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Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001478A
01:30 ♪[Theme Music]
01:40 ♪[Theme Music] 01:49 >>John: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 01:52 Thanks for joining me. 01:53 1620, one of the most significant dates 01:57 in the history of the United States, 02:00 and it wouldn't be a stretch to say 02:02 in the history of the world. 02:12 Martin Luther had nailed the 95 Theses to the door 02:15 of the Castle Church in Wittenberg 103 years earlier. 02:20 By 1620, Luther had been dead for more than 70 years, 02:25 John Calvin for nearly 60, 02:27 Ulrich Zwingli had died almost 90 years before, 02:31 Theodore Beza, the disciple of Calvin whose likeness 02:34 is on the Reformation Wall in Geneva, 02:37 John Knox who stands to his left, 02:39 the Englishmen William Tyndale, 02:41 Thomas Cranmer, 02:42 Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer, 02:44 they'd all been gone for decades. 02:46 In fact, by the time you get to 1620, 02:50 the recognizable names of the Reformation 02:52 had all moved off the scene. 02:54 It could be said that the Reformation ended around 02:58 that time with many scholars saying that it came 03:01 to the end with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, 03:05 a number of treaties that ended the religious wars in Europe. 03:10 So at about the time the Reformation ended 03:12 one of the most significant developments in the proclamation 03:15 of God's word was getting underway. 03:18 You could see God's fingerprints all over it. 03:32 If you've never seen it before, Plymouth Rock, 03:35 45 minutes south of Boston in Plymouth, Massachusetts 03:39 comes as a bit of a surprise. 03:41 The legend is that Plymouth Rock is where the pilgrims 03:44 got off the Mayflower when they arrived on these shores in 1620. 03:49 The fact is, this is only a fragment 03:52 of the original Plymouth Rock. 03:54 The original broke in half in 1774 and souvenir 03:59 hunters chipped away at the rock over the years, 04:01 so there's much less of it today than there once was. 04:04 I know you don't always want the facts 04:06 to get in the way of a good story, 04:08 but another fact is that no one ever claimed the pilgrims 04:11 landed at Plymouth Rock until 1741, 04:16 121 years after the Mayflower arrived in Plymouth Harbor. 04:22 But all that's incidental really. 04:24 The rock itself is not what's important. 04:27 Today it's a symbol, a symbol of new beginnings 04:30 and the pioneer spirit. 04:32 It's an icon visited by more than a million people a year. 04:37 So what were the pilgrims doing anyway landing at Plymouth Rock, 04:40 or wherever it was they landed? 04:43 Understand that and you'll understand 04:45 the birth of a great nation. 04:48 You'll see how the guiding hand of God shepherded his people 04:52 and fostered the growth of the principles 04:54 of the Protestant Reformation. 04:56 So let's back up a few years. 05:01 The pilgrims on board the Mayflower were Puritans, 05:04 English Protestants who were committed to 05:07 purifying the Church of England of Catholic practices. 05:11 The seeds for the English Reformation were sown by Patrick 05:14 and Columba and Aidan and others like them. 05:17 Centuries later, John Wycliffe was described as 05:20 "the morning star of the Reformation." 05:23 And then there was William Tyndale 05:25 who heroically stood up against 05:26 King Henry VIII and translated the Bible into English 05:30 at a time when such a translation 05:31 was desperately needed. 05:33 With his dying breath, 05:34 Tyndale prayed that God would open the eyes of Henry VIII, 05:38 which God did only two years later when the king 05:41 gave his permission for four different translations 05:44 of the Bible into the English language. 05:47 It was Tyndale's scholarship that provided the lion's share 05:50 of the King James Version of the Bible. 06:08 But even though the church in England, 06:10 or the Church of England, 06:11 had separated from Rome, it was in desperate need of reform. 06:15 Now while it's true that England's King Henry VIII 06:19 was strongly motivated to separate 06:20 from the Roman Catholic Church because it would not annul 06:23 his marriage to Catherine of Aragon in the 1530's, 06:27 England's antipathy towards Rome ran much deeper than that. 06:31 There were significant doctrinal issues that separated the two, 06:34 but the Puritans wanted even more than that. 06:41 Even though the Church of England was structurally 06:43 independent from Rome, that wasn't enough for the Puritans. 