Church History
Showing 351–400 of 746 results
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Jewish World Around The New Testament
$70.00Add to cartRenowned biblical scholar Richard Bauckham believes that the New Testament texts cannot be adequately understood without careful attention to their Judaic and Second Temple roots. This book contains twenty-four studies that shed essential light on the religious and biblical-interpretive matrix in which early Christianity emerged. Bauckham discusses the “parting of the ways” between early Judaism and early Christianity and the relevance of early Jewish literature for the study of the New Testament. He also explores specific aspects or texts of early Christianity by relating them to their early Jewish context. Originally published by Mohr Siebeck, this book is now available as an affordable North American paperback edition.
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From Nicaea To Chalcedon (Expanded)
$45.00Add to cartPreface To Second Edition
1. The Birth Of Church History And Its Sequel
2. Athanasius And The Shaping Of Nicene Theology
3. Heroes Of The Faith: The Literature Of The Desert
4. The Cappadocians
5. The Temper Of The Times: Some Contrasting Characters Of The Late Fourth Century
6. The Literature Of Christological Controversy
IndexAdditional Info
In this volume, a world-renowned scholar of early Christianity updates and expands her classic survey of the writers and writings of the golden age of Greek patristic theology. This reliable guide to Christian literature from the late third century to the mid fifth century is more accessible than specialized works on individual authors but more informative than coverage provided by general histories and reference works. The second edition has been revised throughout for use by a new generation of students and scholars and includes a new chapter and updated bibliographies. -
Global Awakening : How 20th Century Revivals Triggered A Christian Revoluti
$32.99Add to cartThe last century has seen the revolutionary remaking of Christianity into a truly world religion. How did it happen?The last century has seen the revolutionary remaking of Christianity into a truly world religion. How did it happen? Mark Shaw’s provocative thesis is that far-flung revivals in places like Africa, Korea, Brazil and India are at the heart of the global resurgence of Christianity.
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Christianity And Western Thought 1
$50.99Add to cartIntroduction
PART I: PHILOSOPHY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
1. Socrates And Pre-Socratic Philosophy
2. Plato’s Vision Of Reality
3. Aristotle And The Physical World
4. Epicureans, Stoics, Skeptics And Cynics
5. From Greeks To GospelPART II: FROM CHURCH FATHERS TO MEDIEVAL SCHOLASTICS
6. Philosophy And The Church Fathers
7. Early Medieval Philosophy
8. Aquinas And Later Medieval PhilosophyPART III: FROM THE REFORMATION TO THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT
9. Philosophy And The Reformers
10. Old Questions And New Crises
11. The Age Of Rationalism
12. Rational Religion And The Era Of Deism
13. The Rise Of British Empiricism
14. The Skeptical Empiricism Of Hume
15. Scottish Common Sense And Early American Philosophy
16. Enlightenment And Skepticism In France
17. Enlightenment And Skepticism In Germany
18. Retrospect And ProspectNotes
A Note On Books
A Note On The Role Of Women In The History Of Western Thought
Select Index
Additional Info
From Socrates and the Sophists to Kant, from Augustine to Aquinas and the Reformers, Colin Brown traces the turbulent, often tension-filled, always fascinating story of the thinkers, ideas and movements that have shaped our intellectual landscape. Is philosophy the “handmaiden of faith” or “the doctrine of demons”? Does it clarify the faith or undermine the very heart of Christian belief? Brown writes, “This book is about the changes in preconceptions, world views and paradigms that have affected the ways in which people have thought about religion in general and Christianity in particular in the Western world. . . . It is a historical sketch, written to help students–and anyone else who might be interested–to get a better grasp of the love-hate relationship between philosophy and faith that has gone on for close to two thousand years.” Students, pastors and thoughtful Christians will benefit from this rich resource. The first in a three-volume work, Brown’s easy-to-read, hard-to-put-down introduction to Christianity and Western thought focuses on developments from the ancient world to the Age of Enlightenment. -
Organization Of The United Methodist Church
$18.99Add to cartAn indispensable guide for all United Methodists-especially pastors, lay leaders, church council members, confirmation and new member candidates and their instructors, and seminarians-this book is presented in a practical, down-to-earth manner for easy use by both individuals and classes, clergy and lay. It highlights the functions and connectional relationships within the organization, beginning with the local church and continuing through connectional organs in districts, annual conferences and their agencies, jurisdictional conferences and their agencies, the General Conference, the general agencies of the Church, and the Judicial Council.
