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Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW017154S
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00:09 ♪[Theme music]♪
00:18 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. 00:21 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me. 00:23 1620: one of the most significant dates 00:27 in the history of the United State, 00:30 and it wouldn't be a stretch to say, 00:31 in the history of the world. 00:34 ♪[Music]♪ 00:41 Martin Luther had nailed the Ninety-Five Theses to the door 00:45 of the Castle Church in Wittenberg 103 years earlier. 00:50 By 1620, Luther had been dead for more than 70 years, 00:55 John Calvin for nearly 60; 00:57 Ulrich Zwingli had died almost 90 years before; 01:01 Theodore Beza, the disciple of Calvin whose likeness 01:04 is on the Reformation Wall in Geneva, 01:07 John Knox who stands to his left, 01:09 the Englishmen William Tyndale, Thomas Cranmer, 01:12 Nicholas Ridley, and Hugh Latimer-- 01:14 they'd all been gone for decades. 01:16 In fact, by the time you get to 1620, 01:19 the recognizable names of the Reformation 01:21 had all moved off the scene. 01:24 It could be said that the Reformation ended 01:27 around that time, 01:28 with many scholars saying that it came to an end 01:31 with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, 01:35 a number of treaties that ended the religious wars in Europe. 01:40 So at about the time the Reformation ended, 01:42 one of the most significant developments in the proclamation 01:45 of God's Word was getting underway. 01:47 And you could see God's fingerprints all over it. 02:02 If you've never seen it before, Plymouth Rock, 02:04 45 minutes south of Boston, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, 02:08 comes as a bit of a surprise. 02:11 The legend is that Plymouth Rock is where the Pilgrims 02:14 got off the Mayflower when they arrived on these shores in 1620. 02:19 The fact is this is only a fragment 02:21 of the original Plymouth Rock. 02:24 The original broke in half in 1774, 02:27 and souvenir hunters chipped away at the rock over the years, 02:30 so there's much less of it today than there once was. 02:34 Now, I know you don't always want the facts 02:35 to get in the way of a good story, 02:37 but another fact is that no one ever claimed the Pilgrims 02:41 landed at Plymouth Rock until 1741, 02:45 121 years after the Mayflower arrived in Plymouth Harbor. 02:52 But all that's incidental, really. 02:54 The rock itself is not what's important. 02:56 Today it's a symbol, a symbol of new beginnings 03:00 and the pioneer spirit. 03:02 It's an icon visited by more than a million people a year. 03:07 So what were the Pilgrims doing, anyway, 03:09 landing at Plymouth Rock, or wherever it was they landed? 03:13 Understand that and you'll understand 03:15 the birth of a great nation, 03:17 and you'll see how the guiding hand of God shepherded 03:20 His people and fostered the growth of the principles 03:24 of the Protestant Reformation. 03:26 So let's back up a few years. 03:30 The Pilgrims on board the Mayflower were Puritans, 03:34 English Protestants who were committed to purifying 03:37 the Church of England of Catholic practices. 03:40 The seeds for the English Reformation were sown by Patrick 03:44 and Columba and Aidan and others like them. 03:46 Centuries later, John Wycliffe was described as 03:50 "the Morning Star of the Reformation." 03:52 And then there was William Tyndale, 03:54 who heroically stood up against King Henry VIII 03:57 and translated the Bible into English at a time 03:59 when such a translation was desperately needed. 04:03 With his dying breath, 04:04 Tyndale prayed that God would open the eyes of Henry VIII, 04:08 which God did only two years later when the king 04:11 gave his permission for four different translations 04:14 of the Bible into the English language. 04:16 It was Tyndale's scholarship that provided the lion's share 04:19 of the King James Version of the Bible. 04:22 ♪[Music]♪ 04:32 ♪[Music]♪ 04:38 But even though the church in England, 04:39 or the Church of England, 04:41 had separated from Rome, it was in desperate need of reform. 04:45 Now, while it's true that England's King Henry VIII 04:48 was strongly motivated to separate 04:50 from the Roman Catholic Church because it would not annul 04:53 his marriage to Catherine of Aragon in the 1530s, 04:56 England's antipathy towards Rome ran much deeper than that. 05:00 There were significant doctrinal issues that separated the two, 05:04 but the Puritans wanted even more than that. 05:11 Even though the Church of England 05:12 was structurally independent from Rome, 05:15 that wasn't enough for the Puritans. 