Conscience of Antebellum Protestantism †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Conscience of Antebellum Protestantism. Answer: Introduction The Zwinglis programme of church reform is a Switzerland religious movement propagated by Ulrich Zwingli. The programme, majorly protestant, was meant to cleanse the church owing to the deviation from the traditional norms. After launching the reformation, Zwingli gained support from Mark Reust and a majority population from Zurich. Although Zwingli died before fulfilling his dreams, his followers spread his ideologies in Europe, England and later in America. Zwingli is an example of the unnoticed figures who lonely rose up against the tyranny of the Roman Catholic Churches in the 16th century. The reforms were prompted by the insight that corruption had robbed the Roman Catholic the integrity at the end of the middle ages. The reformation in Switzerland came just after the reformations in German by Martin Luther. Unlike the Reformation in England, Zwingli's reformation was more radical. Just like in German, the Reformation was founded as a religious revitalization movement but unfor tunately ended in a profound political dissection between the cities of the western, northern and the conservative countryside regions of the central Switzerland.[1] The religious reformation was majorly characterized by an emphasis on the personal relationship with God.[2] Zwingli taught that the issue of salvation was a solely reserved act for God. It could never occur as a result of earthly intercessions by the Vatican or the other religious authority. Also, some significant mysteries of the faith' were overlooked including The Annunciation of the Virgin, The Immaculate Conception and The Transfiguration of Christ. The Zwinglis programme of church reform was not only tied to spiritual beliefs but also political alignments. Zwinglis religion was founded on the supposition that the church and the society are intertwined and thus are both inseparable.[3] Since the church proceedings affected the society, the decisions about the reformation would be based on the consultations with the municipal councils. Those who spearheaded the reformation highly relied on the support of the political institutions. Ideally, the church is a sub-community existing in a large society, and thus a good rapport was emphasized to ensure good coexistence. However, John Calvin, a major follower of Zwingli, wanted to limit the authority of the magistrate over the church affairs. The closeness between the church and the community has however remained intact Switzerland although at different degrees in various cantons. The reformation movement was also characterized by the rise of the Anabaptists. A breach emerged among the companions of Zwingli over the query of baptism and the intrusion of the government in the church. Zwingli and the magistrate of Zurich used violent means to repress the Anabaptists.[4] The Anabaptist movement suffered maltreatment for centuries. This opposed to his teachings, and thus people questioned his integrity. Zwingli's studies in the renaissance humanist tradition explain why he preached against injustices and the ranks in church. When he went to live in Zurich, he widened his scope of criticism to cover the political topics. He particularly condemned mercenary business which favored the entrepreneurs, businessmen, and the guilds. After the establishment of the reformed church by Huldreich Zwingli, John Calvin rose in power to propel the new religion. The churches practicing Calvinism only survived in the areas where they had a strong state support. During this time, the church was intimately tied to the state. It was believed that for a state to be powerful, the citizens had to be homogenous. Allowing different religious systems to thrive in a single state meant diverse beliefs, and thus this could definitely lead to a divisive state. This could lead to internal conflicts within the state. John Calvin established a Calvinist state which would serve as a training center for all preachers aiming to create religions in the northern Europe. John Knox, the founder of the Presbyterianism in Scotland, was a follower of Calvinism. The reformation embedded in Calvinism strictly emphasized an upright moral conduct and overall righteousness.[5] Calvinism also preached on the need to get rid of much of the hierarchy in the Catholic Church. Popes and Bishops were dismissed, and the congregation was charged with the responsibility to choose their preachers from a team of trained and qualified individuals. The Reformed Churches were majorly run by the individual congregations through governing boards. The act of the Church putting their control in the hands of parishioners was blamed to have aided in generating republican forms of governments by acclimatizing individual people to the assumption that they had a choice and could seek a seat on the local board. Challenges Addressed by Zwingli and fellow Church Reformers The Church Reformation headed by Zwingli was majorly a protest against the Roman Catholic faith.