Historia ya Matengenezo ya Kanisa na Makanisa ya Kireformed — Sehemu ya 10: Mgawanyiko, Uliberali na Upya wa Kiungamo katika Karne ya Ishirini na LeoHistory of the Reformation and Reformed Churches — Unit 10: Division, Liberalism, and Confessional Renewal in the Twentieth Century and Today

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Wapenzi, nilipokuwa nikifanya bidii nyingi kuwaandikia habari za wokovu wetu sote, naliona kuwa lazima kuwaandikia kuwasihi mshindanie sana imani waliyokabidhiwa watakatifu mara moja tu." (Yuda 3, SUV)"Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." (Jude 3, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

Utakapomaliza kipindi hiki, unapaswa kuweza:When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Kueleza uliberali wa kitheolojia ni nini na jinsi ulivyoingia katika baadhi ya makanisa ya Reformed na Presbyterian.1. Explain what theological liberalism is and how it entered some Reformed and Presbyterian churches.

2. Kueleza mgogoro wa Presbyterian nchini Marekani, ukiwemo J. Gresham Machen, Seminari ya Theolojia ya Westminster na kuanzishwa kwa Orthodox Presbyterian Church.2. Describe the Presbyterian controversy in the United States, including J. Gresham Machen, Westminster Theological Seminary and the founding of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

3. Kueleza maendeleo mengine makuu ya karne ya ishirini: Kuyper huko Uholanzi, Barth na neo-orthodoxy, na migawanyiko na muungano wa baadaye miongoni mwa Wapresbyterian.3. Describe other major twentieth-century developments: Kuyper in the Netherlands, Barth and neo-orthodoxy, and the later divisions and mergers among Presbyterians.

4. Kutaja ishara kuu za upya wa kiungamo, zikiwemo Taarifa ya Chicago juu ya Kutokuwa na Kosa kwa Biblia (Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy) na ukuaji wa makanisa ya Reformed nje ya Magharibi.4. Name the main signs of confessional renewal, including the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and the growth of Reformed churches beyond the West.

5. Kueleza pingamizi kuu na mijadala ya wanahistoria kuhusu matukio haya na kuyajibu kutoka upande wa Reformed.5. State the main objections and historians' debates about these events and answer them from the Reformed side.

Sauti ya Kozi HiiThe Voice of This Course

Kozi hii imeandikwa kutoka ndani ya utamaduni wa Reformed kwa wanafunzi wanaoutegemea. Ni kozi ya kihafidhina na ya kiungamo. Inaposema "sisi," inamaanisha makanisa ya Reformed na Presbyterian yanayoshikilia kwamba Maandiko ni Neno la Mungu lililopuliziwa na lisilo na kosa na yanayoungama mafundisho ya neema. Kipindi hiki kinashughulikia mambo yenye maumivu, kwa sababu kinasimulia makanisa yaliyopoteza mshiko wao juu ya Biblia na waumini waliogawanyika kwa sababu hiyo. Tunaueleza uliberali katika baadhi ya madhehebu makuu kwa uaminifu, na hatuukubali. Pia tunaeleza kwa haki mitazamo ya wale wanaosoma matukio haya kwa njia tofauti, na tunakiri makosa ya upande wetu wenyewe. Pale hatuna uhakika wa undani, tunauacha.This course is written from inside the Reformed tradition for students who belong to it. It is conservative and confessional. When it says "we," it means the Reformed and Presbyterian churches that hold Scripture to be God's inspired and inerrant Word and that confess the doctrines of grace. This unit deals with painful matters, because it tells of churches that lost their grip on the Bible and of believers who divided over it. We describe liberalism in some mainline bodies honestly, and we do not adopt it. We also state fairly the views of those who read these events differently, and we admit the faults of our own side. Where we cannot be certain of a detail, we leave it out.

Uliberali wa Kitheolojia ni Nini?What Is Theological Liberalism?

