History of the Christian Church

Overview of the History

Instructor's Guides

We've formatted History 220 for independent study, if desired. Your History and Bible Parent Guide and separate History and Bible Student Guide weave materials together cohesively to direct your students with confidence each day.

The Parent Guide mirrors the Student Guide, but also includes answers and extra notes. So you can discuss their reading, check their progress, and bolster their academic and spiritual learning.

History and Biographies

Sonlight's 220 History of the Christian Church seeks to give young people an understanding of their extended family of believers and their heritage as citizens of God's kingdom. It teaches both traditional "Church History," as well as the expansion of the Gospel from the early days in the Roman Empire until now. It seeks to answer questions such as: What has God done through history? How is he moving today? How are we part of the global Body of Christ, and how is the Body bigger than our local churches and denominations?

Church History can offer a more accurate perspective on Christianity – both the good and the bad. We don't have to pretend Christians have only helped the world. Nor do we have to think 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.

The foundational text of this course, The Story of Christianity, is coauthored by a Catholic and a Protestant – providing as balanced a point of view as possible. (I personally come from a Protestant perspective, but recognize that the Protestant movement is only part of the whole, and arrived on the scene after 1,500 years of Church History. I understand that Christians in the Western and Eastern Hemispheres have important places in the Christian story.)

To expand on that book, the schedule interweaves The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History, offering additional insight into key moments in Christian history.

Ruth Tucker tells the history of Christian missions in From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya. Engaging biographical sketches introduce you to people God has used through the ages.

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."

Bible and Doctrinal Studies

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 Bible 210 program does all of these.

My hope and expectation is that students who complete Sonlight 220 will know God better, love Jesus more dearly, understand the world around them more fully, and follow God's call on their lives more completely.

Estimated daily time for History of the Christian Church: Student: 45min.

Our high school courses are separated by subject to allow customers maximum flexibility. Feel free to buy either the History or the Literature, or both, or to mix-and-match with the History and Literature of other Sonlight courses.

• History-Bible 220 Parent Guide Sample.pdf | 6.05 MB
• History-Bible 220 Student Guide Sample.pdf | 6.07 MB