Church History Matters
It is remarkable how ignorant the contemporary church is to its history. I’m by no means an expert, more like a hobbyist on the matter. Whether it’s reading the original works of guys who died long ago, or imbibing in a solid biography, church history is a joy for me. I’d like to share that joy with you by helping you see its importance. At the end I’ll also provide some resources to help you wet your beak. A few of these resources are free. Some of the other resources might be in your church library or your pastor’s study. If not, buy them, then donate so your fellow brothers and sisters can grow in appreciation for God’s movement in history.
1. You know some church history, but it’s flawed. I remember in middle school learning about Martin Luther and the Reformation, but all I could remember prior to Bible College was the 95 Theses. I’d never read them or considered how Luther’s views affected how we understand the Scriptures. Most importantly I remember learning about the big boogie monsters called Puritans.
Having been raised in New England there was a great deal of emphasis placed on the Salem Witch Trials and the oppressive Puritans who sought to extinguish all forms of happiness. Then I read the Puritans, I couldn’t have been more wrong about them. My teachers were secular, probably Agnostic or Atheist, so they approached the Puritans from a very different perspective than you or I might today. Once I read Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, John Bunyan, and Richard Sibbes on my own I realize how much joy they found in Christ. The Christian life, in their view, was one solely dedicated to worship and joy. They were zealous, pious, and gracious. That’s definitely not the impression you get from a secular education.
2. It humbles you. Recency bias is a thing. We can all too easily look at the present times and believe that what we are doing is far better than what the church was doing in years past. What you will recognize as you study church history is that there’s nothing new under the sun. Heresy has always been present in the church, we have been fighting over a number of issues for nearly two-thousand years, and history does have a way of repeating itself.
Ever since Christianity became legal in the fourth-century the Church has been struggling with how it relates to the state. It became common after Constantine for the Christians to begin persecuting non-Christians within the Roman Empire—essentially switching roles with the Pagans. Martin Luther advocated for the state to take away lands from non-Christians, particularly Jews.
Studying Church History also humbles you when you sit under the teachings for the great pastors throughout the church. Luther might’ve really boggled his view on the Jews, but his Commentary on Galatians is one of the greatest works on the Law and Gospel ever written. Augustine’s Confessions is an insane story of how he came to faith and how God used him mightily in Africa. Is there a more famous sermon than Edward’s Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God? In our own circles we might read William Miller and see how cautious he was at first to share his predictions.
Lastly, the history of the church is literally the story of God sustaining His people and glorifying His name. We discover how God moved throughout the centuries in many different ways. This should spark in us a sincere gratitude for all that God has done and eagerly anticipate what He might be doing now. God’s story doesn’t end in Revelation or the Book of Acts. God is remains active today and is working though His Church.
3. You’ll gain appreciation for today’s technology. I have about a dozen volumes of Luther’s Works in English. There are over fifty in the entire collection. I also picked up Thomas Manton’s Works a 22 volume set. Additionally I own collections of Calvin’s Works, Charles Spurgeon, and James Montgomery Boice. These men wrote thousands of books, commentaries, and letters. I will spend a lifetime learning from these guys while they spend a lifetime writing. All of this was done without computers.
In my Logos Bible Software I can pull commentaries, bible dictionaries, sermons, and language notes on any passage I choose within seconds. If I have a theological question I can consult several within my digital library along with the half dozen I have on my bookshelf. There are numerous websites, articles, and lectures I can glean knowledge from. What times the modern student moments would take someone in the 16th century hours or days. You could write on your laptop or iPad and have someone from across the country edit your document in real time. This was not the case for Augustine, Zwingli, or Ryle.
4. God’s Word will become more clear. Some of the best teachers throughout church history are dead. They’ve been dead for hundreds of years. The Puritans had a talent for squeezing all the truth that could be found in a single verse. Looking at my study of Thomas Manton, he could write twenty pages expounding upon half of one verse. Each point and illustration is as important as the last in Manton’s writing, but he wasn’t alone. John Owen has one of the greatest works on overcoming sin and communing with God. Charles Spurgeoon was able to communicate his sermons to men and women of both high and low learning.
Our forebears in church history loved the Word of God. They chose not to skip a single jot or tittle. These folks wholeheartedly believed the Word of God and found value in it all. They didn’t skip around to find things that were convenient. Instead, many historical figures made it their aim to preach and teach the most difficult of passages.
5. It’s like ancestry.com, but better! You know how you can take one of those DNA tests to find out where your people came from? We don’t need to go to those lengths when we look at church history. The faith has been passed down from the Jews, to Europe and Africa, England, and the United States. Augustine was a womanizing heathen reformed by grace. Luther was a monk with a penchant for beer and married a nun. Edwards married into Puritan royalty, was run out of town, and preached to the natives. John Calvin stood up against the magistrates demands over communion, so he was sacked by his late twenties. Charles Spurgeon has some great insight on what it's like to battle depression even when you’re the most famous preacher of your time. Tom Loghry likes to tell others about Miles Grant, a prominent Advent Christian who thought it sinful to plan more than six months in advance.
6. We can make informed decisions about our future. When I was in high school I remember a teacher once saying that “History teaches us about others successes and mistakes. Life is a lot easier when you learn from others' experiences rather than having to learn them the hard way.” Isn’t that true? The Christian faith didn’t begin in 1950 or 2020. We aren’t any smarter than those who came before us, though we have the benefit of hindsight. Some think that predestination started with John Calvin, but we actually see it in Augustine and others centuries before. Is there not something to learn from the many denominations and churches that have quarreled over confessions and creeds? Can we look to others and see how the church has handled seismic cultural shifts in the past? As our denomination wrestles with where to draw the lines in regards to orthodoxy, could we draw from those who bore the cross of Christ long ago?
Where can you begin to shed your ignorance and become informed?
Check out Ryan Reeves on YouTube. He is thorough without getting into the weeds, good graphics, and sense of humor.
Michael Horton in Church History in 5 Minutes. He is straight and to the point.
Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley. I love this book for its simplicity and ease of understanding.
RightNow Media has Robert Godfrey’s Survey of Church History. He is fairly thorough, but it's also a survey. These videos that are less the 30 minutes in length are enough to give you the foundation and help you discover things that will be of even more interest.
You can also listen to Justo Gonzalez’s 1st and 2nd volumes on church history on Audible. These are the standard textbooks for Bible Colleges and Seminaries for their basic church history classes.