100 Most Important Events in Christian History

Kenneth Curtis A., Stephen Lang J., Randy Petersen

Description

Brush up on the people, places, and events every Christian should know about with this fascinating, accessible guide. Ideal for pastors and speakers.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• History of Christianity
• History of religions
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 mars 1998
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781585581290
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

© 1991 by Christian History Institute
Published by Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.revellbooks.com
Previously published under the title Dates with Destiny
Ebook edition created 2013
Ebook corrections 08.25.2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-5855-8129-0
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture marked NIV is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked RSV is taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Preface
Dates With Destiny
64 The Fire in Rome
70 Titus Destroys Jerusalem
Circa 150 Justin Martyr Writes His Apology
Circa 156 The Martyrdom of Polycarp
177 Irenaeus Becomes Bishop of Lyons
Circa 196 Tertullian Begins to Write Christian Books
Circa 205 Origen Begins Writing
251 Cyprian Writes On the Unity of the Church
270 Anthony Begins His Life as a Hermit
312 The Conversion of Constantine
325 The Council of Nicea
367 Athanasius’s Letter Recognizes the New Testament Canon
385 Bishop Ambrose Defies the Empress
387 Conversion of Augustine
398 John Chrysostom Becomes Bishop of Constantinople
405 Jerome Completes the Vulgate
432 Patrick Goes as Missionary to Ireland
451 The Council of Chalcedon
529 Benedict of Nursia Establishes His Monastic Order
563 Columba Goes as a Missionary to Scotland
590 Gregory I Becomes Pope
664 Synod of Whitby
716 Boniface Sets Out as Missionary
731 The Venerable Bede Completes His Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation
732 The Battle of Tours
800 Charlemagne Crowned Emperor
863 Cyril and Methodius Evangelize Slavs
909 Monastery Established at Cluny
988 Conversion of Vladimir, Prince of Russia
1054 The East-West Schism
1093 Anselm Becomes Archbishop of Canterbury
1095 Pope Urban II Launches the First Crusade
1115 Bernard Founds the Monastery at Clairvaux
Circa 1150 Universities of Paris and Oxford Founded
1173 Peter Waldo Founds the Waldensians
1206 Francis of Assisi Renounces Wealth
1215 The Fourth Lateran Council
1273 Thomas Aquinas Completes Work on Summa Theologica
1321 Dante Completes The Divine Comedy
1378 Catherine of Siena Goes to Rome to Heal the Great Schism
Circa 1380 Wycliffe Oversees English Bible Translation
1415 John Hus Burned at the Stake
1456 Johann Gutenberg Produces the First Printed Bible
1478 Establishment of the Spanish Inquisition
1498 Savonarola Executed
1512 Michelangelo Completes the Sistine Chapel Ceiling
1517 Martin Luther Posts His Ninety-five Theses
1523 Zwingli Leads Swiss Reformation
1525 Anabaptist Movement Begins
1534 Henry VIII’s Act of Supremacy
1536 John Calvin Publishes The Institutes of the Christian Religion
1540 The Pope Approves the Jesuits
1545 Opening of the Council of Trent
1549 Cranmer Produces the Book of Common Prayer
1559 John Knox Returns to Scotland to Lead Reform
1572 St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
1608–1609 John Smyth Baptizes the First Baptists
1611 Publication of the King James Bible
1620 Pilgrims Sign the Mayflower Compact
1628 Comenius Driven From His Homeland
1646 The Westminster Confession of Faith
1648 George Fox Founds the Society of Friends
1662 Rembrandt Completes the Return of the Prodigal Son
1675 Philip Jacob Spener Publishes Pia Desideria
1678 John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress Published
1685 The Births of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederic Handel
1707 Publication of Isaac Watts’s Hymns and Spiritual Songs
1727 Awakening at Herrnhut Launches Moravian Brethren
1735 Great Awakening Under Jonathan Edwards
1738 John Wesley’s Conversion
1780 Robert Raikes Begins Sunday Schools
1793 William Carey Sails for India
1807 The British Parliament Votes to Abolish the Slave Trade
1811 The Campbells Begin the Disciples of Christ
1812 Adoniram and Ann Judson Sail for India
1816 Richard Allen Founds African Methodist Episcopal Church
1817 Elizabeth Fry Begins Ministry to Women in Prison
1830 Charles G. Finney’s Urban Revivals Begin
Circa 1830 John Nelson Darby Helps Start Plymouth Brethren
1833 John Keble’s Sermon “National Apostasy” Initiates the Oxford Movement
1854 Hudson Taylor Arrives in China
1854 Søren Kierkegaard Publishes Attacks on Christendom
1854 Charles Haddon Spurgeon Becomes Pastor in London
1855 Dwight L. Moody’s Conversion
