Church History Course

Lesson 1 • Primary and Secondary Sources

Teaches students to identify, locate, and evaluate historical sources. Distinguishes between firsthand accounts and interpretive scholarship.

Lesson 2 • Historical Method and Interpretation

Introduces historiographical approaches applied to church history. Students practice reading texts within their original cultural and theological contexts.

Lesson 3 • Periodization and Historical Frameworks

Introduces standard chronological divisions used in church history scholarship. Students learn to navigate eras and recognize their defining characteristics.

Lesson 1 • The Jewish and Greco-Roman World

Surveys the religious, political, and cultural environment into which Christianity emerged. Provides essential context for understanding early church decisions and conflicts.

Lesson 2 • Jesus, the Apostles, and the Mission

Examines the historical Jesus movement and the apostolic mission's geographic spread. Connects early missionary strategies to later ecclesial structures.

Lesson 3 • Persecution and Martyrdom

Analyzes Roman persecution of Christians and the theological meaning martyrdom acquired. Shows how persecution shaped early Christian identity and literature.

Lesson 4 • Early Church Structure and Worship

Describes the organizational forms and liturgical practices of first-century communities. Connects early patterns to later institutional developments.

Lesson 1 • The Role of Church Fathers

Profiles key patristic theologians and their contributions to doctrinal formation. Students engage primary texts and assess each father's lasting influence.

Lesson 2 • Christological Debates and Councils

Covers disputes over Christ's divine and human natures from Nicaea to Chalcedon. Students trace how conciliar definitions shaped lasting denominational divisions.

Lesson 3 • The Trinitarian Controversy

Traces the Arian controversy and the Council of Nicaea's response. Students grasp the theological stakes and political dimensions of Trinitarian debate.

Lesson 4 • Gnosticism and Early Heresies

Introduces the diverse heterodox movements that challenged early Christian teaching. Students analyze how orthodox leaders responded and why these disputes mattered.

Lesson 1 • Crusades, Inquisition, and Church Power

Critically examines the church's use of coercive power in the medieval period. Students assess historical context and ethical implications of these events.

Lesson 2 • The Great Schism of 1054

Examines the theological, political, and cultural factors behind the East-West split. Students understand the lasting ecclesiological consequences of this division.

Lesson 3 • The Papacy and Church Governance

Traces the development of papal authority from bishop of Rome to universal claimant. Students analyze key conflicts that defined and contested papal power.

Lesson 4 • Scholasticism and Medieval Theology

Introduces the scholastic method and its major theological achievements. Students engage Anselm, Aquinas, and the synthesis of faith and reason.

Lesson 5 • Constantine and the Imperial Church

Analyzes Constantine's conversion and its consequences for church-state relations. Students evaluate competing interpretations of this pivotal shift.

Lesson 1 • The Catholic Reformation and Trent

Analyzes the Catholic Church's internal reform response and the Council of Trent's decrees. Students compare Tridentine positions with Protestant alternatives.

Lesson 2 • Luther and the German Reformation

Examines Luther's theological breakthrough and the political dynamics of the German Reformation. Students analyze the Ninety-Five Theses and key doctrinal disputes.

Lesson 3 • Reformed and Calvinist Traditions

Traces Zwingli's reform in Zurich and Calvin's systematic theology in Geneva. Students compare Reformed distinctives with Lutheran positions.

Lesson 4 • The Radical Reformation

Examines Anabaptist and other radical movements that pushed beyond magisterial reform. Students assess their theological innovations and historical marginalization.

Lesson 1 • Denominationalism and Church Diversity

Explains the proliferation of Protestant denominations and their theological rationales. Students map the denominational landscape and its historical causes.

Lesson 2 • Pietism and Evangelical Revivals

Traces the pietist movement and the Great Awakenings as experiential responses to rationalism. Students connect revival theology to modern evangelical identity.

Lesson 3 • Missions and Global Expansion

Surveys the modern missionary movement and its theological motivations. Students critically assess both the achievements and colonial entanglements of missions.

Lesson 4 • Enlightenment Challenges to Christianity

Examines how Enlightenment rationalism challenged traditional Christian authority and doctrine. Students analyze key thinkers and the church's varied responses.

Lesson 1 • Liberation Theology and Contextual Theologies

Surveys liberation theology and other contextual movements that emerged from the Global South. Students evaluate their biblical basis and political implications.

Lesson 2 • Vatican II and Catholic Renewal

Examines the Second Vatican Council's reforms and their impact on Catholic life and ecumenism. Students assess continuity and change in post-conciliar Catholicism.

Lesson 3 • Fundamentalism and Modernism Controversy

Traces the early twentieth-century battle over biblical authority and theological liberalism. Students understand how this conflict shaped American Protestantism.

Lesson 4 • Christianity and Totalitarianism

Examines the church's response to fascism, Nazism, and communism in the twentieth century. Students analyze cases of collaboration, resistance, and martyrdom.

Lesson 5 • Neo-Orthodoxy and Karl Barth

Introduces Barth's theological revolution as a response to liberal Protestantism. Students engage Barth's Christocentric method and its lasting influence.

Lesson 1 • Digital Age and the Future Church

Explores how digital technology is reshaping worship, community, and mission. Students think critically about the church's identity and calling in a digital world.

Lesson 2 • The Global South and World Christianity

Documents the dramatic growth of Christianity in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Students analyze demographic shifts and their theological implications.

Lesson 3 • Christianity, Race, and Social Justice

Analyzes the church's historical complicity in racism and its role in justice movements. Students engage both failures and prophetic witness across church history.

Lesson 4 • Ecumenism and Interfaith Dialogue

Traces the modern ecumenical movement and Christian engagement with other world religions. Students evaluate progress, limits, and theological stakes of dialogue.