BEMA Episode Link: 200: AD 1650–1800
Episode Length: 17:15
Published Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2020 01:00:00 -0800
Session 5
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings journey up to the end of the eighteenth century and follow the world of Protestant history as it moves out of the Reformation and through the Age of Enlightenment.

AD 1650–1800 Presentation

Discussion Video for BEMA 200

Rediscovering Discipleship by Robby Gallaty

Transcript for BEMA 200

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 200: AD 1650-1800 - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

Episode: 200 - AD 1650-1800 Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings Focus: Protestant history from the end of the Reformation through the Age of Enlightenment (1650-1800)

This episode traces the development of Protestant Christianity and secular thought during a transformative 150-year period. The discussion explores how the Age of Enlightenment’s scientific and philosophical advances (through figures like Newton, Locke, and Voltaire) ran parallel to major theological developments (particularly John Wesley and Methodism). The episode examines the splintering of Protestant Christianity following the Edict of Nantes, the rise of secular influence culminating in the French Revolution, and the emergence of the post-Christian era - a cultural shift away from Christianity as the default worldview in Western civilization.

Key Takeaways

  • The Age of Enlightenment continued the secular growth curve started by Copernicus and Galileo, with Isaac Newton revolutionizing physics and mechanics while John Locke shaped modern political philosophy
  • The Edict of Nantes (1598) granted Protestants civil liberty and equality, ending their persecution as heretics under the Holy Roman Empire
  • Protestant freedom brought both benefits (intellectual freedom, diverse thought) and challenges (loss of unified catholic structure, exponential splintering)
  • John Wesley founded Methodism as a reaction against Calvinism, emphasizing personal repentance, confession, free will, transformation, and the pursuit of holiness
  • Voltaire’s satirical attacks on established religion and advocacy for separation of church and state helped usher in the post-Christian era
  • The French Revolution marked the beginning of the post-Christian era - when Christianity ceased to be the default cultural setting in Western civilization
  • The great migration to America occurred during this period, with Enlightenment thinkers like Locke and Voltaire setting the stage for the Declaration of Independence and American Revolution
  • The church experienced declining political and cultural influence during this period, a reality many evangelical movements remain in denial about today

Main Concepts & Theories

The Secular Growth Curve and Scientific Revolution

Isaac Newton is considered the modern father of mechanics, famous for his laws of motion that formed the foundation of engineering and physics. Beyond mechanics, Newton made crucial contributions to understanding color and the light spectrum. His work fundamentally changed how humanity thinks about physics and set the stage for unprecedented technological advancement. This scientific revolution represented a continuation of the paradigm shifts initiated by Copernicus and Galileo, progressively moving Western thought toward what we now call “modernity” or the modern era.

Political Philosophy: The Rise of Liberalism

John Locke became known as the father of liberalism - not in the modern partisan sense, but as a political philosophy centered on liberty and equality. Locke’s influence on foundational democratic documents like the Declaration of Independence is unmistakable. His ideas established a crucial tension in American democracy between liberalism (bent toward complete freedom) and conservatism (bent toward maintaining constant ethics). This balance, when functioning properly, allows democratic systems to work. Beyond America, Locke’s thinking profoundly impacted major thinkers and political developments in subsequent centuries.

Protestant Freedom and Fragmentation

The Edict of Nantes (1598) granted Protestants civil liberty and equality, fundamentally changing the religious landscape of Europe. This freedom produced two significant results:

Positive: Newfound freedom allowed people to think for themselves, study independently, publish their findings, and teach their own theological beliefs, theories, and systems. The Protestant Reformation actively encouraged individual thought and interpretation.

Negative: Protestantism lost its central unifying system - its “catholic element” (meaning universal, not Catholic with a capital C). As Europe became increasingly fragmented and migration increased, Christian thought experienced exponential division and splitting over the next 200 years. While theological diversity is not inherently negative, this fragmentation created significant challenges for Christian unity and coherence.

Wesleyan Theology and Methodism

John Wesley broke away from the Anglican faith to found what became the Methodist Church. His theology represented a vigorous argument against Calvinist premises, particularly regarding predestination and human agency. Wesley preached passionately about:

  • Personal repentance and confession
  • The power of personal will to pursue transformation
  • Active pursuit of God’s holiness
  • Practical applications of theology

Wesley’s influence on Christian thought and practice has been enormous and enduring. His commitment to discipleship, community, and pragmatic orthopraxy (right practice) offers valuable insights often overlooked by contemporary evaluations. Robby Gallaty’s book “Rediscovering Discipleship” explores Wesley’s discipleship methods and their historical significance, providing a lens for appreciating Wesley beyond typical theological categories.

