A Tribute To John MacArthur

John MacArthur (1939-2025) long time pastor of Grace Community Church died recently.  Dr. MacArthur was one of the finest Bible teachers of our time.  I did not know John MacArthur personally but I learned much from him through his books and sermons.  

Dr. MacArthur held strongly to the authority, sufficiency, and inerrancy of the Bible.  He proclaimed the truth and behaved with dignity (if only modern evangelicalism would follow this example).  John MacArthur went to heaven because Christ was his Savior and Lord.  

Books And Reference Works By John MacArthur

*The Gospel According To Jesus

*The Battle For The Beginning

*Hard To Believe

*Strange Fire

*The Inerrant Word

*MacArthur Study Bible

*Biblical Doctrine 

(For More gty.org) 

What Are The Marks Of A True Church?

 The Reformers generally recognized the following things as the marks of a true church.  

-The preaching of the Word of God

-The administration of baptism

-The administration of the Lord's Supper

-The exercise of church discipline

Friedrich Schleiermacher, The Father Of Liberalism

Theological liberalism emerged in the 1800's heavily influenced by the Enlightenment which began in the 1700's.  The Enlightenment elevated human reason as the ultimate authority and placed man at the center of all things.  Liberalism has had a great influence on the church and society over the last few centuries.  

German theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834) is known as the father of theological liberalism.  Schleiermacher was strongly influenced by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804).  Kant separated things into the noumenal realm (outside the mind) and the phenomenal realm (inside the mind).  The noumenal realm referred to the thing in itself while the phenomenal realm referred to the thing as it appears.  Kant believed things in the noumenal realm (what exists outside the mind) cannot be known about, we can only know that it exists.  Kant believed we could only know things in the phenomenal realm, that is things as they appear.  

Friedrich Schleiermacher took the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and applied it to theology.  Schleiermacher located God in the noumenal realm where he could not be known.  He believed God could only be known through the phenomenal realm, that is only as he appears to someone.  Schleiermacher believed one could not actually know God, but could only know his experience of God.  

So for Schleiermacher theology was not the study of God but the study of one's experience of God.  It is not God revealing himself to humanity in the Bible but humanity experiencing "God consciousness."  Scripture was no longer the ultimate authority, it was now replaced by human experience.  For Schleiermacher the Bible was no longer the Word of God revealed to us because God could not be known.  Instead the Bible was just men writing down their experiences of God.  

The Bible was no longer the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word of God.  It was no longer considered truth from God, it was nothing more than the writing of mere men.  The historical accounts and miracle claims of the Bible were now rejected.  In Liberalism the Bible was no longer the ultimate authority.  It was now replaced by human reason, experience, and imagination. 
 

Nietzsche Says God Is Dead

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher who proclaimed, "God is dead and we have killed him."  Of course he did not really believe that God had been alive and had died.  He simply meant that the concept of God was no longer needed.  Other famous Nietzsche phrases include, "What does not destroy me will make me stronger", and "Live dangerously."  The idea that you only live once has roots in Nietzsche.  Friedrich Nietzsche also had an intense hatred for Christianity.  

Friedrich Nietzsche has been very influential even down to our own time.  He could be considered the father of nihilism which holds that there is no morality, no virtue, no purpose, and no meaning.  At least Nietzsche tried to be consistent with his atheism.  Because without God, nihilism is all that is left.   He could also be considered a leading figure in postmodernism which holds that there is no absolute truth and no ultimate standard of morality.  

Some key concepts from Nietzsche include the will to power, the herd morality, and the superman.  Nietzsche considered the will to power to be the fundamental force of life.  It was basically looking out for number one and not caring about those who are weak.  It was really the will to overpower.  He believed the herd morality was created by the weaker people out of fear in order to hold down the stronger, superior people.  Nietzsche blamed Christianity for creating this herd morality.  Finally the superman speaks of superior individuals who are courageous, throw off the herd morality and create their own values.  The supermen would be something like the next step in the evolution of man.  Nietzsche believed that Christianity was holding back humanity.  

