Church History - Church of The Redeemer

Class 14: Modern Movements

December 15, 2024 • Aaron Lumpkin

In this final session, we analyze several modern movements that emerged in Christianity from Pentecostalism to Evangelicalism.

Class 13: The Edinburgh Missionary Conference

December 8, 2024 • Aaron Lumpkin

Three movements began to develop in America post-French Revolution: The Second Great Awakening, the black church, and the rise of fundamentalism in addition to the Edinburgh Missionary Conference.

Class 12: The French Revolution

December 1, 2024 • Jake Cannon

It lasted only ten years, but the French Revolution (1789-1799) began a cascading effect of secularization across Europe. What led up to this dark period of European history and how can Christians respond to the ideas that fueled it?

Class 11: Puritans, Separatists, and Pietism

November 17, 2024 • Aaron Lumpkin

As the Reformation spread around the world, it began to experience its own unique reformations. From this comes the Puritan, Separatist, and Pietist movements, forever shaping Christianity abroad.

Class 10: The Counter-Reformation and the Jesuits

November 10, 2024 • Nevin Mathai

As the Reformation swept Europe, it also began sweeping up the Roman Catholic church. What began in the Council of Trent rippled across the church through heresy and anti-corruption trials, the promotion of new religious orders like the Jesuits, and the flourishing of art and music.

Class 9: The English Reformation

November 3, 2024 • Jake Cannon

What began in Germany with a Catholic monk soon spread across the world, but not all at once. The Reformation sunk deep in places like Germany and Switzerland, but it took some time for it to overtake England. Through a series of fateful events, Reformers like Thomas Cranmer set the stage for the English Reformation, forever shaping the Western world.

Class 8: The Reformation

October 20, 2024 • Nevin Mathai

The Reformation brought about one of the biggest changes in church history, forever dividing Roman Catholics and Protestants. Who were the men behind this reformation and what were they seeking?

Class 7: The Great Schism

October 13, 2024 • Aaron Lumpkin

After the Iconoclast controversy, the Eastern and Western churches began to split especially over issues related to the Nicene Creed. From there, the Western church began to see cracks forming in their own ranks as the Reformation began to make headway.

Class 6: Charlemagne

October 6, 2024 • Jake Cannon

Before the Medieval period of church history, East and West began to experience divisions, first over the use of icons and secondarily over who the emperor was. Charlemagne was crowned emperor in 800 AD and this even had symbolic significance for Christian political theology for hundreds of years. This class explores the history of the iconoclast controversy, the rise of Charlemagne, and how Christians can engage in political theology.

Class 4: Council of Chalcedon

September 15, 2024 • Nevin Mathai

During the 5th century, councils came together to settle some of the biggest debates around the divinity and humanity of Jesus. The major council during this period was the Council of Chalcedon, which came together to deny the heretical teachings of Eutyches and Nestorius and affirm the Biblical mystery of Jesus' divine and human nature.

Class 3: The Council of Nicaea

September 8, 2024 • Aaron Lumpkin

As the church matured, doctrinal clarity became essential. In the third and fourth centuries, the church focused on several major issues: church leadership, the authority of the Scriptures, and the person of Jesus.

Class 2: The Fall of Jerusalem

September 1, 2024 • Aaron Lumpkin

One of the most significant events in the early church's life was Jerusalem's fall in 70 AD. How did this event impact the spread of the gospel and the faith of the early church fathers?

Class 1: Why Study Church History?

August 18, 2024 • Aaron Lumpkin

Why should we study church history? One of the most important reasons why we should study church history is because it is our story. It is a story that can be both glorious and frustrating. It is a story that tells us about our past and guides our future. It is a story of God's people growing in love for him and their neighbors throughout the centuries. This first class overviews the major questions surrounding church history and the methodology moving forward.