The church in Europe was limited in what changes it could make and the need arose for greater change and more civil and religious liberty. These factors amongst others led to the birth of the United States of America and the small group of bedraggled pilgrims who left England in 1620 could not have imagined the results of their decision centuries later.

<p>The church in Europe was limited in what changes it could make and the need arose for greater change and more civil and religious liberty. These factors amongst others led to the birth of the United States of America and the small group of bedraggled pilgrims who left England in 1620 could not have imagined the results of their decision centuries later.</p>

Lineage Journey

Adam Ramdin

The Great Controversy

01 The Destruction of Jerusalem

02 Persecution in the First Centuries

03 An Era of Spiritual Darkness

04 The Waldenses

05 John Wycliffe

06 Huss and Jerome

07 Luther’s Separation from Rome

08 Luther Before the Diet

09 The Swiss Reformer

10 Progress of Reform in Germany

11 Protest of the Princes

12 The French Reformation

13 The Netherlands & Scandinavia

14 Later English Reformers

15 The Bible & The French Revolution

16 The Pilgrim Fathers

17 Heralds of The Morning

18 An American Reformer

19 Light Through Darkness

20 A Great Religious Awakening

21 A Warning Rejected

22 Prophecies Fulfilled

23 What is the Sanctuary?

24 In the Holy of Holies

25 God’s Law Immutable

27 Modern Revivals

28 Facing Life’s Record

29 The Origin of Evil

30 Enmity Between Man and Satan

31 Agency of Evil Spirits


The Reformation and the New Testament Chapter 2 Season 2 Episode 1 The Reformation Whilst the Reformation had made major changes and advancements, the reform was not complete and some of the old forms, structures, and ideologies made their way into the Church of England. There were some in the early 1600s known as the Puritans who advocated for greater change, but they were not welcomed. Descent from the official church position was not allowed. Other religious groups were not allowed to meet, and attendance was compulsory. The Puritans suffered persecution, leading some of them to take the position they needed to leave England for it was no longer a habitable place.

Some initially sought refuge in Holland, and then the prospect of a fresh start in the Americas beckoned. The first ship that left England and sailed to America was the Mayflower in 1620. 🎵 Music 🎵 It was a desire for religious liberty that led these early pilgrims to brave the rough seas and an uncertain and perilous journey on the way to the new world. Landing here in Plymouth Rock, these early Puritans had joined themselves together in a vow to walk together in all things made known or to be made known to them. 1 of their pastors, John Robinson, famously admonished them to follow him no further than he himself followed Christ and encouraged them to seek for new light in their religious experience as well.

These early pilgrims did not come here for prosperity, for gold in the hills, or to buy huge swaths of land. They came here seeking a place where they could worship God according to the dictates of their conscience, rather than the law of the land. [♪ music ♪ However, as is so often the case, the freedom that we so desperately desire for ourselves, we are not so eager to give it to others when we are in a position of power. And sadly, the pilgrims made the same mistake. In the colony in Massachusetts Bay, only church members could hold a position in the civil government.

Thus, the secular power was in the hands of the church, which inevitably produced both persecution and corruption. It was in this context that Roger Williams, a minister from England, sailed here to America, landing in Boston in 1630. He was initially offered a church, but turned it down on the basis that it was an unseparated church. He then briefly spent some time here in Salem at a church and is believed to have lived in the house behind me, but his views on the king and a tract he wrote about it got him in trouble with the authorities. 🎵 music 🎵 Accused of spreading divisive opinions, he was convicted of sedition and heresy and ordered to be banished.

He left in January of 1636 before they could arrest him and traveled 55 miles through deep snow to Rainham, Massachusetts, where he was hosted for 3 months by the local Wampanoag tribe. In spring, Roger Williams and some others left and went to Romford, Rhode Island where they bought some land, but then they traveled even further, arriving here where he met the Narragasse people and negotiated some land from them. Believing that divine providence had guided them, they named the colony Providence. Here was built the foundation for the first state in modern times that recognized the right of religious freedom. This little colony became a haven for the persecuted and it was built on the cornerstone of the separation of church and state.

[♪ music ♪ This was the first time where the principles that Jesus taught, when he said to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's, were embodied in the laws of a local government. But truth rarely comes without a cost, and Roger Williams and his associates sacrificed much in the early years of this colony. They were not appreciated by others nearby, but they were loved by the local native tribespeople as they advocated for their peace whilst fighting for their own independence. Rhode Island was a pioneering state in these early years, and others would later copy these principles of the separation of church and state. [♪ music ♪ These ideas would grow and establish themselves in the minds of the people, and so the founders would pen them in the Declaration of Independence, saying that all men are created equal and they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, rights that come from God that no 1 else should be able to take away or restrict from us.

1 of these is liberty, and the founders would pen in the Constitution saying that no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any public office or trust in the United States, and that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. May we fight to preserve these principles and freedoms, or establish them depending where we may live. [♪ music ♪ These early pioneers understood clearly from experience the principle that when religion is good it will take care of itself, that it doesn't need the support of civil government, and that the 2 entities should remain separate. This principle more than anything else is what made America great and different from other nations. Another guiding factor of Roger Williams and John Robinson before him was that truth is progressive, but sadly this was lost sight of by their descendants and the Protestant churches of America, like those in Europe, failed to press forward in the work of reform.

Whilst the framework of society had been laid and was in place, there was a need for revival amongst the churches. May we continually search for God like a thirsty man searches for water, and may we remember that truth is progressive and the way God leads us is also progressive as well on a personal level. ♪♪ ♪♪ you

Series

The Great Controversy

16 The Pilgrim Fathers

Description

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

01 The Destruction of Jerusalem

6m

02 Persecution in the First Centuries

5m

03 An Era of Spiritual Darkness

5m

04 The Waldenses

7m

05 John Wycliffe

6m

06 Huss and Jerome

8m

07 Luther’s Separation from Rome

7m

08 Luther Before the Diet

7m

09 The Swiss Reformer

6m

10 Progress of Reform in Germany

4m

11 Protest of the Princes

5m

12 The French Reformation

6m

13 The Netherlands & Scandinavia

7m

14 Later English Reformers

7m

15 The Bible & The French Revolution

8m

16 The Pilgrim Fathers

7m

17 Heralds of The Morning

6m

18 An American Reformer

6m

19 Light Through Darkness

4m

20 A Great Religious Awakening

4m

21 A Warning Rejected

4m

22 Prophecies Fulfilled

5m

23 What is the Sanctuary?

5m

24 In the Holy of Holies

5m

25 God’s Law Immutable

6m

27 Modern Revivals

5m

28 Facing Life’s Record

5m

29 The Origin of Evil

5m

30 Enmity Between Man and Satan

5m

31 Agency of Evil Spirits

5m

Sound Doctrine