Bishop Tuell discusses the Church’s unique polity and gives a frank assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. At the same time he paints the image of a worldwide connectional communion that is organized to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and to bear witness to its Wesleyan heritage. -
Liberating Black Theology
$19.99Add to cartWhen the beliefs of Barack Obama’s former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, assumed the spotlight during the 2008 presidential campaign, the influence of black liberation theology became hotly debated not just within theological circles but across cultural lines. How many of today’s African-American congregations-and how many Americans in general-have been shaped by its view of blacks as perpetual victims of white oppression?
In this interdisciplinary, biblical critique of the black experience in America, Anthony Bradley introduces audiences to black liberation theology and its spiritual and social impact. He starts with James Cone’s proposition that the “victim” mind-set is inherent within black consciousness. Bradley then explores how such biblical misinterpretation has historically hindered black churches in addressing the diverse issues of their communities and prevented adherents from experiencing the freedoms of the gospel. Yet Liberating Black Theology does more than consider the ramifications of this belief system; it suggests an alternate approach to the black experience that can truly liberate all Christ-followers.
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God On Campus
$27.99Add to cartTrent Sheppard explores historical turning points as they’ve intersected college students in prayer. From the establishment of early American campuses during the Great Awakening, to the parachurch movement in the mid-twentieth century, to the Campus America initiative to establish vital praying communities on every campus in the United States, Sheppard shows that students can participate in remarkable movements of God simply by being open to being moved.
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Paradise Of The Holy Fathers V1 Revised
$24.99Add to cartThe Paradise of the Fathers is the classic compilation of the lives and teachings of the early monastic saints. It has been said that for a monastic to achieve perfection there are only two books needed: the Bible and the Paradise of the Fathers. This volume is translated from a Syriac manuscript discovered in 1888 by Dr. Ernest A. Wallis Budge. This is a revised and edited edition. Volume 1 of The paradise or gardens of the holy Fathers includes the histories of the anchorites, recluses, monks, coenobites and ascetic fathers of the deserts of Egypt between A.D. 250 and A.D. 400 compiled by Athanasius Archbishop of Alexandria, Palladius Bishop of Helenopolis, Jerome and others.
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Teaching Of The 12
$16.99Add to cartWhat did the original apostles have to say about the ways that Christians should worship, live, and care for each other? Explore the answers to these questions and more in Tony Jones’ new book written for all Christians who desire to understand what it means to be Christian and worship and live in community with others.
Tony introduces readers to the Didache, a first century Christian treatise written to give instructions to the fledging churches. This enigmatic text was considered canonical by some of the early Church Fathers (i.e. John of Damascus), but was believed to be unworthy of the canon although recommended reading by others (i.e. Athanasius). Tony takes it apart, section by section, and explains its meaning while making application to the ways and problems and solutions most relevant for Christian churches today.
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Exorcism And Deliverance
$39.99Add to cartSince Jesus of Nazareth made exorcism a cornerstone of his own ministry, the Church has seen itself as engaged in a battle against the demonic. Exorcism has continued to play a role throughout Christian history in this conflict, although it has received different emphases in different times and places, and has been practiced in a range of different ways. Exorcism and Deliverance aims to shed new light on the phenomena of possession and exorcism by looking at them from a range of disciplinary perspectives. After an introduction to issues raised for theology by non-theological studies of possession, the book moves on to consider demons and deliverance in the Old and New Testaments, the Patristic period, the twentieth century West, Pentecostalism, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, cultural studies, theology, and practical theology. The diversity of essays makes sure that every facet is presented to encourage the reader thoroughly to consider this aspect of the church’s approach to evil in our society.
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Worshiping With The Church Fathers
$27.99Add to cartChristopher Hall invites us to accompany the church fathers as they enter the sanctuary for worship and the chapel for prayer. He also takes us to the wilderness, where we learn from the early monastics as they draw close to God in their solitary discipline. Readers will enjoy a rich and rare schooling in developing their spiritual life in this unique survey of the life of worship from the perspective of the early Church.
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John Calvin And Evangelical Theology
$50.00Add to cartThis latest offering by noted theologian Sung Wook Chung examines the ways in which John Calvin (1509-1564) continues to impact the global evangelical movement in the twenty-first century.
