Aide

Bible School

Church history

How the church got here: two thousand years, from the apostles to today.

Twenty-four classes that walk the whole story: the apostles and martyrs, the creeds, Augustine, the monks and the medieval church, then the Reformation with Martin Luther at the center, Calvin, the Anabaptists, the English and Catholic reforms, the awakenings, the missions, African and global Christianity, and the church today. Each class begins with the Scripture the story engages, then gives the setting, a timeline, the people, a primary source to read, what was at stake, and how different traditions assess it. Church history is not Scripture: it shows how Christians have read and lived the Bible, and it is held to the Bible.

24 passages · about 7 hours in all

Traditions. Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians tell parts of this story differently. Each class names the views fairly and says which facts are agreed.

Plan your study

Tell Aide when you can sit down. We build the reading plan; if you miss a day it simply moves forward.

Days

That is 24 sittings, finishing around Mon, Nov 23.

Passages

  1. 1The apostolic ageThe church is born and spreads20 min
  2. 2The persecuted churchMartyrs, Polycarp, and why the church kept growing19 min
  3. 3Who is Jesus? Arius and NicaeaThe creed that names the Son20 min
  4. 4Councils and creeds: ChalcedonOne person, two natures18 min
  5. 5How the Bible took shapeHow the church recognized the canon17 min
  6. 6Augustine and graceSin, grace and the city of God18 min
  7. 7Deserts and monasteriesAnthony, Benedict and the call to leave everything19 min
  8. 8East and WestWhy Orthodox and Catholic churches divided18 min
  9. 9The medieval churchPopes, crusades, universities and Aquinas19 min
  10. 10Before the ReformationWaldensians, Wycliffe, Hus and the Bible in the common tongue20 min
  11. 11Martin Luther and the 95 ThesesIndulgences, the tower experience and the break with Rome18 min
  12. 12Luther at Worms and the German BibleConscience captive to the Word of God20 min
  13. 13Zwingli, Calvin and the Reformed churchesGeneva and the sovereignty of God18 min
  14. 14The AnabaptistsBeliever's baptism and the cost of a free church17 min
  15. 15Tyndale and the English ReformationThe Bible in English and the Church of England18 min
  16. 16The Catholic Reformation and TrentRenewal, the Jesuits and the Council of Trent19 min
  17. 17Puritans and PietistsHoliness, the heart and the Bible in the home18 min
  18. 18The Great AwakeningsWhitefield, Edwards and the Wesleys19 min
  19. 19The missionary ageFrom Carey to the Bible in a thousand languages18 min
  20. 20Reason, criticism and the churchThe Enlightenment and the church's answers18 min
  21. 21African ChristianityEthiopia, North Africa, the Uganda martyrs and the East African Revival19 min
  22. 22Pentecostalism and the global SouthAzusa Street and the shift of Christianity's center18 min
  23. 23The modern churchWorld wars, Vatican II, ecumenism and evangelicals18 min
  24. 24The church worldwide todayEvery nation, tribe and tongue17 min