Katika karne ya kumi na tisa, wasomi wengi wa Ulaya walianza kuisoma Biblia kwa dhana mpya. Wengine walikana kwamba miujiza inaweza kutokea. Wengine waliichukulia Biblia kama kumbukumbu ya uzoefu wa kidini wa wanadamu na si Neno la Mungu mwenyewe. Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834), mchungaji na profesa wa Reformed huko Ujerumani, alikuwa sauti ya mapema na yenye ushawishi. Alifundisha kwamba dini inategemea hasa hisia na uzoefu wa mwanadamu. Walimu wa baadaye walilipeleka hili mbali zaidi. Harakati hii inaitwa uliberali wa kitheolojia (theological liberalism), au usasa (modernism). Ilienea hadi Uingereza na Amerika na kuingia katika seminari na makanisa mengi, yakiwemo ya Reformed.In the nineteenth century, many European scholars began to read the Bible with new assumptions. Some denied that miracles could happen. Some treated the Bible as a record of human religious experience and not as God's own Word. Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834), a Reformed pastor and professor in Germany, was an early and influential voice. He taught that religion rests mainly on human feeling and experience. Later teachers carried this further. This movement is called theological liberalism, or modernism. It spread to Britain and America and into many seminaries and churches, including Reformed ones.

Mtazamo wa kiliberali mara nyingi huonekana wa kuvutia. Unasema kwamba Wakristo wanapaswa kuwa wa kisasa, wema na wenye akili iliyo wazi. Lakini unaibadilisha Injili. Unamchukulia Kristo kama mwalimu mkuu wa maadili na si kama Mwana wa milele aliyekufa kwa ajili ya dhambi na kufufuka kimwili. Unaichukulia Biblia kama kitabu cha kibinadamu cha kusahihishwa. Utamaduni wetu unajibu kwamba Biblia inadai yenyewe kuwa imepuliziwa na Mungu (2 Timotheo 3:16), kwamba Kristo mwenyewe alipokea Maandiko kama Neno la Mungu (Mathayo 5:18; Yohana 10:35), na kwamba kanisa linaloiacha Injili linaacha sababu yake ya kuwepo. Paulo alisema, "Lakini, ijapokuwa sisi, au malaika wa mbinguni, awahubiri Injili isiyo ile tuliyowahubiri, na alaaniwe" (Wagalatia 1:8).The liberal view often looks attractive. It says that Christians should be modern, kind and open-minded. But it changes the gospel. It treats Christ as a great moral teacher and not as the eternal Son who died for sin and rose bodily. It treats the Bible as a human book to be corrected. Our tradition replies that the Bible claims to be God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), that Christ Himself received the Scripture as the Word of God (Matthew 5:18; John 10:35), and that a church which gives up the gospel gives up its reason to exist. Paul said, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8).

Uliberali unaweza kuwa wa dhati. Wengi walioushikilia waliwapenda watu na walitaka kulisaidia kanisa. Hatuhoji kila nia. Tunauliza kama mafundisho yanapatana na Maandiko.Liberalism can be sincere. Many who held it loved people and wished to help the church. We do not question every motive. We ask whether the teaching agrees with Scripture.

Mgogoro wa Presbyterian AmerikaThe Presbyterian Controversy in America

Mgogoro ulidhihirika wazi katika Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. mwishoni mwa karne ya kumi na tisa.The conflict came into the open in the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. in the late nineteenth century.

Dalili za mwanzo. Charles A. Briggs, profesa katika Union Theological Seminary huko New York, alibishana kwamba kuna makosa katika Maandiko. Mwaka 1893 Mkutano Mkuu ulimsimamisha kutoka huduma. Mwaka 1910 Mkutano Mkuu uliweka mafundisho matano ya msingi: kutokuwa na kosa kwa Maandiko, kuzaliwa kwa Kristo na bikira, upatanisho wake wa kuchukua nafasi (substitutionary atonement), ufufuo wake wa kimwili na ukweli wa miujiza.Early signs. Charles A. Briggs, a professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York, argued for the presence of errors in Scripture. In 1893 the General Assembly suspended him from the ministry. In 1910 the General Assembly set out five essential doctrines: the inerrancy of Scripture, the virgin birth of Christ, His substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection and the reality of miracles.