Voltaire and the Critique of Religious Power

Voltaire, the French writer and philosopher, gained widespread recognition for his satirical attacks on the Catholic Church and established religion generally. Using wit and cutting humor, he advocated for:

  • Freedom of religion
  • Freedom of speech
  • Separation of church and state

Voltaire accurately identified the dangers inherent when religion mixes with state power - the negative implications of what the hosts call “Christendom.” His writings significantly shaped public and educated opinion, radically affecting cultural history. His influence contributed directly to the French Revolution and the dawn of the post-Christian era.

The Post-Christian Era

The French Revolution ushered in what Marty calls the “post-Christian era” - a term describing a fundamental cultural shift. The concept is explained through an analogy: If you unplugged Western culture and plugged it back in before this period, it would “blink Christian” as the default setting. Not that everyone was Christian or that secular thought didn’t exist, but Christianity was the assumed cultural baseline.

Post-French Revolution, this changed. If you unplugged culture and plugged it back in, it no longer defaulted to Christian. While this shift took longer to reach different parts of the world (particularly America), the French Revolution marked the beginning of this tilt away from Christianity as the automatic cultural assumption.

This transition resulted in:

  • Declining church influence both politically and culturally
  • Loss of privilege over subsequent centuries
  • A reality many parts of the church, particularly fundamentalist evangelical movements, remain in denial about today
Geographic and Cultural Shifts

The episode notes a significant geographic pattern: the influential figures discussed represent a movement away from Rome and Catholic influence in southern Europe, shifting northwest to England (Wesley, Newton) and France (Voltaire), before jumping across the Atlantic to America. Luther’s earlier influence was centered in Germany, but by this period, everything shifted westward. This geographic migration mirrors cultural and intellectual waves moving through Western civilization.

The American Context

The great migration to America occurred during this 150-year period. The cultural tenor established by Enlightenment thinkers set the stage for:

  • The Declaration of Independence
  • The American Revolution
  • Democratic ideals that combined Lockean liberalism with other political philosophies

The American context is particularly relevant because most BEMA listeners come from this background, making it essential to understand how Enlightenment thought shaped American Christianity and culture.

Examples & Applications

Newton’s Practical Legacy

Newton’s laws of motion remain foundational to modern engineering, providing the theoretical framework that engineers rely on daily. His work on color and light spectrum theory continues to impact fields like photography, optics, and visual arts. This demonstrates how theoretical scientific work translates into practical technological advancement that shapes everyday life.

Locke’s Influence on American Democracy

The Declaration of Independence reflects Lockean philosophy unmistakably. Ideas about natural rights, liberty, and equality that Americans take for granted trace directly to Locke’s political writings. The ongoing tension in American politics between liberal and conservative philosophies represents the working out of Lockean ideals in practical governance.

Wesley’s Discipleship Model

John Wesley developed practical methods for discipleship that emphasized community, accountability, and spiritual formation. His “method” (from which Methodism derives its name) included small group accountability, personal spiritual disciplines, and service to the poor. This approach influenced countless discipleship movements and remains relevant for contemporary church practice, as explored in Gallaty’s “Rediscovering Discipleship.”

Voltaire’s Satirical Method

Voltaire used wit and humor rather than direct theological argument to critique religious power structures. This satirical approach proved remarkably effective in shaping public opinion, demonstrating how cultural critique can occur through creative means rather than systematic theology. His method influenced subsequent generations of social critics and satirists.

The French Revolution’s Impact

The French Revolution represented a practical working out of Enlightenment ideals about human reason, liberty, and the questioning of traditional authority structures including the church. While violent and chaotic, it fundamentally reset cultural assumptions about religion’s role in public life, creating a template that other Western nations would follow in varying degrees.