This useful collection is perhaps most distinguished by the diversity of its contributors. Literally spanning the globe, the group of scholars whose work is included represents a wealth of viewpoints from various traditions including Dutch neo-Calvinism, the French Reformed tradition, Scottish American Presbyterianism, Anglicanism, Congregationalism, the Baptist Tradition, Calvinist Dispensationalism, Asian Reformed tradition, African American Reformed tradition, and Latin American Evangelicalism. Together, they offer an enlightening glimpse into the historical Calvin and project that understanding on the evangelical movement of the future. -
Creeds Pamphlet : Explanation Of The Creeds
$4.99Add to cartHow did the early Christians deal with cults and heresies? This pamphlet looks back to the historical teachings of the church, bringing them to life for today’s believers. It shows that many of the modern questionable teachings of today were already present in the past. Understanding how the church dealt with these issues in the past helps us to deal with those same issues today. Contains the full text of the Apostles Creed, Nicene Creed, and Chalcedonian Creed.
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Christianity In Action
$30.99Add to cartThis meticulously researched yet engaging book traces The Salvation Army’s history of service from its beginnings in Victorian England to its present-day mission in all parts of the world. / A phenomenal religious movement, acclaimed for its compassionate service, The Salvation Army now works in no fewer than 118 countries, yet no contemporary book has chronicled this high-profile organization – until now. Henry Gariepy’s well-written, comprehensive account effectively fills that gap.
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We Believe In The Crucified And Risen Lord
$60.99Add to cartThis volume offers patristic comment on the second half of the second article of the Nicene Creed, concerning the work of Christ. Readers will gain insight into the history and substance of what the early church believed about Jesus as the God-Man.
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Bible Among Other Myths
$19.99Add to cartMany modern scholars say Israelite religion simply mirrors that of other West Semitic societies. Dr. John N. Oswalt believes the root of this attitude lies in hostility to the idea of revelation. This accessible book reasserts the biblical concept of a transcendent God who breaks into time and space and reveals himself in and through human activity.
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Sanctorum Communio : A Theological Study Of The Sociology Of The Church
$32.00Add to cartNow in an affordable paper edition, Sanctorum Communio is more readily usable for teaching and scholarship. The work, available in this series for the first time in its entirety in English, includes all material omitted from the original 1930 German publication. Bonhoeffer’s doctoral dissertation sets out the theology of sociality that informed all his work, engaging social philosophy and sociology to interpret the church as “Christ existing as church-community.” Here are the roots of his commitment to the Confessing church and the ecumenical movement, and of his actions in the resistance movement for the sake of peace and Germany’s future.
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Introducing Christianity : Exploring The Bible Faith And Life
$22.00Add to cartThis introductory-level book on Christianity looks clearly at what the church believed and taught throughout its history. Hard questions about the Bible, theology, and the Christian life are dealt with from the perspective of faith. As author, veteran scholar, and pastor James Howell puts it, “Great hope rests in thinking through these questions, and this book wrestles with them.” Howell knows the questions people ask and is adept at answering them. In doing so, he explores what it means to live as a Christian, as part of the church community, and also what it means to live with the hope Christian faith provides, even for those who “previously believed there was no hope.” Includes study questions for discussion.
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Forgotten Scriptures : The Selection And Rejection Of Early Religious Writi
$50.00Add to cartWe know that the early Christian church had a variety of Scriptures and other source material that informed their faith and shaped their thinking. We also know that after a few centuries the church decided to keep the twenty-seven books of our present New Testament and to treat them as canonical in faith and practice. But the other books did not simply disappear. In fact, many of them remain valuable for understanding the diversity of the early Christian church and the astounding claims of faith on which the church was founded. Learning about these ancient documents need not threaten the church’s current orthodoxy and authority; in fact, learning about these texts can help today’s Christians form a deeper understanding of the early church.
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Gregorian Chant : A Guide To The History And Liturgy
$19.99Add to cartGregorian Chant offers a detailed tutorial in the history and liturgy of Gregorian chant for musicians and musicologists, clergy and liturgists, passionate participants, and others who are interested in the revival of chant in the church, today.
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Our Watchword And Song
$69.99Add to cartThis study of the growth of the Church of the Nazarene traces the denomination s doctrinal roots to the English Reformation and then explores the church’s historical, intellectual, and doctrinal development.
Giving special attention to the church s distinctive belief in entire sanctification and emphasis on education, the authors colorfully retell the story of the church from its humble origins in Pilot Point, Texas, to its expansion into an international community reaching the world through a warm-hearted faith.
