¤[Theme Music]
00:01:30.05\00:01:40.10
¤[Theme Music]
00:01:40.10\00:01:47.30
>>John: This is It Is
Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
00:01:49.40\00:01:52.41
Thanks for joining me.
00:01:52.44\00:01:53.88
1620, one of the
most significant dates
00:01:53.91\00:01:57.81
in the history of
the United States,
00:01:57.85\00:02:00.35
and it wouldn't
be a stretch to say
00:02:00.38\00:02:02.18
in the history of the world.
00:02:02.22\00:02:04.25
Martin Luther had nailed
the 95 Theses to the door
00:02:12.33\00:02:15.70
of the Castle Church in
Wittenberg 103 years earlier.
00:02:15.73\00:02:20.64
By 1620, Luther had been
dead for more than 70 years,
00:02:20.67\00:02:25.44
John Calvin for nearly 60,
00:02:25.47\00:02:27.58
Ulrich Zwingli had
died almost 90 years before,
00:02:27.61\00:02:31.48
Theodore Beza, the disciple
of Calvin whose likeness
00:02:31.51\00:02:34.35
is on the
Reformation Wall in Geneva,
00:02:34.38\00:02:37.32
John Knox who
stands to his left,
00:02:37.35\00:02:39.79
the Englishmen William Tyndale,
00:02:39.82\00:02:41.42
Thomas Cranmer,
00:02:41.46\00:02:42.39
Nicholas Ridley
and Hugh Latimer,
00:02:42.42\00:02:43.99
they'd all been
gone for decades.
00:02:44.03\00:02:46.56
In fact, by the
time you get to 1620,
00:02:46.59\00:02:49.96
the recognizable
names of the Reformation
00:02:50.00\00:02:52.17
had all moved off the scene.
00:02:52.20\00:02:54.87
It could be said that
the Reformation ended around
00:02:54.90\00:02:58.01
that time with many
scholars saying that it came
00:02:58.04\00:03:01.04
to the end with the
Peace of Westphalia in 1648,
00:03:01.08\00:03:05.51
a number of treaties that ended
the religious wars in Europe.
00:03:05.55\00:03:10.59
So at about the time
the Reformation ended
00:03:10.62\00:03:12.85
one of the most significant
developments in the proclamation
00:03:12.89\00:03:15.66
of God's word
was getting underway.
00:03:15.69\00:03:18.26
You could see God's
fingerprints all over it.
00:03:18.29\00:03:21.00
If you've never seen
it before, Plymouth Rock,
00:03:32.61\00:03:35.28
45 minutes south of Boston
in Plymouth, Massachusetts
00:03:35.31\00:03:39.18
comes as a bit of a surprise.
00:03:39.21\00:03:41.95
The legend is that Plymouth
Rock is where the pilgrims
00:03:41.98\00:03:44.39
got off the Mayflower when they
arrived on these shores in 1620.
00:03:44.42\00:03:49.56
The fact is, this
is only a fragment
00:03:49.59\00:03:52.26
of the original Plymouth Rock.
00:03:52.29\00:03:54.50
The original broke in
half in 1774 and souvenir
00:03:54.56\00:03:58.97
hunters chipped away at
the rock over the years,
00:03:59.00\00:04:01.10
so there's much less of
it today than there once was.
00:04:01.14\00:04:04.84
I know you don't
always want the facts
00:04:04.87\00:04:06.27
to get in the
way of a good story,
00:04:06.31\00:04:08.28
but another fact is that no
one ever claimed the pilgrims
00:04:08.31\00:04:11.68
landed at
Plymouth Rock until 1741,
00:04:11.71\00:04:16.02
121 years after the Mayflower
arrived in Plymouth Harbor.
00:04:16.05\00:04:20.26
But all that's
incidental really.
00:04:22.62\00:04:24.66
The rock itself is
not what's important.
00:04:24.69\00:04:27.40
Today it's a symbol, a
symbol of new beginnings
00:04:27.40\00:04:30.87
and the pioneer spirit.
00:04:30.90\00:04:32.43
It's an icon visited by more
than a million people a year.
00:04:32.47\00:04:37.64
So what were the pilgrims doing
anyway landing at Plymouth Rock,
00:04:37.67\00:04:40.78
or wherever it was they landed?
00:04:40.81\00:04:43.81
Understand that
and you'll understand
00:04:43.85\00:04:45.91
the birth of a great nation.
00:04:45.95\00:04:47.98
You'll see how the guiding hand
of God shepherded his people
00:04:48.02\00:04:52.32
and fostered the
growth of the principles
00:04:52.35\00:04:54.72
of the Protestant Reformation.
00:04:54.76\00:04:56.79
So let's back up a few years.
00:04:56.83\00:05:01.03
The pilgrims on board
the Mayflower were Puritans,
00:05:01.06\00:05:04.87
English Protestants
who were committed to
00:05:04.90\00:05:07.10
purifying the Church of
England of Catholic practices.
00:05:07.14\00:05:11.27
The seeds for the English
Reformation were sown by Patrick
00:05:11.31\00:05:14.58
and Columba and
Aidan and others like them.
00:05:14.61\00:05:17.45
Centuries later, John
Wycliffe was described as
00:05:17.48\00:05:20.82
"the morning star
of the Reformation."
