Why Church History Matters
Why church history matters. You may be asking does it really matter for your teen? Surely we should be focusing on the Bible, and leave our children’s history education to the study of kings and queens; empires rising and falling; and the geopolitical struggles which have shaped nations. However, understanding church history has several relevant implications for our faith directly, as well as the shaping of the West as a whole. Therefore, a study of church history can be highly beneficial to teens and adults alike.
Firstly, even the most rudimentary knowledge of church history tells us how the church has viewed the Bible and key doctrines of faith is not a fixed thing. The church has gone through difficult seasons of change and revelation, often leading to nations at war and thousands dead for their faith, We see down the ages the fight for truth and the wickedness of men corrupting the church to gain power. It is naive to think this is something of the past. We can easily fall into the mistakes of previous generations today. However, history as a whole tells us that men fail to learn the lessons of history. Therefore, the contemporary church would do well to learn from the mistakes of history and learn from them.
The Early Church
Many Christians today wish to return to the church of the book of Acts. The study of the early church shows us how even shortly after Pentecost heresies entered the church, men rose up trying to grasp power. But alongside these, there were men and women who laboured for the truth of the gospel. They paid the price with their lives. We see their struggles are very similar to the struggles of the modern church. The heresies of the past are most often repackaged as the heresies of today. We gain inspiration from their example of holding onto truth amidst those who sought to compromise.
Through the first millennia after Christ, the Roman Empire rose and fell across Europe. Initially, the church was brutally persecuted by Rome. However, after Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, and made Christianity the official religion of the empire, compromise seeped into the church. The temptations of power, wealth, and worldly pressures saw a weakened church. However, there arose a small group in the desert of North Africa who threw off the control of Rome, and the pleasures that it brought, and returned to a simpler faith.
These Desert Fathers and Mothers (as they became known) birthed a new wave of mission allowing the Gospel to be taken to new unreached regions of Europe. Their influence transformed pagan societies across Europe. The likes of St. Patrick and Columba can be traced back to here. Church history matters because we see in the stories of the saints the outworking of their Christian life and faith in the diverse situations in which they lived. We see how different believers responded to the challenges of their times. And through their example, we can shape our own response to society’s pressures.
The Reformation
One of the most significant episodes in church history was the Reformation. The corruption of the Roman Catholic Church led many prominent Christians, and many less prominent, to an intense study of the Bible. The Reformation was a momentous time in the church. It is of vital importance for all believers to understand the importance of historical theology, how fundamental doctrines of the faith were fought over, and why. It is also vitally important that as believers we do not take these things for granted, and see them as mere church traditions. The struggles for Truth that the Reformers had exist in repackaged forms in today’s church. For the Bible-focused Christian believer, church history is not only a historical survey it becomes a tool for apologetics.
Ancient & Modern Church History
The history of Europe over the last two millennia has been intertwined with the history of the church. The church shaped societies and cultures. We see in Celtic Britain the influence of the church led to slavery being outlawed, and the first treaty of war offering protection for women and children being written, and this in the “Dark Ages”.
In more recent history, the church again was instrumental in the abolition of slavery, the fight for education, and the rights of the poor. In Nazi Germany, Christians like Dietrich Bonhoeffer took a moral stand against Hitler, ultimately paying the cost with his life. And in America, Martin Luther King spearheaded the civil rights movement, leading the fight for racial equality. The value of the church and ultimately the message of the gospel has been a power force for good across nations, being the basis for our legal and legislative systems. Church history shows us the practical ways and the ideological ways the church has shaped us into the people we are today. The significance of the faith on our national identities cannot be overlooked.
Why Church History Matters: Christianity Under Attack
This is particularly important at a time when Christianity is under attack, and Western nations are feeling ashamed of their histories. There have been many wicked things done in the name of religion. However, the study of the history of Christianity enables us to see the difference between those using religion for their own means, to gain power and control; and the faith of Bible-focused Christians to change society and ultimately nations for the good. Therefore, it is important to revisit those chapters of history which paint the church in a poor light, for example, the Crusades, or Colonisation and ask deep-dive questions about these situations, and clearly define what is “Christian” and what is not. Studying church history is a thought-provoking study that is highly nuanced. And yet, perfect for teens who are seeking answers to the difficult questions of history.