Miaka ya 1920. Mwaka 1922 Harry Emerson Fosdick, mhudumu Mbaptisti aliyehubiri katika kanisa la Presbyterian huko New York, alitoa mahubiri yaliyoitwa "Shall the Fundamentalists Win?" (Je, Wafundamentalisti Washinde?). Mwaka uliofuata J. Gresham Machen, profesa wa Agano Jipya katika Seminari ya Theolojia ya Princeton, alichapisha Christianity and Liberalism (Ukristo na Uliberali, 1923). Machen alibishana kwamba uliberali haukuwa umbo tofauti la Ukristo ule ule bali dini tofauti. Alikuwa msomi, aliyefunzwa Ujerumani, na mwandishi wa kitabu cha kiada cha Kigiriki cha Agano Jipya, hivyo hakuna aliyeweza kusema kwamba aliogopa elimu. Mwaka 1924 wahudumu zaidi ya elfu moja walitia sahihi Auburn Affirmation, iliyopinga kudai mafundisho matano ya 1910 kama kipimo, na ambayo Machen na marafiki zake waliiona kuwa inadhoofisha viwango vya kanisa.The 1920s. In 1922 Harry Emerson Fosdick, a Baptist minister preaching in a New York Presbyterian church, gave a sermon titled "Shall the Fundamentalists Win?" The next year J. Gresham Machen, a New Testament professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, published Christianity and Liberalism (1923). Machen argued that liberalism was not a different form of the same Christianity but a different religion. He was a scholar, trained in Germany, and the author of a New Testament Greek textbook, so no one could say that he feared learning. In 1924 more than a thousand ministers signed the Auburn Affirmation, which objected to requiring the five doctrines of 1910 as tests, and which Machen and his friends saw as undermining the church's standards.

Princeton na Westminster. Mwaka 1929 Seminari ya Princeton ilipangwa upya kwa njia iliyowapa nafasi kubwa zaidi wale waliotaka seminari pana zaidi. Machen na wenzake kadhaa waliondoka, na mwaka huohuo walianzisha Seminari ya Theolojia ya Westminster huko Philadelphia, kuendeleza utamaduni wa zamani wa Princeton wa elimu na uaminifu.Princeton and Westminster. In 1929 Princeton Seminary was reorganized in a way that gave a larger place to those who wanted a broader seminary. Machen and several colleagues left, and in the same year founded Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, to carry on the old Princeton tradition of learning and faithfulness.

Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Machen pia alipinga kile alichokiona kama ushawishi wa kiliberali katika bodi ya misheni ya kanisa, na mwaka 1933 alisaidia kuanzisha bodi huru ya misheni. Mabaraza ya kanisa yalimwadhibu, na mwaka 1936 alisimamishwa kutoka huduma. Mwaka 1936 yeye na wengine waliunda kanisa jipya, lililoitwa kwanza Presbyterian Church of America na baadaye Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Machen alikufa mwaka 1937. Kanisa jipya lilikuwa dogo nalo pia liliteseka kwa mgawanyiko: mwaka 1937 sehemu yake iliondoka kuunda shirika jingine.The Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Machen also opposed what he saw as liberal influence in the church's mission board, and in 1933 helped found an independent mission board. The church's courts disciplined him, and in 1936 he was suspended from the ministry. In 1936 he and others formed a new church, first called the Presbyterian Church of America and later the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Machen died in 1937. The new church was small and it too suffered division: in 1937 a part of it left to form another body.

Hili lilikuwa na gharama. Wahudumu walipoteza makanisa yao, nyumba zao na pensheni zao. Hatupaswi kuieleza kama hadithi rahisi ya mashujaa na wabaya. Watu waaminifu walifanya makosa, na ugomvi wakati mwingine ulikua chungu. Lakini usadikisho nyuma yake ulikuwa wazi: kanisa linalokana Injili si kanisa mwaminifu tena, na wahudumu wameapa kutetea kile kanisa linachoungama.This was costly. Ministers lost their churches, homes and pensions. We should not describe it as a simple story of heroes and villains. Faithful men made mistakes, and quarrels sometimes grew bitter. But the conviction behind it was plain: a church that denies the gospel is no longer a faithful church, and ministers have taken vows to defend what the church confesses.

