Woodbridge John D. - Church History, Volume Two

A s our esteemed colleague, Everett Ferguson, stated in his preface to the first volume, Church history is the study of the history of Gods people in Christ, a theological claim, or, speaking more neutrally, of those who have wanted to be Gods people in Christ. It is, as he says, a mixed story. He noted rather poignantly that Just as the biblical record of the people of God is the story of a mixed people with great acts of faith and great failures in sin and unfaithfulness, so is the history of the people who made up the church through the ages. This is not to suggest a simplistic bifurcation between the instigators of iniquity who invariably are false brethren and the pious do-gooders who inevitably are the wellspring of orthodox theology.

Actually, church history is more complicated and nuanced than that. What Dr. Ferguson is getting at is that persecuted Christians can at another time become the persecutors. The history of the church reminds us that Christians can be culprits of foolishness as well as bold titans for truth. They can be egoistic and self-serving; they can be humble and generous. A single individual can embody conflicting traits. We may find it disconcerting to discover that our heroes are sometimes flawed. To alleviate in part this dissonance, may we suggest an aphorism to accompany your reading: God works through sinners to accomplish his good purposes. Such words remind us all that despite our frailties, we are yet serviceable to God.

This volume has sought to accomplish a number of goals. The first of these is to provide an academically responsible engagement with the facts of history as best we can determine them, whether or not these facts comport with personal convictions. We believe that such honesty, although at times painful, will ultimately serve the best interests of all, Christian or not. Second, this volume endeavors to provide a global perspective. We now inhabit a world where the center of Christianity has shifted from the West to the global South, which requires that due consideration be given to the theology and movements in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Third, we intend this volume to be contemporary and relevant to the church today. Change, whether cultural, technological, political, or social, is now happening at an ever-increasing pace. Although it is impossible to keep up with every new movement, we nevertheless endeavored to engage the most significant of those developments that are most likely to impact the Christian church. Fourth, we have not avoided controversial issues of the past or the present. But we do not presume to make final judgments. Rather, we seek to present the relevant dimensions of the debate in order to provide readers with enough information so that they can begin to reach their own conclusions.

Fifth, we are keenly aware that church history like all history is culturally conditioned. The social norms that governed an earlier era may not be the social norms today. For example, we do not execute heretics. However, even as we evaluate actions according to the cultural standards of the time, we are mindful that Christians affirm doctrinal beliefs and ethical standards that are culturally transcendent. Finally, we have embraced a broad ecumenical stance; that is to say, we have endeavored to be respectful of all Christian traditions and indeed, to give a thoughtful and faithful treatment to other religions.

We wish to express our deep appreciation to Jim Ruark for his patience and prudence in seeing this volume to completion. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Everett Ferguson for writing an exemplary first volume of this church history a volume whose contents are assumed as the basis for the present one.

As the readers embark on their journey into church history, we commend these wise words of Martin Luther:

God is no other than the one who loves the contrite, the tormented, the perplexed; [He is] the God of the humble. If I could understand this, I would be a [true] theologian.

Luther on Psalm 51