In Protestantism, notwithstanding the common claim that Protestants
agree on the “central” doctrines of the gospel and only have disagreements on
non-essentials, there is no consistency therein. For example, most Lutherans,
historically and in modern times, explicitly teach baptismal regeneration, but
Reformed Baptists and others who believe such a teaching to be in error will
not, when push comes to shove, argue that, from their perspective, Lutherans
fall under the anathema of Gal 1:6-9, and Lutherans will follow suit, believing
the Reformed Baptists and others to be in error, but not grave error, for rejecting this doctrine, notwithstanding this
deals with justification, regeneration, and other central issues relating to salvation
itself(!) I discuss this, in part, in Not
By Scripture Alone: A Latter-day Saint Refutation of Sola Scriptura.
A historical example of Protestants condemning fellow Protestants over what
modern Protestants claim to be a “non-essential” doctrine (as opposed to
ignoring disagreement over a central doctrine) would be the Presbyterians and
other major denominations believing pre-millennial eschatology to be dangerous
and heretical. As Joseph Boot, himself a proponent of a-millennial eschatology,
wrote the following about various condemnations of this doctrine in his native
Canada in the 19th-century:
This doctrine
horrified the leading evangelicals and Protestant churches in Ontario.
Christian missionaries, like the Presbyterian Rev. James S. Douglas, sought to
combat this millennial threat advancing the critical point that our view of the
future impacts our activity in the present. For him, we must be, ‘up and doing,’
because Christ will only return when the gospel has been victorious and the
nations disciplined. To sit still, purporting to interpret prophecy and waiting
for the second advent, was unacceptable to such men. Neither could they accept
a view that foresaw Christ returning twice—first to a ‘secret rapture’ of the
church, and then a second time to a satanically-ruined history for the
slaughter of his enemies with supernatural military power, forcibly setting up
a literal world-state from Jerusalem. Such a view seemed to undermine the very
essence of the gospel and the power of God manifest at the cross and in the
giving of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the task of teaching the nations.
Douglas’ view was summarised by the Protestant periodical, Christian Guardian: “We therefore conclude that the Kingdom of
Christ is a spiritual kingdom on earth, which is to be carried on through the
instrumentality of God’s Holy Spirit . . . This is the plan laid down by
Christ, and to be duly attended to by His church to enlarge and spread our
messiah’s kingdom through the world” (William Westfall, Two Worlds: The Protestant Culture of Nineteenth Century Ontario [Kingston:
McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1989], 183). As Westfall demonstrates, these
pre-millennial and dispensational movements were roundly condemned as heretical
sects by the evangelical Protestant community in Ontario in all five of the
main denominations (Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Congregational),
which he states all suffered under the millennial crusades. Because of this,
Westfall notes that “their archives are filled with material on the outbreaks
of what they regarded as a persistent and threatening heresy” (Ibid., 169). Of
course the millennialists shared much in common with traditional Protestantism.
Both believed in Christ’s reign (at some point), both held to his second coming
and judgment. But as a key doctrine of cultural analysis reveals, “heresy gains
power and authority because it is so close to what it tries to oppose” (Ibid.,
170). (Joseph Boot, The Mission of God: A
Manifesto of Hope for Society [London: Wilberforce Publications, 2016], 86)
Asking the question of why was
“pre-millennialism seen as so dangerous, even heretical?” (ibid.), Boot writes:
It was not simply
that Protestant theologians did not find adequate ground for it when interpreting
Scripture (which they claimed they could no); they were looking at the fruit of these doctrines in the lives of people, and were often horrified by what they
saw. Until this point, for much of Canada, hopes of a great Christian dominion
developing across the North through the spread of the gospel were nurtured, as
revealed by the founding text of the Canadian Dominion (Psalm 72:8). On
Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the Parliament buildings remain testament to this
Christian vision, most notably, the Peace Tower and the memorial Chamber, where
Scripture is engraved everywhere, inside and out. But according to Westfall,
the impact of these sects was very significant in undermining this vision . . .
Of the broad effects of millennialism Westfall writes:
Millennialism had a
devastating effect on the institutional structure of the Protestant churches,
which bore the brunt of the onslaught . . . According to contemporary accounts
the prospect of the end of the world caused many people to abandon the routines
of their daily existence and adopt a watchful inactivity in secular and sacred
affairs. The two problems were closely related—the millennial groups were able
to disrupt religious institutions because they presented an interpretation of
time that appealed to many people. By the same token the Protestant churches
had to provide their own interpretation of time in order to stop the destruction
caused by millennialism. (Ibid., 177) (Ibid., 86-87)