Maendeleo Mengine ya Karne ya IshiriniOther Twentieth-Century Developments

Uholanzi: Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper alikuwa mchungaji, mwandishi wa habari na mwanasiasa wa Kiholanzi. Alianzisha Chuo Kikuu Huru cha Amsterdam (Free University of Amsterdam) mwaka 1880 kufundisha elimu ya Reformed katika kila fani. Mwaka 1886, katika harakati iliyoitwa Doleantie, Kuyper na wengine waliliacha Kanisa la Reformed la taifa kwa sababu ya kushindwa kwake kushikilia maungamo, na mwaka 1892 waliungana na kikundi kingine kuunda Makanisa ya Reformed ya Uholanzi (Reformed Churches in the Netherlands). Kuyper alifundisha kwamba Kristo ni Bwana juu ya maisha yote: kanisa, familia, shule, kazi na serikali. Ushawishi wake ulifika Amerika Kaskazini, Afrika Kusini na nchi nyingine nyingi.The Netherlands: Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper was a Dutch pastor, journalist and statesman. He founded the Free University of Amsterdam in 1880 to teach Reformed learning in every field. In 1886, in a movement called the Doleantie, Kuyper and others left the national Reformed Church over its failure to hold the confessions, and in 1892 they joined with another group to form the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands. Kuyper taught that Christ is Lord over all of life: church, family, school, work and government. His influence reached North America, South Africa and many other lands.

Karl Barth na neo-orthodoxy. Karl Barth (1886-1968) alikuwa mchungaji na profesa wa Reformed wa Uswisi. Ufafanuzi wake wa Warumi (1919) ulipinga theolojia ya kiliberali na ulisisitiza enzi na uhuru wa Mungu. Mwaka 1934 alikuwa mwandishi mkuu wa Tamko la Barmen (Barmen Declaration), ambamo Wakristo huko Ujerumani walikataa dai kwamba kanisa linaweza kutawaliwa na dola ya Nazi. Barth anaheshimiwa kwa ujasiri wake na kwa kuwageuza wengi mbali na uliberali. Lakini walimu wahafidhina wa Reformed pia wameuliza swali zito: je, Barth alifundisha kwamba Biblia ni Neno la Mungu lililoandikwa, lisilo na kosa, au kwamba inakuwa Neno la Mungu Mungu anaposema kupitia hiyo? Mtazamo wa pili si mtazamo wa maungamo ya kihistoria. Wanaomsifu hujibu kwamba alichukulia Maandiko kwa uzito mkubwa na aliokoa fundisho la Neno kutoka uliberali. Tunaheshimu msimamo wake dhidi ya Unazi, na tunaendelea kuomba kwamba kila mafundisho yapimwe kwa Maandiko.Karl Barth and neo-orthodoxy. Karl Barth (1886-1968) was a Swiss Reformed pastor and professor. His commentary on Romans (1919) challenged liberal theology and stressed the sovereignty and freedom of God. In 1934 he was the main writer of the Barmen Declaration, in which Christians in Germany rejected the claim that the church could be ruled by the Nazi state. Barth is honored for his courage and for turning many away from liberalism. But conservative Reformed teachers have also raised a serious question: did Barth teach that the Bible is God's Word written, without error, or that it becomes the Word of God when God speaks through it? The second view is not the view of the historic confessions. His admirers reply that he took Scripture very seriously and rescued the doctrine of the Word from liberalism. We honor his stand against Nazism, and we continue to ask that every teaching be tested by Scripture.

