Lesson 1 The History of denominations in America Objective: To understand the contextual history for the development of Congregationalism and

Fundamentalism as it relates to the history of Non-Denominationalism. Define several theological points which came to be characteristic of non-denominationalism. Lesson: Non-denominationalism is a relatively new phenomenon, but one with an interesting history. My goal, through these four lessons, is to explain the history of non-denominationalism. First, I want to start by showing what led up to the characteristics that came to be known as non-denominationalism. Second, I want to show where these characteristics began, Third, I will outline the impact that Dwight L Moody had on it. And finally I want to show how these factors have coalesced into what we know today as nondenominationalism. In the mid-1800s, Christianity in America had begun to take a turn. Protestantism began to take on the mentality of the culture, which was one of a focus on the self and scientific progress. Modernity, as this cultural movement was called, resulted in a form of Christianity known as Liberalism. Liberalism attempted to take Christianity and make it accessible to the intellectuals who were shifting to Modernity. Proponents of Liberalism certainly considered themselves Christians, but many Protestant evangelicals believed that Liberalism was a step away from the Gospel and needed to be checked. This reaction to Liberalism is called Fundamentalism. This movement would eventually solidify into a conference, resulting in a creed which was to be the antithesis of Liberalism. However, before we discuss that conference, we need to discuss denominations. American Protestantism eventually coalesced into what came to be known as "denominations." These were neither highly organized church bodies, nor sectarian congregations. They weren't as top-down as the Catholic Church, nor did they entirely distance themselves from the rest of Christianity. Rather, denominations began as a convenient organization of likeminded Christians and morphed into more organized multi-congregation groups. Most often these denominations were created because of church splits for one reason or another. That is, many were created when one group of people from a church body developed new doctrinal or political ideas and formed their own group. Not all denominations were formed because of doctrinal splits, but many were. Likewise, political agendas were involved in many congregational splits, but not all. Denominations did not tend to think of themselves as wholly separate from one another, especially in America. Rather, they thought of themselves as segments of the larger global church, that invisible church that all Christians are members of by default. These segments were merely Christian groups with different names. This was due to the religious nature of North America, with religious tolerance becoming solidified politically and the political reasons for separation from oppressive religious regimes fresh on everyone's mind. However, over the course of time various denominations came to be viewed as a collection of differences. That is, many focused on the fact that, for example, Baptists are not Methodists because they believed different things. Pentecostals are not Quakers because their worships services are different. Some denominations came together under a hierarchical structure which governed multiple congregations. Other congregations lifted up the autonomy of the local church, participating in the

church and its mission but refusing any higher human authority beyond the elders of the church. This latter behavior was characteristic of what were called "congregationalist" churches. Many churches during the 1800s were congregationalist to some degree. One such church group, known as the Plymoth Brethren (or simply Brethren) were influential in fundamentalism and nondenominationalism. The congregation was headed up by John Nelson Darby. Darby left the Church of Ireland and formed the Brethren, which was a strongly Calvinist, dispensational, premillinial sect. Darby's prophetic views were the most popular of his teachings among those outside the Brethren and had the longest lasting impact, due to his staunch Calvinism. Takeaway: Fundamentalism was a reaction to Liberalism. While denominations were distinct, they recognized that each was a member of the body of Christ. Congregationalist churches were proto-non-denominational, because non-denominational wasn't a big enough word. Denominations were created for both Doctrinal and political differences