06:48 They believed that when it came to matters of Christian faith 06:51 and Christian worship, 06:52 that to depart from what the Bible said 06:54 was both unnecessary and unwise. 06:57 They wanted to follow the example of the Lutherans 07:00 or the Reformed Protestants elsewhere in Europe 07:03 and return to what they believed 07:05 was a more Biblical form of Christianity. 07:08 Yet, the Church of England continued to embrace many 07:12 of the forms of Catholicism. 07:18 The Protestant Movement was 07:19 separated largely into two wings. 07:23 The Lutheran, Calvinistic wing, often called Reformed Theology, 07:27 primarily after the teachings of Martin Luther and John Calvin; 07:31 and the Armenian wing, which was patterned after the teachings 07:34 of Jacob Arminius and others who focused 07:37 on the role of Christian free will in the salvation process, 07:41 along with practical teaching such as nonparticipation in war 07:44 and separation of church and state. 07:45 The Puritans of England clearly took their beliefs 07:49 from the Lutheran, Calvinistic wing. 07:52 And this would be demonstrated by their views 07:54 on religious freedom, 07:56 particularly when they came to the New World. 07:59 The Puritans played a significant role in the 08:02 political history of England throughout the 17th Century. 08:05 For a time, the Puritans ruled the country under the 08:08 leadership of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell 08:11 during the 1650's. 08:18 Early in the 1600's, King James I decided that he would not 08:22 tolerate the agitation of the Puritans any longer. 08:24 They'd either come into line with the policies and practices 08:27 of the Church of England, or they would leave. 08:30 And many of them left. 08:31 It was difficult for those who lived in England. 08:34 Many of them began describing themselves as Separatists, 08:37 because they came to the conclusion that 08:39 the Church of England was never going to change. 08:43 Many of them fled to the Dutch Republic, 08:44 which at the time was more favorable to 08:46 Reformed Protestantism. 08:48 Life was hard for those immigrants. 08:50 Many of them had been farmers and they were not 08:52 able to farm in their new homeland. 08:55 Instead, they had to learn a trade, 08:58 but they considered these difficulties just part of God's 09:00 way of forming in them a godly character. 09:04 "They knew they were pilgrims, 09:06 and looked not much on those things, 09:08 but lifted up their eyes to heaven, 09:10 their dearest country, and quieted their spirits". 09:15 But many of those pilgrims chose to leave the Netherlands 09:19 and return to England before leaving again 09:22 onboard a ship called the Mayflower. 09:25 They were headed for the New World. 09:29 Now some pilgrims didn't make it. 09:31 I'll tell you more in just a moment. 09:33 ♪[Theme Music] 09:40 I'm John Bradshaw from It Is Written, 09:43 inviting you to join me for 500. 09:46 Nine programs produced by It Is Written, 09:49 taking you deep into the Reformation. 09:52 This is the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation 09:56 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door 09:59 of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. 10:01 We'll take you to Wittenberg, and to Belgium, 10:03 to England, 10:04 to Ireland, 10:06 to Rome, 10:07 to the Vatican City, 10:08 and introduce you to the people who created the Reformation, 10:11 who pushed the Reformation forward. 10:13 We'll take you to sites all throughout Europe 10:15 where the Reformers lived and in some cases died. 10:18 We'll bring you back to the United States 10:19 and take you to a little farm in Upstate New York, 10:22 and show you how God spread the Reformation here. 10:25 Don't miss 500. 10:27 You can own the 500 series on DVD. 10:30 Call us on 888-664-5573 10:35 or visit us online at itiswritten.shop. 10:42 This is It Is Written. 10:44 There were actually two ships that left England, 10:47 bound for what would become known 10:48 as the United States of America. 10:52 There was the Mayflower and the Speedwell. 10:55 Together they left Southampton on August the 5th, 1620, 10:59 but the Speedwell leaked, 11:02 not great for a ship intending to cross the Atlantic Ocean. 