I'm just wondering. But why is there SO MUCH material from the past two or three centuries but very few from the past 2,000 years of Christian devotional and theological writing and thought?
It is as though the impression this site gives is that it does not have a hermeneutic of continuity back to the days of the apostles. Was the Christian revelation lost?
Please take this as constructive and not destructive critique.
Peace
You will find histories of Flavius Josephus,
the confessions of Saint Augustine,
writings of Thomas a Kempis, the early
Puritans, from Jonathan Edwards and George
Whitefield and David Brainerd here on this
site!!
the tyranny of rome, thats why.
can you get fruit from a thorn bush?
There is over a thousand year gap between Josephus and a'Kempis. The overwhelming majority of material on this site is from the past two or three centuries.
I appreciate your enthusiastic answer. It just was not helpful. I don't know a nicer way to say it.
Peace
by Natan4Jesus on 2010/9/25 9:16:39 the tyranny of rome, thats why. can you get fruit from a thorn bush?
So you believe that the gates of hell prevailed against the Church? Do you sincerely believe that Christianity was snuffed out for 1500 years?
Preposterous!
We have writings from the apostels to the very men who knew them and on through every generation until this one. So were are they?
May I ask what you hoped to find??
There are writings here from Miguel
Molinos, St. John of the Cross, and
Francois Fenelon.
Most of the school of thought is
reformed theology, and has to do
with revivals.
onetruefaith
You present a straw man argument.
You made a statement that nation4Jesus did not make
and you answer it.
what is your motive?
by sojourner7 on 2010/9/25 9:56:50 May I ask what you hoped to find?? There are writings here from Miguel Molinos, St. John of the Cross, and Francois Fenelon. Most of the school of thought is reformed theology, and has to do with revivals.
Ah, finally an appropriate answer. Thank you. This is at least a start. I have some questions for you.
1. If this is primarily a reformed theology site, then why do I find Wesley, Finney, and Ravenhill?
2. The site does indeed state it's purpose to post material about "revivals." So when did revivalism start? Did the Church only need revivalism in the past two or three centuries? Still a bit confusing. But at least you are helping me.
3. Why St. John of the Cross if "Rome" makes Nathan baulk so much?
4. Do you have any idea why the info here is so lopsided toward modern preachers?
Thanks!!!!!
by Notdarkyet on 2010/9/25 10:00:15 onetruefaith You present a straw man argument. You made a statement that nation4Jesus did not make and you answer it. what is your motive?
No he did not make the statement that the gates of hell prevailed against the Church. But isn't this the effect. He apparently thinks that Satan was SO successful that he practically snuffed out Christianity from the world for a millennium and a half (give or take a few centuries).
So what about my statement was a straw man? I'm not seeing it.
Wesley, Finney, and Leonard Ravenhill
are known for being revival preachers.
I mentioned St. John of the Cross
[and many other early fathers of faith] to
show this site is not lopsided toward
modern preachers.
Still don't know what you are seeking;
so it is hard to help you find it!!
{edited} because doesn't edify the body as a whole.
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." 1 John 4:7-8
by sojourner7 on 2010/9/25 10:20:40 Wesley, Finney, and Leonard Ravenhill are known for being revival preachers. I mentioned St. John of the Cross [and many other early fathers of faith] to show this site is not lopsided toward modern preachers. Still don't know what you are seeking; so it is hard to help you find it!!
What I am "seeking" is to better understand why this site has a far lesser representation of spiritual thought from the entirety of Christian history.
And, no, St. John of the Cross is not an early father in the faith. Not even close. He lived in the later 16th century and was a prominent figure in the counter-Reformation. The Church Fathers would be Clement of Rome and Polycarp through St. John of Damascus. (First seven centuries of Christian history)
Do you see? Where are the large number of Christian spiritual writers from the 100's, 200's, 300's, 400's, 500's, 600's, 700's, 800's, 900's, 1000's, 1100's, 1200's, 1300's?
That's an aweful lot of time. I would love to see this site enriched like that. The amount of material currently on this site would then be....what?...10% of the total amount of material?
You see now?