Of course one might ask how the supermen could create their own values if there are no values?  If there is no meaning or purpose, how can the philosophy of Nietzsche have any meaning or purpose?  If all is meaningless, then everything Nietzsche said is also meaningless!  There would be no reason to listen to Nietzsche or to follow his teaching.  Nietzsche ends up in total absurdity, which is what always happens when you reject God.   Without the triune God of Scripture you have no basis for rationality, knowledge, meaning, or morality.  

Interestingly Friedrich Nietzsche spent the last decade of his life insane.  Then in 1900 God said, Nietzsche is dead.    

A Tribute To R.C. Sproul

R.C. Sproul (1939-2017) one of the greatest theologians of our time died a few days ago.  He was an intelligent man with the ability to teach others.  I learned much from him through his books.  While many in the church were giving us bad theology, a different gospel, positive thinking, or just plain nonsense, R.C. Sproul was giving us Biblical Christianity.  He had a good sense of humor but he was serious about God.  If only more people in our time would get serious about God.  

R.C. Sproul was in the tradition of the Reformation, a classic Protestant.  Of course in the Reformation, Biblical Christianity was recovered.  Sproul taught Reformed theology to many people including myself.  He held that Scripture alone is the ultimate authority.  He emphasized the sovereignty of God, the holiness of God, and the total depravity of man.  

Salvation is totally the work of God because man is incapable of saving himself.  Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  And it is all to the glory of God alone.  

I would encourage everyone to read his books and to listen to his teaching.  R.C. Sproul will be missed, but he has gone to be with the Lord and that is far better.  

Who Was Cornelius Van Til?

Cornelius Van Til (1895-1987) was a Christian apologist and theologian.  He was born in the Netherlands and moved to America as a child.  Van Til was influenced by Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck, and John Calvin.  He taught at Princeton Theological Seminary for a short time but left along with J. Gresham Machen and others after it took a liberal turn.  Afterward Machen convinced Van Til to teach apologetics at the new Westminster Theological Seminary.  Van Til started there in 1929 and stayed there for several decades.  

Van Til became unsatisfied with the traditional methods of apologetics, the classical and evidentialist approach.  Van Til believed the traditional methods erroneously assumed that there was a neutral ground where the believer and the unbeliever could meet and reason from there.  He believed that if you assumed from the start that intelligibility and knowledge were possible apart form the triune God you had already lost the argument.  

Cornelius Van Til developed his own apologetic method which became known as presuppositional apologetics.   A presupposition is an assumption or basic belief that a person holds from the start through which he interprets everything else. Van Til believed that an unbeliever would interpret evidences and proofs through his basic presupposition of unbelief and deny the Christian God.  The unbeliever suppresses the truth about God because of his sin and rationalizes away the evidences and proofs. 

Van Til's apologetic used the transcendental argument or indirect reasoning.  He believed that intelligibility and meaning are only possible if we presuppose the Bible as true. The Christian worldview is the only worldview that makes sense of your world.  Van Til believed that the unbeliever had to borrow from the Christian worldview in order to live his life consistently.  The unbelievers worldview will break down because it cannot account for intelligibility, meaning, or the preconditions for life.  Van Til's apologetic used the transcendental argument in order to show the contradictions, inconsistencies, and arbitrariness of the unbelievers worldview.   He also showed that the Christian worldview was consistent and was necessary for intelligibility and purpose.

Cornelius Van Til's presuppositional apologetics flowed from his Reformed theology.  He sought to develop an apologetic that was truly Biblical and truly Reformed.  He sought to honor Christ as Lord throughout his entire apologetic method.  There is no neutral ground, you are either with Christ or you are against him.  Van Til sought to prove the existence of the Christian God not just provide evidence that made the existence of God probable.  Notable students of Van Til's 
who continued to use his apologetic method include Greg Bahnsen and John Frame.   

