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You think youre radical?
Think Youre Radical, Think Again
Is it radical to raise your hands in worship to God? Is it
radical to pray out loud during congregational praise? Is it too
radical to talk about your love for Jesus when others talk about
their worries and fears? What does it mean to be a radical
Christian? If you asked that question to any number of believers
today, probably you would receive any number of comments. Why?
Its because radicalisms meaning has changed many times over
the centuries. For example, in the 12th century if you demanded
that the Bible be written in a common language for the common
man, you were radical and probably would be burned at the stake.
In the 16th century you were radical if you protested the
worldly lifestyle of the pope. This also could cost you your
life. Today many define radical Christianity as holy
rollersthose who sing too loud, and want to talk about Jesus
constantly. If thats radicalism today, it wont be tomorrow.
One day every believer will sing loudly and shout to Jesus. When
we get to heaven, the shouts of praise and rejoicing will never
cease. Then the praises will come from everyones lips, even
from the soft-spoken believer. Trust the Bible on this one. Id
like to take you back to a time in history when radicalism was
no different than todays most reserved and traditional
Protestant.
The Rising Stars of Reformation were Radical
He was despised so by the Council of Constance that it charged
him with over 200 crimes and ordered his writings burned. Then
they dug up his corpse and burnt it. He had been dead for only
44 years. Now thats pretty severe punishment for someone whose
only crime was translating the Bible from Latin into primitive
English for the common man. But his actions were too radical for
the Catholic Church during the rising Reformation. And although
his body was destroyed, John Wycliffes (c.329-1384) legacy
continued. There were other radicals like Wycliffe. They started
appearing in history when the Church became weak, immoral,
corrupt and scholasticism became the focus of the Catholic
Church. Scholasticism was an attempt to combine Greek philosophy
with Christianity, but it backfired. Instead of training the
best minds of the day to think, critique the classics, and
support the Catholic Church, it educated a number of scholars
that could now dispute Catholic doctrines, and do it
intelligently.
The Challengers
Marsilius (c.1275-1343) was a man who could have had a
successful career as a church official, but he blew it. That
happens when people get radical. They disrupt their comfort
zones. Marsilius, an Italian, believed that all beliefs should
be measured against Gods word. If that wasnt radical enough,
he believed in the priesthood of believers. The priesthood of
believers means that each man may go to God in prayer and each
individual is responsible to God for his spiritual condition.
When he attacked the pope, it didnt set well with the powers
that be, and he was excommunicated. If he had not received
protection from a German prince, not only would he have been
excommunicated but executed as well. Pretty radical stuff isnt
WHAT DID I SAYI had an argument the other day. The subject isn't important. But the person was. My brother. Loved, admired, respected ..... it? By the way, the German prince that protected Marsilius also
protected William of Ockham (c.1290-1349) from the pope. William
of Ockham developed into perhaps the greatest logician that ever
lived. He pointed out that the Christian faithis superior to
any pope This landed him in hot water too. William was tried
for his beliefs, imprisoned for a while, and then excommunicated
by the pope. These guys were just too radical for their times.
Moreover, radicalism spread to Bohemia. Bohemia is where the
Czech Republic is located. The writings of Wycliffe made their
way to the hands of John Huss. This is pretty amazing
considering that there were no printing presses during
Wycliffes day, and his few translations available were copied
by hand. Huss was a scholar also. He had studied philosophy and
theology at the University of Prague. This university went on to
become one of the most famous institutions of higher learning in
Europe. Huss came to share most of Wycliffes views about
scripture. Huss finally drew the wrath of the Catholic Church
and under guise of safe passage to the Council of Constance, he
was arrested and burned at the stake. His last words were,
Lord, into Thy hand I commend my spirit. I might add that the
burning of John Huss did not accomplish its objectives. His
followers, called Hussites, increased more and more. One of the
Hussite groups was the Moravians. They were famous for their
missionary activities and influence on John and Charles Wesley.
In 1501 the Hussites printed the first non-Catholic hymnbook. I
think its rather ironic that after Huss was executed they cast
his ashes into the Rhine River, flowing northward into Germany.
A soon-to-be-famous German by the name of Martin Luther would
one-day write, If John Huss was a heretic, then there is not a
single Christian under the sun.
I could go on naming many more radicals of that time. There were
men like Ulrich von Hutten (c.1488-1523) who took the liberty of
attacking the papacy as it had never been attacked in Germany.
Also there was John Reuchlin (c.1455-1522) who wrote a book that
was friendly toward the Jews, and the pope condemned it. And
then at the apex of the radical movement was, of course, Martin
Luther. This former Catholic monk turned the world upside down
with his revelation of Pauls writing to the Romansthe just
shall live by faith. Thats right. Martin Luther revealed the
teaching about salvation by faith alone to the world at no small
cost. Salvation by faith alone was a radical concept for the
16th century.
And there you have it. Many of the basic doctrines of Protestant
Christianity were once radical ideas and didnt set well with
the powerful Catholic Church. Today we wouldnt call these men
radicals. Wed call them reformers, visionaries, or forefathers
of faith, but we certainly wouldnt consider their beliefs
radical. In like manner, one day when Jesus rules from the Holy
City of Jerusalem, we who were once considered holy rollers
will be considered sedate compared to the saints before the
throne. Brother and sister I think its time to get RADICAL.
Pastor Terry DashnerFaith Fellowship ChurchPO Box 1586, B.A.
OK for other articles on church historytdash0355@netzero.com.
About the author:
Pastors a small church in Broken Arrow, OK
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