05:17 They believed that when it came to matters of Christian faith 05:20 and Christian worship, 05:22 that to depart from what the Bible said 05:23 was both unnecessary and unwise. 05:26 They wanted to follow the example of the Lutherans, 05:30 or the Reformed Protestants elsewhere in Europe, 05:33 and return to what they believed 05:34 was a more biblical form of Christianity. 05:38 Yet, the Church of England continued to embrace many 05:41 of the forms of Catholicism. 05:47 The Protestant movement was separated largely 05:49 into two wings: 05:52 the Lutheran-Calvinistic wing, often called Reformed theology, 05:57 primarily after the teachings of Martin Luther and John Calvin, 06:00 and the Arminian wing, which was patterned after the teachings 06:03 of Jacob Arminius and others who focused 06:06 on the role of Christian free will in the salvation process, 06:10 along with practical teaching, such as non-participation in war 06:13 and separation of church and state. 06:15 The Puritans of England clearly took their beliefs 06:19 from the Lutheran- Calvinistic wing. 06:21 And this would be demonstrated by their views 06:23 on religious freedom, 06:25 particularly when they came to the New World. 06:29 The Puritans played a significant role 06:31 in the political history of England 06:32 throughout the 17th century. 06:35 For a time, the Puritans ruled the country under the leadership 06:38 of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell 06:41 during the 1650s. 06:47 Early in the 1600s, King James I decided 06:50 that he would not tolerate the agitation of the Puritans 06:53 any longer. 06:54 They'd either come into line with the policies and practices 06:56 of the Church of England, or they would leave. 06:59 And many of them left. 07:01 It was difficult for those who lived in England. 07:03 Many of them began describing themselves as Separatists 07:06 because they came to the conclusion 07:08 that the Church of England was never going to change. 07:12 Many of them fled to the Dutch Republic, 07:14 which at the time was more favorable 07:16 to Reformed Protestantism. 07:18 Life was hard for those immigrants. 07:19 Many of them had been farmers, 07:21 and they were not able to farm in their new homeland. 07:24 Instead, they had to learn a trade. 07:27 But they considered these difficulties just part 07:29 of God's way of forming in them a godly character. 07:34 "They knew they were pilgrims, 07:35 and looked not much on those things, 07:37 but lifted up their eyes to heaven, 07:39 their dearest country, and quieted their spirits." 07:45 But many of those Pilgrims chose to leave the Netherlands 07:48 and return to England before leaving again 07:52 onboard a ship called the Mayflower. 07:55 They were headed for the New World. 07:58 Now some Pilgrims didn't make it. 08:00 I'll tell you more in just a moment. 08:02 ♪[Music]♪ 08:10 >>John: I'm John Bradshaw from It Is Written, 08:12 inviting you to join me for "500," 08:16 nine programs produced by It Is Written, 08:18 taking you deep into the Reformation. 08:21 This is the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation 08:25 when Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door 08:28 of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. 08:30 We'll take you to Wittenberg, 08:32 and to Belgium, to England, to Ireland, 08:35 to Rome, to the Vatican City, 08:37 and introduce you to the people who created the Reformation, 08:40 who pushed the Reformation forward. 08:42 We'll take you to sites all throughout Europe 08:44 where the reformers lived and, in some cases, died. 08:47 We'll bring you back to the United States 08:49 and take you to a little farm in upstate New York 08:52 and show you how God spread the Reformation here. 08:55 Don't miss "500." 08:57 You can own the "500" series on DVD. 09:00 Call us on 888-664-5573 09:04 or visit us online at itiswritten.shop. 09:11 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. 09:13 There were actually two ships that left England, 09:16 bound for what would become known as 09:18 the United States of America. 09:21 There was the Mayflower and the Speedwell. 09:24 Together they left Southampton on August the 5th, 1620, 09:28 but the Speedwell leaked-- 09:31 not great for a ship intending to cross the Atlantic Ocean. 