1801: | Second Great Awakening begins at Cane Ridge Revival |
1804: | Barton Stone and several of his followers break all denominational ties and begin calling themselves merely “Christian—beginning of the “Restoration Movement” |
1807: | British Parliament votes to abolish slave trade due in large part to William Wilberforce |
1809: | Restoration Movement (Primitivism)—it takes a prominent place in American Christianity. It is propelled by the desire to return to “NT Christianity” and purge the church of history (confessions/creeds) and tradition—Thomas and Alexander Campbell are key players with Stone |
1812: | Princeton Theology (Reformed Confessionalism); Archibald Alexander, Charles Hodge, A.A. Hodge, B.B. Warfield, and J. Gresham Machen (ends in 1921); Judson”s, first American sent missionaries head for Burma |
1825: | Unitarianism picks up adherents (denial of the Trinity) |
1826: | American Temperance Society is founded, churches are its main source of members |
1827: | Charles Grandison Finney begins holding revivals and using his “new measures,” revivalist techniques that justify the use of direct public pressure to secure “convictions” |
1829: | Perfectionism: sparked by the Second Great Awakening, teaches that a second work of the Holy Spirit (after conversion) creates complete happiness and holiness in believer. It is influenced and influences Methodism and the Holiness Movement. It survives today mainly in Pentecostal churches |
1830: | Mormonism: founded by Joseph Smith, recognizes four scriptures: bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, becomes a powerful Cult in last part of 20th century |
1830: | Pretribulationism: doctrine that Christ will snatch away Christians before the Great Tribulation, John Nelson Darby is key figure |
1834: | Millenarianism: a belief in a 1,000 year period of divine order on earth |
1836: | Transcendentalism: comes out of Deist movement, quasi-religious meditations on union of humans and nature and emphasizes intuition over logic (Emerson and Thoreau) |
1840: | Revivalism: Religious enthusiasm and intensity, conversion of the unregenerate and spiritual renewal of saved—its main tools are crusades and prayer meetings |
1843: | Millerites predict the end of the world, October 22, 1844—this group later forms the Seventh-day Adventists in 1863, Ellen White is key figure |
1845: | Baptist churches split into Southern Baptists and Northern Baptists; baseball invented |
1849: | Liberalism (modernism): “adapts” Christianity to fit intellectual and social climate of the day (evolution, psychology, etc.) |
1865: | China Inland Mission (Hudson Taylor) and Salvation Army (William Booth) |
1869: | Papal Infallibility, belief that when pope speaks ex cathedra (as a pope), he speaks irreformable truth |
1870: | Dispensationalism: maintains that history is divided into time periods (7+) where man is tested in respect of obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God, he is found wanting and God sends another (Darby and later, Scofield); Jehovah”s Witnesses are formed (Charles Taze Russell) |
1873: | D.L. Moody conducts large evangelistic meetings in US and UK |
1874: | The “Gift People” begin speaking in tongues, first recorded occurrence in US |
1875: | Christian Science: matter is an “evil illusion” but the spirit is real and can generate spontaneously healing (Mary Baker Eddy) |
1891: | Basketball is invented! |
1895: | The Five Points of Fundamentalism drawn up to combat growing liberalism (verbal inerrancy, divinity of Jesus, virgin birth, substitutionary atonement, and the physical resurrection and bodily return of Christ) |
Historical Highlights 1900AD-2000AD
1901: Pentecostal movement emerges, largely an offspring of the Holiness Movement, focuses on “Spirit baptism” (post-conversion) and speaking in tongues 1906: William Seymour leads the Azusa Street Revival, early instants of Pentecostalism 1909: Scofield Reference Bible, a KJV bible with dispensational interpretation notes 1910: The Fundamentals are published, 12 volume series, mostly apologetic in nature […]