edwards. A great outpouring of the Holy Spirit occurred among the native American people. Brainerd's life profoundly affected Edwards, whose preaching, along with George Whitfield's, would be instrumental in Colonial America's great revival, The Great Awakening. 1793 William Carey Begins Modern Era of Foreign Missions William Carey goes to India as a missionary in 1793, beginning the modern foreign-mission movement. After six hard years without a convert, he begins Bible translations and completes more translations than had been made in the entire history of Christianity up to that time. He founded Universities in India, and working with native Indians, was responsible for the outlawing of the practice of "suttee", in which the wife of a man who died was burned to death on her husband's funeral pyre. His life and work sparked the modern missions movement of the 1800's, which continues through today. Carey's inspiration for foreign missions was the earlier mission work of David Brainerd (1718-1747) to the North American Indians, and the worldwide mission work (especially to indigenous peoples) of Count Zinzendorf (1700-1760) and the Moravians, who in turn had been inspired by the missionaries sent out by August Hermann Francke (1663-1677) from Halle, Germany 100 years before (Francke had even sent missionaries to India). 1800's Worldwide Missionary Movement / Great Men of Prayer The 2nd Worldwide Missionary Movement since the time of the Apostles (though some count the missionary movement and evangelism of pagan Europe by Irish Celtic Monks over 1,200 years earlier). J. Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) founds the China Inland Mission (1865). An Englishman, he was the first missionary to the interior of China. He spent 5 years translating the Bible into Chinese (Ningpo dialect). When he died, he left behind 849 missionaries at 205 stations, and 125,00 Chinese Christian in the Inland China Mission. His philosophy was: "He must move men through God--by prayer." George Müller (1805-1898) founds and runs an orphanage on faith and prayer. Supported totally by free-will contributions, Müller has a policy of never asking for money, or even letting his needs be known, but only asking God in prayer (in all these things, Müller was following the example of August Hermann Francke (1663-1677), a German Pietist who had lived 200 years earlier). Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was one of the greatest preachers in all of church history. He baptized over 10,000 persons, founded an orphanage for 500 children, established a pastor's college, fostered hundreds of churches, operated 21 city missions halls, and gathered 6,000 hearers twice each Sunday for 40 years in the London Metropolitan Baptist Tabernacle. Sometimes preaching twelve times a week and working 18 hours a day, Spurgeon authored 135 books, and edited 28 others. His 4,000 published sermons (which sold up to 25,000 copies per week and reached into 40 languages) remain in print today reputedly as the greatest body of evangelical literature by any author in the English-speaking world. They are still in great demand. E. M. Bounds (1835-1913) writes on Prayer. The books of E. M. Bounds and the life of prayer of Welshman Rees Howells (he was himself inspired by the life of prayer of George Müller) inspired Monk Preston to dedicate his own life to prayer, and to co-found with Monk Linda The Prayer Foundation™. The early Irish Celtic Monks and Francis of Assisi inspired the form it would take, as the Knights of Prayer ™ Monastic Order. Rees Howells (Oct. 10, 1879-Feb. 13, 1950) was a Welshman who dedicated his life to prayer (he was himself inspired by the life of prayer of George Müller). The books of E. M. Bounds and the life of prayer of Welshman Rees Howells inspired the creation of The Prayer Foundation™ (see above entry on E. M. Bounds). David Livingstone (1813-1873), a Scot, leaves as a missionary to Africa (1841). He is the first to take the Gospel into the African interior, crossing the continent on a 4,300 mile journey which he wrote about in his book, Missionary Travels. The book was an instant best-seller and inspired a multitude of Christians to dedicate their lives to preaching the Gospel to the people of Africa. He died in 1873. His heart was buried under a tree in Africa, where he died. The rest of his body was given a hero's internment in Westminster Abby in London, England after a National Day of Mourning. Andrew Murray (1828-1917) Author of over 250 books (including: With Christ In the School of Prayer) was the minister of the Dutch Reformed Church of Wellington (South Africa) from 1871 to 1906, and lived there until his death in 1917. His vision for winning Africa for Christ, led him to organize the sending of missionaries into the heart of Africa. He also was a proponent and at the forefront in founding schools both of education for girls, and of Higher Education for women. 1865 William & Catherine Booth Found the Salvation Army / D. L. Moody General William Booth (1829-1912) is chosen as leader of a band of evangelists, and the Salvation Army is born (1865), although the name itself wasn't chosen until 1878. Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899). Evangelist who preached the love of Christ rather than the terrors of Hell. Founded Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in 1886. Its first President was R. A. Torrey, who later succeeded to Moody's worldwide Evangelism Ministry. 1901-1906 Beginning of the Pentecostal Movement The Pentecostal Movement begins at a prayer meeting at Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas (January 1, 1901). In 1906, the Asusa Street Revival brings knowledge of the Pentecostal movement to the world. The Assemblies of God Denomination was founded in 1914. The Foursquare Church was founded in 1923 by Aimee Semple McPherson. 