After Darkness, Light

"After darkness, light" was a motto of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500's.  The Reformation was led by men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli.  Darkness referred to the time of the Middle Ages when the Bible was kept out of the hands of the people.  The Roman Catholic Church would not allow the the Bible to be translated into the language of the people.  It was only in Latin and had to be interpreted by the Pope and the Bishops.  

The Reformers put the Bible back into the hands of the people.  They believed that the average person could understand the basic message of the Bible.  The Reformers proclaimed Scripture alone as authoritative and not the Pope, Bishops, or church councils.  The Reformers held to the sufficiency and clarity of Scripture.  In fact the clarity of Scripture was part of the great debate between Martin Luther and Desiderius Erasmus.   Luther argued for the Protestant view that Scripture is clear because it is from God and he is capable of clearly revealing his Word to his people.  While Erasmus argued for the Catholic view that the Scripture is not clear and needs to be interpreted by the Pope and Bishops.  

In the Protestant Reformation, Biblical Christianity was recovered.  The Bible began to be translated into the languages of the people.  The true gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone was recovered.  And the glory belonged to God alone.  The lives and thought of people were greatly affected.  The Protestant Reformation had an enormous effect on Western Civilization leading to much human flourishing.  The Bible changes people because it is the Word of God.  As Martin Luther said, "the Bible is alive." 



But in our time the Western world has turned away from the light and has headed back into the darkness.  Liberals long ago abandoned the authority of Scripture and many evangelicals seem determined to follow them down that path.  Many evangelicals now deny the authority, inerrancy, sufficiency, and clarity of Scripture.  We have rejected the source of truth and gone after lies.  We need another reformation with a recovery of confidence in the Bible as the literal Word of God.  If we return to belief in the authority of Scripture then we will eventually be able to say, "after darkness, light."  

Thomas Jefferson And Religion

Thomas Jefferson was one of the most prominent founding fathers of our country.  He wrote the Declaration of Independence, was Secretary of State, and the third President of the United States.  Some have presented Jefferson as a devout Christian while others have presented him as an atheist who was hostile to religion.  So what was Jefferson's real view of religion?  

First of all Thomas Jefferson was not an orthodox Christian.  He cut the miracles of Christ out of his Bible.  Jefferson denied the virgin birth, the divinity of Christ, the miracles of Christ, and the resurrection.  Obviously Jefferson did not view the Bible as the literal Word of God without error.  He saw Jesus as a great teacher and moral example, he even compared him to Socrates.  Jefferson was greatly influenced by the Enlightenment with its great faith in human reason.  Thomas Jefferson was actually a deist and not a Christian or an atheist.  

In the public square Jefferson was a strong advocate for religious liberty.  Jefferson, Madison, and others worked with Bible believing Christians (especially Baptists) to oppose established religion.  In England and throughout Europe there had been established religions.  Those holding to a religious belief different than that of the state were often not tolerated and even persecuted.  Many at the time of the American Revolution feared that England would revert back to Roman Catholicism as it's official religion and enforce it on the colonies.  Religious freedom was one of the strongest motivating factors for the Revolution.  

In 1800 Thomas Jefferson ran against John Adams for president of the United States.  Some orthodox Christians supported Jefferson while others opposed him.  One of those who opposed Jefferson was Timothy Dwight (the grandson of Jonathan Edwards).  Dwight and others feared Jefferson would make America into an anti-Christian nation.  One of those who supported Jefferson was John Leland, a Baptist minister.  Leland and others saw Jefferson as an ally and a great advocate for religious liberty.  Ironically John Adams was a Unitarian who denied the doctrine of the Trinity.  So neither Jefferson or Adams was an orthodox Christian.  

As it turned out Jefferson won the election of 1800 and became the third president of the United States.  As president Thomas Jefferson showed no hostility to Christianity in the public square.  He allowed church services in federal buildings even attending services in the House of Representatives.  Jefferson did not think this violated the separation of church and state.  Jefferson himself was no Christian but he thought the principles of Christianity would help sustain the American Republic.  Interestingly Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826 the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  

The End For Which God Created The World, By Jonathan Edwards

(Book Review)

The End For Which God Created The World, by Jonathan Edwards (Updated To Modern English by Jason Dollar)

Jason Dollar has done a great service for the modern reader in updating the language of this classic work of Jonathan Edwards.  But even in modern English Edwards is not easy to read.
  