09:35 Both ships stopped in Dartmouth 09:37 so the Speedwell could be repaired. 09:39 After leaving Dartmouth, 09:41 they made it 350 miles beyond Land's End 09:44 before it was discovered that the Speedwell 09:47 was taking on water again. 09:50 So, once more, they returned to Dartmouth. 09:54 The Mayflower decided it would push on without the Speedwell. 09:58 Some of the Speedwell's passengers crammed 10:00 into the Mayflower, and so the Mayflower, 10:02 with 102 passengers and between 25 and 30 crew, 10:06 headed off on what would be a miserable voyage, 10:11 but they made it. 10:12 Slowly but surely, 10:14 life was established here in this new land. 10:17 More and more people would follow in the footsteps, 10:19 or in the wake, of the Pilgrims of England. 10:23 ♪[Music]♪ 10:30 They were driven by a desire for liberty of conscience, 10:36 but they really didn't understand what that truly was. 10:44 The idea that God has given the right to control the conscience 10:48 to the church and has given the church the right to define 10:52 and punish heresy is a school of thought 10:55 that came right out of Rome. 11:02 So while these people had rejected 11:04 many of the doctrines of Rome, 11:06 they retained the spirit of Rome: intolerance. 11:11 Any church they set up would ultimately be a church-state. 11:15 They dictated that only church members 11:17 could have a say in government. 11:19 The secular power was in the hands of the church, 11:23 which can only lead in one direction: persecution. 11:31 ♪[Music]♪ 11:36 In 1631, when Boston was a brand-new settlement, 11:40 a Puritan minister, not 30 years old, arrived here from England. 11:44 Roger Williams was a Separatist. 11:46 He believed that for a person to be truly faithful to God, 11:49 that person should separate from the Anglican Church. 11:53 He and his wife Mary would have six children, 11:55 all born in the New World: 11:57 Mary, Freeborn, Providence, Mercy, 12:02 Daniel, and Joseph. 12:04 It wasn't long and people knew he was here. 12:07 ♪[Music]♪ 12:11 Roger Williams was the first person in this land 12:14 to stand up for something that today we regard as a right. 12:18 He believed that liberty of conscience 12:20 was the inalienable right of all people, 12:24 whatever their religion. 12:26 He went so far as to establish government 12:28 upon the principle of religious freedom. 12:31 He was the first person in modern Christianity to do that. 12:35 Williams believed that the government had no place 12:37 dictating to individuals when it came to religious matters. 12:41 That was an entirely new way of thinking. 12:43 It was revolutionary. 12:46 In the early days of the colonies, 12:48 church attendance was required by law. 12:52 You could be fined or even imprisoned 12:55 for not attending church. 12:57 Williams was scandalized by this, 13:00 and he decided to do something about it. 13:03 >>Lincoln Steed: And it didn't trouble the Puritans whatsoever, 13:06 that while they'd left a bad situation 13:08 to come to the New World, they just set the same model, 13:11 where they would say everyone had to go to church. 13:13 You'd be fined. 13:14 You had to, uh, abide by what the minister said. 13:17 No freelance religion. 13:19 Uh, Roger Williams comes along, 13:22 and he was the conscience and really the, the, uh, 13:26 the guiding light of the true principles of religious liberty 13:30 that we're keeping alive today. 13:32 >>John: It seems strange to be talking about a battle 13:35 over religious freedom in the United States, 13:37 but keep in mind the times and the mindset then. 13:41 The church of Rome had taught very thoroughly 13:43 that there was no religious freedom. 13:44 It claimed to be the voice of God in the world. 13:48 The church spoke; 13:49 church members did what they were expected to do. 13:52 So even though the Church of England had separated 13:55 from the Roman Catholic Church, 13:56 it still retained a lot of Rome's ideas. 14:00 So when the Puritans came to the free world, 14:04 they were still hung up on the concept of the church saying, 14:07 "Jump!" and the faithful saying, "How high?" 14:10 They had not embraced the concept of religious liberty. 14:14 So in spite of the Reformation, further reform was still needed. 14:19 So while the Pilgrims and other Puritan settlers came 14:22 to these shores for the purpose of exercising 14:24 their own liberty of conscience, 14:27 many didn't believe in extending the same right 14:29 to those who held different beliefs. 