Madhehebu makuu (mainline). Nchini Marekani kanisa kubwa zaidi la Presbyterian la Kaskazini lilipitisha Ungamo la 1967 (Confession of 1967) na Kitabu cha Maungamo (Book of Confessions). Kitabu hiki kiliweka Viwango vya Westminster kando ya kanuni na maungamo mengine ya imani, na wahafidhina wengi walihisi kwamba viwango vya zamani vilikuwa vimepoteza mamlaka yao ya pekee. Makanisa ya Presbyterian ya Kaskazini na Kusini yaliungana tena mwaka 1983 kuunda Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).The mainline churches. In the United States the largest northern Presbyterian church adopted the Confession of 1967 and a Book of Confessions. This book placed the Westminster Standards beside other creeds and confessions, and many conservatives felt that the older standards had lost their distinct authority. Northern and southern Presbyterian churches reunited in 1983 to form the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Wanawake katika huduma. Katikati ya karne ya ishirini, mashirika mengi ya Reformed ya madhehebu makuu yalianza kuwaweka wakfu wanawake kuwa wazee na wahudumu. Mashirika ya kihafidhina, kama Presbyterian Church in America na Orthodox Presbyterian Church, yanashikilia kwamba huduma za mzee na mhudumu zimehifadhiwa kwa wanaume wenye sifa, huku yakithibitisha huduma pana na yenye thamani ya wanawake kanisani. Baadhi ya makanisa ya Reformed yanayoshikilia mamlaka ya Maandiko yamechukua mtazamo mwingine, na tunawasilisha sababu zao kwa haki katika Kozi ya 4. Tofauti hii si sawa na swali la mamlaka ya Biblia, ingawa mambo hayo mawili wakati mwingine huunganishwa katika mjadala.Women in ministry. In the middle of the twentieth century many mainline Reformed bodies began to ordain women as elders and ministers. Conservative bodies, such as the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, hold that the offices of elder and minister are reserved to qualified men, while they affirm the wide and valuable service of women in the church. Some Reformed churches that hold to Scripture's authority have taken the other view, and we present their reasons fairly in Course 4. This difference is not the same as the question of the Bible's authority, though the two are sometimes joined in debate.

Makanisa mapya. Mwaka 1973 kikundi cha wahudumu na makanisa ya kihafidhina kiliacha kanisa la Presbyterian la Kusini na kuunda Presbyterian Church in America, ambalo lilifanya Mkutano wake Mkuu wa kwanza huko Birmingham, Alabama. Viongozi wake walitoa kama sababu kuu kupotea kwa imani katika Maandiko na maungamo. Wanahistoria wamebainisha kwamba enzi ya haki za kiraia ilikuwa sehemu ya mazingira, na baadhi ya wakosoaji wanasema kwamba mitazamo ya rangi ilikuwa na sehemu. Mwaka 2016 Mkutano Mkuu wa PCA ulitoa taarifa ikiungama dhambi za kanisa katika enzi hiyo. Tunaandika hili kwa uaminifu. Mashirika mengine ya kihafidhina ni pamoja na Evangelical Presbyterian Church (1981), United Reformed Churches in North America (1996) na Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (2012). Mashirika ya kihafidhina yalishirikiana kupitia North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (1975) na, ulimwenguni kote, kupitia International Conference of Reformed Churches (1982). World Communion of Reformed Churches iliundwa mwaka 2010 kutokana na mashirika mawili ya awali na ni shirika pana ambamo makanisa yana mitazamo tofauti juu ya Maandiko na mafundisho.New churches. In 1973 a group of conservative ministers and churches left the southern Presbyterian church and formed the Presbyterian Church in America, which held its first General Assembly in Birmingham, Alabama. Its leaders gave as the main reason the loss of confidence in Scripture and the confessions. Historians have noted that the civil rights era was part of the setting, and some critics say that racial attitudes played a part. In 2016 the General Assembly of the PCA issued a statement confessing the sins of the church in that era. We record this honestly. Other conservative bodies include the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (1981), the United Reformed Churches in North America (1996) and the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (2012). Conservative bodies cooperated through the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (1975) and, worldwide, through the International Conference of Reformed Churches (1982). The World Communion of Reformed Churches was formed in 2010 from two earlier bodies and is a broad body in which churches hold differing views on Scripture and doctrine.

Upya wa KiungamoConfessional Renewal

Katika nusu ya pili ya karne ya ishirini, ufufuo wa hamu katika imani ya Reformed ulianza, na unaendelea. Baadhi ya alama zake ni hizi:In the second half of the twentieth century a revival of interest in the Reformed faith began, and it continues. Some of its marks are these:

• Vitabu. Banner of Truth Trust huko London, iliyoanzishwa mwaka 1957, ilianza kuchapisha tena vitabu vya kawaida vya Kipuritani na vya Reformed. Kitabu cha J. I. Packer Knowing God (Kumjua Mungu, 1973) kiliwafikia wasomaji wengi.• Books. The Banner of Truth Trust in London, founded in 1957, began to reprint Puritan and Reformed classics. J. I. Packer's Knowing God (1973) reached many readers.