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was a pastor, theologian, and philosopher.  He is considered by many to be the greatest theologian in American history.  In the book Edwards asks why did God create the world?  He concludes that it was created to glorify God.  The purpose of everything is to glorify God.  The purpose of humans is to glorify God as well.  They receive their greatest benefit and ultimate good when they glorify him.  Edwards makes the case for his position from reason and Scripture.  

Modern people need the message that Jonathan Edwards taught.  Modern man is purposeless and without direction.  This book puts it all together and shows us the big picture.  The modern church needs to rediscover Edwards.  It needs to recapture his vision of the greatness of God and his God centered view of all things.  Edwards was a brilliant, Biblical thinker.  We need men like him in our day.  

America: Christian Or Secular?

Is America a Christian nation?  Some act as if all of the founders were devout Christians and others act as if they were all atheists.  The truth is that some of the founders were indeed committed Christians but others were not.  There was somewhat of a Biblical worldview in place at the time of the founding of America.  Even Deists like Jefferson and Franklin still had somewhat of a Biblical worldview.  

The American Revolution was not anti- Christian as was the French Revolution.   The French Revolution opposed Christianity and tradition.  It tried to enthrone human reason as king.  The French Revolution turned into a blood bath and a disaster.  The American Revolution produced a republic that became a great country.  

The American system of government was influenced by Biblical teaching.  The separation of powers and the system of checks and balances were influenced by the Biblical doctrine of the sinfulness of man.  The founders realized that men cannot be trusted with too much power.  They also set up a republic and not a democracy.  They saw that pure democracy could devolve into nothing more than mob rule.  

The United States of America could only have come out of the Biblical worldview.  Freedom requires form and the Biblical foundation provided it.  To remain free people have to be able to govern themselves.  There must be a restrained freedom.  There must be a recognition of truth and the rule of law.  The Biblical worldview provided the proper balance and held it all together.  

Unfortunately the Biblical foundation has been destroyed.  Our country no longer recognizes Biblical teaching as foundational.  Instead our modern nation rests on a foundation of secularism.  It is almost as if secular liberals want to follow in the steps of the French Revolution.  Our nation will not survive on a secular foundation.  Our country is falling apart and heading for disaster.  We must recover a Biblical foundation in America.  

 

Who Was John Knox?

John Knox lived from (1513-1572).  He was the most important figure during the Reformation in Scotland.  Little is known about his early life.  In the early 1540's he was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest.  By the mid 1540's he had been influenced by Reformed teaching and had adopted Reformation principles.  

For a while the Reformed movement made progress in Scotland.  But then the Catholics regained control and Protestants were imprisoned.  John Knox spent 18 months in prison.  In 1549 Knox returned to his work of reforming the church in Scotland.  He was then sent into exile and arrived in Geneva in 1554.  

While in Geneva John Knox was greatly influenced by John Calvin and his teaching.  When Knox returned to Scotland in 1559 he set out to do what Calvin had done in Geneva.  Knox referred to Calvin's Geneva as "the most perfect school of Christ there ever was on earth."  

By 1560 Knox had established Presbyterianism as the church of Scotland.  He is credited as the founder of Presbyterianism.  Knox laid out three marks of a true church.  The preaching of the Word, the right administering of the sacraments or ordinances (the Lord's Supper and baptism), and the practice of church discipline.  Knox also conducted a massive educational effort.  Scotland became a mostly literate country.  Knox led the church in Scotland for over a decade.  

Who Was Jan Hus?

Jan Hus lived from (1372-1415).  The name Jan is pronounced like Yon.  He lived in Bohemia which is the modern day Czech Republic.  Hus became a priest in 1401.  He taught at Charles University and preached at Bethlehem Chapel.  He was greatly influenced by John Wycliffe (1329-1384).  

