Why You Should Actually Care About Church History

Perhaps you’ve known someone who was certain of their ethnic origin, took a genetic test to confirm it, and was stunned to discover they were of a completely different descent. One person I knew responded to the discovery of her new origin by embarking on a deeper study into her family history and the history of the country she had come from. She wanted to know the people she belonged to. Just as learning our family history teaches us about ourselves, learning our theological heritage—Church history—teaches us who we are as Christians. Knowing our theological lineage sharpens both our precision and our purpose. Inversely, losing touch with our heritage dulls even our most basic grasp of the faith. If we don’t know where we came from theologically, we will not know who we are. So let me encourage you to learn your theological lineage so that you may know yourself, your faith, and how to live more like Christ. You Might Know Less About Your Faith’s History Than You Think Have we really forgotten our theological forebears? If you can name the significant figures in your theological family tree and what each one contributed to your faith, you already know more Church history than most. One telling poll suggests that if you can correctly articulate Martin Luther’s significance to Christian faith, you are in the minority. That same poll reflects that many professing Christians incorrectly assert that Billy Graham, not Jonathan Edwards, was the primary evangelist in America’s First Great Awakening. You may not be convinced that Church history matters. Surely you agree that theology does. And you cannot learn theology in full apart from its history. Just as we are shaped by the families and places that formed us, our theology took shape in a particular time and place. Only when we see theology in its context can we grasp its specificity and clarity. Church history is not a dusty discipline reserved for advanced doctrine and theological complexities. It is a resource that grounds us in the basics of theology as well. There is plenty of data showing that the average professing Christian is shaky, not only on basic Church history but on basic theology. Learning the first helps with the second. Take our remarkable theological ancestor Athanasius, for example. He was the primary voice opposing Arianism in the fourth century. Arianism was a widespread, well-organized heresy that taught, among other things, that Jesus was created by God. It is the heresy that prompted the Council of Nicaea, which subsequently produced the Nicene Creed. Athanasius defended orthodox Christology with courage and clarity. Late in his life, the story goes, someone told him, “The world is against Athanasius,” to which he replied, “No, Athanasius is against the world!” The Latin became a family motto in our orthodox heritage: Athanasius contra mundum! Yet in a study by Ligonier and Lifeway that assessed professing evangelical Christians, 73 percent of respondents agreed with the statement “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.” Nearly three-fourths of them were, in effect, Arians. Apparently, even in many churches, Athanasius would be contra mundum still. If we knew Athanasius, we would know his Christology—and we would know ourselves a little better. We cannot live a Christ-centered life while remaining unsure of what we confess about Christ. We need to know our doctrinal ancestors so that we can affirm our doctrinal identity. Meet Your Theological Family Tree Let me walk you quickly through our family (Church) history and show you your place in it. If you want to know yourself, look over your shoulder. As we get reacquainted with our lineage, we find a heritage of founders and fortifiers. The founders were Jesus and the Apostles. After them came the Apostolic and Church Fathers, who clarified and codified orthodox doctrine for the Church. Among these, men like Clement, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Athanasius, Chrysostom, Augustine, and others stand tall. The medieval theologians carried that doctrine forward, with Anselm often regarded as Augustine’s greatest heir in the Latin West. One cannot tell the story of Church history without mentioning Thomas Aquinas, whose influence is still felt today. Centuries later, during the Protestant Reformation, the Reformers—Calvin, Luther, Beza, and others—recovered and spread apostolic and patristic orthodoxy throughout Europe. Centuries later, as the Enlightenment dawned, the Reformers—Calvin, Luther, Beza, and others—recovered and spread apostolic, patristic, and medieval orthodoxy throughout Europe. They bridged Augustine and Anselm to the next generation of fortifiers: the Puritans. The Puritans, born out of the English Reformation, carried the gospel across the world through preaching, writing, missions, and migration. Their theology spread through the English-speaking world and shaped the American denominations that followed. Even the modern, evangelical “Reformed resurgence” is, in many ways, a renewed embrace of these historic convictions. You were not formed on a theological island—and it would be dangerous if you were. Learn your family. Love them. 3 Reasons to Get to Know Your Spiritual Family Let me close with three practical reasons to get reacquainted with your heritage. As you study it, Church history will introduce you to fascinating figures who will spiritually inspire you. It shows you how our faith has been refined over centuries and how it can be refined in you. And it hands you rich resources for prayer and meditation. 