History? We Don't Need No History....

I often run across Christians who have little or no concern for church history. They delegate the study of history into the dustbin of the unimportant. Therefore, they know nothing of the Providence of God in dealing with men and women and empires and cultures of the past. They lose out on being able to relate to the experiences of those who went before us and perhaps experienced the same problems we face. News of the latest government fiasco, the tanking economy, the lack of zeal in the church, are looked at by them in despair not knowing or realizing that others have went through the same problems before and were not abandoned by God but strengthened and renewed.

Is our government racing towards a collapse? Perhaps, but is it worse than 400 AD Rome? Are our politicians seeking their best interest only? Certainly, but haven’t they always? Is our economy on the road to hyper-inflation? Ask the post-WWII Europeans. Is the True Church of Jesus Christ enduring persecution? The Waldensians wouldn’t think so. Anyway, you get my point – we are not the only ones to experience these current problems. We just arrogantly think so.

I read an interview this morning which makes a succinct point regarding a Christians interest in history, specifically church history, that I found interesting.

Guy Davies recently interviewed Professor R. Scott Clark who is a professor of church history and historical theology at Westminster Seminary California and maintains the blogsite “The Heidelblog”. Professor Scott was asked the question, “Why should today's Christians be interested in church history and historical theology?”

Professor Scott’s response was, “Christians are redeemed by Christ alone (sola gratia, sola fide) to be a part of the covenant community, i.e. the visible church. The church did not begin last week. It has a history and every Christian, by virtue of the fact of being a Christian, is a part of a historic tradition. Consider the very name "Christian." We are given the name of Christ in baptism. It is a historic name (given to us by others). It is the name of a historic person, God the Son who entered into history to be our Redeemer. Thus our faith itself is grounded in the history of salvation. The Christian faith is unavoidably historical. The way we worship, the way we read Scripture, the way we think of God, man, Christ, sin, salvation, the church, sacraments, last things, and the Christian life are all conditioned by history. Thus the question is not whether we are going think about history but whether we are going to do it well.”

So remember, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob never changes. As He rules over the universe cannot He overrule in our present situation? And if He does not, will He not give us the ability to endure – even to the end? History tells us He does and He will.

John 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

posted by john d.