14:31 Freedom was fine for themselves, 14:34 but not for people who taught and practiced things 14:36 they disagreed with. 14:38 One historian described this attitude with these words: 14:40 "New England divines (pastors and theologians) 14:44 insisted repeatedly that demand for uniformity 14:47 of religious practice in no way violated liberty of conscience. 14:52 They contended that there were two types of liberty: 14:56 natural (or corrupted) liberty 14:57 and the 'liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.' 15:02 Liberty to practice error came under the former heading 15:05 and was not really liberty at all, 15:08 but license, the 'liberty for men to destroy themselves.'" 15:13 Roger Williams is truly one of the towering figures 15:16 in the American story. 15:17 And he's one of the towering figures in the advance 15:20 of the Word of God. 15:22 Not only did he advocate religious freedom for all, 15:25 he was also one of the earliest and most vocal opponents 15:28 of slavery on these shores. 15:31 He advocated fair treatment for Native American tribes. 15:34 He also learned many of the languages 15:36 of the tribes in the Northeast. 15:38 He'd run into trouble with the Anglican Church 15:40 before he came to America. 15:42 When he got here and he found the same principles 15:44 of intolerance in a place that was supposed to be 15:46 a haven for liberty, it disturbed him. 15:49 He did not agree with the Puritans' attempts 15:51 to set up a theocracy. 15:53 He said, "Forced worship stinks in the nostrils of God." 15:58 Williams believed that Constantine 16:00 was worse for the church than Nero 16:04 because Constantine successfully united the power 16:07 of the civil government with the authority of the church. 16:11 And before long, 16:12 things would get much worse for Roger Williams. 16:17 I'll have more in a moment. 16:18 ♪[Music]♪ 16:24 ♪[Music]♪ 16:26 >>Announcer: In Matthew 4:4, the Word of God says, 16:29 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 16:32 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 16:35 "Every Word" is a one-minute Bible-based daily devotional 16:39 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw 16:41 and designed especially for busy people like you. 16:44 Look for "Every Word" on selected networks, 16:47 or watch it online every day on our website: 16:49 itiswritten.com. 16:51 Receive a daily spiritual boost. Watch "Every Word." 16:55 You'll be glad you did. 16:59 ♪["Every Word" theme music]♪ 17:05 >>John Bradshaw: Five hundred years 17:06 after the Protestant Reformation began 17:07 on October the 31st, 1517, 17:10 we might be tempted to wonder what Luther and Knox 17:12 and Zwingli and Calvin and Farel and Beza 17:14 and the Huguenots and the Anabaptists 17:16 and so many others achieved. 17:19 Today it would seem that the protest is over, 17:21 even though the most influential church in the world 17:23 offers indulgences, hears confessions, 17:26 teaches justification by faith and works, 17:28 considers Mary the queen of heaven. 17:31 Where are the Protestants today? 17:32 Protestants are being welcomed back into the church of Rome, 17:35 and many see this as positive. 17:37 It's been said it's more important to be divided by truth 17:40 than it is to be united by error. 17:43 Paul said in 2 Timothy 4, verse 2, 17:45 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; 17:48 reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine." 17:52 The Word--anything less will never do. 17:55 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 17:57 Let's live today by every word. 18:00 [Insects rasping] 18:01 ♪[Music]♪ 18:13 >>John Bradshaw: A hundred years after the Reformation ended, 18:16 there was still a lot of reform left to be accomplished. 18:20 As long as there was no liberty of conscience, 18:22 and as long as the state was united with the church, 18:25 the church was a long way short of where it should be, 18:28 from a biblical perspective. 18:30 The man who would bring the needed change was 18:32 a Cambridge-educated Englishman who moved to the colonies 18:35 six weeks after his 27th birthday. 18:39 Williams was forced to leave Massachusetts, 18:42 and he went into exile in 1636. 18:46 In the winter, he journeyed through the forests, 18:49 not knowing where he was going. 