Historia ya Matengenezo ya Kanisa na Makanisa ya Kireformed — Sehemu ya 7: Wapuritani na Mkutano wa WestminsterHistory of the Reformation and Reformed Churches — Unit 7: The Puritans and the Westminster Assembly

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Maandiko Matakatifu yote yamepuliziwa na Mungu, yafaa kwa mafundisho, na kwa kuonya, na kwa kuweka sawa, na kwa kuadibu katika haki; ili mtu wa Mungu awe kamili, amekwisha kutayarishwa apate kutenda kila kazi njema." (2 Timotheo 3:16-17, SUV)"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

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

1. Kueleza Wapuritani (Puritans) walikuwa nani na walitaka kufanyia matengenezo nini katika Kanisa la Uingereza.1. Explain who the Puritans were and what they wanted to reform in the Church of England.

2. Kueleza Mkutano wa Westminster (Westminster Assembly): kwa nini uliitwa, ulikutana lini, na ulitoa hati gani.2. Describe the Westminster Assembly: why it was called, when it met, and what documents it produced.

3. Kutaja wachungaji na waandishi muhimu wa Kipuritani na kueleza aina ya huduma waliyoifanya.3. Name important Puritan pastors and writers and say what kind of ministry they practiced.

4. Kueleza kilichowapata Wapuritani baada ya 1660 na kwa nini Viwango vya Westminster vilienea nje ya Uingereza.4. Explain what happened to the Puritans after 1660 and why the Westminster Standards spread beyond England.

5. Kueleza mijadala mikuu ya wanahistoria na pingamizi maarufu kuhusu Wapuritani na kuzijibu kutoka upande wa Reformed.5. State the main historians' debates and popular objections about the Puritans 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 Biblia ni Neno la Mungu lililopuliziwa na lisilo na kosa na yanayoungama mafundisho ya neema. Pale wanahistoria wanapotofautiana, au Wakristo wengine wanapoona mambo kwa njia tofauti, tunaeleza mitazamo yao kwa haki kisha tunatoa jibu letu. Watu wa Beroya ni kielelezo chetu. Walilipokea lile neno "kwa nia yote, wakitafuta-tafuta Maandiko kila siku waone kama mambo hayo ni hivyo" (Matendo 17:11).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 the Bible to be God's inspired and inerrant Word and that confess the doctrines of grace. Where historians disagree, or other Christians see things differently, we state their views fairly and then give our answer. The Bereans are our pattern. They "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11).

Wapuritani Walikuwa Nani?Who Were the Puritans?

Neno "Puritan" lilianza kama jina la utani, na halikuwa la upole. Huko Uingereza katika miaka ya 1560 lilitumiwa kwa Waprotestanti waliotaka Kanisa la Uingereza litakaswe zaidi. Matengenezo ya Kiingereza yalikuwa yamevunja na Roma chini ya Henry VIII, na chini ya Malkia Elizabeth I makubaliano ya mwaka 1559 yaliipa Uingereza kanisa la Kiprotestanti. Lakini wengi waliamini kazi haikuwa imekamilika. Waliona wahudumu wasioweza kuhubiri, ibada iliyobaki na sherehe walizodhani hazina kibali katika Maandiko, na maisha ya kanisa yasiyowaita watu kwenye utakatifu.The word "Puritan" began as a nickname, and it was not kind. In England in the 1560s it was used for Protestants who wanted the Church of England to be purified further. The English Reformation had broken with Rome under Henry VIII, and under Queen Elizabeth I the settlement of 1559 gave England a Protestant church. But many believed the work was unfinished. They saw ministers who could not preach, worship that kept ceremonies they thought had no warrant in Scripture, and a church life that did not call people to holiness.

Wapuritani hawakuwa chama kimoja kilichopangwa. Wengine walitaka kuona kanisa likiongozwa na wazee katika presbyteries, kama huko Geneva na Scotland. Wengine, walioitwa Independents au Congregationalists (Wanaojitegemea au Wanausharika wa kusanyiko), walishikilia kwamba kila kanisa la mahali lijiongoze lenyewe. Wengine walibaki ndani ya kanisa na kufanya kazi ya matengenezo kutoka ndani. Wengine waliondoka Uingereza na kutafuta uhuru katika Uholanzi au New England. Kile walichoshiriki kilikuwa hamu kwamba kanisa lilete kila kitu chini ya Neno la Mungu, na kwamba watu wabadilishwe nalo.The Puritans were not one organized party. Some wished to see the church governed by elders in presbyteries, as in Geneva and Scotland. Others, called Independents or Congregationalists, held that each local church should govern itself. Others stayed within the church and worked for reform from inside. Some left England and sought freedom in the Netherlands or in New England. What they shared was a desire that the church should be brought fully under the Word of God, and that the people should be changed by it.