00:05:20.85\00:05:23.49
And then there
was William Tyndale
00:05:23.52\00:05:24.99
who heroically stood up against
00:05:25.02\00:05:26.62
King Henry VIII and translated
the Bible into English
00:05:26.65\00:05:29.99
at a time when
such a translation
00:05:30.03\00:05:31.59
was desperately needed.
00:05:31.63\00:05:33.60
With his dying breath,
00:05:33.63\00:05:34.83
Tyndale prayed that God would
open the eyes of Henry VIII,
00:05:34.83\00:05:38.50
which God did only two
years later when the king
00:05:38.53\00:05:41.80
gave his permission for
four different translations
00:05:41.84\00:05:44.44
of the Bible into
the English language.
00:05:44.47\00:05:47.04
It was Tyndale's scholarship
that provided the lion's share
00:05:47.08\00:05:50.08
of the King James
Version of the Bible.
00:05:50.11\00:05:52.11
But even though
the church in England,
00:06:08.90\00:06:10.20
or the Church of England,
00:06:10.23\00:06:11.60
had separated from Rome, it
was in desperate need of reform.
00:06:11.63\00:06:15.60
Now while it's true that
England's King Henry VIII
00:06:15.64\00:06:19.01
was strongly
motivated to separate
00:06:19.04\00:06:20.91
from the Roman Catholic Church
because it would not annul
00:06:20.94\00:06:23.88
his marriage to Catherine
of Aragon in the 1530's,
00:06:23.91\00:06:27.58
England's antipathy towards
Rome ran much deeper than that.
00:06:27.62\00:06:30.99
There were significant doctrinal
issues that separated the two,
00:06:31.02\00:06:34.79
but the Puritans
wanted even more than that.
00:06:34.82\00:06:37.86
Even though the Church
of England was structurally
00:06:41.56\00:06:43.73
independent from Rome, that
wasn't enough for the Puritans.
00:06:43.77\00:06:47.97
They believed that when it came
to matters of Christian faith
00:06:48.00\00:06:51.14
and Christian worship,
00:06:51.17\00:06:52.84
that to depart
from what the Bible said
00:06:52.87\00:06:54.41
was both unnecessary and unwise.
00:06:54.44\00:06:57.31
They wanted to follow
the example of the Lutherans
00:06:57.35\00:07:00.65
or the Reformed
Protestants elsewhere in Europe
00:07:00.68\00:07:03.95
and return to what they believed
00:07:03.99\00:07:05.55
was a more Biblical
form of Christianity.
00:07:05.59\00:07:08.52
Yet, the Church of England
continued to embrace many
00:07:08.56\00:07:12.13
of the forms of Catholicism.
00:07:12.16\00:07:14.13
The Protestant Movement was
00:07:18.13\00:07:19.27
separated
largely into two wings.
00:07:19.30\00:07:21.37
The Lutheran, Calvinistic wing,
often called Reformed Theology,
00:07:23.67\00:07:27.08
primarily after the teachings of
Martin Luther and John Calvin;
00:07:27.11\00:07:31.35
and the Armenian wing, which was
patterned after the teachings
00:07:31.38\00:07:34.25
of Jacob Arminius
and others who focused
00:07:34.28\00:07:37.09
on the role of Christian free
will in the salvation process,
00:07:37.12\00:07:40.99
along with practical teaching
such as nonparticipation in war
00:07:41.02\00:07:44.09
and separation
of church and state.
00:07:44.13\00:07:45.63
The Puritans of England
clearly took their beliefs
00:07:45.66\00:07:49.86
from the
Lutheran, Calvinistic wing.
00:07:49.90\00:07:52.43
And this would be
demonstrated by their views
00:07:52.47\00:07:54.37
on religious freedom,
00:07:54.40\00:07:56.20
particularly when
they came to the New World.
00:07:56.24\00:07:59.81
The Puritans played a
significant role in the
00:07:59.84\00:08:02.04
political history of England
throughout the 17th Century.
00:08:02.08\00:08:05.75
For a time, the Puritans
ruled the country under the
00:08:05.78\00:08:08.68
leadership of Lord
Protector Oliver Cromwell
00:08:08.72\00:08:11.59
during the 1650's.
00:08:11.62\00:08:18.29
Early in the 1600's, King James
I decided that he would not
00:08:18.33\00:08:22.00
tolerate the agitation
of the Puritans any longer.
00:08:22.03\00:08:24.90
They'd either come into line
with the policies and practices
00:08:24.93\00:08:27.27
of the Church of
England, or they would leave.
00:08:27.30\00:08:30.07
And many of them left.
00:08:30.11\00:08:31.67
It was difficult for
those who lived in England.
00:08:31.71\00:08:33.98
Many of them began describing
themselves as Separatists,
00:08:34.01\00:08:37.31
because they came
to the conclusion that
00:08:37.35\00:08:39.25
the Church of England
was never going to change.
00:08:39.28\00:08:42.98
Many of them fled
to the Dutch Republic,
00:08:43.02\00:08:44.85
which at the time
was more favorable to
00:08:44.89\00:08:46.72
Reformed Protestantism.
00:08:46.76\00:08:48.79
Life was hard
for those immigrants.