Jan Hus believed in the ultimate authority of Scripture instead of the ultimate authority of the Pope.  Hus proposed translating the Bible into Czech.  The Roman Catholic Church only allowed it to be translated into Latin. Hus also believed in preaching the Bible to the congregation.  Hus taught that only God can forgive sins and condemned the sale of indulgences.  He also preached against some of his fellow priests who were corrupt.  

Standing against the corruption and erroneous teachings of the Roman Catholic Church did not make Hus popular.  His challenges to the Catholic Church got him into trouble.  The case against Jan Hus was sent to Rome.  Hus wished to go to Rome in order to defend his views.  He was never allowed to make a defense of his teachings.  Hus was tried and condemned as a heretic by the Roman Catholic Church.  Hus refused to recant his views.  Then he was burned at the stake.  

Jan Hus was a Christian martyr and hero of the faith.  He was a forerunner of the Protestant Reformation.  He attempted Biblical reform of the Roman Catholic Church.  A century later Martin Luther would take his stand on these very same ideas.  The Reformation would not be stopped by the Roman Catholic Church.   

J. Gresham Machen, Fundamentalism, And Liberalism

J. Gresham Machen lived from 1881-1937.  He was a New Testament professor and apologist who taught at Princeton Seminary and later Westminster Seminary.  Machen became a prominent leader of the fundamentalist movement.  He did not use the term fundamentalist himself, but preferred Bible believing Christian.  

In the 1800's theological liberalism arose in Germany.  By the late 1800's and early 1900's it had spread to the United States.  Liberalism was an effort to bring Christianity in line with the teaching of the Enlightenment.  Human reason and science were the authorities instead of Biblical revelation.  The liberals ended up denying the authority and inerrancy of Scripture.  It denied miracles as well.  The virgin birth, the deity of Christ, the substitutionary atonement, the bodily resurrection, and the second coming of Christ were all denied.  

In the early 1900's fundamentalism arose to combat liberalism.  The fundamentalists got their name because they were defending the fundamentals of the faith.  They were simply standing for historic, orthodox Christianity.  The early fundamentalism of Machen and others was excellent.  But unfortunately the movement strayed away from it's early roots and became known for separatism, pietism, and moralism.  

Machen's most prominent work was "Christianity and Liberalism".  In it he contrasts Biblical Christianity with Liberalism.  Machen concluded that liberalism was not Christianity at all.  He taught at Princeton Theological Seminary but eventually left because of it's liberal turn in the 1920's.  He went on to start Westminster Theological Seminary.  He was also put out of the Presbyterian Church (USA) for his opposition to it's liberalism in the 1930's.  After this Machen started the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.  

J. Gresham Machen was a great leader in church history.  He was an excellent New Testament scholar and Christian apologist.  He stood for the truth and defended Biblical Christianity even when it was unpopular. 

John Calvin Defended

John Calvin lived from 1509-1564 and was born in France.  He initially studied law,  but he soon developed an interest in theology after coming under the influence of the Protestant Reformation.  Calvin became a pastor, theologian, and leader of the Reformed church.  John Calvin became the second most prominent figure in the Reformation behind only Martin Luther.  Calvin eventually had to leave France because the Reformed were facing persecution from the Roman Catholic Church there.  He ended up in Geneva where he became very influential in the church and society.  

John Calvin's major works include "Institutes Of The Christian Religion" and commentaries on almost all the books of the Bible.  The "Institutes" was a systematic theology meant to be an introduction to the teaching of the Bible.  Calvin's "Institutes" is one of the greatest books in church history.  John Calvin held to the great teachings of the Reformation.  We are saved by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone.  Scripture alone is authoritative and to God alone belongs the glory.  But unfortunately in some circles Calvin has a bad reputation.  

Didn't John Calvin have his daughter-in-law put to death because of adultery?  The problem with this one is that Calvin did not have a daughter-in-law.  This accusation is obviously not true.  