1857 David Livingstone Publishes Missionary Travels
1865 William Booth Founds the Salvation Army
1870 Pope Pius IX Proclaims the Doctrine of Papal Infallibility
1886 Student Volunteer Movement Begins
1906 Azusa Street Revival Launches Pentecostalism
1910–1915 Publication of The Fundamentals Launches Fundamentalist Movement
1919 Karl Barth’s Commentary on Romans Is Published
1921 First Christian Radio Broadcast
1934 Cameron Townsend Begins Summer Institute of Linguistics
1945 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Executed by Nazis
1948 World Council of Churches Is Formed
1949 Billy Graham’s Los Angeles Crusade
1960 Beginnings of the Modern Charismatic Renewal
1962 Second Vatican Council Begins
1963 Martin Luther King, Jr., Leads March on Washington
1966–1976 Chinese Church Grows Despite Cultural Revolution
Illustration Sources
Index
Back Cover
Preface
W hat are the ten most important things that have happened in your life in the past five years? Now ask your father, daughter, wife or husband, or any two close friends to answer the same question in regard to you. You will quickly see how capable we are of attaching different significance to events even among those who live in the closest intimacy and proximity.
Right at the start let us admit that no one has the final word on what are the most important dates in the history of the church. Indeed, God’s list would probably differ significantly from any we could make.
We have not intended to set ourselves up as the authoritative arbiters of what finally counts in the life of the church over the centuries. Instead we have attempted to give an overview of events in the perplexing history of the people of God that will provide the nonhistorian and nonspecialist with a convenient look at major contours and catalysts that have shaped Christianity.
Many Christians today want to know more about the roots of their faith and how many of the teachings and practices of their churches came into existence. But few have the time or inclination to take on a multi-volume academic work. This kind of book should help in serving that interest. Non-Christians will find this a handy reference to acquaint themselves with major people, movements, meanings, and events in the long history of Christianity.
We started our consideration of church history after (or at least outside of) the events recorded in the New Testament. Obviously, the Resurrection, the conversion of Paul, the Council of Jerusalem, and so on are important dates in church history, but where does one stop? We judged it best, therefore, to select only events not recorded in the New Testament.
Rather than rank the events in any kind of order of importance, we have presented them in chronological order, to give a kind of tour through the centuries.
Some worthy selections were left out because we felt that we could incorporate them into another. For example, while a survey that we did included both the posting of Luther’s Ninety-five Theses and the Diet of Worms, we have included only the former to encompass both.
Other events were included not only for their immediate significance but what they led to or how things might have been greatly different had they not happened. For example, the Synod of Whitby will not go down as one of the great councils of the church, but it is of tremendous importance that the English church chose to unite with Rome at that time. History could have been vastly different had they taken the other alternative.
We also introduced several entries that may seem contrived and artificial. The world did not change, nor did the church, on the birth dates of Bach and Handel, but not to include the contribution of great music to the life of worship would be defective indeed. Therefore, several entries are included primarily for their symbolic value.
We avoided inclusions from the last two decades, because, although we saw some attractive alternatives, we are too close to those events to have the necessary perspective.
Some may accuse us of weighting our choices in favor of the West, males, Protestants, and evangelicals. This is partly unavoidable but no doubt also reflective of our bias.
But, as noted above, we make no claims to finality in this list and from the beginning have expected brisk response from readers who will want to challenge us on possibilities that they think must be included and others they think could have been omitted. So we invite readers to write and let us know what you think and detail your reasons. If response warrants we will issue a second volume of “more important dates in church history.” Those of you who just want advance word about a second volume are also invited to write. Write to Ken Curtis, Christian History Institute, Box 540, Worcester, PA 19490,