I.

COURSE TITLE:

HUM360 - CHURCH HISTORY

II. LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: ENGLISH

III. AUDIENCE: VERITAS CHRISTIAN STUDY ABROAD STUDENTS

IV. CONTACT HOURS: 45

V. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES

Course Description
History of the Christian Church is a survey of the development of the Christian Church from the
close of the New Testament period to the present time, with special attention to the origins
and beliefs of various denominations. The course will provide an examination of the church as
an institution and as a people. Thus, while context, dates and names establish the background
for historical understanding of the institution of the church, ideas will also be discussed from an
explicitly evangelical perspective. Students will therefore gain a historical basis for
understanding current ideas and trends in the church and in ministry.

Course Objectives
1. To provide students with a general survey of the significant individuals and groups which
have shaped the direction of church history.
2. To introduce students to the complexities of theological development and doctrinal
formulation.
3. To enhance the devotional lives of students by connecting their understanding of
Scripture and life experiences with major figures and events in church history.
4. To enable students to converse intelligently about current church issues from an
historical perspective.
5. To provide students with resources necessary for conducting further research in church
history.
6. To inspire students to continue seeking their personal role in participating in the life of
the Church and serving under the Great Commission.

VI. COURSE P RE-REQUISITES: NONE

VII. REQUIRED READING AND TEXTS

Course Textbooks

Tony Lane, "The Lion Book of Christian Thought." (June 1992)

Course Transcript Provided by California Baptist University

VIII. COURSE CALENDAR
Course Schedule
Week Lectures & Readings Assignments
Week 1 Syllabus Review
Introduction (17-38)
Week 2 On This Rock (49-58) Biographical Quiz: (9/9)
Christ or Caesar (86-94) Martyrs
Earnestly Contending for the Faith
(103-111)
Week 3 Fables or Sound Doctrine (95-102) History of the Bible Quiz:
The Church Closes Ranks (112-117) (9/16)
The Golden Age of Church Fathers (134- The Birth of the Bible
143)
Week 4 Conciliar Controversy and Creedal Biographical Quiz: (9/23)
Development (125-133) Evangelists & Apologists
The Christianity of the Cloisters (144-149)
Hierarchical and Liturgical Developments
(150-158)
Week 5 The Emergence of the Holy Roman Empire History of the Bible Quiz:
(184-191) (9/30)
Revival and Schism in the Church (192-201) Ancient Versions: The New
The Zenith of Papal Power (202-211) Testament

Week 6 Attempts at Internal Reform (239-251) Biographical Quiz: (10/7)

The Papacy Faces External Opposition (252- Musicians, Artists and
266) Writers
The Background of Reformation
(267-279)
Luther and the German Reformation (280-
292)
Week 7 The Reformation in Switzerland History of the Bible Quiz:
(293-307) (10/14)
Restoring the New
The Reformed Faith Outside Switzerland Testament Text
(308-319)
Week 8 The Reformation and Puritanism in England Biographical Quiz: (10/19)
(320-336) Pastors and Preachers
Counter Reformation and Evaluation (337-
354)
Week 9 Midterm Exam
Week 10 The Establishment of Christianity in North History of the Bible Quiz:
America (355-374) (10/28)

Course Transcript Provided by California Baptist University

 The Canon of the
Scriptures
Week 11 Rationalism, Revivalism, and Roman Biographical Quiz: (11/4)
Catholicism (375-391) Missionaries
Religion and Reform in Great Britain and
Europe (398-471)
Week 12 Foes of the Faith (418-425) History of the Bible Quiz:
The American Church in the National Era (11/11)
(426-443) The Apocryphal Books

Week 13 The Decline of Liberal, Neo-Orthodox and Biographical Quiz: (12/2)

Radical Theologies (459-467) Scholars and Scientists
The Rise of Ecumenical Organization (468-
477)
Week 14 Evangelical Unity in Diversity (478-504) History of the Bible Quiz:
Decline and Expansion in Church Growth (12/9)
(505-527) The English Bible to 1611
Week 15 Final Exam @ 11:00

IX. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Grading Standard
100-93 (A) 92-90 (A-)
89-88 (B+) 87-83 (B) 82-80 (B-)
79-78 (C+) 77-73 (C) 72-70 (C-)
69-68 (D+) 67-63 (D) 62-60 (D-)
59-00 (F)

A = Exceptionally high scholarship; B = Superior scholarship; C = Good average scholarship; D =

Poor but passing; F = Failure

X. ATTENDANCE P OLICY
The in-class participation of the individual and the combined experiences of the group
are two of the primary means of instruction in this course; therefore, attendance is
mandatory. It is the responsibility of the student to sign the attendance sheet that will
be passed around at each class session. Only three absences for whatever reason
(illness, personal or work emergency, school-related activity, traffic, etc.) are permitted
during the semester. One letter grade will be subtracted from a student's point total for
each absence recorded beyond those permitted.

