Introduction
This will be an all too short history.
It is the problem in teaching the history of the church. There seem to be three particular schemes of organization:
- The "teach 'em everything approach." We wander through the history book, selecting gems and taking our time. There are plenty of gems to select.
- The "I have a mission" approach. You select a particular theme in church history - anything from architecture to zoology - and pound through that. There are plenty of themes to select.
- The "high flying reconnaissance mission." Strap into the jet, go to altitude and take pictures.
We have opted here for the third approach. It is best when dealing with a group which has both those who love history and those who are bored by it. So if in what follows you do not see your favorite theme, gem, saint or whatever, it is not from a lack of respect - but from a lack of space.
Enjoy the trip; may it make you hungry to come back again.
| Beginnings | From the end of the age of the Apostles up to the reign of Constantine, the first Christian Roman Emperor. |
| Acceptance | Constantine makes Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire; growth up until the Middle Ages. |
| Middle Ages | AD 600- AD 1500, approximately. They are the "dark ages" only to those who will not see the light of the Age of Faith. |
| Reformation | Dealing with Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. |
| Great Awakening | AD 1650 - AD 1800. See the light of Scripture reawakened in the churches. |
| Revolutions | The 19th century - revolutions in thought, commerce and the church. |
| Bloody Century | The 20th century - time of amazing slaughter and great ideological change. |