18:51 Along the way he made friends with many of the natives 18:53 and later said that he would rather live 18:55 with "Christian savages" than "savage Christians." 18:59 His journeys led him here, 19:01 to a place that he would name "Providence," 19:04 convinced that the providence of God had guided him. 19:08 ♪[Music]♪ 19:16 It was Roger Williams, not Thomas Jefferson, 19:19 who first coined the phrase "wall of separation," 19:22 so far as church and state are concerned. 19:25 In 1644, Williams described the need to build 19:27 a "wall of separation between the garden of the church 19:32 and the wilderness of the world." 19:34 Leonard Levy, a U.S. constitutional scholar, 19:37 commented on these words of Roger Williams 19:39 with the following statement: 19:41 "Thus, the wall of separation had the allegiance 19:44 of a most profound Christian impulse 19:47 as well as a secular one. 19:49 To Christian fundamentalists of the Framers' time 19:52 the wall of separation derived from the biblical injunction 19:55 that Christ's kingdom is not of this world." 19:59 The fundamental principle of Roger Williams' colony 20:02 was that every man should have liberty to worship God 20:05 according to the light of his own conscience. 20:08 Rhode Island's founding principles, 20:11 civil and religious liberty, 20:13 became the cornerstones of the American republic. 20:16 This was extremely significant. 20:19 And so today, the Declaration of Independence states: 20:23 "We hold these truths to be self-evident, 20:26 that all men are created equal; 20:29 that they are endowed by their Creator 20:30 with certain unalienable rights; 20:33 that among these are life, liberty, 20:36 and the pursuit of happiness." 20:39 And the Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience 20:42 in religious matters. 20:43 "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification 20:48 to any office of public trust under the United States." 20:52 "Congress shall make no law respecting 20:54 an establishment of religion, 20:56 or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." 21:00 It was this environment that allowed the preaching 21:02 and the teaching of the Bible to flourish. 21:05 Of course, there have been those who have abused 21:08 their religious freedom, 21:09 but just think of the alternative: 21:11 a world in which you're not free to believe what you believe. 21:15 That's the world Martin Luther faced when he nailed 21:17 the Ninety-Five Theses to that famous door back in 1517. 21:23 Word began to spread back in Europe 21:24 about a place where a person could worship God 21:26 according to the dictates of his or her own conscience. 21:30 As one historian wrote, "Massachusetts, 21:33 by special law, offered free welcome and aid, 21:36 at the public cost, to Christians of any nationality 21:39 who might fly beyond the Atlantic 21:41 'to escape from wars or famine, 21:43 or the oppression of their persecutors.' 21:45 [And so] the fugitive and the downtrodden were, 21:48 by statute, made the guests of the commonwealth." 21:52 The colonies grew, and the world saw the prosperity 21:56 and the increasing strength of a church without a pope 22:00 and a state without a king. 22:03 In this patch of earth, Roger Williams raised up 22:05 a memorial to religious freedom. 22:08 The establishment of the Rhode Island colony was 22:10 a landmark event in the history of the Protestant Reformation, 22:15 a new haven in a new land where people would finally be free, 22:20 to follow the dictates of their own conscience 22:22 when it came to matters of faith. 22:24 Even the Puritans of Roger Williams' day 22:26 couldn't accept his thinking. 22:28 You see, it was the prevailing belief 400 or so years ago 22:31 that the civil government had every right 22:34 to dictate to people's conscience. 22:36 That did not sit well with Roger Williams, 22:38 and it led him into deep conflict. 22:41 But the conflict that he experienced brought, 22:43 to everyone that followed, freedom. 22:47 ♪[Music]♪ 22:52 Now, of course that meant that if you wanted to opt out, 22:55 to practice no religion, to disagree with the church, 22:58 then it was your right to do so. 23:01 And it's this spirit of religious liberty 23:03 that's described in the New Testament, 23:05 just a few verses from the end of the Bible, 23:08 where the bride of Christ blends her appeal 23:11 with that of the Holy Spirit in urging humanity 23:14 to accept God's gift of salvation. 