A Study of Christian History
We have all heard the adage history is HIS-Story, a study of Christian history gives us the perspective of how the church has been an active agent in the past. This has been catalysed in different ways:
- Through prayer.
- Taking up the cause of justice.
- Evangelism.
- Education.
Firstly, the church has been an active agent for change through prayer. For example, the 18th-century Moravian Community of Herrnhut launched a prayer meeting that lasted 100 years. This movement was ordinary church people, labouring in prayer, and bearing fruit that changed nations. As a direct result, missionaries were sent to unreached nations, including South Africa, Inuit communities in the Arctic, and black slaves in the Caribbean. Both the Great Awakening in America and the Methodist movement in England have their inception in this prayer movement.
Throughout the last 2000 years, the church has actively taken up the cause of social justice. From Celtic monks caring for the poor, and advocating with kings for the vulnerable in their communities, to the fight against apartheid in South Africa, or William Booth in Victorian London fighting for the poorest of the poor. The church has been instrumental in bringing about social change.
Through evangelism, nations have been transformed. The vicious Vikings of the Dark Ages first encountered Christianity and pillaged her wealth, but slowly they converted to the God who was rich in mercy and offered them salvation, peace, and joy. This was a radical departure from the violent bloodthirsty culture of Norse paganism.
Although Rome’s influence on the formation of the church can be argued to be a negative thing, the conversion of Rome also opened up the power of the Empire to spread the gospel. As Christian communities have spread throughout history, we see cultures and societies transformed.
Why Church History Matters: Nations Transformed
Ultimately the history of Europe, and the democracies of the West are routed in Judeo-Christian values. The Christian tradition at the heart of our culture is a result of the evangelistic efforts of saints centuries before. While there are issues and not all that has been done in the Name of Christ is of Christ, we can not underestimate the positive impact the church has had on Europe as well as the rest of the world.
Church History & Christian Education
The Christian value of learning and education has seen the lives of individuals transformed. The Reformation was ignited by the invention of the Gutenberg printing press. This accelerated the spreading of new ideas, learning, and the Word of God. For the first time, the Bible was accessible to those outside the clergy. The church and the ordinary men and women in the pews re-discovered the ultimate authority of the Word of God and not the Pope. Nations were transformed. In more recent years, Education for all was first championed by the church. 16th century Johann Amos Comenius is known as the Father of Education, he was a pioneer in bringing education to the masses. Not only did he believe that everyone should be given an education, but his methods were both revolutionary and highly progressive, centuries ahead of their time.
As believers, we can learn from the practice of our spiritual forefathers and look to change the culture in which we find ourselves. We can be inspired by the historic faith of the famous greats of the faith; but also the faceless, nameless multitude who laboured in their time, and fought the good fight. And today the ideas of Christian thinkers of the past are still as relevant as they were when they were first written: truth does not change with the tides of time.
This is why church history matters for teens – for all of us.
Church History for Teens
If you have a teen who would like to deep dive into Church History, and understand the significance of Christian history Arise Home Education has a 1-semester class. This class will look at the specific ways the history of the church has been monumental to the formation of the modern Church as we as Western societies. Rev. David Randall has taught at the Edinburgh Theological Seminary and is passionate about church history. He allows students to look at the events of history through the historical circumstances in which they occurred. The study of church history can be a faith-forming study, as well as an excellent way to study history in general.
Why Church History Matters – Essential Reading for Teens
- ‘In the Year of Our Lord‘ by Sinclair Ferguson, 2018, Reformation Trust Publishing (Amazon link)
- ‘Church History’ by Christopher Catherwood, 2007, Crossway Books (Amazon link)
- Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula (Amazon link). Looks at the Christian lives of those who stood for their faith, paying the cost.
- The Heroes for Young Readers Series, (Amazon link), published by YWAM. These are short biographies about a range of Christians, from Amy Carmichael to C.S, Lewis
- Church History for Young Readers (Amazon link) by Simonetta Carr (young readers in this incidence means 10-14 years)