11:06 Both ships stopped in Dartmouth 11:08 so the Speedwell could be repaired. 11:10 After leaving Dartmouth, 11:12 they made it 350 miles beyond land's end 11:15 before it was discovered that the Speedwell 11:17 was taking on water again. 11:21 So once more, they returned to Dartmouth. 11:25 The Mayflower decided it would push on without the Speedwell. 11:29 Some of the 11:30 Speedwell's passengers crammed into the Mayflower, and so the 11:32 Mayflower, with 102 passengers and between 25 and 30 crew, 11:37 headed off on what would be a miserable voyage, 11:42 but they made it. 11:43 Slowly, but surely, 11:44 life was established here in this new land. 11:47 More and more people would follow in the footsteps 11:50 or in the wake of the pilgrims of England. 12:02 They were driven by a desire for liberty of conscience, 12:07 but they really didn't understand what that truly was. 12:15 The idea that God has given the right to control the conscience 12:19 to the church and has given the church the right to define 12:23 and punish heresy is a school of thought 12:26 that came right out of Rome. 12:33 So while these people had rejected 12:35 many of the doctrines of Rome, 12:37 they retained the spirit of Rome: intolerance. 12:42 Any church they set up would ultimately be a church-state. 12:46 They dictated that only church members 12:48 could have a say in government. 12:50 The secular power was in the hands of the church, 12:54 which can only lead in one direction: persecution. 13:07 In 1631, when Boston was a brand new settlement, 13:11 a Puritan minister not 30 years old arrived here from England. 13:15 Roger Williams was a separatist. 13:17 He believed that for a person to be truly faithful to God, 13:20 that person should separate from the Anglican Church. 13:24 He and his wife Mary would have six children, 13:26 all born in the New World: Mary, 13:29 Freeborn, 13:30 Providence, 13:31 Mercy, 13:32 Daniel, 13:33 and Joseph. 13:35 It wasn't long and people knew he was here. 13:42 Roger Williams was the first person in this land 13:45 to stand up for something that today we regard as a right. 13:49 He believed that liberty of conscience 13:51 was the inalienable right of all people, 13:55 whatever their religion. 13:57 He went so far as to establish government upon 13:59 the principle of religious freedom. 14:02 He was the first person in modern Christianity to do that. 14:06 Williams believed that the government had no place 14:08 dictating to individuals when it came to religious matters. 14:12 That was an entirely new way of thinking. 14:14 It was revolutionary. 14:17 In the early days of the colonies, 14:19 church attendance was required by law. 14:23 You could be fined or even imprisoned 14:26 for not attending church. 14:28 Williams was scandalized by this 14:30 and he decided to do something about it. 14:34 >>Lincoln: And it didn't trouble the Puritans whatsoever, 14:37 that while they'd left a bad situation, 14:39 to come to the New World they just set the same model 14:42 where they would say everyone had to go to church. 14:44 You'd be fined. 14:45 You had to abide by what the minister said. 14:48 No freelance religion. 14:51 Roger Williams comes along, 14:53 and he was the conscience and really the guiding light 14:59 of the true principles of religious liberty 15:00 that we're keeping alive today. 15:03 >>John: It seems strange to be talking about a battle over 15:06 religious freedom in the United States, 15:08 but keep in mind the times and the mindset then. 15:12 The Church of Rome had taught very thoroughly 15:14 that there was no religious freedom. 15:15 It claimed to be the voice of God in the world. 15:19 The church spoke, 15:20 church members did what they were expected to do. 15:24 So even though the Church of England had separated 15:26 from the Roman Catholic Church, 15:27 it still retained a lot of Rome's ideas. 15:31 So when the Puritans came to the free world, 15:35 they were still hung up on the concept of the church saying, 15:38 "jump" and the faithful saying, "how high." 15:41 They had not embraced the concept of religious liberty. 15:44 So in spite of the Reformation, further reform was still needed. 15:50 So while the pilgrims and other Puritan settlers came 15:53 to these shores for the purpose of exercising 15:55 their own liberty of conscience, 15:58 many didn't believe in extending the same right 16:00 to those who held different beliefs. 