Every five hundred years Christian theology shakes itself to its core. In the sixth century, the Monophysites ignited a fierce debate on the nature of Christ, sending shards of the conflict into Ethiopia and the Far East. In 1054, the Great Schism tore the united faith in two, the doctrinal Catholics and the mystical Orthodox. Then, in 1517, a haughty monk nailed 95 major complaints against his own religious establishment to a wall, irreversibly splintering the Christian faith into hundreds, nay, thousands of sects. Each time, the political world fell into the chaos. Civil wars, falling empires, peasant revolts, and all kinds of mayhem followed in their wake. Why wouldn't they? Life, as everyone knew it, had changed forever.
And now the year is 2018, just over five hundred years from the last revolution. Much has happened- the colonization of an entire hemisphere, the Industrial Revolution, and two World Wars. It speaks volumes of the Christian faith that it has survived where dozens, perhaps hundreds, of lesser religions have failed. Yet where is it now? Record lows of attendance in the West, pastors and televangelists more interested in their bottom line than their flock, and a congregation no more interested in the faith than the three words "God is good."
It is a ripe time for a revolution. In the name of God, the church must be reformed.
And now the year is 2018, just over five hundred years from the last revolution. Much has happened- the colonization of an entire hemisphere, the Industrial Revolution, and two World Wars. It speaks volumes of the Christian faith that it has survived where dozens, perhaps hundreds, of lesser religions have failed. Yet where is it now? Record lows of attendance in the West, pastors and televangelists more interested in their bottom line than their flock, and a congregation no more interested in the faith than the three words "God is good."
It is a ripe time for a revolution. In the name of God, the church must be reformed.
Either:
- You are a Christian splinter group. For years, perhaps decades, you grew up ideologically isolated from the rest of your neighbors. As you and your congregation held true to the faith and delved deeper into God's wonders and teachings, you noticed all the other churches slowly grow further and further from the faith. Your pastor reached out to that of the church down the road to express these concerns. Rather than address them, however, that pastor simply told you to "stop dividing the church." Enough is enough. If God wants you to reshape His flock, then your congregation will not be the found wanting.
- You are one of the steadfast Christian churches. At the outset of this new wave of skepticism, you couldn't believe what you were hearing. Whatever the grievances these brothers had, surely they weren't worth a civil war! Heck, with some, you couldn't even be certain that they could be called brothers; perhaps "cultists" would best describe them. Your congregation, obviously, spoke out against these divisions. These matters could be settled under one banner, and they are of no concern in the larger picture. Whatever troubles may come, God will not find your faith wanting.
- You are an unaffiliated organization. You didn't even know this was a thing until it was well underway. When it crossed your computer screen, you didn't pay any heed. It was none of your concern, at the very least. Soon, however, the events that unfolded made it clear that this wasn't going to be yesterday's news for quite a while. All right; that's fine, so long as it didn't concern you. Then you started to hear your coworkers, hell, major politicians come out in support of one side or another. Neutrality was no longer a passive stance. You are going to have to choose a path or make one, regardless of what these new factions are wanting.
- First and foremost, THIS IS NOT A CHRISTIAN-BASHING SESSION. Christianity is a deep and complex religion, filled with many different sects and beliefs. It couldn't survive for two thousand years if it had the stereotypes that most outsiders use to label the faith. We're not talking about, "Oh, what if Christians weren't discriminatory?", or, "What if Christians weren't dumb?" The history of the Christian faith is far more interesting than that, filled with issues about the nature of Christ, the meaning of symbols and rituals, and mystery versus concreteness. As the host, I want to explore these aspects with the rest of you. So, no, unless you purposely portray your outside organization as distant from Christian inner workings, I will not be accepting applications that I think will have that bent.
- Conversely, THIS IS NOT CHRISTIAN PROPAGANDA. If you'd like to learn about my Christian faith or the history of Christianity, I would love to share with you. However, over the course of this RP I hope to take a serious look at the state of the modern church. In the past, God's messengers and even Jesus himself was deeply critical of the religious establishment. I see no reason why we shouldn't do the same, but even the harshest criticisms are too vague to be applicable. "Be more God-centered!" "Okay, how?" Hopefully, by the end of this RP, we'll have a rough idea.
The new crisis arose with the simple upload of a video by pastor Phil Egilson, which grew viral almost immediately. This was followed promptly by the breaking off of the Synod of True Anglicans from their parent denomination, and with the United Evangelical Church in Ethiopia writing a letter to churches around the world addressing their concerns.
This was later dubbed by critics and fanatics as the "Book of Ethiopians," in reference to Paul's letters to the churches of the Mediterranean. In an attempt to reunite the two factions, the pope called the two sides together to settle their differences. While the pope himself is partial to the reformers, the rest of the Catholic church frowns upon the further division.
