Season 5
12 episodes · 2015
Even with the rise of Darwinism, a growing liberalism, and an onslaught of other challenges in the nineteenth century, the church continued to grow and launch missionary efforts around the world. In this series, respected church historian W. Robert Godfrey illuminates the triumphs and failures of the nineteenth century to help Christians understand the opportunities and challenges of our own day.
1The Nineteenth Century
In the nineteenth century, many of the intellectual and cultural elites in the West began to attack Christianity. In the first part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey considers how the church responded and what we can gain from this formative time in history.
2The Intellectual Scene
Ideas have consequences, and the kinds of ideas that were gaining traction in Europe set the stage for the entire nineteenth century. In the second part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey explores these dangerous ideas and the warning they pose not to accommodate Christianity to the culture.
3Two American Revolutions
In the nineteenth century, a "Second American Revolution" took place in the growing conviction that more power should be placed in the hands of the American people. In the third part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey considers the impact this political shift had on American religious life.
4The Second Awakening
As Americans moved west, higher education became less available. And less-educated churchgoers demanded less of their pastors. In the fourth part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey observes how the church on the frontier became a breeding ground for bad theology.
5Charles Finney
Rather than depending on the life-transforming power of the Holy Spirit, Charles Finney believed revival could be broken down to a science. In the fifth part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey discusses Finney's methods, his critics, and the true nature of revival.
6The Rise of Cults in America
A number of cults flourished in America in the nineteenth century. Where did they all come from? In the sixth part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey considers why America has been the most productive source of cults the world has ever seen.
7The Presbyterian Witness
Many nineteenth-century Christians began to emphasize emotional experience over sound theology. In the seventh part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey addresses how the Presbyterian church sought to resist this trend.
8Through the Civil War
The Civil War not only divided America-it also divided the church. In the eighth part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey examines the consequential events that led many churches and denominations to split in two.
9Christianity & Science
Today, many in our culture believe that science and Christianity are incompatible. In the ninth part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey explains where this idea came from-and why it is false.
10Roman Catholicism
Modernism, socialism, Darwinism, and other new ways of thinking created growing secular threats to the Roman Catholic Church. In the tenth part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey outlines how Rome responded in the First Vatican Council.
11The Church in Europe
What does it mean to live in a culture where Christianity is losing influence? In the eleventh part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey looks at how faithful Christians dealt with that question in the nineteenth century.
12Abraham Kuyperfinale
In the closing years of the nineteenth century, Abraham Kuyper stepped forward as an outspoken critic of the pluralistic ideas infiltrating the church. In the twelfth part of this series, W. Robert Godfrey maps out Kuyper's vision for a society that would not hinder Christian freedom.