If I am not mistaken, theological liberalism came to this country by those who went to Germany to study and came back as virtual apostates. Sadly, many of these were, or soon were, in seminaries, teaching unbelief to the next generation. Thus started the slow (at first) downfall of all mainline Protestant denominations. Those who opposed the new heresies either left or didn't fight hard enough and call unbelief by its name.
As an aside, I have always felt seminaries became the bastions of unbelief because they are a man-designed method of making preachers. I have always believed the apprentice method would work much better. Young preachers work with seasoned pastors, learning by doing, boots on the ground. Also, who better than a seasoned preacher to determine character, day in and day out. Certainly most seminaries would turn away most, or all, of the Apostles as being unfit for their cherished institution.
You are right, Liberal Protestantism that denied the veracity of the Scriptures and tried to explain theology under the influence of secular philosophy got started in Germany whence it spread to The US and the UK. I hope to post something about it next week - German Liberal Protestantism. One reason the churches put up so little resistance to Hitler is that many of them had died long before.
One American Christian wrote, it took about one hundred years for liberal Protestantism to lead to the collapse of mainline Protestantism and then to the collapse of Germany. That same process got started here in the 1920s, and we are now seeing many evil fruits.
I have also questioned the utility of seminaries. How did the early church manage without them? I agree, all of the apostles would have been turned away due to a lack of qualifications.
Somebody once said that what we need is more plain and simple men who will stand for the truth.
Francis Asbury was such a plain and simple man. I have read his sermons were nothing to read and yet, God used him mightily because he gave God his life,. He rode thousands of miles up and down this country, back when doing so was hard and roads treacherous He was often very sick. When only slightly less sick,, he was back in the saddle, off to another meeting place to preach the Gospel. to a handful of people.
Francis Asbury (1745-1816). That was a different world back then. Just think - no social security, no Medicare, no unemployment compensation. If you were poor or sick or old that was your problem. That made families, churches and local community ties so much more important.
I have read a few sermons by Whitefield and the Wesleys and thought it would be interesting to see a sermon or two by Francis Asbury. Looking now, it appears according to this article most of what they know about Asbury's preaching comes from his journals, where he discusses delivery and content. But I don't see any of his sermons available on Amazon.
If I am not mistaken, theological liberalism came to this country by those who went to Germany to study and came back as virtual apostates. Sadly, many of these were, or soon were, in seminaries, teaching unbelief to the next generation. Thus started the slow (at first) downfall of all mainline Protestant denominations. Those who opposed the new heresies either left or didn't fight hard enough and call unbelief by its name.
As an aside, I have always felt seminaries became the bastions of unbelief because they are a man-designed method of making preachers. I have always believed the apprentice method would work much better. Young preachers work with seasoned pastors, learning by doing, boots on the ground. Also, who better than a seasoned preacher to determine character, day in and day out. Certainly most seminaries would turn away most, or all, of the Apostles as being unfit for their cherished institution.
You are right, Liberal Protestantism that denied the veracity of the Scriptures and tried to explain theology under the influence of secular philosophy got started in Germany whence it spread to The US and the UK. I hope to post something about it next week - German Liberal Protestantism. One reason the churches put up so little resistance to Hitler is that many of them had died long before.
One American Christian wrote, it took about one hundred years for liberal Protestantism to lead to the collapse of mainline Protestantism and then to the collapse of Germany. That same process got started here in the 1920s, and we are now seeing many evil fruits.
I have also questioned the utility of seminaries. How did the early church manage without them? I agree, all of the apostles would have been turned away due to a lack of qualifications.
Somebody once said that what we need is more plain and simple men who will stand for the truth.
Francis Asbury was such a plain and simple man. I have read his sermons were nothing to read and yet, God used him mightily because he gave God his life,. He rode thousands of miles up and down this country, back when doing so was hard and roads treacherous He was often very sick. When only slightly less sick,, he was back in the saddle, off to another meeting place to preach the Gospel. to a handful of people.
Francis Asbury (1745-1816). That was a different world back then. Just think - no social security, no Medicare, no unemployment compensation. If you were poor or sick or old that was your problem. That made families, churches and local community ties so much more important.
I have read a few sermons by Whitefield and the Wesleys and thought it would be interesting to see a sermon or two by Francis Asbury. Looking now, it appears according to this article most of what they know about Asbury's preaching comes from his journals, where he discusses delivery and content. But I don't see any of his sermons available on Amazon.
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100 years in? That sounds abIut right for the US.
Yes, we can see how much the mainline churches and the USA as a whole have changed in the last century.