The history of christianity

He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children; that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise to tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God . . .   --Psalm 78:5-7

Even a brief study of the Old Testament indicates the truth that God reveals Himself to people throughout history, as well as through history itself.  It is the purpose of this tutorial to survey the works of God through His people over the past 2000 years.  From the time of Christ, to the present, we will look at the major events, people, theological controversies, and movements that comprise the history of Christianity particularly from a Protestant perspective. As we make this survey, we will, in actuality, be studying the major eras and many of the noteworthy people that comprise the history of Western civilization from the birth of Christ up to the present time. 

Some may question the necessity of a survey of Church History for students at the secondary level.  Charles C. Fennel’s words answer that concern well when he said that “the man who does not know history is a leaf who does not know it is part of a tree.”  In fact, ignorance of the major eras and ideas that comprise the growth of Christianity over the years is, in effect, ignorance of some of the major movements in Western culture.

TEXTS

Church History in Plain Language

Documents of the Christian Church

ASSIGNMENTS

Periodic writing will be assigned as a way for students to respond to the readings.  Some assignments are to be read by the writer to the class.  The tutor and the class will provide feedback at the time of the reading.  (This is great practice that allows students to gain confidence in reading their work to a live audience.)  This class also involves a research paper and two exams.

Computer set-up information can be found here.

COST AND REGISTRATION

The cost for this tutorial is $260 per semester.  Registration is reserved for families of Alexandria Tutorials until March 15th, at which time registration is open to all families. Each class is limited to 15 participants.  To register, you may follow this link.

Checks are made payable to Matthew Turnbull and a non-refundable deposit of $50 to reserve your seat is required by August 20th, the remainder is due the first week of class. This deposit is part of first semester tuition. Second semester tuition is due the first week of that semester. Tuition is not refundable after the first month of the semester. 

Please send payment to:  

Matthew Turnbull/ Alexandria Tutorials/ 248 Benton St./ Leavenworth, WA 98826 

COURSE SCHEDULE

This class meets on Mondays from 11:00 a.m. to noon, Pacific time.  This course will begin in early September.   We will break for a week during Thanksgiving, and we will break for Christmas after class in mid-December.   Class will resume in early January, and end on the last week of May, with a break for a week in April.  This schedule allows for approximately 33 class periods.   This is a year-long class.  Please do not register for the class if you are not able to complete both semesters.  A withdrawal fee will be assessed for students who withdraw in the middle of the year.  

Generally, the tutor is able to meet each week, although there may be exceptions due to illness, or family emergencies.  If you know you are going to miss a class, please e-mail your tutor to give him warning.  Since all classes are recorded, if a student must miss the class meeting, he or she can watch the recording when feasible to keep current on the instruction. We will have our first semester exam in mid-January. The final exam will take place the last week of the course.