God's Story: A Student Guide to Church History (13 page)

Most Pentecostals believe that one can receive the same experience and spiritual gifts, as did the first Christians on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Pentecostals also emphasize personal power granted by the Holy Spirit to overcome hardship and a large segment believe in the heretical “
health, wealth, and prosperity gospel,
” which teaches that if you are faithful enough, God will give you health, wealth, and financial prosperity.

While there remains no central governing branch or authority within Pentecostalism, it is one of the fastest-growing movements in the world, particularly in the global south. Some well-known leaders of the Pentecostal and charismatic movement include Oral Roberts, Benny Hinn, Pat Robertson, Jimmy Swaggart, Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, T. D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, and Joel Osteen. Other popular charismatic groups—which often associate with Pentecostals—are the Hillsong Church (and Hillsong United band) in Australia and the Alpha Course, based out of Holy Trinity, Brompton, in London, England.

While “evangelicalism” can be traced to the Great Awakening in the 1730s and 1740s (see Chapter 9)—and theological and spiritual emphases before that from the Puritans—it broke away from the fundamentalism of the early 20
^th
century into the movement as it is recognized today. Evangelicalism emphasizes the historically Protestant theological convictions—justification by faith alone, the substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross, the miracles of Jesus, his resurrection, personal conversion and rebirth by the Spirit, the realities of heaven and hell, the sovereign grace of God, and the inspiration and authority of the Bible.

During the 1940s and especially in the 1950s—with the emergence of the evangelist Billy Graham (1918–) and his largely-popular crusades—evangelicalism began to differentiate itself from fundamentalism with fundamentalism focusing more on its distinction from liberalism while evangelicalism focused more on personal conversion experience, rebirth, assurance of salvation, and evangelism.

Evangelical zeal also permeated into the youth culture, as seen in the explosion of youth-oriented organizations like Young Life (1941), Youth for Christ (1946), Fellowship of Christian Athletes (1954), and Student Venture (1966). In response to the immediate popularity of these organizations and the supportive desire to see young people reached with the gospel, churches began their own version of “youth ministry.” Youth ministry quickly became a church-norm, especially in the United States, even developing into its own culture with rock bands, skits, and inspirational talks by the newly-formed category—the Youth Pastor. Some today are calling for this culture of youth ministry to give up their gimmicks and return to a biblical model of means of grace ministry.

It should be noted, too, that other theologically conservative efforts sought to put a halt to the rise of liberal theology over the course of the 20
^th
century in favor of a more evangelical and historic expression of faith. Earlier 20
^th
century leaders included J. Gresham Machen, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Francis Schaeffer, Carl Henry. More recently, champions of evangelical Christianity include John Stott, Abraham Kuyper, T. F. Torrance, J. I. Packer, R. C. Sproul, John MacArthur, John Piper, Timothy Keller, Rick Warren, and Albert Mohler.

Today, there are nearly 300 million evangelicals around the world from a diversity of backgrounds, denominations, and cultures. While the term “evangelical” is fairly loose in meaning, it represents a definite approach to historic, Bible-believing Christianity. In recent years, liberal spin-offs from evangelicalism have gained attention, such as postmodernism, the Emerging Church movement, and the acceptance of homosexuality in church leadership. Evangelicalism is currently in a state of transition and it yet remains clear as to its future development. All told, the 20
^th
century witnessed the galvanization of both mainstream liberalism in the church as well as its reaction, expressed in fundamentalism, neo-orthodoxy, and recently, evangelicalism.

As we look back through the history of the Christian church, we see God’s faithfulness to preserve his people in spite of their sin and rebellion against his truth. We see a great cloud of witnesses, generations of those who have embraced Christ by faith, beckoning us onward as we will one day be translated from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant. And until that day comes, we pray, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

1. Do you agree with the “five fundamentals”
   of the faith? Could you back them from
   Scripture?
   
2. If you have simply evolved from some
   primordial goo, can there exist absolute
   morality? Can you have an ultimate right and
   wrong?
   
3. What is the “health, wealth, and prosperity
   gospel”? Have you seen evidences on TV, the
   Internet, or in books?
   
4. Who are some of the heroes of the faith for
   you? Why?
   

Brian H. Cosby (Ph.D., Australian College of Theology) is Pastor of Wayside Presbyterian Church (PCA) on Signal Mountain, Tennessee.

He is the author of a number of books, including
Giving Up Gimmicks: Reclaiming Youth Ministry from an Entertainment Culture, Rebels Rescued: A Student's Guide to Reformed Theology, and two biographies in the Christian Focus Trailblazers Series, John Bunyan: The Journey of a Pilgrim and David Brainerd: A Love for the Lost.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said that between the Bible and us stands a church, a church with a history. We too often forget that, and such forgetfulness is not healthy for us. This book will help you remember.  It will help you remember that we have a history, that our history matters, and that our history shapes who we are today. Brian Cosby has done you a huge favor. He’s made reading church history easy and fun—and even devotional and worshipful. All you need to do is take up this book and read.

Stephen J. Nichols,

Research Professor of Christianity & Culture, Lancaster Bible College

Fast-paced and focused on major leaders and movements, this book gives a helpful introduction to the history of the church in bite-size portions. Throughout the ages, God’s Story reminds us that it is His story—the account of God’s works among His people.

Joel R. Beeke,

President of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary,

Grand Rapids, Michigan

For those intimated by the broad sweep of church history—whether teenagers, college students, or adults—
God’s Story
offers a breezy account of two thousand years in a format that would take only a couple of hours to read. But don’t be fooled by the small package: here is robust, doxological history sure to offer wisdom to God’s people and insight to the church’s future leaders. Brian Cosby has done a favor for students everywhere, both young and old!

Sean Michael Lucas,

Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Hattiesburg, Mississippi

God’s Story
by Dr. Brian Cosby will help students understand how the Church came into being, how she has developed and what she has taught in her history. I commend this book to you and pray high school and college students will pick it up in order to have an increasing passion to know and study the history of Christ’s Church.

Dave Jenkins, Director, Servants of Grace Ministries

Also available from Christian Focus...

ISBN 978-1-78191-321-5

Water the Earth

A Student’s Guide to Missions

Aaron Little

Look at mission from a perspective that will help you to
understand your own mission, both life-long and short-term,
and give you tips to accomplish outreach where you are
called, whether around the world or down the street. Aaron
Little reveals God’s big-picture plan for missions while giving
out handy details for your own evangelism in this punchy,
entertaining, and convicting guide.

ISBN 978-1-84550-980-4

REBELS RESCUED

A Student’s Guide to Reformed Theology

Brian Cosby

Have you ever had a shopping cart with a broken wheel? You
push it around and all it wants to do is run into the sides of
the aisle. If you were to let the cart go on its own, it would
immediately turn and smash into that case of pickles up
ahead! You are like that shopping cart! The bad wheel is your
heart. It’s always veering off, leading you away from what you
were created to be.

You were created for God’s love and glory, but instead,
your heart pulls you away from Jesus and into something
much worse than a case of pickles. Being a rebel at heart
means that you do not have the ability to choose God or even
to respond to God on your own, because you are spiritually
dead; we all are. Reformed theology teaches that, because
we are more sinful than we could ever imagine, it can only
be God who takes that broken shopping cart wheel (our
sinful heart) and replaces it with one that has both the ability
and the desire to seek him and to follow him. By faith in
Christ, you are no longer set to smash into the aisles of sinful
destruction. No, he promises to carry us in his grip of grace.
God's

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