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Redeemed Bodies : Women Martyrs In Early Christianity
$35.00Add to cartWhy do religious people choose paths that lead to their deaths as martyrs? Why do some who are killed for their faith become known and revered while others do not? Gail Streete asks these important and disturbing questions in the context of early Christianity, looking at the stories of martyred women such as Thecla, Perpetua, and Felicitas, women whose stories helped shaped Christian faith for centuries, yet are all but forgotten in the modern world. Streete reclaims these stories and relates them to tragic instances of martyrdom in our own world, pulling from stories as diverse as the victims of Columbine and female suicide bombers in the Muslim world. What do their deaths mean, and why do we find their stories so moving?
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Labour Of Obedience
$35.00Add to cartThis important study of key Anglican Benedictine Communities in the first half of the 20th century provides a vital record of how the Anglican Communion dealt with an issue that was as divisive in its day as today’s disputes over sexuality and women bishops, and explores the origins of the influential Anglican Papalism movement. It was the heyday of Anglo-Catholicism in the Church of England. Religious life was flourishing for the first time since the Reformation. The first shock came when the Abbot of Caldey, a flamboyant character noted for luxurious tastes, and his monks went over to Rome. Nashdom – the great Benedictine community to which Gregory Dix belonged and, in many ways, the ultimate expression of Anglo-Catholicism – threatened to do likewise over the crisis of the Church of South India where the very idea of priestly ordination and identity was being challenged. Thanks to Archbishop William Temple the crisis was averted, the monks of Nashdom stayed and the scene was set for Anglican Papalism to enter the stag
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Readers Guide To Calvins Institutes
$25.00Add to cart2009 marks the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth, and throughout the year scholars from around the world are gathering to discuss Calvin and his influence. Calvin’s Institutes is one of the great classics of Christian theology. Here a leading Calvin expert offers an affordable guide to reading the Institutes (keyed to the McNeill/Battles translation).
The book includes annotations to selected readings that offer readers a streamlined introduction to the heart of Calvin’s theology. Dividing the Institutes into thirty-two portions, the author has chosen an average of eighteen pages to be read from each portion to cover the whole range of the Institutes and provide readers with passages critical to understanding Calvin’s theology. The notes guide readers through the text, concentrating on the sections chosen for reading, summarizing the material, and drawing attention to the most significant footnotes in the McNeill/Battles edition. An introduction and questions at the beginning of each portion direct the reader’s attention to important points, and a brief guide at the end of each portion suggests further reading. The book will serve professors and students of the Institutes; courses in Calvin, Reformed theology, and historical theology; and readers seeking a guide to the Institutes.
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We Believe In One Lord Jesus Christ
$60.99Add to cartThis volume offers patristic comment on the first half of the second article of the Nicene Creed, concerning the person of Christ. Readers will gain insight into the history and substance of what the early church believed about Jesus as the God-Man.
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John Calvin : A Pilgrims Life
$35.99Add to cartTable Of Contents
Introduction
1. Orphan (1509-1533)
2. Pilgrim (1533-1536)
3. Stranger (1536-1538)
4. Refugee (1538-1541)
5. Preacher (1541-1546)
6. Victim (1546-1549)
7. Widow (1549-1551)
8. Patient (1551-1554)
9. Sailor (1555-1559)
10. Soldier (1559-1564)Additional Info
Professor and renowned Reformation historian Herman Selderhuis has written this book to bring Calvin near to the reader, showing him as a man who had an impressive impact on the development of the Western world, but who was first of all a believer who struggled with God and with the way God governed both the world and his own life. -
In The Footsteps Of Phoebe
$33.99Add to cartThis book presents a rich and insightful look at the deaconess vocation and its blessing to the LCMS. Utilizing primary sources to document the inspiring story of the deaconess movement within the LCMS, it fills a significant gap in the annals of synodical history. Collected in this one volume is a record of events as well as the thoughts and actions of deaconesses during every era of the Synod’s history.
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In The Shadow Of The Temple
$45.99Add to cartOskar Skarsaune gives us a new look into the development of the early church and its practice by showing us the evidence of interaction between the early Christians and rabbinic Judaism. He offers numerous fascinating episodes and glimpses into this untold story.
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Community Called Taize
$18.99Add to cartJason Brian Santos takes us on a tour of the Taize community, one of the world’s first Protestant, ecumenical monastic orders, from its monastic origins in the war-torn south of 1940s France to its emerging mission as a pilgrimage site and spiritual focal point for millions of young people throughout the world.