16:03 Freedom was fine for themselves, 16:05 but not for people who taught and practiced things 16:07 they disagreed with. 16:09 One historian described this attitude with these words, 16:12 "New England divines (pastors and theologians) 16:15 insisted repeatedly that demand for uniformity 16:18 of religious practice in no way violated liberty of conscience. 16:23 They contended that there were two types of liberty: natural 16:27 (or corrupted) liberty and the 16:29 'liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.' 16:33 Liberty to practice error came under the former heading 16:36 and was not really liberty at all, 16:39 but license, the 'liberty for men to destroy themselves.'" 16:44 Roger Williams is truly one of the towering figures 16:47 in the American story. 16:48 And he's one of the towering figures in the advance 16:51 of the Word of God. 16:53 Not only did he advocate religious freedom for all, 16:56 he was also one of the earliest and most vocal opponents 16:59 of slavery on these shores. 17:02 He advocated fair treatment for Native American tribes. 17:05 He also learned many of the languages 17:07 of the tribes in the Northeast. 17:09 He'd run into trouble with the Anglican Church 17:11 before he came to America. 17:13 When he got here and he found the same principles 17:15 of intolerance in a place that was supposed to be 17:17 a haven for liberty, it disturbed him. 17:20 He did not agree with the Puritan's attempts to 17:23 set up a theocracy. 17:24 He said, "forced worship stinks in the nostrils of God." 17:29 Williams believed that Constantine 17:32 was worse for the church than Nero, 17:34 because Constantine successfully united the power 17:38 of the civil government with the authority of the church. 17:42 And before long, 17:44 things would get much worse for Roger Williams. 17:48 I'll have more in a moment. 17:49 ♪[Theme Music] 17:57 >>Announcer: In Matthew 4:4 the word of God says 18:00 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 18:03 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 18:07 Every Word is a one minute, Bible based daily devotional 18:10 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw, 18:12 and designed especially for busy people like you. 18:15 Look for Every Word on selected networks, 18:18 or watch it online every day on our website: 18:20 itiswritten.com. 18:22 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 18:25 Watch Every Word. 18:26 You'll be glad you did. 18:36 >>John: 500 years after the Protestant Reformation began 18:39 on October 31st, 1517, 18:42 we might be tempted to wonder what Luther, and Knox, 18:44 and Zwingli, and Calvin, and Farel, and Beza, 18:45 and the Huguenots, and the Anabaptists, 18:47 and so many others achieved. 18:50 Today it would seem that the protest is over, 18:53 even though the most influential church in the world 18:55 offers indulgences, 18:56 hears confessions, 18:57 teaches justification by faith and works, 19:00 considers Mary the queen of heaven, 19:02 where are the Protestants today? 19:04 Protestants are being welcomed back into the Church of Rome, 19:06 and many see this as positive. 19:08 It's being said it's more important to be divided by truth 19:12 than it is to be united by error. 19:14 Paul said in 2 Timothy 4, verse two, 19:16 "Preach the word; be instant in season, 19:19 out of season; 19:20 reprove, 19:21 rebuke, 19:22 exhort with all long suffering and doctrine." 19:23 The word, anything less will never do. 19:27 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 19:28 Let's live today by every word. 19:31 ♪[Music] 19:45 100 years after the Reformation ended, 19:47 there was still a lot of reform left to be accomplished. 19:51 As long as there was no liberty of conscience, 19:53 and as long as the state was united with the church, 19:56 the church was a long way short of where it should be 19:59 from a Biblical perspective. 20:01 The man who would bring the needed change was a Cambridge 20:04 educated Englishman who moved to the colonies 20:07 six weeks after his 27th birthday. 20:10 Williams was forced to leave Massachusetts, 20:13 and he went into exile in 1636. 20:17 In the winter, he journeyed through the forests, 20:20 not knowing where he was going. 