2nd Comm. question - historical observance

[LittleFaith]

Can anyone point me to some good resources on the history of 2nd commandment observance since the Reformation? I'm primarily interested in knowing how we got from the position of the original Reformers regarding images of Jesus to our present-day state of affairs. When did exceptions to this start becoming more frequent, and how did we get to the point where even the majority of Reformed thinkers don't really consider this a big deal?

 

[NaphtaliPress]

A guess: begins 19th century in various sorts of declining (liberalism, emotionalism, new school gospel trumps doctrine, etc.), affects Presbyterianism and when the conservatives came out in the 20th, they wanted to keep their nice windows and SS literature more than stand to the Reformed confessional view.

 

[LittleFaith]

Is there a reading resource that addresses this? I somehow suspect your average western history text won't quite get around to that particular topic.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Is there a reading resource that addresses this? I somehow suspect your average western history text won't quite get around to that particular topic.

I don't know. But give the decline as I say in the 19th century it likely starts then; at least for Presbyterianism; though other declining happened in the 18th century such as going googly-eyed for Watts over the metrical psalms.

 

[Andres]

Check Minutes of Synod.

 

[LittleFaith]

Check Minutes of Synod.

Can you elaborate?

 

[Andres]

You can go back through minutes of Synod for the PCA (or whichever denomination you desire to specifically learn about) and see where decisions/rulings were made to allow for exceptions or anything related to the second commandment and images.

 

[LittleFaith]

That's not a bad idea - though a somewhat massive task. Ideally, I would have some sort of historical/academic work that would give me an overview of the trajectory of issues related to the 2nd commandment, which could then provide the basis for a more targeted search of specific records. Thank you!