[6] Therefore Rome did not set a blind eye on this. They responded by launching a Counter-Reformation. The resistance to the Reformation started in Spain. Spain, being a country that strongly identified with the Catholic faith, felt offended and protested as a form of patriotism and loyalty to the faith. Just like the protestant Churches gained support in the northern Europe, the Catholics were much backed up by the Spanish kings since the king oversaw the slotting of bishops. This was a blow to the church reformers. Cardinal Ximenes took a move to improve the morality and the education of the Spanish clergy.[7] The Spanish movement was, however, suppressive and led to the rise of the famed inquisition. Any slight deviation from the dictates of the faith was prohibited and at times could attract torture. The monks began to give sermons on the cleansing of the Church and the return to the initial piety. The Papacy of Paul in 1534 preached on the repositioning of the Church from worldliness. Ignatius Loyola was one of the most influential agents of the Catholic faith. Loyola, after he was wounded in the battle of Spain became devotedly religious and wrote a book that formed a basis of the formation of The Society of Jesus.[8]This organization was a perfect plan for the return of the protestant groups to the Catholic faith. It proved successful in some areas. The return to the Catholic faith robbed the Reformed church its converts which would be a major drawback. Zwingli and his followers had to sta nd firm in order to defend the fate of the new faith. In 1529, various reformation movements had taken the world in the race to purify the Church.[9] The leaders of the Reformation all knew one another. Zwingli knew Martin Luther and also praised him publicly. Zwingli referred to Luther as a Hercules and a faithful David who was ready to fight the Lords battles.[10] All the reformists worked in tough political circumstances. However, they were not always in good terms with each other. Although Zwingli saw favor in the eyes of the city council, a group the Anabaptists (radical reformers) attacked him. The Anabaptists argued that Zwingli did not observe the biblical teachings especially in line with the nature of the church and the participants for baptism.[11] Ideally, it would have been more sensible if all the three centers of reformation came together to form a single reformation front. They could have emerged stronger and successful. Baucer tried to bring the reformists together but failed in the mission. They held different ideologi es concerning the interpretation of some parts of the bible. In a unification conference in Marburg Castle, German, reformists differed terribly on the debate of the nature of Jesus Christs presence in the Lords Supper.[12] Such incidents could possibly draw willing converts back. The religious reformists faced resistance in some states.[13] Although the reformation spread all over in Switzerland, some Cantons resisted and chose to remain in the Roman Catholic Church. Zwingli had formed an organization that comprised of the reformed cantons which led to a division of the cantons in religious lines. The public did not receive them warmly, and at times they maltreated them. This would at times be severe to include physical torture. The process of luring supporters to join their faith was not an easy task. The reformists were resisted even more when the public realized that they themselves had internal differences. The believers from the Roman Catholic would not be easily convinced to forgo their united faith to join a divisive religion. Conclusion The religious reformations that have taken place in the past have proved to be divisive in nature and have threatened the peace of both the believers and the non-believers. It is notable that the sources of the divisions are majorly due to different views on the interpretation of the scriptures. In the contemporary world, the divisions over sacraments are unrealistic. With the advancing Islam, the radical secularism and the fervent anti-theism, the least the Christians can do is to argue over tertiary themes such as the Lord's Supper and baptism. They should rather unite to form a single reformation front. Precisely, the different faiths are just alternative paths leading to a common destination. Perhaps, the Church should be a bit lenient to allow varied interpretations of the scripture. If the churches engage it this way, the breach will end creating a better understanding. References Burns, Arthur. "Standing in the old ways: historical legitimation of Church reform in the Church of England, c. 182565." Studies in Church History 33 (2010-422): 407. McNally, Robert E. "The Council of Trent, The Spiritual Exercises, and The Catholic Reform." Church History 34, no. 1 (2009): 36-38. Michael, Sean. Why Didn't the Reformers Unite? October 13, 2016. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-didnt-the-reformers-unite (accessed September 23, 2017). Moorhead, James H. "Social Reform and the Divided Conscience of Antebellum Protestantism." Church History 48, no. 4 (2012): 417-420. Naismith, Rory. "Kings, crisis and coinage reforms in the mid-eighth century." Early Medieval Europe 20, no. 3 (2012): 291-332. Porter, Roger. What did Huldrych Zwingli achieve for the? 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