Imani nne ziliwatambulisha.Four convictions marked them.

Kwanza, mamlaka na utoshelevu wa Maandiko. Wapuritani walitaka kuleta mafundisho, ibada na utaratibu wa kanisa kwenye kipimo cha Biblia. Hii ndiyo kanuni ya ibada (regulative principle), ambayo Kozi ya 4 itaichunguza.First, the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. The Puritans wished to bring doctrine, worship and church order to the test of the Bible. This is the regulative principle, which Course 4 will study.

Pili, mahubiri. Waliipa mahubiri nafasi ya kati. Mhubiri mzuri alielezea andiko kwa uwazi, alionyesha maana yake, na alilitumia kwenye dhamiri ya msikilizaji. William Perkins wa Cambridge (1558-1602) aliwafundisha wahudumu vijana wengi jinsi ya kufanya hivi. Kitabu chake The Art of Prophesying (Sanaa ya Kutabiri, yaani kuhubiri) kiliandikwa kwa Kilatini mwaka 1592 na baadaye kutafsiriwa kwa Kiingereza. Daraja letu kuelekea Kozi ya 5 linaanzia hapa.Second, preaching. They gave the sermon a central place. A good preacher explained the text plainly, showed what it meant, and applied it to the hearer's conscience. William Perkins of Cambridge (1558-1602) taught many young ministers how to do this. His The Art of Prophesying was written in Latin in 1592 and later translated into English. Our bridge to Course 5 begins here.

Tatu, maisha ya Kikristo. Waliwahimiza waumini kujichunguza, kuomba, kuishika Siku ya Bwana, kuabudu pamoja na familia, na kuishi maisha matakatifu katika kazi za kawaida. Injili, walisema, ni kwa maisha yote. Maandiko yanasema, "Basi, mlapo, mnywapo, au lo lote mfanyalo, fanyeni yote kwa utukufu wa Mungu" (1 Wakorintho 10:31).Third, the Christian life. They urged believers to examine themselves, to pray, to keep the Lord's Day, to worship with the family, and to live holy lives in ordinary callings. The gospel, they said, is for the whole of life. Scripture says, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Nne, mafundisho ya neema. Wahudumu wengi wa Kipuritani walifundisha mafundisho ya Dort na ya baba wa Reformed. Kitabu cha John Owen The Death of Death in the Death of Christ (Kifo cha Kifo katika Kifo cha Kristo, 1647) ni utetezi unaojulikana wa ukombozi mahususi.Fourth, the doctrines of grace. Most Puritan ministers taught the teachings of Dort and the Reformed fathers. John Owen's The Death of Death in the Death of Christ (1647) is a well-known defense of particular redemption.

Miaka ya Taabu: Kutoka Elizabeth hadi Vita vya Wenyewe kwa WenyeweTroubled Years: From Elizabeth to the Civil War

Matumaini ya Wapuritani yalipanda na kushuka. Mkutano huko Hampton Court mwaka 1604, ulioitishwa na Mfalme James, haukuleta mabadiliko waliyoyataka, lakini ulisababisha tafsiri mpya ya Kiingereza ya Biblia iliyochapishwa mwaka 1611, Authorized au King James Version. Chini ya Charles I, Askofu Mkuu William Laud alisisitiza usawa katika sherehe na aliwaondoa wahudumu wengi wa Kipuritani kwenye nafasi zao. Wapuritani wengi waliondoka Uingereza katika miaka ya 1630, na Koloni la Massachusetts Bay lilianzishwa mwaka 1630. Nyumbani, mgogoro kati ya mfalme na Bunge ulikua vita vya wenyewe kwa wenyewe mwaka 1642.The Puritans' hopes rose and fell. A conference at Hampton Court in 1604, called by King James, did not bring the changes they wanted, but it did lead to the new English translation of the Bible published in 1611, the Authorized or King James Version. Under Charles I, Archbishop William Laud pressed for uniformity in ceremony and removed many Puritan ministers from their posts. Many Puritans left England in the 1630s, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded in 1630. At home, conflict between the king and Parliament grew into civil war in 1642.

