CHURCH HISTORY FOR MODERN MINISTRY

Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do

DAYTON HARTMAN

Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do

Copyright 2016 Dayton Hartman

Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225

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You may use brief quotations from this resource in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Lexham Press for permission. Email us at permissions@lexhampress.com.

Scripture quotations marked (esv) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Print ISBN 9781577996606

Digital ISBN 9781577997009

Lexham Editorial Team: Rebecca Brant, Lynnea Fraser, Abigail Stocker

Cover Design: Christine Gerhart

Back Cover Design: Brittany Schrock

To my children:

Thank God for what has been and trust God for what will be.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Chapter 2

CREED AND CREEDS

Chapter 3

IMITATING CHRIST

Chapter 4

PREACHING AND THE CULTURAL DRIFT

Chapter 5

CHRISTIANS AND CULTURE

Chapter 6

YESTERDAY, TODAY WAS THE FUTURE

Recommended Reading

WHERE TO BEGIN

Appendix 1

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Appendix 2

A GUIDE TO CREEDS, CONFESSIONS, AND CATECHISMS

Abbreviations

Bibliography

Subject and Author Index

Scripture Index

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I owe a debt of gratitude to Brannon Ellis for his belief in this project and to Todd Hains for refining its content. Also, to my wife for her willingness to be my sounding board and first-draft editor. In addition, I’m very grateful to Josh Wester and Erik Harris for providing chapter-by-chapter feedback. By God’s grace, these collective efforts will make this material useful to my readers.

1

BACK TO THE FUTURE

“Martin Luther was a chump.” Yes, I said it. I used to believe it. In fact, reflecting on my early adulthood, I had the nastiest case of chronological snobbery I’ve seen outside of KJV-only circles.

So what if Martin Luther (1483–1546) ignited the Reformation? Who cares that he preached a biblical gospel? Today many evangelicals consider much of Luther’s thought to be in error, or at least in poor taste. Worse yet, although he was arguably one of the greatest theologians of his time, the most average of theologians today seems undeniably superior.

Why? Well, we have Logos Bible Software, and Together for the Gospel conferences, and we can live tweet major theological events. Who live-tweeted the posting of the Ninety-Five Theses? Nobody! That’s probably a good thing. Can you imagine the hashtags #IFixedYourDoctrine or #TetzelFail? Those would be the tamest. When angry, Luther’s vocabulary was less Dr. Phil and more Lewis Black. Since Luther’s revolution was neither televised nor live tweeted, it obviously has little value, except for that whole defending the gospel thing.

Not until I had spent a full year in pastoral ministry did I begin to see the value of what has come before. I remember ...

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About Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do

Many Christians believe that church history belongs in the past. Pastor Dayton Hartman disagrees. He argues that church history is not old news, but a tradition that brings depth and vitality to today’s ministry.

In Church History for Modern Ministry, Hartman explores the importance of church history and its relevance for addressing contemporary church issues. He discusses the impact of the early church fathers and the value of incorporating the creeds into weekly worship.

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