00:08:48.82\00:08:50.29
Many of them had been
farmers and they were not
00:08:50.33\00:08:52.76
able to farm in
their new homeland.
00:08:52.79\00:08:55.40
Instead, they
had to learn a trade,
00:08:55.43\00:08:58.17
but they considered these
difficulties just part of God's
00:08:58.20\00:09:00.90
way of forming in
them a godly character.
00:09:00.94\00:09:04.81
"They knew they were pilgrims,
00:09:04.84\00:09:06.07
and looked not
much on those things,
00:09:06.11\00:09:08.34
but lifted up
their eyes to heaven,
00:09:08.38\00:09:10.21
their dearest country,
and quieted their spirits".
00:09:10.25\00:09:13.58
But many of those pilgrims
chose to leave the Netherlands
00:09:15.88\00:09:19.22
and return to
England before leaving again
00:09:19.25\00:09:22.92
onboard a ship
called the Mayflower.
00:09:22.96\00:09:25.93
They were headed
for the New World.
00:09:25.96\00:09:29.06
Now some
pilgrims didn't make it.
00:09:29.10\00:09:31.63
I'll tell you
more in just a moment.
00:09:31.67\00:09:33.13
¤[Theme Music]
00:09:33.17\00:09:38.64
I'm John Bradshaw
from It Is Written,
00:09:40.81\00:09:43.04
inviting you to join me for 500.
00:09:43.08\00:09:46.72
Nine programs
produced by It Is Written,
00:09:46.75\00:09:48.98
taking you deep
into the Reformation.
00:09:49.02\00:09:52.15
This is the 500th anniversary of
the beginning of the Reformation
00:09:52.19\00:09:56.32
when Martin Luther
nailed his 95 Theses to the door
00:09:56.36\00:09:59.23
of the Castle Church
in Wittenberg, Germany.
00:09:59.26\00:10:01.63
We'll take you to
Wittenberg, and to Belgium,
00:10:01.66\00:10:03.87
to England,
00:10:03.90\00:10:04.70
to Ireland,
00:10:04.73\00:10:06.27
to Rome,
00:10:06.30\00:10:07.10
to the Vatican City,
00:10:07.14\00:10:08.34
and introduce you to the people
who created the Reformation,
00:10:08.37\00:10:11.34
who pushed the
Reformation forward.
00:10:11.37\00:10:13.34
We'll take you to
sites all throughout Europe
00:10:13.38\00:10:15.31
where the Reformers
lived and in some cases died.
00:10:15.34\00:10:18.15
We'll bring you
back to the United States
00:10:18.18\00:10:19.81
and take you to a little
farm in Upstate New York,
00:10:19.85\00:10:22.82
and show you how God
spread the Reformation here.
00:10:22.85\00:10:25.75
Don't miss 500.
00:10:25.79\00:10:27.86
You can own the
500 series on DVD.
00:10:27.89\00:10:30.79
Call us on 888-664-5573
00:10:30.83\00:10:35.53
or visit us online
at itiswritten.shop.
00:10:35.56\00:10:39.63
This is It Is Written.
00:10:42.40\00:10:44.51
There were actually two
ships that left England,
00:10:44.54\00:10:47.41
bound for what
would become known
00:10:47.44\00:10:48.74
as the United States of America.
00:10:48.78\00:10:52.11
There was the
Mayflower and the Speedwell.
00:10:52.15\00:10:55.55
Together they left Southampton
on August the 5th, 1620,
00:10:55.58\00:10:59.62
but the Speedwell leaked,
00:10:59.65\00:11:02.36
not great for a ship intending
to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
00:11:02.39\00:11:06.56
Both ships stopped in Dartmouth
00:11:06.59\00:11:08.36
so the Speedwell
could be repaired.
00:11:08.40\00:11:10.57
After leaving Dartmouth,
00:11:10.60\00:11:12.17
they made it 350
miles beyond land's end
00:11:12.20\00:11:15.34
before it was
discovered that the Speedwell
00:11:15.37\00:11:17.71
was taking on water again.
00:11:17.74\00:11:21.78
So once more, they
returned to Dartmouth.
00:11:21.81\00:11:25.25
The Mayflower decided it would
push on without the Speedwell.
00:11:25.28\00:11:29.15
Some of the
00:11:29.18\00:11:30.42
Speedwell's passengers crammed
into the Mayflower, and so the
00:11:30.45\00:11:32.72
Mayflower, with 102 passengers
and between 25 and 30 crew,
00:11:32.75\00:11:37.76
headed off on what
would be a miserable voyage,
00:11:37.79\00:11:42.53
but they made it.
00:11:42.56\00:11:43.67
Slowly, but surely,
00:11:43.70\00:11:44.80
life was established
here in this new land.
00:11:44.83\00:11:47.94
More and more people
would follow in the footsteps
00:11:47.97\00:11:50.67
or in the wake of
the pilgrims of England.
00:11:50.71\00:11:53.04
They were driven by a desire
for liberty of conscience,
00:12:02.12\00:12:07.16
but they really didn't
understand what that truly was.
00:12:07.19\00:12:15.86
The idea that God has given the
right to control the conscience
00:12:15.90\00:12:19.57
to the church and has given
the church the right to define
00:12:19.60\00:12:23.81
and punish heresy
is a school of thought
00:12:23.84\00:12:26.88
that came right out of Rome.
