One of the often-heard objections to faith in Christ is that it is old fashioned or outdated, a relic of the distant past and therefore easily discarded. After all, what could a two thousand year old faith have to say to us in the twenty-first century?

This class seeks to address this question. In short, what could a two thousand year old faith have to say to us? A lot!

For those of us who are a part of the Christian Church, our history is not something to be discarded as foreign, or cut-off from our time. No, church history is a recognition that all that the Church is today, has been informed, shaped, and influenced by what has gone before. So, to investigate church history is to dig the depths of who we are, and as we do, it is my hope that we come to a better understanding of what it means to be faithful to Jesus in our own day.

For those of us who are not yet a part of the Christian Church, it may be that what you think you know about Christianity, has been shaped by particular ways of reading history, theology or sacred texts. Wherever your knowledge of the Church has come from, let me offer a new perspective, one that does not sugar-coat the past in order to paint a misleading picture of the present.

This course is designed to do two things:

1. Offer a memorable timeline of significant events in Church history

2. Invite you to engage with the sources of history for yourself

Using the century by century method, this course enables you to see the whole picture (granted:we will not be able to cover EVERYTHING) and engaging the sources develops the skills you need to do your own research. Don't just let others tell you what happened; read the sources for yourself!

It is my joy to offer this course to you as an introduction to this topic. By no means am I able to investigate everything, but it is my hope that you will finish this course with a helpful understanding and the desire to learn more!