This was later dubbed by critics and fanatics as the "Book of Ethiopians," in reference to Paul's letters to the churches of the Mediterranean. In an attempt to reunite the two factions, the pope called the two sides together to settle their differences. While the pope himself is partial to the reformers, the rest of the Catholic church frowns upon the further division.
- Please be respectful of everyone posting, and of the topics discussed.
- There will be a 1000 word maximum per post. No back-to-back posting to dodge the rule.
- If you were accepted in the original OOC and posted in the IC, you are accepted here automatically. No need to reapply. However, I will be retconning a few things, so please read up on the "Recent History" section.
- You can time-skip, but only in increments of one month per new post. You must, however, for all posts, give other the RPers around you at least one chance to react to anything you do.
- This RP can and will move without you if you refuse to post.
- SWEARING IS ALLOWED, but not to excess. Offensive is fine, annoying is grounds for expulsion.
- Fun is mandatory. Anyone not having fun is clearly going through some issues posting here, and we feel sorry for you.
- Synod of True Anglicans, Important figures:
- California Lutherans for Confessional Study, Important figures:
- Simple Living Lutheran Synod, Important figures:
- United Evangelical Church in Ethiopia, Important figures: Reverend Dessalegne Mebrete, Pastor Kaleb Daniachew.
It is advised but not necessary to brush up on past historical conflicts. Extra History made a good set of videos on the first division, and the following Great Schism and Protestant Reformation should each have plenty of outside sources. I recommend, though, that you focus on the theological intricacies discussed within them, rather than just the overarching narrative.
- Code: Select all
[b]CHRISTIAN FACTION APPLICATION[/b]
NS Name:
Faction Name:
Nicknames:
City of HQ:
Leader:
Population:
Parent Denomination:
Deviations (if applicable):
Background/Beliefs:
[i](Embolden the idea(s) your denomination supports;
embolden both for a neutral stance)[/i]
Predestination/Free Will
Tradition/Adaptation
Baptism: Necessary/Optional
Cussing: Permitted/Discouraged
Individualism/Community
- Code: Select all
[b]SECULAR FACTION APPLICATION[/b]
NS Name:
Faction Name:
City of HQ:
Leader:
Population:
Net Worth:
Reason for Concern/Involvement:
Are you partial to a side?:
How often does personal ethics go into your organization's policies?:
CHRISTIAN FACTION APPLICATION
NS Name: Zjaum
Faction Name: Loomisians
Nicknames: "Bookworms," "Downers"
City of HQ: Loomis, California, United States
Leader: Doctor Phillip Egilson, Wendy Baker
Population: 40-50
Parent Denomination: Dutch Reformed
Deviations (if applicable): Liturgical calendar
Background/Beliefs: The Christian people have become weak-willed. They've abandoned their traditions, and their idea of worship is a joke. People are free to come and go as they please without any sort of contempt or judgement, but this congregation stands for deeper learning of God's word and more worthy forms of praise. We will use all means at hand to better understand our faith: science, historical documents, anything and everything concrete. To honor our Lord and Savior, there is no price too high.
(Embolden the idea(s) your denomination supports;
embolden both for a neutral stance)
Predestination/Free Will
Tradition/Adaptation
Baptism: Necessary/Optional
Cussing: Permitted/Discouraged
Individualism/Community
SECULAR FACTION APPLICATION
NS Name: Zjaum
Faction Name: Rock of Angels, Inc.
City of HQ: Little Rock, Arkansas
Leader: Jedediah Judson
Population: 347
Net Worth: $110M
Reason for Concern/Involvement: Supplies Christian material and media to interested churches and families.
Are you partial to a side?: No
How often does personal ethics go into your organization's policies?: Practically never
NS Name: Zjaum
Faction Name: Loomisians
Nicknames: "Bookworms," "Downers"
City of HQ: Loomis, California, United States
Leader: Doctor Phillip Egilson, Wendy Baker
Population: 40-50
Parent Denomination: Dutch Reformed
Deviations (if applicable): Liturgical calendar
Background/Beliefs: The Christian people have become weak-willed. They've abandoned their traditions, and their idea of worship is a joke. People are free to come and go as they please without any sort of contempt or judgement, but this congregation stands for deeper learning of God's word and more worthy forms of praise. We will use all means at hand to better understand our faith: science, historical documents, anything and everything concrete. To honor our Lord and Savior, there is no price too high.
(Embolden the idea(s) your denomination supports;
embolden both for a neutral stance)
Predestination/Free Will
Tradition/Adaptation
Baptism: Necessary/Optional
Cussing: Permitted/Discouraged
Individualism/Community
SECULAR FACTION APPLICATION
NS Name: Zjaum
Faction Name: Rock of Angels, Inc.
City of HQ: Little Rock, Arkansas
Leader: Jedediah Judson
Population: 347
Net Worth: $110M
Reason for Concern/Involvement: Supplies Christian material and media to interested churches and families.
Are you partial to a side?: No
How often does personal ethics go into your organization's policies?: Practically never
.