Mkutano wa WestminsterThe Westminster Assembly

Mwaka 1643 Bunge Refu (Long Parliament) liliitisha mkutano wa wahudumu na walei kulishauri juu ya matengenezo ya kanisa. Ulikutana Westminster, London, kuanzia Julai 1643. Kazi yake ya kwanza ilikuwa kurekebisha Makala Thelathini na Tisa ya Kanisa la Uingereza. Lakini Bunge lilihitaji msaada wa Waskoti katika vita, na mwaka 1643 Uingereza na Scotland ziliungana katika Agano la Kiapo (Solemn League and Covenant). Bunge kisha liliomba Mkutano uandae ungamo la pamoja, katekisimu, mfumo wa uongozi wa kanisa na mwongozo wa ibada, ili makanisa ya Visiwa vya Uingereza yaletwe katika makubaliano ya karibu zaidi.In 1643 the Long Parliament called an assembly of ministers and laymen to advise it on the reform of the church. It met in Westminster, in London, beginning in July 1643. Its first task was to revise the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England. But Parliament needed help from the Scots in the war, and in 1643 England and Scotland joined in the Solemn League and Covenant. Parliament then asked the Assembly to prepare a common confession, catechisms, a form of church government and a directory for worship, so that the churches of the British Isles might be brought into closer agreement.

Wajumbe walikuwa wengi wahudumu wa Kipuritani wa Kiingereza, pamoja na walei wachache kutoka Bunge. Wajumbe wa Kiskoti pia walihudhuria, miongoni mwao Alexander Henderson, Robert Baillie, George Gillespie na Samuel Rutherford. Waliweza kuzungumza lakini hawakuweza kupiga kura. William Twisse aliongoza mwanzoni. Mkutano ulishikilia kwamba Maandiko ndiyo kanuni pekee ya mwisho, na wajumbe wake walikuwa na elimu katika lugha za awali na katika mababa wa kanisa.The members were mostly English Puritan ministers, with some laymen from Parliament. Scottish commissioners also attended, among them Alexander Henderson, Robert Baillie, George Gillespie and Samuel Rutherford. They could speak but not vote. William Twisse presided at first. The Assembly held that Scripture is the only final rule, and its members were learned in the original languages and in the church fathers.

Mkutano ulitoa hati hizi:The Assembly produced these documents:

• Directory for the Public Worship of God (Mwongozo wa Ibada ya Hadharani ya Mungu, 1645), kuchukua nafasi ya Kitabu cha Maombi cha Pamoja (Book of Common Prayer).• The Directory for the Public Worship of God (1645), to replace the Book of Common Prayer.

• Form of Presbyterian Church Government (Mfumo wa Uongozi wa Kanisa la Presbyterian, 1645).• The Form of Presbyterian Church Government (1645).

• Westminster Confession of Faith (Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, lililokamilika 1646).• The Westminster Confession of Faith (completed 1646).

• Larger Catechism (Katekisimu Kubwa) na Shorter Catechism (Katekisimu Fupi, 1647).• The Larger Catechism and the Shorter Catechism (1647).

Kanisa la Scotland lilipitisha Ungamo na Katekisimu mwaka 1647. Huko Uingereza hali ya kisiasa ilibadilika, na makubaliano ya Presbyterian hayakuwahi kuanzishwa kikamilifu huko. Kazi ya Mkutano iliendelea hadi karibu mwaka 1649.The Church of Scotland adopted the Confession and the Catechisms in 1647. In England the political situation changed, and the Presbyterian settlement was never fully established there. The Assembly's work continued until about 1649.