American Evangelical Denial

Marty identifies contemporary American evangelicalism’s denial of declining cultural influence as a practical example of failing to recognize the post-Christian reality. This denial manifests in attempts to reclaim Christian cultural dominance rather than adapting to a genuinely pluralistic context, creating tension between church and culture that might be addressed differently with clearer historical perspective.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Deep Dive into the Edict of Nantes
  • What specific provisions did the Edict contain?
  • How was it implemented across different European regions?
  • What led to its eventual revocation in 1685?
  • How did Protestant communities respond to this guarantee of civil liberty?
Newton’s Theological Writings
  • Newton wrote extensively on theology and biblical interpretation - what were his views?
  • How did his scientific methodology influence his approach to Scripture?
  • What was the relationship between his scientific and theological work?
Comparative Study: Calvinism vs. Wesleyan Arminianism
  • What specific Calvinist premises did Wesley argue against?
  • How do predestination and free will function in each system?
  • What are the practical implications for discipleship and evangelism?
  • How have these theological streams influenced different denominational traditions?
Voltaire’s Specific Critiques
  • What particular religious abuses or practices did Voltaire target?
  • How did his satire function rhetorically?
  • What was the response from religious authorities?
  • Which of his critiques remain relevant today?
The French Revolution and Christianity
  • How did Christian communities respond during the Revolution?
  • What happened to church property and institutions?
  • How did the Revolution’s anti-religious elements develop?
  • What was the long-term impact on French Christianity?
Post-Christian Culture Analysis
  • How does post-Christian culture differ from pre-Christian culture?
  • What opportunities does the post-Christian context create for authentic faith?
  • How should the church adapt its methods and message for post-Christian contexts?
  • What can be learned from minority Christian movements in historically non-Christian cultures?
Protestant Splintering Patterns
  • What theological issues drove the major splits during this period?
  • How did geography and politics influence denominational development?
  • What attempts were made to maintain unity across Protestant traditions?
  • How does this fragmentation compare to earlier church schisms?
The Relationship Between Science and Faith
  • How did Christians respond to Newtonian physics and its implications?
  • Were there successful models of integrating scientific advancement with faith?
  • What tensions emerged between scientific and biblical worldviews?
  • How did different Christian traditions handle scientific challenges differently?
Methodism’s Practical Theology
  • What specific discipleship practices did Wesley develop?
  • How did Methodist societies function organizationally?
  • What was the relationship between personal holiness and social justice in Wesley’s thought?
  • How did Methodism spread and adapt in different cultural contexts?
American Exceptionalism and Christianity
  • Why did the post-Christian shift take longer to reach America?
  • How did American Christianity develop differently due to its unique context?
  • What role did the frontier experience play in shaping American faith?
  • How does American civil religion relate to actual Christian faith?

Comprehension Questions

  1. How did the Edict of Nantes (1598) change the religious landscape of Europe, and what were both the positive and negative consequences of granting Protestants civil liberty and equality? Consider how freedom from persecution enabled new forms of Christian thought while simultaneously contributing to Protestant fragmentation.

  2. What does Marty mean by the “post-Christian era,” and why does he identify the French Revolution as its beginning? How does the analogy of “unplugging and replugging” culture help explain this shift, and what are the implications for contemporary Christianity operating in a post-Christian context?

  3. Compare and contrast the contributions of John Locke and Voltaire to the political and cultural changes of this period. How did each thinker’s work challenge existing power structures, and how did their ideas shape both the French and American revolutions?

  4. How did John Wesley’s theological emphasis on personal repentance, free will, and the pursuit of holiness represent a response to Calvinist theology? What makes Wesley’s approach to discipleship particularly valuable beyond typical theological categorizations?

  5. Why does Marty suggest that many contemporary evangelical movements, particularly in America, remain “in denial” about the church’s declining political and cultural influence? What historical perspective might help address this denial, and how might recognizing the post-Christian reality change how the church engages culture?

Summary

BEMA Episode 200 covers a transformative 150-year period (1650-1800) when parallel revolutions occurred in both secular thought and Protestant theology. The Age of Enlightenment produced towering intellectual figures like Isaac Newton, who revolutionized physics and set the stage for modern technology, and John Locke, whose political philosophy shaped democratic ideals about liberty and equality that influenced both the American and French revolutions.

Meanwhile, Protestant Christianity experienced both opportunity and fragmentation following the Edict of Nantes (1598), which granted civil liberty to Protestants. This freedom enabled diverse theological development, including John Wesley’s founding of Methodism with its emphasis on personal holiness, free will, and practical discipleship. However, it also led to exponential splintering as Protestantism lost its unifying catholic structure.

Voltaire’s satirical critiques of established religion and advocacy for separation of church and state reflected growing secular influence that culminated in the French Revolution. This revolution marked the beginning of the post-Christian era - a fundamental cultural shift where Christianity ceased to be the default worldview in Western civilization. This transition resulted in declining church influence politically and culturally, a reality that remains difficult for many contemporary Christians to accept.

The episode traces a geographic shift of influence from Rome and southern Europe northwestward to England and France, before crossing the Atlantic to America, where Enlightenment ideals would shape the Declaration of Independence and democratic experiment. Understanding this period is crucial for recognizing how contemporary Western Christianity arrived at its current position - operating in a genuinely post-Christian cultural context that requires different approaches than those developed during Christendom’s dominance.

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