00:12:26.91\00:12:28.91
So while these
people had rejected
00:12:33.82\00:12:35.18
many of the doctrines of Rome,
00:12:35.22\00:12:37.72
they retained the
spirit of Rome: intolerance.
00:12:37.75\00:12:42.36
Any church they set up would
ultimately be a church-state.
00:12:42.39\00:12:46.39
They dictated that
only church members
00:12:46.43\00:12:48.26
could have a say in government.
00:12:48.30\00:12:50.07
The secular power was
in the hands of the church,
00:12:50.10\00:12:54.20
which can only lead in
one direction: persecution.
00:12:54.24\00:13:00.41
In 1631, when Boston
was a brand new settlement,
00:13:07.65\00:13:11.39
a Puritan minister not 30 years
old arrived here from England.
00:13:11.42\00:13:15.06
Roger Williams was a separatist.
00:13:15.09\00:13:17.86
He believed that for a person
to be truly faithful to God,
00:13:17.89\00:13:20.86
that person should separate
from the Anglican Church.
00:13:20.90\00:13:24.60
He and his wife Mary
would have six children,
00:13:24.63\00:13:26.77
all born in the New World: Mary,
00:13:26.80\00:13:29.87
Freeborn,
00:13:29.90\00:13:30.87
Providence,
00:13:30.91\00:13:31.87
Mercy,
00:13:31.91\00:13:32.91
Daniel,
00:13:32.94\00:13:33.88
and Joseph.
00:13:33.91\00:13:35.48
It wasn't long and
people knew he was here.
00:13:35.51\00:13:42.22
Roger Williams was the
first person in this land
00:13:42.25\00:13:45.12
to stand up for something
that today we regard as a right.
00:13:45.15\00:13:49.29
He believed that
liberty of conscience
00:13:49.32\00:13:51.66
was the inalienable
right of all people,
00:13:51.69\00:13:55.10
whatever their religion.
00:13:55.13\00:13:57.03
He went so far as to
establish government upon
00:13:57.07\00:13:59.80
the principle of
religious freedom.
00:13:59.83\00:14:02.57
He was the first person in
modern Christianity to do that.
00:14:02.60\00:14:06.24
Williams believed that
the government had no place
00:14:06.27\00:14:08.64
dictating to individuals when
it came to religious matters.
00:14:08.68\00:14:12.31
That was an
entirely new way of thinking.
00:14:12.35\00:14:14.78
It was revolutionary.
00:14:14.82\00:14:17.39
In the early
days of the colonies,
00:14:17.42\00:14:19.62
church attendance
was required by law.
00:14:19.65\00:14:23.59
You could be
fined or even imprisoned
00:14:23.63\00:14:26.56
for not attending church.
00:14:26.59\00:14:28.70
Williams was scandalized by this
00:14:28.73\00:14:30.83
and he decided to
do something about it.
00:14:30.87\00:14:34.10
>>Lincoln: And it didn't
trouble the Puritans whatsoever,
00:14:34.14\00:14:37.34
that while they'd
left a bad situation,
00:14:37.37\00:14:39.24
to come to the New World
they just set the same model
00:14:39.27\00:14:42.14
where they would say
everyone had to go to church.
00:14:42.18\00:14:44.45
You'd be fined.
00:14:44.48\00:14:45.41
You had to abide by
what the minister said.
00:14:45.45\00:14:48.88
No freelance religion.
00:14:48.92\00:14:51.55
Roger Williams comes along,
00:14:51.59\00:14:53.46
and he was the conscience
and really the guiding light
00:14:53.49\00:14:58.99
of the true
principles of religious liberty
00:14:59.03\00:15:00.83
that we're keeping alive today.
00:15:00.86\00:15:03.73
>>John: It seems strange to
be talking about a battle over
00:15:03.77\00:15:06.50
religious freedom
in the United States,
00:15:06.53\00:15:08.94
but keep in mind the
times and the mindset then.
00:15:08.97\00:15:12.51
The Church of Rome
had taught very thoroughly
00:15:12.54\00:15:14.31
that there was no
religious freedom.
00:15:14.34\00:15:15.78
It claimed to be the
voice of God in the world.
00:15:15.81\00:15:19.08
The church spoke,
00:15:19.11\00:15:20.92
church members did what
they were expected to do.
00:15:20.95\00:15:24.22
So even though the
Church of England had separated
00:15:24.25\00:15:26.19
from the Roman Catholic Church,
00:15:26.22\00:15:27.42
it still retained a
lot of Rome's ideas.
00:15:27.46\00:15:31.96
So when the Puritans
came to the free world,
00:15:31.99\00:15:35.53
they were still hung up on the
concept of the church saying,
00:15:35.56\00:15:38.40
"jump" and the
faithful saying, "how high."
00:15:38.43\00:15:41.40
They had not embraced the
concept of religious liberty.
00:15:41.44\00:15:44.84
So in spite of the Reformation,
further reform was still needed.
00:15:44.87\00:15:50.85
So while the pilgrims and
other Puritan settlers came
00:15:50.88\00:15:53.58
to these shores for
the purpose of exercising
00:15:53.62\00:15:55.92
their own liberty of conscience,
00:15:55.95\00:15:58.19
many didn't believe in
extending the same right
00:15:58.22\00:16:00.36
to those who held
different beliefs.
