Core 200

Discover 2,000 years of your Christian heritage

• Uncover the story of the ages: how Jesus of Nazareth changed the world forever.
• Develop a balanced understanding of Christianity's story through studying Scripture, history and biographies.
• Expand your horizons with literary classics.
• Watch your teenagers gain confidence in their faith through studying the reasons for faith. Watch their writing develop and improve.

Celebrate your heritage

Your children know their heritage as citizens of their country. Core 200 opens their eyes to their astounding heritage as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven: What has God done throughout history? How is He moving today? How are we part of a global body of Christ bigger than our local churches and denominations?

My husband John and I created this Core for 15- to 18-year-olds and advanced 14-year-olds.

Why study Church History?

The Book of Hebrews reminds us "we are surrounded by ... a great cloud of witnesses." Today, our fellow witnesses include Christians around the globe and throughout history. We are all part of the same body of Christ. We will all walk together in heaven one day. Let's get to know our brothers and sisters!

I know not everyone gets as excited as I do about feeling connected to the global Church. So consider these other benefits of studying the history of Christ and His Church:

• We get to look at World and American History from a fresh perspective.
• Church History can give us a more accurate perspective on Christianity--both the good and the bad. We don't have to pretend Christians have only helped the world. But we don't have to accept the popular notion that the violent Crusades are a valid representation of most of Church history. We can celebrate the hope, compassion, freedom and progress Christianity has brought society, while understanding the uncomfortable realities of our history.
• Parents love learning the intriguing history in this Core. Many Sonlight moms say they never knew much Church History before and were surprised at how thoroughly they enjoyed it!
• Core 200 helps you maintain open communication with your teenagers as you discuss key faith issues. The books and Instructor's Guide offer plenty of help in this. As one mom said, "I am grateful for the chance to discuss foundational issues while my children are still building their own foundations for their lives."

Finally, as The Story of Christianity says:

For Christians and non-Christians alike, the story of Christianity is a major part of the world's history. The Christian faith has affected every sphere of life, from morality to politics, from art to literature, from science to philosophy. (p. 7)

Twenty centuries have passed since Jesus walked in Galilee. What a privilege to explore how His incarnation changed history.

A perspective of faith and hope

Core 200 explores Church History through the eyes of people who love Jesus and believe He is God. We look realistically at difficult times in history. We consider difficult questions that have caused divisions among Christians. But we always do so from the assumption that Christ is our loving Savior and God incarnate.

We also approach this study from the perspective that Christians in the Western and Eastern Hemispheres have important places in the Christian story.

Enter into this study expecting to face some questions you've never considered, and to be assured of Jesus' power and love throughout the centuries. The motivation behind Core 200 is that we all would know God better, love Jesus more dearly, understand the world around us more fully, and follow God's call on our lives more completely.

What you'll study

Core 200 starts with the Old Testament, moves quickly to the time of the early Church and continues up to the modern Church.

The foundational text, The Story of Christianity, provides a wonderfully balanced view. Authored by a Catholic Priest and a Protestant scholar, it's not too biased one way or the other. (Though we who own Sonlight come from a Protestant perspective, we know the Protestant movement is only part of the whole and came after 1,500 years of church history.) A second text, The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History, gives a captivating chronology and description of key turning points in history.

Get a biographical history of Christian mission with From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya. Meet people who totally altered how the gospel has spread--from the Apostle Paul to Columba to William Carey to Jim Elliot to Mother Teresa.

As students learn how God's Church grew, they also enjoy a literature program with key classics and a challenging Bible program that helps them know what they believe and why.

You receive:

Instructor's Guide

Dive into this unique year with confidence. Your newly improved, easier-to-use Instructor's Guide (divided into a complete Parent Guide and Student Guide) leads you each day. See p. 156 to learn more about the improvements for 2011. Request a 3-week sample of the guide.

We've formatted Core 200 so that your students can complete it independently. If you have time, they will reap much more academically and spiritually if you engage and discuss what they're learning and thinking.

History / Biographies

As you watch the Church grow, you get to:

• Discover the fascinating and largely untold story of the first "missionaries" to East Asia. Find evidence for Christianity in Japan as early as the 700s.
• Wrestle through some of the controversial issues that have divided the Western church. Understand why the Church exists in its present diverse forms today.
• Examine infrastructure developments, social trends and inventions that have aided the rapid spread of the gospel.

Bible/Apologetics

Equip your students to understand, deepen and defend their faith. Empower them to articulate the fundamental principles of Christianity. Give them a new appreciation for the beauty and cohesiveness of the Bible. And help them consider Jesus as a real person with real implications for their lives. The Core 200 Bible program does all of these.

Classics of Literature

The Core 200 literature program features our most diverse collection of classics in any Core. Due to the unique focus of the Core 200 history program, we do not coordinate the literature titles with your history studies. This gives us the wonderful flexibility to assemble many of the world's most cherished classics into a unique program.

Highlights include Robinson Crusoe, Romeo and Juliet, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, A Separate Peace (one of my all-time favorites!), Jane Eyre, The Screwtape Letters and more. The guided study and corresponding Language Arts program tie these works into a fantastic literature course that develops critical thinking, literary analysis and written communication skills.

Language Arts

Fully integrated with the literature program, Core 200 Language Arts unleashes your students' writing potential. With engaging assignments that draw from their reading, students learn and practice the basics of literary analysis, essays, research, creative writing and more.

Know your family

Join the ranks of Sonlighters who know now the story of their Christian family. May you enjoy the fresh conversations and discoveries in store for you. Thank you for being dedicated to your students' academic and spiritual growth!