23:17 "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' 23:20 And let him who hears say, 'Come!' 23:24 And let him who thirsts come. 23:27 [And] whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." 23:33 Freedom of conscience would take hold in America in a way 23:36 not seen in any other civil experiment in human history. 23:41 The inalienable right to worship and follow conscience, 23:44 as a person chooses, would become 23:47 one of the main cornerstones of the American experience 23:50 and of the final stages of the Protestant Reformation. 23:54 ♪[Music]♪ 24:00 Roger Williams demonstrated how important it is 24:03 for believers to press forward. 24:06 While the Reformation accomplished an enormous amount, 24:08 in terms of opening up the Bible and bringing the light 24:11 of God's Word to the human mind, 24:14 there was still a lot left to accomplish, 24:16 much more to learn, 24:18 more for the church and more for believers 24:20 as they grew towards God's ideal. 24:24 John Robinson was a pastor of Pilgrims in Holland, 24:28 and he said this to many who were preparing to leave 24:30 for the New World: 24:32 "Brethren, we are now erelong to part asunder, 24:36 and the Lord knoweth whether I shall live ever 24:39 to see your faces more. 24:42 But whether the Lord hath appointed it or not, 24:44 I charge you before God and His blessed angels 24:47 to follow me no farther than I have followed Christ. 24:53 If God should reveal anything to you 24:55 by any other instrument of His, 24:57 be as ready to receive it as ever you were to receive 25:01 any truth of my ministry; 25:04 for I am very confident the Lord hath more truth and light 25:09 yet to break forth out of His holy word." 25:14 I'm confident the Lord has more. 25:16 God has more for you in His Word. 25:20 That was true in the time of the Pilgrims, 25:23 and that commitment to the Bible, 25:24 to the progress of God's light would lead others to advance 25:28 the cause of the Reformation and guide multitudes 25:32 into a deeper understanding of God and His Word. 25:36 ♪[Music]♪ 25:43 >>John: How can you enjoy a successful Christian experience? 25:47 How can you know victory instead of defeat? 25:50 How can you live with honor and integrity before God? 25:55 Well, you can, and our free offer today tells you how. 25:57 To receive "The War Is Over," 25:59 call us on 800-253-3000 26:02 or visit us online at itiswritten.com, 26:06 or you can write to the address on your screen. 26:08 I'd like you to receive our free offer, 26:10 "The War Is Over." 26:13 Thank you for remembering that It Is Written exists 26:16 due to the gracious support of people like you. 26:19 It's your kindness that makes it possible for It Is Written 26:22 to share Jesus and the great truths of the Bible 26:25 with the world. 26:26 You can send your tax-deductible gift 26:28 to the address on your screen, 26:30 or you can support It Is Written 26:31 through our website: itiswritten.com. 26:35 Thanks for your generous support. 26:36 Our number is 800-253-3000 26:39 and our web address is itiswritten.com. 26:44 >>John Bradshaw: Let's pray together now. 26:45 Our Father in heaven, 26:47 we're thankful today that we have Your Word 26:49 and that we have freedom to worship You. 26:52 And to believe what we wish to believe, 26:53 according to the dictates of our conscience. 26:55 We thank You for the wall of separation 26:58 that You have erected to protect our freedom, 27:02 to prevent others from dictating to us what we should believe. 27:06 So, Lord, with that religious freedom, I pray for wisdom, 27:10 for grace, that we might exercise that freedom 27:13 in a way that grows us into Your image, 27:17 that leads us in the direction of Your Holy Spirit. 27:23 Now, Father, there's somebody thinking 27:25 that they must give You their heart. 27:26 I pray, draw that man, that woman, 27:28 that young person right now, 27:30 that decisions will be made even now, 27:32 that we will value this freedom we have, 27:34 given to us at great cost. 27:37 And use it in a way that will lead us into Your kingdom. 27:40 We look for that day, that day of Jesus' return. 27:42 May it be soon, we pray. 27:44 Take our hearts and make them Yours. 27:46 We ask You in Jesus' name. 27:50 Amen. 27:52 Thanks for joining me. 27:53 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:55 Until then, remember: 27:56 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 28:01 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 28:06 ♪[Theme music]♪ 28:16 ♪[Theme music]♪ |
Revised 2020-05-20