Protestant Reformation Rationalism

The Protestant Reformation may be described as a time of “reclamation.” Reformers set out to bring doctrine and practice into closer alignment with the New Testament. Following the Reformation, a period of rationalism set in. Human reason became the final court of appeal. What started as a response to a cry for reclamation of revealed scripture now heard voices that denied the existence of revelation. Although this Age of Reason is bracketed from 1648 to 1789, its effect has continued to the present day. Naturally, as we move from one “age” to another, the boundaries are not as well defined as the terminology suggests. Reliance on human reason was not new. Neither did everyone adopt a rationalistic approach to religion. But the turn of events
The effort faces numerous questions. How does one live out Christian principles when those principles are tied to rules and procedures? What controls should be placed on human thoughts and behavior? How should these limitations be enforced? These are the questions that haunt believers. Perhaps it is too much to ask the church of the 17th and 18th centuries to respond properly to the emerging ideas of the intellectuals. Protestant groups especially are still trying to find their way, settling disputes, deciding how to relate to one another. Yet, their emphasis on doctrine, especially particularistic doctrines and procedure co-opted with slackening morality to produce an unhealthy situation. In this vacuum arose a new spirit, not necessarily one generated by humanism, but by interest in spirituality a movement called, pietism. Respect for rational philosophy was largely derived from the successes and popularity of science. The surprising discoveries of astronomers produced a new view of the individual's place in the universe; in his law of gravitation, Newton supplied mathematical evidence from their perspective. His laws, along with the other laws of science, suggested that human reason operated effectively only when it was interpreting sensory experience. Material reality was accepted as the only reality. Therefore, the natural laws affecting human society were also considered as basically
We think on the one hand of the Anglican mainstream and on the other hand of the dissenters. The dissenters often had an agenda of their own—or they would not have been dissenters in the first place—and so they may respond to new intrusions differently than non-dissenters. If the reason for dissent is acerbated by new philosophical or social thought, then it will oppose the innovation. But if the new trend is unrelated to the reason for dissent, it may acquiesce. The political circumstances in Scotland introduced a set of issues that needed resolution before dealing with the emerging Age of Reason. In the long run, however, the resolution of strategic issues was tempered by a new spirit of the age. Even innovation can bring correction to otherwise out of bounds Christian thought and behavior. The Church of England was characterized as placid, reasoned, tolerant, and partisan. Sermons tended to focus on ethical issues rather than dogmatics. Moralists found the upper classes cynical and sophisticated, the lower classes brutalized and debauched, but from the middle classes they received a good response. The eighteenth century was the golden age of philanthropy. Toward the end of the century, the Sunday school movement made its appearance with a vision of providing popular education. Meanwhile, Oxford and Cambridge continued to be open only to Anglicans. From within the fold of Anglicanism,