Description:

This class covers the history of the Christian church, from the Pentecost to the middle of the 20th century. Along the way we’ll examine the early church, the seven ecumenical councils, the Great Schism between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, the highs and lows of the Middle Ages, the Protestant Reformation, and the rise of modernism. The overarching framework of the class will be provided by The Story of Christianity, co-written by a Protestant minister and a Catholic priest. This will be fleshed out with primary sources from Eusebius, Athanasius, Augustine, St. Benedict, Aquinas, Luther, Wesley, and others. Students will read and analyze these texts, identify key events, people and places in the history of the Church, and discuss the key teachings that were hotly debated by church councils. Students should expect 3 hours of homework each week. This class is equivalent to one high school credit of either History or English.