The historical impact of the Protestant Reformation cannot be overstated. The ecclesiastical and theological traditions that have come from it and the resulting impact upon Evangelicalism have been magnanimous. Essentially, we owe the founding of our nation and its religious freedom to the Protestant Reformation. The Reformed tradition that resulted established much of the foundation and proliferation of Christianity in America. Particularly, the orthodox foundation of evangelical commitment to the authority of the Bible and salvation by grace alone through faith in Christ alone are all consequence of Reformation principles. These principles launched evangelicalism and fundamentalist convictions in the 20th century and maintained conservative evangelicalism through the widespread liberalism subsequent to the Enlightenment era. Even the Southern Baptist Convention owes its conservative resurgence to Reformation principles – particularly that of Sola Scriptura.
Unfortunately, from the mid to late 20th century up until today, this Reformed foundation has fallen on hard times. However, in recent years there has been a resurgence of Reformed commitments among younger evangelicals. Despite this Protestant Reformed resurgence, there are many misconceptions and mischaracterizations of basic Reformed principles and doctrines – principles and doctrines that are traced in Christian history even centuries before Wycliffe, Hus, Luther, or Calivn, but are found in the Apostles themselves.
The following resources are given to provide helpful and accurate information regarding the history and the doctrines of the Reformed tradition (within American Evangelicalism as well as the Southern Baptist Convention) without which you would have no Christian faith today in America.
Monergism.com – (as stated on their site) Equips Christians in the truth by making available the finest classic articles and resources of historical orthodoxy. This is done in the hope that the church will embrace, and recover the true Biblical doctrines of the historic faith.
Founders.org – (as stated on their site) is a ministry of teaching and encouragement promoting both doctrine and devotion expressed in the Doctrines of Grace and their experiential application to the local church, particularly in the areas of worship and witness. Founders Ministries takes as its theological framework the first recognized confession of faith that Southern Baptists produced, The Abstract of Principles. We desire to encourage the return to and promulgation of the biblical gospel that our Southern Baptist forefathers held dear.