by Barrett Hendrickson
Are you at all interested in Church History? I remember sitting in Social Studies classes in high school, wondering what difference it made in my life to be learning things that happened hundreds of years ago. For some reason though, I was always engaged with the story of where we came from and how it has shaped who we are.
In my degree program, I’ve had to take a few Historical Theology classes, i.e., Church History. There is a reason why the Church looks the way it does today, and sometimes it helps us to look back to see what has shaped us. After the resurrection of Christ the mandate of the church was to go to all the nations, baptizing, and teaching to obey all that Christ has commanded. And so it grew. Growth meant more cultural influence and the church has become more diverse. Seeing that diversity, yet desire for unity, helps us shape how our local congregations worship, and interact with the larger Church.
I recommend Ryan Reeves YouTube Channel for some free, quality explorations of the life of the church and the history of doctrine. Dr. Reeves was one of my Historical Theology professors, who has made a lot of popular Church History videos to help the Church understand herself better. There are a couple of playlists that might interest you. The history episodes are about 30 minutes each, but he also has a “Theology in 90 seconds” playlist that explains Reformed Theology. Dr. Reeves has a dry wit about him, and occasionally he’ll put a slide or caption in that will make you laugh.