XI. DESCRIPTION OF SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS/ACTIVITIES

Course Transcript Provided by California Baptist University

 1. Two Exams (200 points each): Each student will take a midterm and a final exam. The
material for each exam will be based on lectures given in class and assigned readings.
Students are expected to take exams at the scheduled time. Please note the following:
a. Make-up exams are allowed but will be administered in the Academic Resource
Center. Students must initiate this process by going to the ARC, retrieving and
completing the necessary paperwork, and paying a fee.
b. Any student who fails to take the exam on time will incur a letter-grade
deduction on the exam. This penalty does not apply to students who arrange to
take the exam earlier than the scheduled date.
c. All make-up exams must be scheduled within one week of the original exam
date.

2. Biographical Quizzes (20 points each): Each student will read and be quizzed over
assigned portions of 131 Christians Everyone Should Know. Please note the following as
you prepare:
a. Each section should be read with the following in mind: Why is this person
important for the church? What books did this person write? What movement
did this person begin? What piece of interesting information is associated with
this person?
b. The format of the quiz will consist of a selection of quotes from the text which
the student will use to identify the correct person.
c. No make-up quizzes will be allowed. Students who know they will be absent on
the day of the quiz can make arrangements with the professor to take the quiz
early.
d. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped at the end of the semester.

3. History of the Bible Quizzes (20 points each): Each student will read and be quizzed
over assigned portions of Neil Lightfoot’s How We Got the Bible. Each quiz will consist of
questions taken directly from the end of the assigned chapter. As stated above, no
make-up quizzes will be allowed but the lowest quiz grade will be dropped at the end of
the semester.
4. Reading Report (100 points possible): Each student will turn in a reading report
detailing the amount of material each student has read from Christianity through the
Centuries. The professor will provide the report and the student will sign his/her name
and the amount read.

Select Bibliography
Ahlstrom, Sydney E. A Religious History of the American People. New Haven, Conn.: Yale
Univ., 1972.

Bettenson, Henry, ed. Documents of the Christian Church. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, f1963.

Course Transcript Provided by California Baptist University

Bradley, James E. and Richard A. Muller. Church History: An Introduction to Research,
Reference Works, and Methods. Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s, 1995.

Brown, Colin. Christianity and Western Thought: A History of Philosophers, Ideas, and
Movements. Downer’s Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1990.

Clouse, Robert G., Richard V. Pierard, and Edwin M. Yamauchi. Two Kingdoms: The
Church and Culture Through the Ages. Chicago: Moody, 1993.

Douglas, J. D., ed. The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2nd ed.
London: Oxford University Press, 1974.

Dowley, Tim. Eerdman’s Handbook to the History of Christianity. Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s,
1977.

Gonzalez, Justo L. A History of Christian Thought. 2 vols. Nashville: Abingdon, 1988.

The 100 Most Important Events in Church History. [Christian History, no. 28]. 1990.

Hastings, Adrian, ed. A World History of Christianity. London: Cassell, 1999.

Leith, John H., ed. Creeds of the Churches. 3rd ed. Atlanta: John Knox, 1982.

Noll, Mark A. A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada. Grand Rapids:
Eerdman’s, 1992.

Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine. 5 vols.
Chicago: University of Chicago, 1971-1989.

Tucker, Ruth A., and Walter Liefeld. Daughters of the Church: Women and Ministry from
New Testament Times to the Present. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987.

Schaff, Philip. The Creeds of Christendom. 3 vols. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1975.

Walker, Williston and Richard Norris, David W. Lotz, and Robert T. Handy. A History of the
Christian Church. 4th ed. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1985.

Woodbridge, John D. ed. Great Leaders of the Christian Church. Chicago: Moody, 1988.

Course Transcript Provided by California Baptist University