00:16:00.39\00:16:03.16
Freedom was fine for themselves,
00:16:03.19\00:16:05.49
but not for people who
taught and practiced things
00:16:05.53\00:16:07.36
they disagreed with.
00:16:07.40\00:16:09.33
One historian described
this attitude with these words,
00:16:09.36\00:16:11.97
"New England divines
(pastors and theologians)
00:16:12.00\00:16:15.34
insisted repeatedly
that demand for uniformity
00:16:15.37\00:16:18.44
of religious practice in no way
violated liberty of conscience.
00:16:18.47\00:16:23.51
They contended that there were
two types of liberty: natural
00:16:23.55\00:16:27.95
(or corrupted) liberty and the
00:16:27.98\00:16:29.78
'liberty wherewith
Christ hath made us free.'
00:16:29.82\00:16:33.25
Liberty to practice error
came under the former heading
00:16:33.29\00:16:36.73
and was not
really liberty at all,
00:16:36.76\00:16:39.19
but license, the 'liberty
for men to destroy themselves.'"
00:16:39.23\00:16:44.83
Roger Williams is truly
one of the towering figures
00:16:44.87\00:16:47.27
in the American story.
00:16:47.30\00:16:48.77
And he's one of the
towering figures in the advance
00:16:48.80\00:16:51.74
of the Word of God.
00:16:51.77\00:16:53.14
Not only did he advocate
religious freedom for all,
00:16:53.17\00:16:56.68
he was also one of the earliest
and most vocal opponents
00:16:56.71\00:16:59.51
of slavery on these shores.
00:16:59.55\00:17:02.38
He advocated fair treatment
for Native American tribes.
00:17:02.42\00:17:05.35
He also learned
many of the languages
00:17:05.39\00:17:07.72
of the tribes in the Northeast.
00:17:07.76\00:17:09.66
He'd run into trouble
with the Anglican Church
00:17:09.69\00:17:11.69
before he came to America.
00:17:11.73\00:17:13.53
When he got here and he
found the same principles
00:17:13.56\00:17:15.50
of intolerance in a
place that was supposed to be
00:17:15.53\00:17:17.90
a haven for
liberty, it disturbed him.
00:17:17.93\00:17:20.87
He did not agree with
the Puritan's attempts to
00:17:20.90\00:17:23.10
set up a theocracy.
00:17:23.14\00:17:24.24
He said, "forced worship
stinks in the nostrils of God."
00:17:24.27\00:17:29.61
Williams
believed that Constantine
00:17:29.64\00:17:32.01
was worse for
the church than Nero,
00:17:32.05\00:17:34.82
because Constantine
successfully united the power
00:17:34.85\00:17:38.42
of the civil government with
the authority of the church.
00:17:38.45\00:17:42.79
And before long,
00:17:42.82\00:17:44.16
things would get much
worse for Roger Williams.
00:17:44.19\00:17:48.16
I'll have more in a moment.
00:17:48.20\00:17:49.53
¤[Theme Music]
00:17:49.56\00:17:54.37
>>Announcer: In Matthew
4:4 the word of God says
00:17:57.64\00:18:00.34
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:18:00.38\00:18:03.55
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:18:03.58\00:18:07.32
Every Word is a one minute,
Bible based daily devotional
00:18:07.35\00:18:10.49
presented by
Pastor John Bradshaw,
00:18:10.52\00:18:12.22
and designed especially
for busy people like you.
00:18:12.25\00:18:15.36
Look for Every Word
on selected networks,
00:18:15.39\00:18:18.09
or watch it online
every day on our website:
00:18:18.13\00:18:20.36
itiswritten.com.
00:18:20.40\00:18:22.93
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:18:22.96\00:18:25.07
Watch Every Word.
00:18:25.10\00:18:26.47
You'll be glad you did.
00:18:26.50\00:18:29.74
>>John: 500 years after the
Protestant Reformation began
00:18:36.54\00:18:39.08
on October 31st, 1517,
00:18:39.11\00:18:41.98
we might be tempted to
wonder what Luther, and Knox,
00:18:42.02\00:18:44.05
and Zwingli, and
Calvin, and Farel, and Beza,
00:18:44.09\00:18:45.85
and the Huguenots,
and the Anabaptists,
00:18:45.89\00:18:47.52
and so many others achieved.
00:18:47.56\00:18:50.29
Today it would seem
that the protest is over,
00:18:50.33\00:18:53.23
even though the most
influential church in the world
00:18:53.26\00:18:55.10
offers indulgences,
00:18:55.13\00:18:56.23
hears confessions,
00:18:56.26\00:18:57.20
teaches justification
by faith and works,
00:18:57.23\00:18:59.93
considers Mary
the queen of heaven,
00:19:00.04\00:19:02.44
where are the Protestants today?
00:19:02.47\00:19:04.24
Protestants are being welcomed
back into the Church of Rome,
00:19:04.27\00:19:06.54
and many see this as positive.
00:19:06.57\00:19:08.08
It's being said it's more
important to be divided by truth
00:19:08.11\00:19:12.25
than it is to
be united by error.
