William Careys Theology - World Evangelical Alliance

18 William Carey’s Theology
conversion of Israel notas the end of the world, 59 but as the beginning of
the Millennium. R. J. Bauckham regards Brightman to be the “first influential
exponent” of Postmillennialism. 60
Postmillennialism is, therefore, primarily a Reformed interest. Hans
Schwarz writes:
“The Reformed tradition has often demonstrated greater closeness and support
of the Postmillennial view than of other interpretations of history. To the
most part, this is due to the Reformed emphasis on God’s sovereignty and on
the faith that Christ is Lord over all human life. They are also convinced that
the Holy Spirit empowers the Christian fellowship to achieve the thorough
dissemination of the world with the Gospel and the change of culture and society
according to the Spirit and the will of Christ.” 61
For him, as well as for Gary DeMar, 62 Postmillennialism is an optimistic
variation on Amillennialism. 63 E. L. Hebdon Taylor writes, “The Reformed
faith of the Bible is future oriented.” 64 Richard Bauckham, apparently an
opponent of Chiliasm, still assumes that Postmillennialism was more suited
to the Reformation. 65
Therefore, it is not surprising, that Postmillennialism has been taught
only in Reformed Confessions. Early Postmillennial overtones can be
heard in Calvin’s notes on the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer in his
Catechism of Geneva:
“268. What do you understand under the ‘Kingdom of God’ in the second
petition? It consists basically of two things: the leadership of His own through
His Spirit and, in contrast to that, in the confusion and the destruction of the
lost, who refuse to submit to His rule. In the end, it will be clear, that there is
no power which can resist His power.
269. How do you pray for the coming of this Kingdom? May the Lord increase
the number of His believers from day to day, may he daily pour His
gifts of grace upon them, until He has filled them completely; may He let His
59 . Iain Murray, The Puritan Hope, op. cit., p. 45
60 . Richard J. Bauckham, “Millennium,” op. cit., p. 429.
61 . Hans Schwarz, Jenseits von Utopie und Resignation: Einführung in die christliche
Eschatologie (Wuppertal, Germany: R. Brockhaus, 1991) p. 205.
62 . Gary DeMar and Peter J. Leithart, The Reduction of Christianity: Dave Hunt’s
Theology of Cultural Surrender (Fort Worth, Texas: Dominion Press, and Atlanta:
American Vision Press, 1988) p. 41.
63 . Hans Schwarz, Jenseits von Utopie und Resignation, op. cit., p. 206.
64 . E. L. Hebden Taylor, Economics, Money and Banking (Nutley, N. J.: The Craige
Press, 1978) p. 151.
65 . Richard J. Bauckham, “Chiliasmus IV. Reformation und Neuzeit”, op. cit., p. 739.