• Mahubiri na mafundisho. Martyn Lloyd-Jones huko London alionyesha mfano wa mahubiri ya ufafanuzi. R. C. Sproul alianzisha Ligonier Ministries mwaka 1971. Francis Schaeffer alianza L'Abri huko Uswisi mwaka 1955 na aliwazungumzia wanafunzi na wanafikra.• Preaching and teaching. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in London modeled expository preaching. R. C. Sproul founded Ligonier Ministries in 1971. Francis Schaeffer began L'Abri in Switzerland in 1955 and addressed students and thinkers.

• Maandiko. Mwaka 1978 wasomi wa kiinjili, wengi wao wa Reformed, walitoa Taarifa ya Chicago juu ya Kutokuwa na Kosa kwa Biblia.• Scripture. In 1978 evangelical scholars, many of them Reformed, issued the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.

• Seminari. Westminster na seminari nyingine za kihafidhina zilifunza wachungaji.• Seminaries. Westminster and other conservative seminaries trained pastors.

• Ukuaji nje ya Magharibi. Makanisa ya Reformed na Presbyterian yamekua Afrika, Asia na Amerika ya Kilatini, kama ulivyoona katika Kipindi cha 9. Kitovu cha maisha ya Reformed si Ulaya na Amerika Kaskazini tu tena. Wachungaji katika makanisa yenu wenyewe ni sehemu ya hadithi.• Growth beyond the West. Reformed and Presbyterian churches have grown in Africa, Asia and Latin America, as you saw in Unit 9. The center of Reformed life is no longer only in Europe and North America. Pastors in your own churches are part of the story.

Pingamizi na MajibuObjections and Answers

Pingamizi la 1: Kuondoka katika dhehebu ni mafarakano. Wengine husema kwamba wahudumu waaminifu wangebaki na kufanya kazi ndani. Jibu letu. Wengi walibaki, na wengine walifanya hivyo kwa uaminifu mkubwa. Ungamo la Westminster linafundisha kwamba makanisa ya mahali yanaweza kuwa safi zaidi au pungufu, na kwamba mengine yanaweza kuanguka mbali na kweli hata yakaacha kuwa makanisa ya kweli ya Kristo. Kujitenga kunapaswa kuwa suluhisho la mwisho baada ya jitihada za subira katika mabaraza ya kanisa, na kufanywe kwa huzuni, si kwa kiburi. Paulo alionya juu ya wale wanaohubiri Injili nyingine (Wagalatia 1:8), na pia aliwafundisha waumini "mkijitahidi kuyashika mafungamano ya umoja wa Roho katika kifungo cha amani" (Waefeso 4:3). Maagizo yote mawili yanatufunga.Objection 1: To leave a denomination is schism. Some say that faithful ministers should have stayed and worked inside. Our answer. Many did stay, and some did so with great faithfulness. The Westminster Confession teaches that particular churches may be more or less pure, and that some may so far fall away from truth that they cease to be true churches of Christ. Separation should be a last resort after patient effort in the church's courts, and it should be done with sorrow, not pride. Paul warned of those who preach another gospel (Galatians 1:8), and he also taught believers to be "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). Both commands bind us.

Pingamizi la 2: Wahafidhina walikuwa wafundamentalisti waliokuwa na hasira na wasiopenda elimu. Wanahistoria kama George Marsden wameonyesha kwamba ufundamentalisti wa Amerika ulikuwa na nyuzi kadhaa na upande mkali wa kisiasa na kitamaduni. Bradley Longfield ameonyesha kwamba mgogoro wa Presbyterian ulihusisha wastani (moderates), waliotaka amani, pamoja na wafundamentalisti na waliberali. Jibu letu. Ni kweli kwamba baadhi ya wahafidhina walikuwa wakali na baadhi walikuwa wazembe. Lakini Machen alikuwa msomi, na utamaduni wa kiungamo wa Reformed una historia ndefu ya elimu. Wastani waliotaka amani walikuwa wa dhati. Lakini amani inayoweka kando swali la kile Maandiko yanafundisha si amani ambayo Kristo alitoa.Objection 2: The conservatives were fundamentalists who were angry and anti-intellectual. Historians such as George Marsden have shown that American fundamentalism had several strands and a strong political and cultural side. Bradley Longfield has shown that the Presbyterian controversy involved moderates, who wanted peace, as well as fundamentalists and liberals. Our answer. It is true that some conservatives were harsh and some were careless. But Machen was a scholar, and the Reformed confessional tradition has a long record of learning. Moderates who wanted peace were sincere. But peace that puts aside the question of what Scripture teaches is not the peace Christ gave.