00:19:12.28\00:19:14.42
Paul said in 2
Timothy 4, verse two,
00:19:14.45\00:19:16.85
"Preach the word;
be instant in season,
00:19:16.89\00:19:19.55
out of season;
00:19:19.59\00:19:20.22
reprove,
00:19:20.26\00:19:21.02
rebuke,
00:19:21.06\00:19:21.99
exhort with all long
suffering and doctrine."
00:19:22.02\00:19:23.46
The word, anything
less will never do.
00:19:23.49\00:19:27.13
I'm John Bradshaw
for It Is Written.
00:19:27.13\00:19:28.53
Let's live today by every word.
00:19:28.56\00:19:30.97
¤[Music]
00:19:31.90\00:19:45.25
100 years after
the Reformation ended,
00:19:45.28\00:19:47.45
there was still a lot of
reform left to be accomplished.
00:19:47.48\00:19:51.29
As long as there was
no liberty of conscience,
00:19:51.32\00:19:53.79
and as long as the state
was united with the church,
00:19:53.82\00:19:56.39
the church was a long way
short of where it should be
00:19:56.42\00:19:59.53
from a Biblical perspective.
00:19:59.56\00:20:01.80
The man who would bring the
needed change was a Cambridge
00:20:01.83\00:20:04.43
educated Englishman
who moved to the colonies
00:20:04.47\00:20:07.10
six weeks after
his 27th birthday.
00:20:07.14\00:20:10.64
Williams was forced
to leave Massachusetts,
00:20:10.67\00:20:13.81
and he went into exile in 1636.
00:20:13.84\00:20:17.58
In the winter, he
journeyed through the forests,
00:20:17.61\00:20:20.85
not knowing where he was going.
00:20:20.88\00:20:22.72
Along the way he made
friends with many of the natives
00:20:22.75\00:20:25.12
and later said that
he would rather live
00:20:25.15\00:20:27.26
with Christian savages
than savage Christians.
00:20:27.29\00:20:30.56
His journeys led him here,
00:20:30.59\00:20:33.03
to a place that he
would name Providence,
00:20:33.06\00:20:36.13
convinced that the providence
of God had guided him.
00:20:36.16\00:20:47.91
It was Roger
Williams, not Thomas Jefferson
00:20:47.94\00:20:50.71
who first coined the
phrase "wall of separation"
00:20:50.75\00:20:53.65
so far as church
and state are concerned.
00:20:53.68\00:20:56.28
In 1644, Williams
described the need to build a
00:20:56.32\00:20:59.89
"wall of separation
between the garden of the church
00:20:59.92\00:21:03.79
and the
wilderness of the world."
00:21:03.83\00:21:06.19
Leonard Levy, a U.S.
Constitutional Scholar
00:21:06.23\00:21:08.80
commented on these
words of Roger Williams
00:21:08.83\00:21:11.23
with the following statement.
00:21:11.27\00:21:12.50
"Thus, the wall of separation
had the allegiance of the most
00:21:12.53\00:21:16.40
profound Christian impulse
as well as a secular one.
00:21:16.44\00:21:20.98
To Christian
fundamentalists of the Framers'
00:21:21.01\00:21:22.91
time the wall of separation
derived from the Biblical
00:21:22.94\00:21:26.08
injunction that Christ's
kingdom is not of this world."
00:21:26.11\00:21:30.79
The fundamental principle
of Roger Williams' colony
00:21:30.82\00:21:33.69
was that every man should
have liberty to worship God
00:21:33.72\00:21:37.03
according to the
light of his own conscience.
00:21:37.06\00:21:40.46
Rhode Island's
founding principles,
00:21:40.50\00:21:42.43
civil and religious liberty,
00:21:42.46\00:21:44.77
became the cornerstones
of the American Republic.
00:21:44.80\00:21:48.24
This was extremely significant.
00:21:48.27\00:21:50.91
And so today, the Declaration
of Independence states,
00:21:50.94\00:21:54.61
"We hold these
truths to be self-evident,
00:21:54.64\00:21:57.61
that all men are created equal;
00:21:57.65\00:22:00.58
that they're
endowed by their Creator
00:22:00.62\00:22:02.28
with certain unalienable rights;
00:22:02.32\00:22:05.05
that among these
are life, liberty,
00:22:05.09\00:22:08.29
and the pursuit of happiness."
00:22:08.32\00:22:10.69
The Constitution
guarantees freedom of conscience
00:22:10.73\00:22:13.60
in religious matters.
00:22:13.63\00:22:15.46
"No religious test shall ever
be required as a qualification
00:22:15.50\00:22:20.10
to any office of public
trust under the United States."
00:22:20.14\00:22:23.97
"Congress shall
make no law respecting
00:22:24.01\00:22:26.34
an establishment of religion,
00:22:26.37\00:22:28.34
or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof."
00:22:28.38\00:22:31.98
It was this environment
that allowed the preaching
00:22:32.01\00:22:34.35
and the teaching of
the Bible to flourish.
00:22:34.38\00:22:36.58
Of course, there have
been those who have abused
00:22:36.62\00:22:39.62
their religious freedom,
00:22:39.65\00:22:41.06
but just think
of the alternative:
00:22:41.09\00:22:42.82
a world in which you're not free
to believe what you believe.