But didn't John Calvin have Michael Servetus executed?  First of all Servetus was a heretic who denied the Trinity.  He even referred to God as a three headed monster.  Calvin held no government position so he had no authority to execute anyone.  He was not a crazy tyrant as some would have us to believe.  Execution of heretics was the policy in Geneva before Calvin even arrived there.  It was simply the common view of the day held by most Protestants and Catholics. They saw the heretic as a murderer of the soul.  So by this reasoning a murderer deserved to be executed.  Trying to lay the blame for this on Calvin is terribly unfair. People must be looked at in their historical context.  

Didn't John Calvin invent that horrible doctrine of predestination?  Calvin believed in the absolute sovereignty of God and this leads necessarily to predestination.  It is the belief that God has determined beforehand who he will save.  He has chosen to save some while passing over others.  The doctrine of predestination was not invented by John Calvin.  The same view was held by Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and most of the Reformers.  The church father Augustine held to predestination and most importantly it is taught in the Bible.  Since it comes from the Word of God it is not a horrible doctrine but a wonderful doctrine.  

John Calvin was not a perfect person but the bad reputation is not deserved.  He was one of the greatest theologians and leaders in church history.  In fact if some of the Calvin opponents would simply read his work they might be surprised to find out how much they agree with him.  John Calvin has been described as a fanatic for the glory of God. If only more of us could be described that way.      

Who Was Augustine?

Augustine lived from AD 354-430.  He was born in North Africa to a father who was an unbeliever and to a mother who was a Christian.  His mother's name was Monica and she taught him Christianity.  Afterward Augustine studied philosophy and came to reject Christianity.  But eventually under the influence of his mother and a preacher named Ambrose, Augustine came to embrace Christianity.  He revealed that he was converted after reading Romans 13.  

Augustine went on to become Bishop of Hippo which is in northern Africa.  He became one of the greatest and most influential theologians in church history.  His most noted works are "Confessions" and "The City Of God".  "Confessions" was his autobiography.  In it he tells of his sinful lifestyle and then his conversion to Christianity.  "The City Of God" looks at the two cities, the city of God and the city of man.  In it he also defends Christianity against accusations that it was the cause of the fall of Rome.  

Augustine was involved in a major controversy with a British monk named Pelagius.  Pelagius denied original sin, teaching that people were not born sinners. According to him we become sinners because we sin.  He even suggested that it was possible to live a life without sin.  Pelagius believed that people have an absolute free will to choose God.  For Pelagius salvation was basically the work of man.  

On the other hand Augustine taught original sin, believing we are born sinners.  We sin because we are sinners.  He also believed it was not possible for man to not sin.  Augustine taught that we are unable to choose God because our will is in bondage to sin.  We only have a limited free will, we choose what we want not what we ought.  Augustine believed that only those chosen by God would receive salvation.  He taught the absolute sovereignty of God and believed salvation was the work of God.   

Augustine has been very influential throughout church history especially during the Protestant Reformation.  Martin Luther and John Calvin both held Augustine in high regard.  In fact those who think that what is today known as Calvinism was invented by John Calvin should take a look back at Augustine.   

Who Was Justin Martyr?

Justin Martyr lived from around AD 100-165.  He was born in Palestine to Greek parents.  Justin studied and taught Greek philosophy.  He eventually converted to Christianity after being impressed by Christians who were willing to die for their faith.  

Justin then became a Christian apologist. An apologist is one who defends the Christian faith.  His major works included:  "First Apology", "Second Apology", and "Dialogue With Trypho".  Trypho was a Jew whom Justin sought to convince that Christianity was the fulfillment of Judaism.  Justin defended Christianity as a superior philosophy to Greek philosophy.  Greeks saw Christianity as unreasonable and foolish.  Justin presented Christianity as reasonable and intellectual.  Justin Martyr also made a defense of Christians to the Roman authorities.  Rome saw Christians as a threat because they would not worship the emperor or the Roman gods.  Justin made the case that the high morality and virtue of the Christians made them excellent citizens.  