Lesson 2 Ecumenicalism and Theological Conferences Objective: Show the development of ecumenicalism. Explain the rise of the popularity of theological and mission conferences. The 19th century was a time of strong missionary leanings. World evangelism was on Christianity's collective mind. Both Catholic and Protestant were increasingly realizing the need to send missionaries out into the world to evangelize the heathens. Men like William Carey dedicated their lives to the call of the mission field, and left their mark on Christianity. A fantastic result of the emphasis on missions during this time is that various denominations, who typically had no contact with one another, were beginning to recognize that they needed each other's cooperation on the mission field if the Gospel was going to be spread. Along with cooperation came a recognition that Christianity is truly a global religion, and thus each Christian is part of a global church. This concept of the global church is known as Ecumenicalism. Ecumenicalism had an interesting impact on the way Christians communicated. During this rise in foreign missions, and with the recognition of the need for cooperation, Christians began getting together in large mission conferences. These conferences eventually grew to encompass members from churches from every continent on the globe. They met primarily to discuss evangelism, and specifically began with the intent not to discuss doctrinal differences among the denominations that were represented. This idea of Christian conferences came to be used by others outside of the realm of mission work. As you may remember, the popularity of Darby's teaching on prophecy (with a strong Calvinist bent) spread the interest in studying prophecy. Many Calvinistic preachers and theologians found prophecy to be an interesting subject, and came together to form the Niagara Conference. The conference was formed by fundamentalist, dispensationalist theologians and met annually for over 30 years. Through this conference in particular, dispensationalism was introduced to many American pastors and theologians. Dispensationalism is the belief that the history of human existence, from creation forward, has been divided into segments, or dispensations. It is commonly believed that there are 7 dispensations outlined through Scripture, and that at the end of each one God judges the world in some fashion. Premillennialism is somewhat of a subset of dispensationalism. It holds that the physical return of Jesus Christ will be prior to the millennium, which is the thousand year reign of God on earth. These two beliefs came to be more and more commonly associated with non-denominationalism, and fundamentalism as a whole. Nineteen years after the conference first met, in 1895 the Niagara Creed was written and published. This creed outlined the five primary points and beliefs that one must hold in order to remain a Fundamentalist (and therefore not a Liberal). These beliefs included the inerrancy of Scripture, the divinity of Jesus, the Virgin Birth, Jesus' substitutionary death on the cross, and his resurrection and eventual return. The members who initially formed and regularly attended the Niagara Conference eventually came to form the International Prophecy Conference. These conferences set the pattern for other conferences

held by Protestants in America, and popularized theological conferences in general. Such conferences eventually served as a catalyst for the spread Dwight L Moody's teaching style and doctrinal emphases. Moody and his teachings will be the subject of our next lesson. Takeaway: John Nelson Darby popularized Calvinistic prophecy. Niagara Creed was the first time American fundamentalism was defined. The Niagara Conference was the blueprint for many other theological conferences.

Lesson 3 Dwight L Moody Objective: To show how Moody was the prototype for non-denominational pastors. We have discussed Fundamentalism as a reaction to Liberalism, but how did it become nondenominationalism? The answer lies in one of the greatest preachers of the 19th century: Dwight L. Moody. Moody was the 6th of 9 children. His primary interaction with evangelical Christianity was not through a denomination but through the YMCA. It was this organization which first prompted Moody to begin preaching. Moody was converted to Christianity while working in the shoe business. The YMCA was the organization that first interested him in evangelism. Its strong emphasis on evangelizing the youth influenced Moody greatly. It was this fervor for evangelism that prompted Moody's involvement with the YMCA and other organizations. His contacts and popularity within the YMCA allowed him to travel to Scotland and England, where he enjoyed great success in his preaching, as he did in America. This success allowed him to build the sort of "personal empire" that was so popular during this time in the business and economic circles. Moody's already potent legacy grew more tangible with the opening of a school for girls in 1879 and Mount Hermon School for boys in 1881. The Chicago Evangelization Society was formed in 1886, which eventually came to be known as Moody Bible Institute. Moody himself did not appear to be beholden to a particular denomination. His teachings did not include doctrinal rigor or strong arguments against false doctrine, as other fundamentalist teachers have been known for. Rather, Moody despised conflict, constantly wishing to be the peacemaker. His preaching served to bring people together, no matter what denomination or doctrines one held to. Right living with God and neighbor were the core values of his teaching. Evangelism was the key and the message that Moody taught. If a sermon did not serve to "convert sinners" then Moody remained aloof from it. He was entirely against division, including doctrinal division. Later in his life, Moody began to shift his teaching to include holiness (or holy living) and premillennialism (the return of Christ before the millennium). While he did not hold to a strict set of definitions for dispensationalism, he did appreciate its basic premise that progress, as the idea of universal, inevitable betterment, was not the way the world worked. The world was not becoming a better place, but rather a worse one that Christ would have to come and fix. However, Moody remained aloof from buying fully into the finer points of dispensationalism, preferring not to get caught up in intellectualism. Moody's influence grew exceptionally across multiple countries. He became somewhat of a national hero in America. His followers, at whom we will look in the next lesson, carried on his legacy in different ways, as we shall see in the next lesson. Takeaway: Moody was not a part of a denomination, but preached through a parachurch organization. Moody's influence spread hard and fast through Protestant America.