Kwa pamoja hizi huitwa Viwango vya Westminster (Westminster Standards). Mara nyingi huitwa muhtasari kamili zaidi wa mafundisho ya Reformed, na ni viwango vya kiungamo vya makanisa mengi ya Presbyterian duniani. Kozi ya 3 itavichunguza kwa kina. Mistari yake ya kwanza kabisa inatoa msingi. Ungamo linaanza na Maandiko Matakatifu, ambayo linayaita ya lazima kwa sababu nuru ya asili haitoi ujuzi wa Mungu na mapenzi yake unaohitajika kwa wokovu. Katekisimu Fupi inaanza na swali, "Kusudi kuu la mwanadamu ni nini?" na kujibu, "Kusudi kuu la mwanadamu ni kumtukuza Mungu, na kumfurahia milele." Angalia vitenzi viwili. Tunamtukuza Mungu na tunamfurahia. Imani ya Kipuritani iliyojua wajibu tu isingekuwa imani ya Katekisimu.Together these are called the Westminster Standards. They are often called the fullest summary of Reformed teaching, and they are the confessional standards of most Presbyterian churches in the world. Course 3 will study them in detail. Their very first lines give the foundation. The Confession begins with Holy Scripture, which it calls necessary because the light of nature does not give the knowledge of God and His will needed for salvation. The Shorter Catechism begins with the question, "What is the chief end of man?" and answers, "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever." Notice the two verbs. We glorify God and we enjoy Him. A Puritan faith that knew only duty would not be the faith of the Catechism.

Viwango havikuwa kamili katika kila undani, na wajumbe wa Mkutano hawakukubaliana juu ya kila kitu. Wapresbyterian na Independents walijadili uongozi wa kanisa. Hata hivyo walikubaliana juu ya Maandiko, Utatu, nafsi na kazi ya Kristo, kuhesabiwa haki kwa imani pekee na mafundisho ya neema.The Standards were not perfect in every point of detail, and the Assembly's members did not agree on everything. Presbyterians and Independents debated church government. Yet they agreed on Scripture, the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, justification by faith alone and the doctrines of grace.

Wachungaji wa KipuritaniThe Puritan Pastors

Wapuritani waliacha baadhi ya maandishi bora kabisa ya kichungaji katika historia ya kanisa. Orodha fupi itaonyesha upana wao.The Puritans left some of the finest pastoral writing in the history of the church. A short list will show their range.

Richard Baxter (1615-1691) alihudumia mji wa Kidderminster. Kitabu chake The Reformed Pastor (Mchungaji wa Reformed, 1656) kinawaita wahudumu kuwafundisha watu kibinafsi, nyumba hadi nyumba, na kujitunza wenyewe pamoja na kundi lao. Kozi ya 5 itakitumia.Richard Baxter (1615-1691) served the town of Kidderminster. His The Reformed Pastor (1656) calls ministers to teach people personally, house by house, and to take heed to themselves as well as to their flock. Course 5 will use it.

John Owen (1616-1683) alikuwa mwanatheolojia mkuu, aliyeandika juu ya Roho Mtakatifu, juu ya nafsi ya Kristo, na juu ya vita dhidi ya dhambi inayokaa ndani.John Owen (1616-1683) was a great theologian, who wrote on the Holy Spirit, on the person of Christ, and on the battle against indwelling sin.

John Bunyan (1628-1688) alikuwa mhubiri Mbaptisti na fundi wa kutengeneza vyungu kwa kazi. Alifungwa gerezani kwa kuhubiri bila ruhusa, na aliandika The Pilgrim's Progress (Safari ya Msafiri), kilichochapishwa kwanza mwaka 1678, ambacho kimependwa na waumini katika mataifa mengi. Tunaona jambo hili: si Wapuritani wote walikuwa Wapresbyterian. Wengine walikuwa Wabaptisti, na mtazamo wao juu ya ubatizo utajibiwa katika Kozi ya 4.John Bunyan (1628-1688) was a Baptist preacher and tinker by trade. He was imprisoned for preaching without permission, and he wrote The Pilgrim's Progress, first published in 1678, which has been loved by believers in many nations. We note the point: not all Puritans were Presbyterian. Some were Baptists, and their view of baptism will be answered in Course 4.

William Perkins, aliyetajwa hapo juu, alifundisha wahubiri. Wengine, kama Richard Sibbes na Thomas Goodwin, waliandika kwa utajiri juu ya upole wa Kristo kwa waumini dhaifu. Goodwin alikuwa mjumbe wa Independent wa Mkutano.William Perkins, mentioned above, trained preachers. Others, such as Richard Sibbes and Thomas Goodwin, wrote richly about Christ's tenderness toward weak believers. Goodwin was an Independent member of the Assembly.

Watu hawa pia walithamini maisha ya familia. Walifundisha kwamba ndoa, kama muungano wa mwanamume mmoja na mwanamke mmoja kwa maisha yote, ni zawadi ya Mungu, na kwamba nyumba inapaswa kuwa mahali pa maombi ya kila siku na kusoma Biblia. Katika hili Wapuritani wanasimama pamoja na Maandiko (Mwanzo 2:24; Waefeso 5:22-33).These men also valued family life. They taught that marriage, as one man and one woman joined for life, is a gift of God, and that the home should be a place of daily prayer and Bible reading. In this the Puritans stand with Scripture (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:22-33).