Pingamizi la 3: Maungamo hugawanya, na upendo unapaswa kuunganisha. Jibu letu. Lazima tushikilie kweli na upendo pamoja. Paulo anazungumza juu ya "kusema kweli katika upendo" (Waefeso 4:15). Kanisa linaweza kushindwa kwa kupenda bila kweli, na linaweza kushindwa kwa kweli bila upendo.Objection 3: Confessions divide, and love should unite. Our answer. We must hold truth and love together. Paul speaks of "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). A church can fail by loving without truth, and it can fail by truth without love.

Pingamizi la 4: Barth alikuwa upya wa kweli wa theolojia ya Reformed. Jibu letu. Barth anastahili heshima, kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu. Lakini tunashikilia kwamba upya wa Reformed unapaswa kusimama juu ya Biblia inayoaminiwa kikamilifu, kama Ungamo la Westminster na Taarifa ya Chicago zinavyosema.Objection 4: Barth was the true renewal of Reformed theology. Our answer. Barth deserves respect, as stated above. But we hold that the Reformed renewal should rest on a Bible that is trusted entirely, as the Westminster Confession and the Chicago Statement say.

Pingamizi la 5: Hamu mpya ya Reformed ni mtindo tu, na inawafanya watu kuwa na kiburi. Hii ni onyo la haki. Baadhi ya wale waliogundua mafundisho ya neema wamekuwa wenye kiburi, wagomvi na baridi. Jibu letu. Wale wanaoshikilia kweli mafundisho ya neema lazima wawe wanyenyekevu, kwa kuwa yanafundisha kwamba wokovu wote ni zawadi ya Mungu. Kanuni za Dort zinasema hivyo hivyo, na mtu wa Reformed mwenye kiburi hajaelewa fundisho hilo.Objection 5: The new Reformed interest is only a fashion, and it makes people proud. This is a fair warning. Some who have found the doctrines of grace have become proud, quarrelsome and cold. Our answer. Those who truly hold the doctrines of grace must be humble, since they teach that salvation is wholly God's gift. The Canons of Dort say the same, and a Reformed man who is proud has not understood the doctrine.

Pale mamlaka ya Maandiko yanapodhoofika, mafundisho ya kanisa juu ya mambo mengi ya maadili pia hudhoofika. Makanisa ya Reformed yanashikilia, pamoja na Kristo, kwamba tangu mwanzo Mungu aliwaumba mwanamume na mwanamke na kwamba mwanamume atamwacha baba yake na mama yake na kuambatana na mkewe (Mwanzo 2:24; Mathayo 19:4-6). Ndoa, kama muungano wa mwanamume mmoja na mwanamke mmoja, ni zawadi ya Mungu na picha ya Kristo na kanisa lake (Waefeso 5:31-32). Makanisa yetu yanapaswa kufundisha hili kwa furaha na kuzitunza familia katika kila msimu.Where Scripture's authority weakens, the church's teaching on many moral matters weakens too. The Reformed churches hold, with Christ, that from the beginning God made them male and female and that a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6). Marriage, as one man and one woman, is a gift of God and a picture of Christ and His church (Ephesians 5:31-32). Our churches should teach this joyfully and care for families in every season.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Mchungaji kijana katika Amerika ya Kilatini ni mshirika wa kanisa la Presbyterian ambalo mkutano wake wa kitaifa unafikiria pendekezo la kulegeza hitaji kwamba wahudumu washikilie ungamo la kanisa. Anamwuliza mchungaji wake mzee, "Je, niondoke?"A young pastor in Latin America belongs to a Presbyterian church whose national assembly is considering a proposal to relax the requirement that ministers hold the church's confession. He asks his older pastor, "Should I leave?"

Kwanza, mchungaji mzee anamwomba asome pendekezo na ungamo kwa makini. Maamuzi yanayofanywa kwa uvumi huleta madhara.First, the older pastor asks him to read the proposal and the confession carefully. Decisions made from rumor do harm.