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What The Preacher Forgot To Tell Me
$18.00Add to cartIn “What The Preacher Forgot To Tell Me: Identity and Gospel in Jamaica, author Faith Linton identifies what she believes is a deficiency in the historical preaching of the Gospel in Jamaica, and other Caribbean countries, that has impacted the success of the Gospel there. It is her conviction that many of those to whom the gospel is preached lack just what the ancient Athenians lacked-a heightened awareness of the one, true God and of them as He originally designed them. They lack a sense of kinship, of belonging to their Creator, and therefore of what they are to Him and what they owe to Him. She examines the principal of preaching the Gospel message by beginning at the beginning-in Genesis, with our creation. When people do not appreciate the significance of their being created in His image, the consequences are that they have no clear, healthy sense of their spiritual identity or of the lofty purpose for which they were created. If the message preached does not fill this gap, the understanding of the gospel will be distorted. Hearers may be driven to repentance strictly out of the fear of hell. Or, they may seek self-centred satisfaction and happiness by allying themselves with Christ, but they will not be motivated to please God. When a person is not allowed to see how closely connected they are to God, who made them like Himself, they continue to feel alienated from Him even after salvation. They feel unable to relate closely to Him in an intimate way. Her personal experience bears this out. Faith’s book identifies this problem with clarity and conviction as she describes how this principle has impacted Jamaica and the Caribbean communities and offers what she hopes is a transformational solution.
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Christian Identity And Dalit Religion In Hindu India 1868-1947
$48.99Add to cartWhen Christianity encounters the religion and culture of a new corner of the world, it produces fresh and distinctive forms of the faith. Chad Baumann here considers one such corner: colonial Chhattisgarh in north central India. In his exploration, Baumann focuses on the interaction of three groups: Hindus from the low-caste Satnami community, Satnami converts to Christianity, and the American missionaries who worked with them. Informed by both scholarship and fieldwork, the book describes the emergence of a unique Satnami-Christian identity. Pre-existing structures of thought, belief, behavior, and more altered this emerging identity in significant ways, thereby creating a distinct regional Christianity. This fascinating book examines a little studied region of India. By doing so Christian Identity and Dalit Religion in Hindu India, 1868-1947 will help readers to better understand Christian contextualization in all lands.
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Hymn Writers Of Early Pennsylvania
$14.99Add to cartWilliam Penn’s promise of religious freedom brought many diverse religious groups to Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries. Each brought pre-existing hymns and hymn tunes, but many also wrote original texts and music. This book examines the hymns of the 1694 Wissahickon settlement under Johannes Kelpius, the 18th century Ephrata Cloister of Conrad Beissel, and the hymn life of the Bethlehem Moravian Unitas Fratrum. Among the later writers of hymn text or music selected for this study are William Kirkpatrick, John Wyeth, William Gustavus Fischer, Francis Hopkinson, Eleanor C. Donnelly, and many more. Sample texts are included for many hymns, and six musical scores are reproduced. Of special interest are the earliest texts and music from the Wissahickon and Ephrata communities. Pennsylvania’s hymn background is unique and compelling. The stories of the writers and their hymns should appeal to anyone interested in hymns, theology, music, or American history.
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Heretics For Armchair Theologians
$24.00Add to cartIn this unique Armchair volume, noted church historians Justo and Catherine Gonzalez introduce readers to important early church figures whose teachings were denounced by the church as heresies. Instructional for what they taught and for revealing what the church wished to safeguard and uphold, these “heretics,” including Marcion, Arius, Nestorius, and Pelagius, are engagingly presented in their contexts through a clear and accessible text that is highlighted by the humorous illustrations of Ron Hill. Heretics for Armchair Theologians is an enjoyable way to learn about the church’s early life and beliefs.
Written by experts but designed for the novice, the Armchair series provides accurate, concise, and witty overviews of some of the most profound moments and theologians in Christian history. These books are essential supplements for first-time encounters with primary texts, lucid refreshers for scholars and clergy, and enjoyable reads for the theologically curious.
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Churchs Guide For Reading Paul
$31.99Add to cartHere Brevard Childs turns his sharp scholarly gaze from the Old Testament scholarship he is known for to the works of the apostle Paul. He offers an unusual argument: the New Testament was canonically shaped, its formation a hermeneutical exercise in which its anonymous apostles and postapostolic editors collected, preserved, and theologically shaped the material in order for the evangelical traditions to serve successive generations of Christians. Childs contends that within the New Testament the Pauline corpus stands as a unit bookended by Romans and the Pastoral Epistles. He assigns an introductory role to Romans, examining how it puts the contingencies of Paul’s earlier letters into context without sacrificing their particularity. At the other end, the Pastoral Epistles serve as a concluding valorization of Paul as the church’s doctrinal model. By considering Paul’s works as a whole, Childs offers a way to gain a fuller understanding of the individual letters.
