Christianity in History from 1550

We can only properly make sense of our present if we understand our past. Our numerous Protestant denominations only make sense if we understand the Reformation of the 16th Century. Whether we identify ourselves as modern or post-modern, we are indebted to the Enlightenment of the 18th Century. Our ability to understand the American Presidential race depends in part on how well we have grasped the rise of fundamentalism in the 19th Century.

This unit picks up church history at the time of the Reformation in England and traces the history of God’s people and his world through the horrors of the English Civil War, the intellectual challenges of the Enlightenment, the encouragement of the Evangelical Revival and the challenge of the great 19th century missionary movement. In the process it will help you to understand better the character of the church today, to reflect upon the warnings and encouragements of our history and to better critique our own values and culture under the authority of the Bible.

This unit continues the introductory survey of Church History begun with the unit ‘Christianity in History to 1550’. It is divided into two sections: Section A: Reform and Revolution, and Section B: The Church Universal.