Module 1: Introductory Material
Hi everyone, and welcome to the first module of the History of Christianity 1 Course. In this section, we'll be working through some preliminary information that will hopefully help you better learn and understand later material.
This module will help you to understand the reason why the study of history can be so helpful for our current life and ministry. It is more than just names and dates about a bunch of dead people. History is a laboratory of how God has been working in the real lives of real people throughout the world and in a variety of different situations. It is a tutorial of how humans have succeeded and how we have failed. And if we pay attention to the lessons learned, it will help us to avoid the failures and imitate the successes.
This module will also give you an introduction to the ways that we can study history most profitably. There are many unhelpful ways, and there are some key ways that will help us to grow, not only in knowledge, but also in wisdom and success.
Introductory Scenario
Consider yourself and your own situation, (I trust that you can describe yourself better than I can), and that you are beginning to study Christian history. What are the benefits of doing so? What do you hope to get out of this kind of study? Do you think it will be worthwhile to do so? If so, how can you succeed in this endeavor and get the most out of your history study? Please consider these questions and be watching for material that will help you answer them as you work through this module.
Module Objectives and Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this module, the student will:
- Favorably consider the necessity of and the means to study Christian History.
- Articulate the reasons and benefits of studying history well, and from a Christian standpoint.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the benefits of studying and applying the principles and lessons learned from Christian history.
- Place the major historical epochs covered in this course in a general chronology.
Instruction Guides
In this section, you'll find links to important instructional documents for this module. Click the following links to open each document. There is a set of instructions for individual study and a document for group study.
History Overview
Below you will find a link to the overview document surveying all the history covered in this course. This document is intended to give you a general, big-picture view of all the history, so that you will have a mental outline in which to fit all the things you will learn throughout this course. Research has shown that people learn better if they have existing categories and frameworks in which to place newly learned information. This document is a resource to provide such a mental outline. Therefore, I highly suggest you read this document, and keep it handy for review and reference throughout this course. Regularly try to think how new material fits into this overall outline.
Textbook Content
In this section, you'll find a study guide for the textbook reading for module 1. And then you'll find the link to a practice quiz covering this textbook reading.
This section also contains a review quiz to test your understanding of the textbook material for this module. By clicking the thumbnail below, you will be given a series of questions, in random order. The quiz will be different each time, so feel free to take it more than once.
Click the Thumbnail to begin the Quiz
Click the button next to the best answer for each question, or drag each term to its best definition. Then press the Submit
button at the bottom to see if your answers are correct.
Lecture Content
In this section, you will find the video lectures for all the introductory course material module. They are designed to be watched in order, but each video should make sense on its own. Click each thumbnail to open access to each video. There are also links with each video if you prefer to watch on the Rumble or YouTube interface or download just the audio to listen offline.
Click the Thumbnail to view this Lecture Video
Click the Thumbnail to view this Lecture Video
Reviews
In this section, you will find the review slides from the course lectures for module 1. This is a convenient way to view and review the summaries for each lecture. Click the Thumbnail picture to begin the slide show.
Click the Thumbnail to view the Slideshow.
Click the prev.
and next
buttons (bottom right of the slide) to move through the slides. You can also click on any thumbnail to go directly to that slide.
Discussion/Reflection/Essay Questions
This section contains questions for further thought and discussion from Module 1. It is recommended that you take time to think through these issues in order to thoroughly grasp the significance and explore the application of the material you are learning. These questions can also be used as essay questions in a classroom setting exam. Below, you will find links to the Response and Application Reflection Instructions for Individuals, and the Response and Application Discussion Instructions for Groups. And you will find a link to the detailed question document for this module. Or Click the Thumbnail below to view the questions in a simplified format.
Click the Thumbnail to view the questions.
The following questions are for your thoughtful consideration and discussion:
- What is the point of the supplemental reading essay? How does it apply to history?
- Which goal(s) of studying history stood out and why?
- What kind of insights do we need? How can history help?
- Which issues can history help with? How?
- How do the idea of purpose and the iceberg analogy help us to understand history?
- Describe an example of bad history study. Why was it bad? What made it bad? How can you avoid doing this?
- Describe what good history study is like. How can you do it?
- What else did you learn? How does it apply?
(Optional) Timeline - Part 1
This section contains instructions for an optional Timeline activity to be constructed over all sixteen modules. Below is a link to the detailed instructions for this activity.
Step One of the Timeline should include the following information:
- The six general time periods covered by the historical overview document.
- This is just a framework designating the approximate beginning and ending of each of the periods, which will be used in subsequent modules as a guideline for placing new information
- Annotate any big picture summary information about each general period, and prepare a place to annotate why you think the period breaks were placed where they were (in other words, what event do you think caused a break from one general period to the next?). This information will be added in subsequent modules.
(Optional) Principles Chart - Part 1
This section contains instructions for an optional Principles Chart activity to be constructed over all sixteen modules. Below is a link to the detailed instructions for this activity.
Step One of the Principles chart will, of necessity, be fairly general and light. But in subsequent modules, there will be plenty of opportunity to add to these principles and flesh them out in more detail.
Review Quiz
This section is a link to a review quiz to test your understanding of the objective material for Module 1. By clicking the link, you will access a series of questions, in random order. Answer each question and then push the Submit
button to check your answers. Every question must be answered before you can submit the quiz. At the end, you will be shown your score for the entire quiz. The quiz will be different each time, so feel free to take it more than once. Click the Thumbnail picture to begin the quiz.
Click the Thumbnail to begin the Quiz.
Here is a review quiz for the material covered in this module's lectures. Click the button next to the best answer for each question, or drag each term to its best definition. Then press the button at the bottom to see if your answers are correct.
Module Completed!
Congratulations, you have reached the end of the first module. I hope that you have found it rewarding and have noticed personal growth.
I encourage you to continue on the next module as soon as is convenient. The button below will take you to Module 2.