It does seem that Justin depended too much on philosophy and elevated Plato too highly in his work.  But he did also use the Scriptures when making his defenses.  Justin did much good work as an early Christian apologist.   In AD 165 while teaching at Rome, Justin was executed for teaching an illegal religion and refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods.  This is how he became known as Justin Martyr. 

Evidence For Jesus, Outside The Bible

Many people may not realize it but there is evidence of Jesus outside of the Bible in non-Christian sources.  Few scholars would suggest that Jesus never existed because the evidence is too great that he did exist.  Three of the most important non-Christian sources are Josephus, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger.  

Josephus was a first century Jewish historian.  His writings actually mention John the Baptist and the fact that he was killed by Herod Antipas.  Josephus also identifies James as the brother of Jesus.  He mentions that Jesus was called Christ.  He is described as a wise man and a teacher. Josephus states that Jesus won over many Jews and Greeks.  He also reports that Jesus was condemned to be crucified by Pilate.  He says Christians were named after Christ and they were still present when he wrote. 

Another important source is Tacitus, the Roman historian.  He wrote around A.D. 115.  He records that the Emperor Nero (54-68) blamed Christians for the fire in Rome in A.D. 64.   Nero tried to shift the blame from himself onto the Christians.  He mentions that Christians get their name from Christus, that is Christ.  Tacitus says that Jesus was crucified during the reign of Tiberius (14-37) by Pontius Pilate (26-36). He informs us that Christianity had spread to Rome by the 60's.  

A third source is Pliny the Younger.  He was the nephew of Pliny the Elder.  He was governor of Bithynia and wrote to the Emperor Trajan around A.D. 111.  In his letter he mentions that Christians regularly meet together on a fixed day.   He also reports that they worship Christ as God.  

So from non-Christian sources outside of the Bible we have much information about Jesus and his followers.  We know that Jesus was a Jewish teacher and a wise man.  He had a brother named James and he had many followers.  We know he was crucified under Pontius Pilate during the reign of the emperor, Tiberius.  We know that his followers had spread to Rome by A.D. 64,  despite his death by crucifixion.  And we know that Jesus was worshiped as God by his followers. 

The Fundamentalists

The Fundamentalist movement began in the early 1900's as a reaction against modernism or liberalism.  The name came from a group of booklets called The Fundamentals.  The Fundamentalists set out to defend historic Christian doctrines that were under attack by the liberals.  Belief in the supernatural was no longer considered viable by the liberals. 

Among the doctrines defended by the Fundamentalists were the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, the substitutionary atonement, the bodily resurrection of Christ, the second coming of Christ, and the inerrancy of Scripture. 

In it's early days Fundamentalism was a good movement.  J. Gresham Machen was a notable figure in the movement although he never called himself a Fundamentalist.  Machen was a New Testament scholar who wrote the excellent book "Christianity and Liberalism".  Unfortunately Machen was forced out of Princeton Seminary and his own denomination because he stood strong for Biblical Christianity. 

The Fundamentalist movement began to decline especially after the Scopes trial in 1925. The trial was an embarrassment for the Fundamentalists.  Clarence Darrow argued the case for teaching evolution while William Jennings Bryan made the case for creationism.  Bryan was not the best person to represent the Fundamentalists side.  Darrow was able to win the public relations aspect of the trial even though the actual case was won by Bryan. 

Fundamentalism became characterized by being anti-intellectual, separatist, legalistic, and having little social concern. They tried not to be of the world but also withdrew from the world.  They would not be involved in politics for example.  In some cases the proclamation of truth was not joined with love. At times the Fundamentalists did not come across that well to people, seeming to lack grace. 

The movement is characterized by dispensationalism (the belief in a pre tribulation rapture), acceptance of the King James Version of the Bible only, and Arminian theology (as opposed to Calvinist theology).  Often the focus of the movement has been morality instead of theology.  Morality must be based on theology because when the Christian theology falls the Christian morality will soon follow.  The movement has also been characterized by emotionalism, lacking robust intellectual thought. 

Fundamentalism started out as a fine movement that was in line with historic, Biblical Christianity.  But it eventually declined and drifted away from it at least somewhat.