20:22 Along the way he made friends with many of the natives 20:25 and later said that he would rather live 20:27 with Christian savages than savage Christians. 20:30 His journeys led him here, 20:33 to a place that he would name Providence, 20:36 convinced that the providence of God had guided him. 20:47 It was Roger Williams, not Thomas Jefferson 20:50 who first coined the phrase "wall of separation" 20:53 so far as church and state are concerned. 20:56 In 1644, Williams described the need to build a 20:59 "wall of separation between the garden of the church 21:03 and the wilderness of the world." 21:06 Leonard Levy, a U.S. Constitutional Scholar 21:08 commented on these words of Roger Williams 21:11 with the following statement. 21:12 "Thus, the wall of separation had the allegiance of the most 21:16 profound Christian impulse as well as a secular one. 21:21 To Christian fundamentalists of the Framers' 21:22 time the wall of separation derived from the Biblical 21:26 injunction that Christ's kingdom is not of this world." 21:30 The fundamental principle of Roger Williams' colony 21:33 was that every man should have liberty to worship God 21:37 according to the light of his own conscience. 21:40 Rhode Island's founding principles, 21:42 civil and religious liberty, 21:44 became the cornerstones of the American Republic. 21:48 This was extremely significant. 21:50 And so today, the Declaration of Independence states, 21:54 "We hold these truths to be self-evident, 21:57 that all men are created equal; 22:00 that they're endowed by their Creator 22:02 with certain unalienable rights; 22:05 that among these are life, liberty, 22:08 and the pursuit of happiness." 22:10 The Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience 22:13 in religious matters. 22:15 "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification 22:20 to any office of public trust under the United States." 22:24 "Congress shall make no law respecting 22:26 an establishment of religion, 22:28 or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." 22:32 It was this environment that allowed the preaching 22:34 and the teaching of the Bible to flourish. 22:36 Of course, there have been those who have abused 22:39 their religious freedom, 22:41 but just think of the alternative: 22:42 a world in which you're not free to believe what you believe. 22:46 That's the world Martin Luther faced when he nailed 22:49 the 95 Theses to that famous door back in 1517. 22:54 Word began to spread back in Europe 22:55 about a place where a person could worship God 22:58 according to the dictates of his or her own conscience. 23:02 As one historian wrote, "Massachusetts, 23:04 by special law, offered free welcome and aid, 23:07 at the public cost, to Christians of any nationality 23:11 who might fly beyond the Atlantic 23:13 'to escape wars or famine, 23:15 or the oppression of their persecutors.' 23:16 And so the fugitive and the downtrodden were, 23:20 by statute, made the guests of the commonwealth." 23:24 The colonies grew, and the world saw the prosperity 23:27 and the increasing strength of a church without a pope 23:31 and a state without a king. 23:34 In this patch of earth, Roger Williams raised 23:36 up a memorial to religious freedom. 23:39 The establishment of the Rhode Island Colony was a landmark 23:43 event in the history of the Protestant Reformation, 23:46 a new haven in a new land where people would finally be free 23:52 to follow the dictates of their own conscience 23:54 when it came to matters of faith. 23:56 Even the Puritans of Roger Williams' day 23:58 couldn't accept his thinking. 23:59 You see, it was the prevailing belief 400 or so years ago 24:03 that the civil government had every right 24:05 to dictate to people's conscience. 24:08 That did not sit well with Roger Williams 24:10 and it led him into deep conflict. 24:13 But the conflict that he experienced brought to 24:15 everyone that followed freedom. 24:24 Now of course, that meant that if you wanted to opt out 24:26 to practice no religion, 24:28 to disagree with the church, 24:30 then it was your right to do so. 24:33 And it's this spirit of religious liberty 24:35 that's described in the New Testament, 24:37 just a few verses from the end 24:38 of the Bible where the bride of Christ blends her appeal 24:42 with that of the Holy Spirit in urging humanity 24:46 to accept God's gift of salvation. 