00:22:42.86\00:22:46.59
That's the world Martin
Luther faced when he nailed
00:22:46.63\00:22:49.40
the 95 Theses to that
famous door back in 1517.
00:22:49.43\00:22:54.47
Word began to
spread back in Europe
00:22:54.50\00:22:55.87
about a place where a
person could worship God
00:22:55.90\00:22:58.24
according to the dictates
of his or her own conscience.
00:22:58.27\00:23:02.08
As one historian
wrote, "Massachusetts,
00:23:02.11\00:23:04.88
by special law,
offered free welcome and aid,
00:23:04.91\00:23:07.95
at the public cost, to
Christians of any nationality
00:23:07.98\00:23:11.35
who might fly
beyond the Atlantic
00:23:11.39\00:23:13.15
'to escape wars or famine,
00:23:13.19\00:23:15.02
or the oppression
of their persecutors.'
00:23:15.06\00:23:16.66
And so the fugitive
and the downtrodden were,
00:23:16.69\00:23:20.06
by statute, made the
guests of the commonwealth."
00:23:20.10\00:23:23.97
The colonies grew, and
the world saw the prosperity
00:23:24.00\00:23:27.70
and the increasing strength
of a church without a pope
00:23:27.74\00:23:31.81
and a state without a king.
00:23:31.84\00:23:34.51
In this patch of
earth, Roger Williams raised
00:23:34.54\00:23:36.88
up a memorial to
religious freedom.
00:23:36.91\00:23:39.75
The establishment of the Rhode
Island Colony was a landmark
00:23:39.78\00:23:43.05
event in the history of
the Protestant Reformation,
00:23:43.08\00:23:46.59
a new haven in a new land where
people would finally be free
00:23:46.62\00:23:52.33
to follow the dictates
of their own conscience
00:23:52.36\00:23:54.36
when it came to
matters of faith.
00:23:54.36\00:23:56.30
Even the Puritans
of Roger Williams' day
00:23:56.33\00:23:58.23
couldn't accept his thinking.
00:23:58.27\00:23:59.90
You see, it was the prevailing
belief 400 or so years ago
00:23:59.93\00:24:03.47
that the civil
government had every right
00:24:03.51\00:24:05.71
to dictate to
people's conscience.
00:24:05.74\00:24:08.38
That did not sit
well with Roger Williams
00:24:08.41\00:24:10.01
and it led him
into deep conflict.
00:24:10.05\00:24:13.01
But the conflict that
he experienced brought to
00:24:13.05\00:24:15.62
everyone that followed freedom.
00:24:15.65\00:24:19.55
Now of course, that meant
that if you wanted to opt out
00:24:24.56\00:24:26.53
to practice no religion,
00:24:26.56\00:24:28.66
to disagree with the church,
00:24:28.70\00:24:30.70
then it was your right to do so.
00:24:30.73\00:24:33.40
And it's this
spirit of religious liberty
00:24:33.44\00:24:35.24
that's described
in the New Testament,
00:24:35.27\00:24:37.24
just a few verses from the end
00:24:37.27\00:24:38.74
of the Bible where the bride
of Christ blends her appeal
00:24:38.77\00:24:42.74
with that of the Holy
Spirit in urging humanity
00:24:42.78\00:24:46.38
to accept God's
gift of salvation.
00:24:46.41\00:24:49.32
"The Spirit and
the bride say, 'Come!'
00:24:49.35\00:24:51.45
And let him who
hears say, 'Come!'
00:24:51.49\00:24:55.62
And let him who thirsts come;
00:24:55.66\00:24:58.69
and whoever desires, let him
take the water of life freely."
00:24:58.73\00:25:04.73
Freedom of conscience would
take hold in America in a way
00:25:04.77\00:25:08.47
not seen in any other civil
experiment in human history.
00:25:08.50\00:25:13.44
The inalienable right to
worship and follow conscience
00:25:13.48\00:25:16.61
as a person chooses would become
00:25:16.64\00:25:19.08
one of the main cornerstones
of the American experience,
00:25:19.11\00:25:22.25
and of the final stages of
the Protestant Reformation.
00:25:22.28\00:25:25.35
Roger Williams
demonstrated how important it is
00:25:32.23\00:25:35.06
for believers to press forward.
00:25:35.10\00:25:37.80
While the Reformation
accomplished an enormous amount
00:25:37.83\00:25:40.37
in terms of opening up the
Bible and bringing the light
00:25:40.40\00:25:43.54
of God's Word to the human mind,
00:25:43.57\00:25:46.04
there was still a
lot left to accomplish,
00:25:46.07\00:25:47.94
much more to learn,
00:25:47.98\00:25:49.78
more for the church
and more for believers
00:25:49.81\00:25:52.18
as they grew
towards God's ideal.
00:25:52.21\00:25:55.88
John Robinson was a
pastor of pilgrims in Holland.
00:25:55.92\00:25:59.65
And he said this to many
who were preparing to leave
00:25:59.69\00:26:02.09
for the New World.
00:26:02.12\00:26:04.19
"Brethren, we are now
erelong to part asunder,
00:26:04.23\00:26:07.76
and the Lord knoweth
whether I shall live ever
00:26:07.83\00:26:11.27
to see your faces more.
