Church History and Doctrine

This class traces the history of the Christian Church from 70 ad to the modern age with special attention given to turning points that affect Christian doctrines and church polity.

Professor: Dr. G. Steve Kinnard

Taught by Dr. Steve Kinnard and TJ Paresi, this course goes through the beginning of the Christian church in the 1st century through the ages, the ups and the downs, up to modern time. There are 12 classes, included below.

REQUIRED READING:

Look on stevekinnard.wordpress.com for readings on Church History. Look for these articles:

14 "short" articles from Steve's blog site:
1. Why? HERE
2. Why? Pt. 2 HERE
3. 99 Theses HERE
4. Problems in the Early Church HERE
5. Dates HERE
6. The Apostolic Fathers HERE
7. Creedal Statements HERE
8. The Middle Ages and Scholasticism HERE
9. The Renaissance and Humanism HERE
10. The Reformation HERE
11. The Anabaptists HERE
12. The Restoration Movement HERE
13. The Sinner's Prayer HERE
14. Thomas Campbell's "Declaration and Address" HERE

CLASS DESCRIPTION

This class will cover the period of church history from the beginning of the church in The Acts of the Apostles to present day. It will focus on the major personalities, dates and events of church history. This focus will give the student the opportunity to explore the early church, Catholicism and the Reformation Movement. The course will pay particular attention to the period of the Restoration Movement in America (1801-present day), including a discussion of the history of the International Churches of Christ.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The student will gain an understanding of the background, context, themes, and personalities of church history from Acts to the present. The course will give special attention to the Protestant Reformation, the Restoration Movement in America, and history of the ICOC.
The student will gain an understanding of the emergence of the major Protestant denominations in Christianity.
The student will gain an understanding of the development of the major doctrines of the Protestant faith.

REQUIREMENTS:

(1) Watch Video Lectures:

(2) Required Reading:

Pre-Class Postings (see above)

(3) Paper:

Write a 3-5 page perspective paper on the class.

ADDITIONAL READING (OPTIONAL):

Henry Bettenson, Documents of the Christian Church

Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity Volumes 1 & 2

Mark Noll, Turning Points

Bruce Shelly, Church History in Plain Language