Athenagoras writings on the resurrection
of the dead are here, Clement's comments
on Paul's letter to the Corinthian Church
are here, historic confessions, such as
the Apostle's Creed and Nicene Creed are
here, and the epistles of Cyprian of
Carthage are here.
Again, what are you looking for ??
Why did the Sanhedrin, with its 1200+ years of tradition stretching back to Moses, crucify the very Messiah that Moses said would come?
I'm just wondering. But why is there SO MUCH material from the past two or three centuries but very few from the past 2,000 years of Christian devotional and theological writing and thought? It is as though the impression this site gives is that it does not have a hermeneutic of continuity back to the days of the apostles. Was the Christian revelation lost?
I do hope you're not here to promote the popish agenda.
Apostolic Tradition is the sorry excuse of those who would seek to usurp the true authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and His word.
The deeply rich spiritual materials of the past few centuries prove what happens when the common man has access to the Scriptures in his own language. From around the sixth century to the sixteenth century the popish clan had control over the Bible and it remained a closed book for the common man.
And please don't try to argue that this means hell prevailed over the church, as we can see today it has not, even though the devil has never stopped trying.
However, without the freedom that comes from the truth the world will always suffer and so those days are aptly referred to as the "dark ages", but the light is never fully extinguished, God always has a remnant who love the truth and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Christ,
Ron
And this is wonderful. What am I looking for? OK let me give you a few:
ALL of the Church Fathers
ALL the Doctors of the Church
St. Isaac of Ninevah (the Syrian)
St. John Climacus
St. Maximos the Confessor
More from St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Irenaeus, St. Bede the Venerable, etc.
by KingJimmy on 2010/9/25 11:05:52 Why did the Sanhedrin, with its 1200+ years of tradition stretching back to Moses, crucify the very Messiah that Moses said would come?
Because they defied that tradition. They liked their own modern traditions better.
by InTheLight on 2010/9/25 11:18:02 I do hope you're not here to promote the popish agenda.
So let me get this straight. Anyone who wants to see a greater representation of Christian spiritual and devotional thought from every age of the Church is promoting a popish agenda? Posh!
Apostolic Tradition is the sorry excuse of those who would seek to usurp the true authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and His word.
I didn't use the term "Apostolic Tradition". What is YOUR agenda?
The deeply rich spiritual materials of the past few centuries prove what happens when the common man has access to the Scriptures in his own language.
Maybe you should be the one to tell the Lord that He should have come AFTER the advent of the printing press. You should inform him that Christianity prior to that could only be a rich man's religion.
From around the sixth century to the sixteenth century the popish clan had control over the Bible and it remained a closed book for the common man.
Why didn't they simply destroy it? Why did they preserve it for Martin Luther to try and rip James out of it?
And please don't try to argue that this means hell prevailed over the church, as we can see today it has not, even though the devil has never stopped trying.
It hasn't has it? Well then please explain to me why there is no unity of doctrine among the denominations represented today? Is not right doctrine necessary to lead us to heaven?
However, without the freedom that comes from the truth the world will always suffer and so those days are aptly referred to as the "dark ages", but the light is never fully extinguished, God always has a remnant who love the truth and the Lord Jesus Christ.
If those were the dark ages, what do we call this time? The darker/darkest ages? During those so-called "dark ages", how much abortion, pornography, blasphemy, body mutilation (tatooing/piercing), adultery, etc. Yeah right!
I understand your heart to see balance, I believe there is "unbalance" because a great majority of the resources here are recorded sermons and the like and so unless the Fathers of the Faith had a tape to record themselves they would probably be on here. Also a lot of the writings are from thr 1600 and up because those writings I think are more availible since a great deal of the early Saints writings were destroyed or lost over time. If you would like to see more information from those centuries you might make the suggestion to brother Greg Gordon the founder of the site and make that request known. If you are looking for a great read I would suggest "The Pilgrim Church by E.H. Broadbent it goes over various parts of church history quite well.
I hope that this helped and answered your questions.
God Bless,
Matthew
Because they defied that tradition. They liked their own modern traditions better.
And there is no chance whatsoever, that Christians have at times done the same? Even Peter broke with the purity of the gospel at least once during his apostolic ministry. The apostle Paul had to correct him for it.
This discussion is locked.