Baada ya 1660: Mateso na KueneaAfter 1660: Suffering and Spread

Ufalme ulirudi mwaka 1660 pamoja na Charles II. Mwaka 1662 Sheria ya Umoja (Act of Uniformity) iliamuru kila mhudumu atumie Kitabu cha Maombi cha Pamoja na akubali kuwekwa wakfu na maaskofu. Siku ya Mtakatifu Bartholomayo mwezi Agosti 1662, wahudumu wapatao elfu mbili ambao hawakuweza kukubaliana waliacha mimbari zao. Hii inaitwa Kutolewa Kukubwa (Great Ejection). Wengi walitozwa faini au kufungwa, na familia zao zilipoteza riziki. Tangu hapo, wale ambao hawakukubali walioitwa Nonconformists au Dissenters (Wasiokubaliana). Mwaka 1689 Sheria ya Uvumilivu (Act of Toleration) iliwapa uhuru wa kuabudu chini ya masharti fulani.The monarchy returned in 1660 with Charles II. In 1662 the Act of Uniformity required every minister to use the Book of Common Prayer and to accept ordination by bishops. On St. Bartholomew's Day in August 1662, about two thousand ministers who could not agree gave up their pulpits. This is called the Great Ejection. Many were fined or imprisoned, and their families lost their livelihood. From then on, those who would not conform were called Nonconformists or Dissenters. In 1689 the Act of Toleration gave them freedom to worship under certain conditions.

Wapuritani wengine walikuwa wameandika maungamo yao wenyewe. Congregationalists walitoa Tamko la Savoy (Savoy Declaration) mwaka 1658 na Wabaptisti wa Kipekee (Particular Baptists) walichapisha Ungamo la Pili la London (Second London Confession) mwaka 1689. Yote mawili yalifuata Ungamo la Westminster kwa karibu katika mafundisho. Viwango vya Westminster pia vilifika Scotland, Ireland na Amerika Kaskazini, kisha, kupitia misheni, hadi Amerika ya Kilatini, Afrika na Asia. Vipindi vya 8 na 9 vinafuatilia njia hiyo.Other Puritans had written their own confessions. The Congregationalists issued the Savoy Declaration in 1658 and the Particular Baptists published the Second London Confession in 1689. Both followed the Westminster Confession closely in doctrine. The Westminster Standards also passed to Scotland, Ireland and North America, and then, through missions, to Latin America, Africa and Asia. Units 8 and 9 trace that road.

Mijadala ya Wanahistoria na PingamiziHistorians' Debates and Objections

Pingamizi la 1: Wapuritani walikuwa watu wasio na furaha waliokataza kila starehe. Picha maarufu ni ya watu wakali waliochukia raha. Jibu letu. Maadui zao wakati mwingine walichora picha hii. Wapuritani walipinga ulevi, uvivu na ghasia, lakini pia walifundisha kwamba uumbaji ni zawadi ya Mungu ya kupokelewa kwa shukrani. Katekisimu Fupi inasema kwamba kusudi letu kuu linajumuisha kumfurahia Mungu. Walipenda ndoa, muziki katika ibada, na kazi nzuri.Objection 1: The Puritans were joyless killjoys. The popular picture is of grim people who hated pleasure. Our answer. Their enemies sometimes drew this picture. The Puritans did oppose drunkenness, idleness and disorder, but they also taught that creation is God's gift to be received with thanks. The Shorter Catechism says that our chief end includes enjoying God. They loved marriage, music in worship, and good work.

