Welcome to Foundations of Global Church History

Why should Christians care about church history? In this lesson, Dr. Fairbairn examines the answer to this question and introduces you to challenges the church has faced over the course of her history. When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify the significance of the New Testament images of the church.
2. Explain the common challenges the church has faced over time.
3. Reflect on similarities between these challenges and those you face in your ministry.

“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)—with these words, Jesus sent His disciples. But how did they carry out this mission? In this lesson, explore early Christian accounts of the gospel’s spread to far areas of the known world at that time. When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify the commonalities to typical stories about early Christian expansion.
2. Articulate your own attitudes toward the common themes of those stories.
3. Reflect on the variety of ways in which God works to advance His kingdom.

How and why have Christians been persecuted over the course of church history? This lesson challenges common perceptions of the afflictions Christians have suffered and still suffer today. Discover new insights into views of persecution and the value of varied responses to it. When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify the root causes of persecution, the differing responses to it, and outcomes that result from it.
2. Recognize that Christians in different places can be affected very differently by the same political forces.
3. Reflect on the significance of joining a new Christian family, possibly at the expense of estrangement from one’s natural family and society.

In this lesson, you will examine the stories and influences of Constantine and Augustine on Western Christianity. You will also explore how and why the trajectory of Western Christianity differed from that of the rest of the world and the value in understanding those differences. When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain the momentous changes that took place in Western Christianity in the fourth century.
2. Locate where these changes took hold—and where they didn’t.
3. Reflect on the positive and negative results of the Western switch to “Christendom.”
4. Respond to what Scripture has to say about the City of God.

What if there were no copies of the Bible in your native language, or if the only church services available were in Latin? In this lesson, discover the obstacles posed by differing beliefs about and approaches to local languages and cultures over the course of church history, and reflect on how all of these factors have shaped Christian culture and thought today. When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Analyze differences in Christian attitudes toward local cultures and languages in different regions and times in Christian history.
2. Reflect on the differences between seeking to overawe a local culture and seeking to embrace it.
3. Consider what it means to say that the gospel can be expressed in any cultural mindset.

In this lesson, you will learn about the four great heresies that emerged in the early Christian church and that have continued to arise again and again throughout the course of history. Examine ways to recognize heretical ideas, and explain why it is imperative to guard against them. When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify three major ways in which a heresy can stray from the true gospel.
2. Compare the great heresies to the true gospel.
3. Reflect on ways to guard against the great heresies by articulating the Christian faith accurately.

This lesson explores the beginnings and evolution of the Reformation. Learn about the central beliefs held by the Reformers, the complexities within their differences, and the implications of this major split in the Christian church. When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify the main positive and negative impacts of the Reformation.
2. Explore the complexity of the various movements that make up Protestantism.
3. Reflect on the vast consequences of the religious conflict in Europe for the worldwide church and even the nations of the modern world.
4. Respond to Paul’s explanation of justification by faith in Galatians 2.

In this lesson, you will learn how Christianity began to spread further around the globe, how that spread was closely linked with colonialism, and how that link created many challenges to the spread of the gospel. Be inspired by the many missionary heroes who dedicated their lives to taking the gospel message to the very ends of the earth. When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify the complicated outcomes of intertwining European colonialism and Christian missions from 1500–1900.
2. Reflect on the effects—on both missionaries and the indigenous peoples with whom they work—of too close a connection between European civilization and Christianity.
3. Examine your own attitudes toward the legacy of colonialism in light of Ephesians 2:14-22.

In this lesson, you will explore the shift in thinking about missions work that began in the 1500s with Francis Xavier and slowly worked its way into the rest of Western Christian missions. Recognize the importance of appreciating local languages and cultures, the challenges associated with this, and how those challenges have been addressed. When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain the shift from a geographical focus to a focus on people groups in Christian ministry and missions.
2. Reflect on the close relation between language and culture as that relation affects the Christian message.
3. Connect the work of contextualizing the gospel globally to your own experience.

This lesson examines the collapse of Christendom, the increased persecution of Christians, and ways in which these setbacks have impacted the global church. Amid these negative developments, you will also discover hope that the Lord will use such challenges to grow and refine His church. When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify the dramatic changes during the twentieth century and beyond that have had significant effects on the global church.
2. Express both the severity of Islamic persecution of Christians and the fact that severe persecution is atypical.
3. Reflect on the ways in which Western secularization presents both new opportunities and new challenges to the church.
4. Respond to John’s vision of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21.

This activity offers a brief introduction to the lesson and informs you of the lesson’s objectives.

This activity provides the main teaching content for the lesson. You may choose to read the transcript or listen to the audio.

This activity is required for course completion.

This quiz activity checks your understanding of the concepts learned so far. It is not a timed activity, and the quiz can be attempted as many times as needed.

Earning a quiz score of 70% or better is required for course completion.

This activity asks you to reflect on your own experiences related to the course topic.

Instructions for reflection

1. Get and use a hard copy journal or an e-note-taking tool such as Notion, OneNote, or Apple Notes.
2. Spend time reflecting on the questions provided in the activity. Make it a time of prayer by sharing your thoughts and reflections with God.
3. Write down your answers, thoughts, and other revelatory ideas in your journal that God reveals during your time of prayerful reflection.

For reflective journaling activities such as this one, find a quiet place in which you will not be disturbed by other people, noises, or other distractions. Silence e-devices and quiet your mind by reading Bible passages or praying before attempting the activity.

This activity connects what you’re learning about the church to what we find in the Bible. Spend some time carefully reading the Scripture passage provided in the activity, utilizing the simple three-step method of Receive, Reflect, and Respond.

• Receive simply involves reading the text and asking, “What does the text say?”
• Reflect challenges you to ask, “What does the text mean?”
• Respond invites you to apply the meaning of the text to your life.

For each lesson, please take time to read the passage provided. After you’ve read the passages, use Receive, Reflect, Respond prompts to engage more deeply with the text. Write your answers in your personal reflection journal.

This discussion activity is designed to help you consider how to put your learning to use in your own context. It may also help you collect ideas from other course participants about their understanding of church history. Since this course is asynchronous (i.e., other learners complete the course at different times), you may not see many discussion submissions or receive replies to your posts. Therefore, consider your submissions to this discussion forum as a way to share your insights about what you have learned to inspire or challenge others in their learning journey, and to enable others to do the same for you.

While other learners may not see or respond to your comments in the short term, encouraging others and engaging with others enhances your learning experience.

This activity is required for course completion.

This activity sums up the concepts learned in each lesson and looks ahead to what comes next.

This activity appears in the course wrap-up section at the end of the course. It asks you to think back on the course and decide what new knowledge or perspectives you will take with you moving forward.

This activity is required for course completion.