Introduction to Christian History

Introduction to Christian History

Taught by Stephen Backhouse

The Introduction to Christian History course, taught by Stephen Backhouse, provides an essential overview. This highly informative, broad-ranging study provides vital facts on the growth and impact of Christianity from the apostles to the present day not only in the Western world but also globally.

Course Details

  • 20 Units

  • Self-paced

  • 5 hours of video

  • Intermediate

  • Introduction to Christian History

12 Month Access
$199.99 USD

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 Take this course via The BibleMesh Institute to get transfer credit for degree programs at select institutions.

Course Description

The Introduction to Christian History course provides an essential overview. This highly informative, broad-ranging study, taught by scholar and author Stephen Backhouse, provides vital facts on the growth and impact of Christianity from the apostles to the present day not only in the Western world but also globally, including the development of Eastern Orthodox and Armenian Christianity, as well as Christianity in Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Baltic and Slavic states, and India. The course is organized by century, going through the major events, ideas, and personalities that have shaped Christian history around the world.

Topics covered include:

  • The main threads and issues running through each century of Christian history
  • Explanations of key historical developments
  • Thematic connections between centuries
  • Focused looks at key persons, ideas, and events

The final unit, devoted to the present century, identifies key themes that the Christian church is presently dealing with and suggests future issues. The Introduction to Christian History course will aid students in grasping the global, multifaceted story of Christians.

By completing this course, you’ll gain:

  • A general understanding of key places, people, dates, and events that have shaped the history of Christianity
  • Insight into the connections between centuries and how the past is important for the present and the future
  • Practical knowledge of the basics of Christianity from the apostles to the present day
  • Confidence in your growing knowledge through personalized review sessions and unit assessments

Meet Your Instructors

Stephen Backhouse

D.Phil., Oxford

Stephen Backhouse is the Lecturer in Social and Political Theology at Mellitus College, London. He studied at the University of Oxford and McGill University. He has published a number of critically well-received books and articles on religion, history, and Kierkegaard, from the popular Kierkegaard: A Single Life published by Zondervan, to the academic Kierkegaard’s Critique of Christian Nationalism for Oxford University Press.

Course Outline

  • Servants and Leaders: 1–100

  • Love and Courage: 100–200

  • Martyrs and Heretics: 200–300

  • Establishment and Resistance: 300–400

  • East and West: 400–500

  • Centres and Margins: 500–600

  • Soldiers and Missionaries: 600–700

  • Monks and Emperors: 700–800

  • Conversion and Culture: 800–900

  • Green Shoots, Dead Branches: 900–1000


    MIDTERM


  • Popes, Kings, and Peasants: 1000–1100

  • War and Peace: 1100–1200

  • Empire and Wilderness: 1200–1300

  • Humility and Power: 1300–1400

  • Church and State: 1400–1500

  • Expansion and Consolidation: 1500–1600

  • Reform and Revival: 1600–1700

  • Reason and Revolution: 1700–1800

  • Progress and Preservation: 1800–1900

  • Sacrifice and Invention: 1900–2000


    FINAL EXAM


BibleMesh is now offering an integrated reading experience for our new book-based courses. As before, students will be guided through their reading with book excerpts embedded within the course. This allows for an improved reading experience within the course. Students will also be able to pop out the book reader into a full-screen, fully-featured web-based reading platform where they will be able to see the wider context of each excerpt and access the complete book.

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