Pingamizi la 2: Wapuritani walimwacha Calvin. Baadhi ya wanahistoria, kama R. T. Kendall, wamebishana kwamba Wakalvini wa Kiingereza wa baadaye walibadilisha mafundisho ya Calvin juu ya upatanisho na uhakika wa wokovu. Wanahistoria wengine, kama Richard Muller na Paul Helm, walijibu kwamba waandishi wa Reformed wa karne ya kumi na sita na ya kumi na saba walikuwa na mwendelezo zaidi na Calvin kuliko hoja hiyo inavyoruhusu. Jibu letu. Vipindi hivi viwili vinatofautiana kwa mtindo, kwa kuwa waandishi wa baadaye walifanya kazi katika wakati wa maungamo rasmi na mijadala. Lakini tunashikilia kwamba walifundisha Injili ile ile kutoka Maandiko yale yale, na utamaduni wa Reformed haujawahi kujiona umefungwa kwa maneno kamili ya mtu mmoja. Calvin mwenyewe alifundisha kwamba Maandiko tu ndiyo yanayoifunga dhamiri.Objection 2: The Puritans departed from Calvin. Some historians, such as R. T. Kendall, have argued that later English Calvinists changed Calvin's teaching on the atonement and on assurance. Other historians, such as Richard Muller and Paul Helm, replied that the sixteenth-century and seventeenth-century Reformed writers were more continuous with Calvin than that argument allows. Our answer. The two periods differ in style, since the later writers worked in a time of formal confessions and debate. But we hold that they taught the same gospel from the same Scripture, and the Reformed tradition has never counted itself bound to the exact wording of one man. Calvin himself taught that only Scripture binds the conscience.

Pingamizi la 3: Wapuritani hawakuvumilia wengine. Hili lazima likubaliwe kwa sehemu. Katika miaka ya 1630 Roger Williams alifukuzwa kutoka Massachusetts kwa sababu ya mitazamo yake, na baadaye Waquaker waliuawa huko. Jibu letu. Hatutetei matendo haya. Makanisa ya Reformed ya leo yanashikilia kwamba serikali ya kiraia haipaswi kuilazimisha dhamiri katika mambo ya imani, na kwamba silaha za kanisa ni za kiroho. Makosa ya Wapuritani yalikuwa halisi, lakini hayathibitishi kwamba mafundisho waliyofundisha kutoka Maandiko ni ya uongo.Objection 3: The Puritans were intolerant. This must be admitted in part. In the 1630s Roger Williams was banished from Massachusetts for his views, and later Quakers were put to death there. Our answer. We do not defend these acts. The Reformed churches of today hold that the civil government should not compel conscience in matters of faith, and that the church's weapons are spiritual. The Puritans' faults were real, but they do not prove that the doctrine they taught from Scripture is false.

Pingamizi la 4: Viwango ni zao la mgogoro wa kisiasa tu. Wanahistoria wanabainisha kwamba Mkutano uliitwa na Bunge katika vita vya wenyewe kwa wenyewe na kwamba kazi yake iliundwa na mahitaji ya kisiasa. Jibu letu. Bunge liliitisha Mkutano, lakini maudhui yalitoka kwa miaka mingi ya theolojia ya Reformed, na kila taarifa inataja Maandiko. Viwango pia vilipokelewa na makanisa katika nyakati na mataifa tofauti sana, jambo ambalo lingekuwa la ajabu kama vingekuwa karatasi ya kisiasa tu.Objection 4: The Standards are only the product of a political crisis. Historians note that the Assembly was called by Parliament in a civil war and that its work was shaped by political need. Our answer. Parliament called the Assembly, but the content came from many years of Reformed theology, and each statement cites Scripture. The Standards were also received by churches in very different times and nations, which would be odd if they were only a political paper.

Pingamizi la 5: Maungamo yanachukua nafasi ya Biblia. Wakristo wengine, wakiwemo wainjilisti wengi wa dhati, husema, "Hakuna kanuni ya imani ila Biblia." Jibu letu. Tunakubali kwamba Maandiko pekee ndiyo mamlaka ya mwisho, na Viwango vinasema hivyo hivyo katika sura yao ya kwanza. Ungamo ni mtumishi, si bwana. Linaeleza kile kanisa linachoamini Biblia inafundisha, ili washirika na wazee wajue wanachoshikilia pamoja. Kozi ya 3 italishughulikia hili kwa urefu.Objection 5: Confessions replace the Bible. Some Christians, including many sincere evangelicals, say, "No creed but the Bible." Our answer. We agree that Scripture alone is the final authority, and the Standards say the same in their first chapter. A confession is a servant, not a master. It states what a church believes the Bible teaches, so that members and elders know what they hold together. Course 3 will treat this at length.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Mchungaji katika kanisa dogo la Presbyterian huko Cuba anaanza darasa la katekisimu kwa watoto wa kusanyiko. Mzazi mmoja anasema, "Tunahitaji Biblia tu. Kwa nini watoto wanapaswa kujifunza maswali na majibu kutoka kwenye hati iliyotengenezwa miaka mia nne iliyopita?"A pastor in a small Presbyterian church in Cuba is starting a catechism class for the children of the congregation. One parent says, "We need only the Bible. Why do the children have to learn questions and answers from a document made four hundred years ago?"

