Frame's pattern

I've been auditing John Frame's History of Philosophy and Christian Thought at RTS Orlando. No, I haven't been hopping in my car and driving up the Florida Turnpike to attend his class. One doesn't have to. It's available absolutely free at RTS on iTunes U (I'd like to hug the genius at Apple who came up with this idea)!

Historical patterns are fascinating. Dr. Frame sees a pattern in Christian thought that made me say "wow". I'll try to explain. It goes something like this. In the early centuries of the church we had Origen (185-254). Origen was a brilliant thinker and fundamentally loyal to the faith, but he was a SYNTHESIZER. In other words he sought to integrate Christianity with the paganism of his day, which was Greek philosophy. His synthesis was widely accepted in the church, but it led to Arius (250-336) the HERETIC, who taught that Christ was a creature. Arius provoked the REFORMER, Athanasius (293-373), who almost single-handedly defeated the Arians. Now this reformer wasn't necessarily a great intellect, but he was a tenacious defender of the basics (in this case the divinity of Christ and the doctrine of the trinity as decided by the Council of Nicea). Finally, Athanasius' reforms cut the root of the Christian/pagan synthesis and made it possible for the CONSOLIDATOR Augustine (354-430), who was a towering intellect, to come in and rethink everything from the ground up into a more Biblical consensus. So, the SYNTHESIZER led to the HERETIC who provoked the REFORMER who paved the way for the CONSOLIDATOR. What's interesting is that this pattern repeats itself in the Reformation period.

First we have the brilliant SYNTHESIZER Aquinas (1225-1274), a faithful Christian, but someone who brings a lot of pagan ideas into his thought, creating a Christian/pagan synthesis which becomes widely accepted in the medieval church. Eventually this leads to the abuses epitomized by the HERETIC Tetzel (1465-1519), who preaches that you basically buy your salvation via indulgences. Tetzel provokes the REFORMER Luther (1483-1546) who courageously confronts Rome and launches the Protestant Reformation. Coming on the heels of Luther, is the brilliant CONSOLIDATOR Calvin (1509-1564) who thinks through and works out all the implications of Luther's reforms creating, once again, a more Biblical consensus.

One wonders if that pattern will repeat itself. Where is the 21st-century church on that continuum? Is there a Christian/pagan synthesis creeping in that will eventually lead to heresy? Or are we already at that point? I don't know, but it's interesting to think about. If nothing else history should teach us to continually run to texts like Romans 12:2 and ask God to guard us from the subtle influences of the paganisms of this age.