00:26:11.30\00:26:13.84
But whether the Lord
hath appointed it or not,
00:26:13.87\00:26:16.64
I charge you before
God and His blessed angels
00:26:16.67\00:26:19.67
to follow me no farther
than I have followed Christ.
00:26:19.71\00:26:25.21
If God should
reveal anything to you
00:26:25.25\00:26:27.12
by any other instrument of His,
00:26:27.15\00:26:29.72
be as ready to receive it
as ever you were to receive
00:26:29.75\00:26:33.29
any truth of my ministry;
00:26:33.32\00:26:36.42
for I am very confident the
Lord hath more truth and light
00:26:36.46\00:26:41.20
yet to break forth
out of His Holy Word."
00:26:41.23\00:26:46.23
I'm confident the Lord has more.
00:26:46.27\00:26:48.50
God has more
for you in His Word.
00:26:48.54\00:26:52.44
That was true in the
time of the pilgrims,
00:26:52.47\00:26:54.08
and that
commitment to the Bible,
00:26:54.11\00:26:56.18
to the progress of God's light
would lead others to advance
00:26:56.21\00:27:00.28
the course of the
Reformation and guide multitudes
00:27:00.32\00:27:03.95
into a deeper understanding
of God and His Word.
00:27:03.99\00:27:08.09
¤[Music]
00:27:08.12\00:27:13.33
How can you enjoy a
successful Christian experience?
00:27:15.20\00:27:19.10
How can you know
victory instead of defeat?
00:27:19.13\00:27:22.54
How can you live with
honor and integrity before God?
00:27:22.57\00:27:26.37
Well you can, and our
free offer today tells you how.
00:27:26.41\00:27:29.78
To receive "The War Is Over,"
00:27:29.81\00:27:31.38
call us on 800-253-3000
00:27:31.41\00:27:34.52
or visit us online
at itiswritten.com,
00:27:34.55\00:27:38.09
or you can write to
the address on your screen.
00:27:38.12\00:27:40.62
I'd like you to receive our
free offer "The War Is Over."
00:27:40.66\00:27:45.19
Thank you for remembering
that It Is Written exists
00:27:45.23\00:27:48.00
due to the gracious
support of people like you.
00:27:48.03\00:27:51.47
It's your kindness that makes
it possible for It Is Written
00:27:51.50\00:27:54.27
to share Jesus and the
great truths of the Bible
00:27:54.30\00:27:57.01
with the world.
00:27:57.04\00:27:58.31
You can send your
tax deductible gift
00:27:58.34\00:28:00.21
to the address on your screen,
00:28:00.24\00:28:02.08
or you can support It Is
Written through our website
00:28:02.11\00:28:04.28
itiswritten.com.
00:28:04.31\00:28:07.22
Thanks for your
generous support.
00:28:07.25\00:28:08.58
Our number is 800-253-3000
00:28:08.62\00:28:11.82
and our web
address is itiswritten.com.
00:28:11.85\00:28:14.86
Let's pray together now.
00:28:15.99\00:28:17.89
Our Father in Heaven,
00:28:17.93\00:28:19.26
we're thankful today
that we have Your Word.
00:28:19.29\00:28:21.20
And that we have
freedom to worship You.
00:28:21.23\00:28:23.97
And to believe
what we wish to believe
00:28:24.00\00:28:25.63
according to the
dictates of our conscience.
00:28:25.67\00:28:28.40
We thank You for
the wall of separation
00:28:28.44\00:28:30.74
that You have erected
00:28:30.77\00:28:32.74
to protect our freedom.
00:28:32.77\00:28:34.38
To prevent others from dictating
to us what we should believe.
00:28:34.41\00:28:38.11
So Lord with that religious
freedom I pray for Wisdom,
00:28:38.15\00:28:41.92
for Grace,
00:28:41.95\00:28:43.65
That we might exercise that
freedom in a way that grows us
00:28:43.69\00:28:48.19
into Your image.
00:28:48.22\00:28:49.46
That leads us in the
direction of Your Holy Spirit.
00:28:49.49\00:28:54.93
Now Father
there's someboday thinking
00:28:54.96\00:28:57.47
that they must
give You their heart,
00:28:57.50\00:28:58.70
I pray draw that man that woman
that young person right now.
00:28:58.73\00:29:02.57
That decisions
will be made even now
00:29:02.60\00:29:04.01
that we will value
this freedom we have,
00:29:04.04\00:29:06.74
given to us at great cost.
00:29:06.78\00:29:09.31
And use it in way that
will lead us into Your Kingdom.
00:29:09.34\00:29:12.61
We look for that day,
that day of Jesus' return
00:29:12.65\00:29:14.55
May it be soon we pray
00:29:14.58\00:29:16.45
Take our hearts
and make them Yours,
00:29:16.48\00:29:18.65
we ask You in Jesus' name
00:29:18.69\00:29:22.39
Amen.
00:29:22.42\00:29:24.19
Thanks for joining me.
00:29:24.23\00:29:25.29
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:29:25.33\00:29:27.36
Until then, remember,
00:29:27.40\00:29:28.76
"it is written, 'man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:29:28.80\00:29:33.44
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God."
00:29:33.47\00:29:37.94
¤[Theme Music]
00:29:37.97\00:29:52.99