The nineteenth century became an extraordinary period of religious experimentation, revival and institutional change, particularly in the United States and Britain.
Restoration
Some movements sought to restore the New Testament Church by moving beyond inherited denominational structures and creeds.
That impulse raises a fascinating historical question:
If Christianity needed to be restored in the 1800s, what happened to Christ's Church during the intervening centuries?
Holiness
The Holiness movement grew substantially from Wesleyan roots and emphasized sanctification and holy living.
It would later become one important stream feeding early Pentecostalism.
New Movements
The century also witnessed the emergence or expansion of several groups with distinctive claims about restoring primitive Christianity, prophecy, authority or biblical interpretation.
These movements should be treated individually rather than lumped together.
The Historical Test
Whenever a movement claims restoration, ask:
- When does its distinctive teaching first appear?
- Can it be found among early Christians?
- Does it require believing the visible Church broadly lost essential Christianity?
- What did Christ promise about His Church?