Church history is full of controversies, heresies, and battles for the truth. We must familiarize ourselves with those events if we are to stand faithfully in the present. God has revealed in Scripture all that is necessary for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), and those foundations will never change. A study of church history will reveal that most “innovations” in theology (and sometimes in practice) are simply a re-packaging of old heresies that were rejected by the early church. There are so many interesting people (e.g., Irenaeus, Polycarp, William Tyndale, Martin Luther) and events (e.g., the Council of Nicea, the Reformation) that have helped to shape what Christianity has looked like over the past 2000 years. The following resources will get you started in learning more about Christian History.
BOOKS:
Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius
The 100 Most Important Dates in Church History
How Christianity Changed the World
Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley
A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs by David Bercot
What if Jesus Had Never Been Born? by Dr. D. James Kennedy
FREE ONLINE BOOKS:
History of the Christian Church by Phillip Schaff
Sketches of Jewish Social Life by Alfed Edersheim
The Writings of the Early Church Fathers
Fox's Book of Martyrs by John Fox
The Writings of Josephus (first century Jewish historian)
AUDIO:
History of the Christian Church
EXCELLENT 15-20 minute podcasts covering key events in church history by Lance Ralston, pastor of Calvary Chapel of Oxnard, in California. Here are the first few:
EXCELLENT 15-20 minute podcasts covering key events in church history by Lance Ralston, pastor of Calvary Chapel of Oxnard, in California. Here are the first few:
• "It Begins" (Episode 1) by Lance Ralston• "Transitions" (Episode 2) by Lance Ralston• "Strategic" (Episode 3) by Lance Ralston• "Martrys" (Episode 4) by Lance Ralston Episodes 5-150 can be listened to here: Episodes 1-150
ARTICLES:
The Real Murderers: Atheism or Christianity? by Greg Koukl
The Crusades: Were they Justified? by Norman Geisler
How The Da Vinci Code Distorted Church History by Charlie Campbell
The NT Canon Was Not Decided at Nicea—Nor Any Other Church Council by Michael Kruger
How Critics of Christianity Often Distort the Story of Galileo by Charlie Campbell
Roman Catholicism: A Look Into the Teachings of the Catholic Church by Charlie Campbell
Why and when was the Bible divided into chapters and verses? by Don Stewart
Why is it important to be familiar with church history? by Got Questions
BRIEF OVERVIEWS OF SOME IMPORTANT EVENTS & DATES:
70 Titus Destroys Jerusalem
313 The Edict of Milan
325 The First Council of Nicea
367 Athanasius Defines the New Testament
386 Augustine Converts to Christianity
405 Jerome Completes the Vulgate
451 The Council of Chalcedon
540 Benedict Writes His Monastic Rule
988 Vladimir Adopts Christianity
1054 The East-West Schism
1095 Pope Urban II Launches the First Crusade
1272 Thomas Aquinas Concludes His Word on Summa Theologiae
1378 The Great Papal Schism
1456 Gutenberg Produces the First Printed Bible
1517 Luther Posts the 95 Theses
1521 The Diet of Worms
1525 The Anabaptist Movement Begins
1534 The Act of Supremacy
1536 John Calvin Publishes Institutes of the Christian Religion
1545 The Council of Trent Begins
1611 Publication of the King James Bible
1738 John & Charles Wesley Experience Conversions
1740 The Great Awakening Peaks
1962 The Second Vatican Council
Seventy-Five Other Important Events in Church History
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