Lesson 4: Moody's Legacy and Non-denominationalism Objectives: To show how Moody's legacy morphed into today's non-denominational church scene. Provide a clearer picture of what non-denominationalism looks like today. Explain some of the pros and cons of non-denominationalism. As we saw, Moody preferred not to get wrapped in the specific doctrines of dispensational fundamentalism. But it was just this sort of specificty that Moody's "lieutenants" (as they have been called) replicated. Men such as Lewis Sperry Chafer and C. I. Scofield attached Moody's preaching style and emphasis on living the Christian life to the finer points of dispensationalism and premillinialism, which grew in popularity due to prophecy conferences. These mentees of Moody went on to be quite famous in their own right. For example, Chafer wrote an eight volume systematic theology, in addition to founding Dallas Theological Seminary. C. I. Scofield composed the Scofield Bible, which quickly became the predominant dispensationalist Bible. Others went on to perform similar feats of solidifying and popularizing these doctrines and preaching styles. Each of these offshoots from Moody brought with it a sense of independence from denominations. Coupled with the popularity of ecumenicalism of the missionary movement so prominent in the late 1800s and early 1900s, these independent churches, and similar church organizations, became more and more popular, resulting in larger and larger membership. Because these kinds of churches are not beholden to a denomination, and hence are nondenominational, they are not restricted by a tradition of doctrinal interpretation. However, for the most part American non-denominational churches are recognizably similar in foundation and core beliefs. With the inescapable exceptions, these churches are Protestant, Calvinist, Fundamentalist, Evangelical, Dispensationalist, Premillennial churches. These qualities, which came together in the conferences, were dispersed among the pastors and theologians who attended them. Around the 1950s several of these churches grew large enough to be defined as mega churches. Mega churches are defined as having 2000 or more members. While not all of these churches are nondenominational, many declare themselves as either non-denominational or independent. Some of the more well-known mega churches which declare themselves as non-denominational are Lakewood Church, Christian Cultural Center, and Willow Creek Community Church. But despite the common ancestry of these churches, the strongest value upheld by them is independence. This is not to say that non-denominationalism is a rebellion against fundamentalism or anything of that nature. The claim to non-denominationalism is, in my observation, more of a political claim than a doctrinal one. For instance, there is no recognized earthly institutional authority which these churches recognize or are subservient to; each congregation, as a member of the body of Christ, is equal to other congregations in authority. This almost requires many churches to be more heavily involved in parachurch organizations in order to fulfill any sense of commitment to the global church or call to missions. Such organizations are not churches themselves, but work toward the Churchs goal of evangelism and assistance of the poor, and so on. Perhaps counter intuitively, some non-denominational churches have founded "fellowships" of separate churches, which could be considered denominations if not for the refusal on the part of such fellowships

to hold that description. Again, this refusal is based on the idea that each of the churches in the fellowship is equal to one another in the body of Christ. One such organization is Calvary Chapel. For all intents and purposes this fellowship is a denomination in structure and organization. But politically the title is refused. This lack of official human oversight has the potential to produce a wide range in quality of teaching. Without a specific tradition to adhere to, pastors of non-denominational churches are capable of reading what they will out of the text, with only the congregation to question them. This could lead and has led to radically sectarian congregations. Such congregations are prone to hyper-defined and widely varying beliefs. The dangers of such a church are the potential of isolationist tendencies, overly technical language, and claims to exclusive possession of the truth. While the potential dangers of non-denominationalism are quite real, there are far more churches who are well managed within themselves and whose goals are genuine evangelism and Biblical exposition. Freedom from strict denominational traditions frees a pastor up to rethink what he was taught by other pastors or teachers, and to reconstruct Biblical truths to speak to his congregation in his time. It allows for an inclusive atmosphere, where a person of one denomination can sit next to a member of another and not feel threatened by doctrinal differences, or intimidated by a tradition that he or she might not understand. Some mention has been made in various books and articles (both in print and online) about an era of "post-denominationalism." One 2010 report claims that if one were to lump non-denominational churches together with independent churches, the group would comprise the third largest religious group in America, following Roman Catholics and Southern Baptists. This is an amazing thought considering that the report was written less than 150 years after the various ideas and beliefs gained cohesion and popularity in America. It should be quite interesting to see how large nondenominationalism becomes, and how it will shape the future of American denominationalism. Takeaway: Moody's lieutenants took Moody's teaching and added stricter popular doctrines to it. Non-denominationalism is more of a political title than it is a doctrinal statement. As with anything, non-denominationalism has its pros and cons. Non-denominationalism grew quickly and is continuing to grow rapidly.