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This Is My Body
$26.00Add to cartIntroduction
1. His Completely Trustworthy Testament: The Development Of Luther’s Early Eucharistic Teaching, 1517-1521
2. The Truth Of The Divine Words: Luther’s Sermons On The Eucharist, 1521-1528, And The Structure Of Eucharistic Meaning
3. An Intermediate Brilliance: The Words Of Institution And The Gift Of Knowledge In Calvin’s Eucharistic Theology
4. Not Hidden And Far Off: The Bodily Aspect Of Salvation And Its Implications For Understanding The Body In Calvin’s Theology
5. Preaching And Presence: Constructing Calvin’s Homiletic Legacy
6. Reflections On A Mirror: Calvin’s Preaching On Preaching (Deuteronomy 5)
7. He Is Outwith The World…that He May Fill All Things: Calvin’s Exegesis Of The Ascension And It Relation To The Eucharist
8. The Communication Of Efficacy: Calvin’s 1 Corinthians Commentary And The Development Of The Institutes
9. Discerning The Body: The Eucharist And The Christian Social Body In 16th Century Protestant Exegesis
10. Hardened Hearts, Hardened Words: Calvin, Beza, And The Trajectory Of Signification`Additional Info
A leading scholar explores and analyzes the ways Calvin, Luther, and other Reformers understood the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.There are many general surveys of the Reformation available, and they all typically devote some space to how theologians such as Martin Luther and John Calvin understood the Lord’s Supper and Christ’s presence in the bread and wine. However, they usually do not provide a great deal of detail about the development of the Reformers’ thoughts or the finer elements of their respective opinions.
This volume by Thomas Davis fills these gaps with a more narrowly focused study. He devotes several chapters to Luther and to Calvin, examining their use of language and their understanding of the presence of Christ, both in the Lord’s Supper and in the broader sense of his presence in the church.
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Historia De La Iglesia Primiti – (Spanish)
$16.99Add to cartThe first part of this book explains all of the historical facts about the Christian church in great detail. It covers the time from the apostles to the end of the 1st century. The second volume covers all that we know about the martyrs in the first centuries.
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Reconciliation Blues : A Black Evangelicals Inside View Of White Christiani
$18.99Add to cartJournalist Edward Gilbreath gives an insightful, honest picture of both the history and the present state of racial reconciliation in evangelical churches. He looks at a wide range of figures, such as Howard O. Jones, Tom Skinner, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Jackson and John Perkins.
Charting progress as well as setbacks, his words offer encouragement for black evangelicals feeling alone, clarity for white evangelicals who want to understand more deeply, and fresh vision for all who want to move forward toward Christ’s prayer “that all of them may be one.”
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Who Healeth All Thy Diseases
$102.00Add to cartWho Healeth All Thy Diseases is a history of divine healing and 19th-century health reform in the Church of God, one of the earliest and most influential pre-Pentecostal radical holiness movements. The Church of God taught that Wesleyan entire sanctification was creating a visible unity of saints that restored the New Testament church of the apostles.
As the movement grew and experimented with the implications of visible sainthood, physical healing-miraculous divine healing and the physical perfectionism of health reform-became integral to the life and theology of the Church of God, shaping everything from proof of membership and evidence of ministerial authority to childrearing practices and acceptable clothing styles. Physical healing manifested and embodied the movement’s claim that God was healing the universal church (the Body of Christ) by cleansing individuals from the corruption of inbred sin. By 1902, the prevailing opinion in the Church said that divine healing was an essential aspect of the gospel, use of medicine was sinful, and every minister had to exhibit the gifts of healing.
In the early 20th century, the Church’s theology and practices of healing became increasingly problematic. Tragic failures of divine healing, epidemics, medical advances, court trials, mandatory inoculations of schoolchildren, and general opprobrium combined to prevent a simplistic equation of the Church of God and the church of the apostles. By 1925, the Church had reversed its radical, anti-medicine doctrines. Church members continued to affirm that Jesus answered prayers for healing, but they no longer claimed to know exactly how he would answer prayers. With that loss of certainty, healing lost its power to serve as evidence of holiness and its central place in the history of the Church of God.
