10 perils of ignoring the past

Some claim that in the name of progress, the church must disregard the past. But we do this to our great peril.

Here now are the 10 Perils of Ignoring the Past, from Dr. Paul Maier ...

1. Faith without history is far more vulnerable to attacks from the outside.

2. A faith detached from its biblical and historical foundation is less intelligible, less credible, and more subject to the latest theological whimsy.

3. God commands His people to remember their past and learn from it.

4, We can begin to lose our heritage as the church of the Reformation, as it was Luther and the other reformers who virtually rediscovered church history.

5. Historical amnesia has condemned some in the church to repeat its mistakes over the last 2000 years.

6. Ignoring history removes one of the priceless advantages the Christian faith has over all other religions.

7. Diminishing the heroes of the faith in church history will not help inspire us to be faithful followers of Christ.

8. The rich traditions of the church will have much less significance in the life of the church today.

9.  We risk losing the precious gifts that have been handed down to us in terms of doctrine, liturgy, theology, education, and mission.

10. We risk losing the very heart of the church - the gospel itself.  

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