Church History

There is no branch of history as diverse as the story of the Christian Church. It spans two millennia, every continent, and factors into just about every major event in some form or another, but it's not just an interesting tale or adventure story that happens to be true. The history of the Church is the history of God's people and His direct dealings with mankind.

It's also not just an academic discipline. That's not to say we don't need scholars willing to devote their lives and talents to studying it as such, because we do. It's only to say that it's not merely academic, that the study of Church history is as much for our spiritual benefit and growth as for our intellectual knowledge and maturity.

One of the best ways to engage the subject is as a story. The lives of godly men and women make a great starting place, and provide context for things like the Great Schism, the Protestant Reformation, and the birth of Neo-orthodoxy. Contrary to popular opinion, making the study of history personal isn't an impediment; this is especially true when learning about the Church and past saints, who are our spiritual forebears.

Spiritual forebears, that is, who had an immense impact on the secular as well as the spiritual realm. The printing of books was realized through the work of Johannes Gutenberg, who built his printing press to make Bibles; David Livingstone explored much of unknown Africa in order to share the Gospel with unreached tribes; Hudson Taylor made inroads into China as a missionary long before the West was generally admitted. (For locals, the Pacific Northwest was largely settled through missionary activity.)

There are plenty of lowlights, too. Persecution and hardship are common themes in the story of God's people, and while we usually look back to the Roman holocausts, the 20th century saw more Christian martyrdoms than any previous century and the 21st century is already shaping up to be much worse. And that's not even addressing the damage done in the name of Christ.

Some might suppose Church history should be less distinctly human, but that's to confuse Christ Himself with His Body. In His ineffable wisdom, God ordained fallen humans to comprise His people; our sins are forgiven, not expelled, and perfection is something only enjoyed once we pass from this life into the eternal one.

Still, God's hand is present and active in all of history, not least in the history of the Church. It's a story we neglect at our own peril as followers of Christ—we cannot imagine our generation is the first to encounter attacks from secularism, or to have discovered orthodox doctrine, or to successfully identify the marks of a healthy congregation.

The past is our measure for most things. What Christians have always believed, how they have always worshipped, how they have always prayed: these are our standards for thought and practice. That's not to say there's no room for progress, but it's only progress if it doesn't counter or depart from the historically established truths of the faith.

Church history is a cornerstone of Christian education. We think it's just as important as science, English, math, or social studies, and in many ways more so. That doesn't mean those disciplines should be neglected, but that they should be contextualized within the story of God's people. As you study, revel in the grace of a God whose will is accomplished even through the chief of sinners and the weakest of men.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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Adoniram Judson
by Sharon Hambrick
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Agape Leadership
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Ann of Ava
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Arrow Pointing to Heaven
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At the End of the Santa Fe Trail
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Autobiography of Charles G. Finney
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California Missions Activity Book
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Captured!
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Chimney Sweep's Ransom
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Choices, Changes
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Christopher Columbus
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Church History ABCs
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Corrie Ten Boom: Shining in the Darkness
Heroes for Young Readers
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Created for Purpose
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D. L. Moody: God's Salesman
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Dayuma Story
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer: An Evangelical Reassessment
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Do the Next Thing
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Men of Faith
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Explorers, Missionaries, and Trappers
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Father to Nobody's Children
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Five Pioneer Missionaries
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For God and Country
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Forbidden Land
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Heroes of the Faith
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From Akebu to Zapotec
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George Muller: Does Money Grow on Trees?
Little Lights
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Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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God Spoke Tibetan
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God's Adventurer
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Heavenly Man
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Helen Roseveare: What's in the parcel?
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Hero Tales Volume I
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Hero Tales Volume I
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History of the World - Bundle
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History of the World: The Transforming Influence of Jesus Christ
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Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission Volume 2
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Hudson Taylor In Early Years Volume 1
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Hudson Taylor: Could somebody pass the salt?
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In My Father's House
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In My Father's House
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In Search of the Source
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Sowers Series
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John Charles Ryle
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John Knox
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John Knox: Who Will Save You?
Little Lights #14
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John Newton
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John Wesley
Heroes of the Faith
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John Wesley
Men of Faith
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Johnny Appleseed
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Johnny Appleseed
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Jonathan and Sarah
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Fact Finders
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Just As I Am
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Kidnapped by River Rats
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Life and Diary of David Brainerd
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Life Sentence
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Light Force
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Lights in a Dark Place
Hidden Heroes #5
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Lillian Trasher
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Living on the Devil's Doorstep
International Adventures
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Living Water in the Desert
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Lords of the Earth
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Man Called Peter
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Maria
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Michael Faraday
by Charles Ludwig
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Mission to Cathay
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Missionary Patriarch
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Moro Sheeba
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My Heart in His Hands
by Sharon L. James
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My Little Church Around the Corner
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Narrow Road
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Never Dies the Dream
by Margaret Landon
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On Call
Jaffray Collection of Missionary Portraits
by David C. Thompson, MD
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Biography for 8th-10th grade
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Peace Child
International Adventures
by Don Richardson
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Biography for 10th-Adult
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Peter Cartwright, the Backwoods Preacher
by Peter Cartwright
Undated from Cranston and Curts
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Pigtail and Chopsticks Man
by Jim Cromarty
2010 Printing from Evangelical Press
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Question of Yams
by Gloria Repp
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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Rev. William S. White, D. D., and His Times [1800-1873]
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Rise and Fall of Waiilatpu
by Miles Cannon, Narcissa Prentiss Whitman
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Roots of Endurance
The Swans are Not Silent #3
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$6.40 (1 in stock)
Rowland Bingham
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
by Geoff & Janet Benge
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Biography for 4th-7th grade
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Sergeant York and the Great War
by Alvin C. York
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Servant of Slaves
by Grace Irwin
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Biography for 7th-10th grade
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Shadow of the Almighty
by Elisabeth Elliot
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Biography for 10th-Adult
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Shorter Life of D. L. Moody
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Skipper of the Sentinel
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Spurgeon
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Steal Away Home: Charles Spurgeon and Thomas Johnson
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Susanna Wesley
Sowers Series
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Biography for 6th-8th grade
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