Kwanza, mchungaji anapokea swali kwa wema. Mzazi anaipenda Biblia na anataka watoto waijue.First, the pastor receives the question kindly. The parent loves the Bible and wants the children to know it.

Pili, anafungua Maandiko. Anaonyesha 2 Timotheo 3:16-17 na agizo la kuwafundisha watoto, kama katika Kumbukumbu la Torati 6:6-7, na kueleza kwamba katekisimu ni njia fupi ya kufundisha kile Maandiko yasemacho.Second, he opens the Scripture. He shows 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and the command to teach children, as in Deuteronomy 6:6-7, and explains that the catechism is a short way of teaching what Scripture says.

Tatu, anasoma kwa sauti swali la kwanza la Katekisimu Fupi pamoja na mzazi na kuuliza kama linapatana na 1 Wakorintho 10:31. Linapatana.Third, he reads aloud the first question of the Shorter Catechism with the parent and asks whether it agrees with 1 Corinthians 10:31. It does.

Nne, anamwalika mzazi aketi darasani na kupima kila jibu kwa Biblia, kama watu wa Beroya walivyofanya. Mchungaji anaonyesha kwamba katekisimu inakusudiwa kuwaongoza watoto kwenye Neno na si kulichukua nafasi yake.Fourth, he invites the parent to sit in the class and to test each answer by the Bible, as the Bereans did. The pastor shows that the catechism is meant to lead children to the Word and not to replace it.

MuhtasariSummary

Wapuritani walikuwa Waprotestanti wa Kiingereza waliotaka Kanisa la Uingereza lifanyiwe matengenezo zaidi kwa Maandiko. Walisisitiza mamlaka ya Biblia, mahubiri, maisha matakatifu na mafundisho ya neema, na walizalisha wachungaji bora kama Perkins, Baxter, Owen na Bunyan. Mwaka 1643 Bunge liliitisha Mkutano wa Westminster, uliokutana London na kutoa Mwongozo wa Ibada ya Hadharani, Mfumo wa Uongozi wa Kanisa, Ungamo la Imani (1646) na Katekisimu Kubwa na Fupi (1647), kwa msaada wa wajumbe wa Kiskoti. Baada ya 1660 wahudumu wapatao elfu mbili waliondolewa mwaka 1662, lakini maandishi yao na Viwango vilienea hadi Scotland, Amerika na mashamba ya misheni. Wanahistoria wanajadili kama Wapuritani walimfuata Calvin, na wakosoaji wanawaita watu wasio na furaha au wasiovumilia. Tunakiri makosa yao halisi, na tunashikilia kwamba mafundisho yao makuu ni Injili ya Maandiko.The Puritans were English Protestants who wanted the Church of England further reformed by Scripture. They stressed the authority of the Bible, preaching, a holy life, and the doctrines of grace, and they produced fine pastors such as Perkins, Baxter, Owen and Bunyan. In 1643 Parliament called the Westminster Assembly, which met in London and produced the Directory for Public Worship, the Form of Church Government, the Confession of Faith (1646) and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms (1647), with the help of Scottish commissioners. After 1660 about two thousand ministers were ejected in 1662, but their writings and the Standards spread to Scotland, America and the mission fields. Historians debate whether the Puritans followed Calvin, and critics call them joyless or intolerant. We admit their real faults, and we hold that their central teaching is the gospel of Scripture.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• The Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism and the Shorter Catechism (Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, Katekisimu Kubwa na Katekisimu Fupi, 1646-47).• The Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism and the Shorter Catechism (1646-47).

• Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor (Mchungaji wa Reformed, 1656).• Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor (1656).

• William Perkins, The Art of Prophesying (Sanaa ya Kutabiri, 1592).• William Perkins, The Art of Prophesying (1592).

• John Owen, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ (Kifo cha Kifo katika Kifo cha Kristo, 1647).• John Owen, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ (1647).

• John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress (Safari ya Msafiri, 1678).• John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress (1678).

• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Misingi ya Dini ya Kikristo), tafsiri ya Henry Beveridge (1845).• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. Henry Beveridge (1845).

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