Page 4 - God's Church through the Ages - Student Textbook

battles against the enemies of the Cross. Many were banished to distant regions just because they believed and
taught that Jesus was God in the flesh. And as you will see in our studies, many laid down their lives rather than
deny the Lord. So learning about their lives hopefully will inspire you to stand strong for your Savior in a world
that in many places is hostile to Jesus. Their lives will challenge you to excellence. Because they made a
difference in the course of history, so you too can “rock” your world for Christ, and follow in their footsteps.

Key in the study notes is a section called “History Talks.” When you see this section, we want to
carefully see how God spoke through an event or person in history, and apply the truth principle to
our lives. So while we are looking back in this course, we need to look within, and look to the
future to apply God’s historical principles to our lives. God wants to change your life and make you
a “significant” person in history! That will happen only when you give God total control as He speaks to you.

Here is an outline of what we plan to cover:

Beginnings to Constantine (A.D. 34 – 325). Early Church – key characteristics. The recognition of the Cannon of
nd
Scripture. The attack of the heretics. The defense of the Word: Great Apologists of the 1-2 century. The
Roman persecution.

Nicaea to Chalcedon (325-451) The Council of Nicaea. Missionary Movement. Fall of Rome. The church
organizes.

Chalcedon to the Great Schism (451-1054) The Council of Chalcedon. Monasticism. Iconoclastic Controversy.
Beginning of Holy Roman Empire.

The Great Schism to the Middle Ages (1054- 1483) Eastern and Western theology and the Great Split. The
Crusades. Rise of Scholasticism. The Domination of Humanism in Europe. Emergence of the Renaissance.

The Reformation and Post Reformation Periods (1483 – 1750) The Great Reformers. Opposition to the
Reformation. A Period of Orthodoxy. The Thirty Years War.

The Enlightenment Movement ( 1720 – 1800) – The French Revolution. The Great Revivalists.

The Modern Missions Movement (1800 – 1920) The Gospel Goes to Africa, India, and China. The emergence of
Neo-orthodoxy.

The Emergence of Modernism (1890 – 1960) The Charismatic Movement. Explosion of Christianity in Africa.

3