24:49 "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' 24:51 And let him who hears say, 'Come!' 24:55 And let him who thirsts come; 24:58 and whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." 25:04 Freedom of conscience would take hold in America in a way 25:08 not seen in any other civil experiment in human history. 25:13 The inalienable right to worship and follow conscience 25:16 as a person chooses would become 25:19 one of the main cornerstones of the American experience, 25:22 and of the final stages of the Protestant Reformation. 25:32 Roger Williams demonstrated how important it is 25:35 for believers to press forward. 25:37 While the Reformation accomplished an enormous amount 25:40 in terms of opening up the Bible and bringing the light 25:43 of God's Word to the human mind, 25:46 there was still a lot left to accomplish, 25:47 much more to learn, 25:49 more for the church and more for believers 25:52 as they grew towards God's ideal. 25:55 John Robinson was a pastor of pilgrims in Holland. 25:59 And he said this to many who were preparing to leave 26:02 for the New World. 26:04 "Brethren, we are now erelong to part asunder, 26:07 and the Lord knoweth whether I shall live ever 26:11 to see your faces more. 26:13 But whether the Lord hath appointed it or not, 26:16 I charge you before God and His blessed angels 26:19 to follow me no farther than I have followed Christ. 26:25 If God should reveal anything to you 26:27 by any other instrument of His, 26:29 be as ready to receive it as ever you were to receive 26:33 any truth of my ministry; 26:36 for I am very confident the Lord hath more truth and light 26:41 yet to break forth out of His Holy Word." 26:46 I'm confident the Lord has more. 26:48 God has more for you in His Word. 26:52 That was true in the time of the pilgrims, 26:54 and that commitment to the Bible, 26:56 to the progress of God's light would lead others to advance 27:00 the course of the Reformation and guide multitudes 27:03 into a deeper understanding of God and His Word. 27:08 ♪[Music] 27:15 How can you enjoy a successful Christian experience? 27:19 How can you know victory instead of defeat? 27:22 How can you live with honor and integrity before God? 27:26 Well you can, and our free offer today tells you how. 27:29 To receive "The War Is Over," 27:31 call us on 800-253-3000 27:34 or visit us online at itiswritten.com, 27:38 or you can write to the address on your screen. 27:40 I'd like you to receive our free offer "The War Is Over." 27:45 Thank you for remembering that It Is Written exists 27:48 due to the gracious support of people like you. 27:51 It's your kindness that makes it possible for It Is Written 27:54 to share Jesus and the great truths of the Bible 27:57 with the world. 27:58 You can send your tax deductible gift 28:00 to the address on your screen, 28:02 or you can support It Is Written through our website 28:04 itiswritten.com. 28:07 Thanks for your generous support. 28:08 Our number is 800-253-3000 28:11 and our web address is itiswritten.com. 28:15 Let's pray together now. 28:17 Our Father in Heaven, 28:19 we're thankful today that we have Your Word. 28:21 And that we have freedom to worship You. 28:24 And to believe what we wish to believe 28:25 according to the dictates of our conscience. 28:28 We thank You for the wall of separation 28:30 that You have erected 28:32 to protect our freedom. 28:34 To prevent others from dictating to us what we should believe. 28:38 So Lord with that religious freedom I pray for Wisdom, 28:41 for Grace, 28:43 That we might exercise that freedom in a way that grows us 28:48 into Your image. 28:49 That leads us in the direction of Your Holy Spirit. 28:54 Now Father there's someboday thinking 28:57 that they must give You their heart, 28:58 I pray draw that man that woman that young person right now. 29:02 That decisions will be made even now 29:04 that we will value this freedom we have, 29:06 given to us at great cost. 29:09 And use it in way that will lead us into Your Kingdom. 29:12 We look for that day, that day of Jesus' return 29:14 May it be soon we pray 29:16 Take our hearts and make them Yours, 29:18 we ask You in Jesus' name 29:22 Amen. 29:24 Thanks for joining me. 29:25 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 29:27 Until then, remember, 29:28 "it is written, 'man shall not live by bread alone, 29:33 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 29:37 ♪[Theme Music] |
Revised 2017-10-30