1948 Israel Recognized by the U.N. / Jewish Return Escalates Israel becomes a Nation (May 14, 1948) for the first time since the destruction of the Temple and the Nation by the Roman General Titus (later Emperor) in 70 A.D. The return of the Jewish people to Israel, begun in the early 1900's, escalates. 1950 Billy Graham Begins His Worldwide Evangelism Ministry Billy Graham (b. Nov. 7, 1918) founds the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and over the next 50 years, preaches the Gospel in person to more people than any other man in the history of the world. Monk Preston believes that his receiving Christ at age nineteen has it's roots in his mother's own acceptance of the Lord ten years earlier through the ministry of Billy Graham. 1955 Francis and Edith Schaeffer Found L'Abri Fellowship International Francis and Edith Schaeffer left a Presbyterian Pastorate in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A., and founded L'Abri Fellowship in French Switzerland, a Christian Apologetics teaching and witnessing Community supported by "living by prayer" (they did not ask people for funding, but only prayed to God). Francis and Edith Schaeffer wrote many excellent Christian books. There are currently several L'Abri Study Centers located in different countries around the world. 1965 R. A. Torrey III Founds Jesus Abbey in Korea Jesus Abbey founded in Korea by R. A. ("Archer")Torrey III, grandson of R. A. Torrey. The group allows marriage and do not call themselves "monks," but observe three daily times of prayer and refer to new potential members as "Novices." It is a born-again evangelistic missionary community, affiliated with the Episcopal (Anglican) Church In their own words: "Jesus Abbey is a house primarily dedicated to intercessory prayer (for revival in the church in Korea, for the Korean nation, and for world peace, and for world evangelism). A small farm, dairy and orchard help to support this work in a remote mountain valley near the East Coast of Korea." R. A. Torrey was himself a Congregationalist, and the first President of the Moody Bible Institute who later replaced Dwight L. Moody (upon Moody's death) in D. L. Moody's worldwide Evangelism ministry. 1967 Ancient City of Jerusalem Regained by the Jewish People As a result of (Israel's) Six-Day War, Jerusalem (the Old City) is in the hands of the Jewish people for the first time since 70 A.D. 1969 Beginning of Charismatic Movement / Jesus Movement (Youth) Charismatic Movement begins in mainstream (Liberal) Denominations with Episcopal priest Dennis Bennett; Catholic Pentecostal Movement in the Roman Catholic Church; Jesus Movement among young people. The Calvary Chapel Denomination was founded in 1965 by Chuck Smith. 1970 (to the Present) Era of Bible Translation / Evangelism (The Great Commission) Translation of the Bible into the major languages of the peoples of the Earth, and the 3rd (or 4th) great preaching of the Gospel worldwide. September, 1973 Moishe Rosen Founds Jews For Jesus ® Moishe Rosen founds Jews for Jesus ® (or re-founds it; some claim it was actually founded ca. 32 A.D.!). July 19, 1999 Preston & Linda Found The Prayer Foundation ™ Monk Preston & Monk Linda co-found The Prayer Foundation ™. Its purpose: "To promote prayer among all Christians, and proclaim Jesus Christ to the World ." This also included the Knights of Prayer ™ Monastic Order, an International, Interdenominational Monastic Order, the first 100% Born-again Monastic Order in the history of Christianity, reviving what was best and scriptural in Celtic Monasticism, in the light of the Protestant Reformation, and in the spirit of St. Francis. Monk Linda becomes the first female Monk in the history of Christianity. November 8, 2000 The Prayer Foundation ™ Web Site Goes Online The Prayer Foundation ™ Web Site goes online with 12 pages; a ministry of Prayer Encouragement, with Prayer Teaching and Resources, including a worldwide 24-Hr. Prayerchain. For current updated information see: Prayer Warrior Map: World! Prayer Warrior Map: U.S.A.! Knights of Prayer Map: World! Knights of Prayer Map: U.S.A.! __________________________________________ The above is of course only a brief timeline, with much of importance necessarily but regrettably left out. In our present time (right now) the Lord is doing so much. What seems to be happening is that the Gospel is being preached to the whole world as never before, aided by the "new" media of Radio, Television, and the Internet. We feel that the History of Christianity is a great symphony, of which our lives and ministry will be but one note. God grant us in His Son, Jesus Christ, by the power of The Holy Spirit, that we may sound that one note correctly and in "tune," as God desires us to. "Only one life, will soon be passed; only what's done for Christ will last." Our small work (The Prayer Foundation,™ and also the Knights of Prayer ™ Monastic Order) is only what we see God doing in our lives, because they are our lives. How wonderful that all other Christians now living also have this same experience, and that God is working now throughout the Earth in the lives of all of his believers! How wonderful to serve the One True Living God! ________________________________________ "The renewal of the Church will come from a new type of monasticism which only has in common with the old an uncompromising allegiance to the Sermon on the Mount. It is high time men and women banded together to do this." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer ____________________________________________________________ See Also: Christian History Pages ____________________________________________________________ Copyright © 2002-2007 S.G.P. All rights reserved. Except: Photo of Skellig Michael Copyright © Irish Tourist Board.
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____________ Copyright © 2002-2003 S.G.P. All rights reserved. Except: Photo of Skellig Michael Copyright © Irish Tourist Board. ____________ Timeline Divisions:
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Christian
History
Timeline:
Modern
Era: (1517 A.D. to Today)_________________
Apostolic Era: (4 B.C. -100
A.D.)