Pili, anamkumbusha watu wa Beroya (Matendo 17:11). Walitafuta-tafuta Maandiko kila siku waone kama mambo hayo ni hivyo. Mchungaji anapaswa kulipima pendekezo kwa Biblia.Second, he reminds him of the Bereans (Acts 17:11). They searched the Scriptures daily to see whether things were so. The pastor should test the proposal against the Bible.

Tatu, anamtia moyo aombe, azungumze na baraza lake la kanisa, na ashindanie kweli katika mabaraza sahihi ya kanisa. Anamwambia asitende peke yake wala kwa hasira. Anamsihi atafute ushauri kutoka kwa makanisa dada na wahudumu wanaoaminika.Third, he encourages him to pray, to speak to his session, and to contend for the truth in the proper church courts. He tells him not to act alone or in anger. He urges him to seek counsel from sister churches and trusted ministers.

Nne, anamwambia kwamba kanisa likiikana Injili hatimaye, mtu mwaminifu anaweza kuhitaji kujitenga, lakini kama suluhisho la mwisho tu na kwa huzuni. Hadi wakati huo, mchungaji kijana anapaswa kuhubiri Neno, kulipenda kundi lake, na kuyashika mafungamano ya umoja wa Roho.Fourth, he tells him that if the church finally denies the gospel, a faithful man may need to separate, but only as a last resort and with sorrow. Until then, the young pastor should preach the Word, love his flock, and keep the unity of the Spirit.

MuhtasariSummary

Uliberali wa kitheolojia, uliotilia shaka ukweli wa Biblia na kazi ya kiungu ya Kristo, uliingia katika makanisa mengi ya Reformed katika karne ya kumi na tisa na ishirini. Nchini Marekani, mgogoro ulisababisha Christianity and Liberalism ya Machen (1923), kuanzishwa kwa Seminari ya Theolojia ya Westminster (1929), na Orthodox Presbyterian Church (1936). Huko Uholanzi, Kuyper aliongoza Doleantie ya mwaka 1886. Barth alipinga uliberali na Unazi, ingawa wahafidhina wanahoji mtazamo wake juu ya Maandiko. Migawanyiko ya baadaye ilizalisha Presbyterian Church in America (1973) na mashirika mengine ya kihafidhina, huku madhehebu makuu yakiungana tena mwaka 1983. Upya wa kiungamo ulikuja kupitia Banner of Truth, Lloyd-Jones, Packer, Sproul, Schaeffer na Taarifa ya Chicago ya mwaka 1978, na kupitia ukuaji Afrika, Asia na Amerika ya Kilatini. Tunakiri makosa ya upande wetu wenyewe na tunashikilia kwamba makanisa lazima yashindanie imani kwa kweli, upendo na unyenyekevu.Theological liberalism, which doubted the Bible's truth and Christ's supernatural work, entered many Reformed churches in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In the United States, the controversy led to Machen's Christianity and Liberalism (1923), the founding of Westminster Theological Seminary (1929), and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (1936). In the Netherlands, Kuyper led the Doleantie of 1886. Barth opposed liberalism and Nazism, though conservatives question his view of Scripture. Later divisions produced the Presbyterian Church in America (1973) and other conservative bodies, while the mainline churches reunited in 1983. Confessional renewal came through the Banner of Truth, Lloyd-Jones, Packer, Sproul, Schaeffer and the Chicago Statement of 1978, and through growth in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We admit the faults of our own side and hold that churches must contend for the faith with truth, love and humility.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism (Ukristo na Uliberali, 1923).• J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism (1923).

• Westminster Confession of Faith (Ungamo la Imani la Westminster), sura ya 1 (Maandiko Matakatifu) na sura ya 25 (Kanisa).• Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 1 (Holy Scripture) and chapter 25 (the Church).

• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Theolojia ya Mfumo, 1872-73).• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (1872-73).

• B. B. Warfield, kazi teule juu ya Maandiko (katika uwanja wa umma).• B. B. Warfield, selected works on Scripture (public domain).

• Heidelberg Catechism (Katekisimu ya Heidelberg, 1563) na Canons of Dort (Kanuni za Dort, 1619).• Heidelberg Catechism (1563) and Canons of Dort (1619).

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