1. You’ll Meet People Who Inspire You Church history draws us into the highs and lows of real human lives. We celebrate the grace of Christ in their victories and its security in their failures. We are stirred to boldness in the gospel when reading of Ignatius’s martyrdom. We are taught sacrificial parenting by Queen Jeanne d’Albret of Navarre. We are discipled in marriage by Martin and Katharina Luther. The often presumed stiff and rigid Calvin empathizes with you as you grieve the loss of a spouse or child. These men and women are mere men and women at best but provide unique glimpses into the glories of God’s story in different times and places. The stories of our brothers and sisters before us move us in faith and clarity as we progress in our own stories of grace. 2. You’ll See How Faith Gets Refined Over Time The major movements of Christian history show us how Christians, congregations, and denominations are formed. The age of the apostles anchored all Christian formation in the glory of Christ and the spread of His mission. The age of the Church Fathers teaches us that doctrine must be pruned precisely and tested scrupulously, in the Church and in us. The Reformation reminds us of the authority of Scripture over our lives—and in other ways shows us the dangers of a Church without unity. The Puritan era re-centers our distracted lives around the Means of Grace. The Great Awakenings prove our need for evangelistic fervor and faithful prayer. As we watch Christian history take shape, we see how we are shaped. 3. You’ll Find Rich Resources for Prayer Church history is a deep, purified well of resources from which we may draw nourishing spiritual life. Add one of the three ecumenical creeds to your devotional time, and you will find your mind settled in truth and your doctrine clarified. Praying with the Puritans will bring you before the throne of grace with profound brokenness and affectionate boldness. Meditating with Augustine on the Psalms renews the mind and enlivens the heart. Read John Chrysostom, the “golden-tongued” church father, and you will feel your spirit stirred and your heart pastored. Spurgeon offers both reasons to laugh and words of rescue in depression. As we sit in our theological lineage, we are formed by it. You Belong to a Bigger Family Than You Think Don’t live detached from your theological lineage. Learn your family of faith—who they were and what they stood for. You will discover more fully who you are and find greater grace for the living of your life. Where to Start Learning Your Church History In addition to the resources cited above as footnotes, I suggest you get started with: Church History 101: The Highlights of Twenty Centuries by Joel Beeke, Sinclair Ferguson, et al. Truths We Confess: A Systematic Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith by R. C. Sproul 21 Servants of Sovereign Joy: Faithful, Flawed, and Fruitful by John Piper The Gospel Coalition Courses on Church History Church History in Plain Language, Fifth Edition: The Story of the Church for Today’s Readers by Bruce Shelley Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity by Mark Noll If you liked this article, check out the related resources linked below! Notes: Pew Research Center, “Who Knows What About Religion,” U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey, September 28, 2010, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2010/09/28/u-s-religious-knowledge-survey-who-knows-what-about-religion/. James White, “Sola Scriptura and the Early Church,” in Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible, ed. Don Kistler (Reformation Trust Publishing, 2009), 26. Joe Carter, “The State of Theology: What Evangelicals Believe in 2022,” The Gospel Coalition, September 22, 2022, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/state-theology-2022/. Justin Taylor, “Reading the Church Fathers: A Beginner’s Guide,” The Gospel Coalition, September 3, 2010, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/reading-the-church-fathers-a-beginners-guide/. See her letter written in 1555 to the Vicomte de Gourdon. Kirsi Stjerna, Women and the Reformation (John Wiley & Sons, 2008), 224. See Michelle DeRusha, Katharina and Martin Luther: The Radical Marriage of a Runaway Nun and a Renegade Monk (Baker Books, 2017). “Calvin knew how to suffer with those who suffered. When Idelette and John’s baby died soon after birth, Calvin wrote to Viret, ‘The Lord has certainly inflicted a severe and bitter wound in the death of our infant son. But he is himself a Father, and knows best what is good for His children.’ In another instance, Calvin wrote to a friend, ‘When I first received the intelligence of the death . . . of your son Louis, I was so utterly overpowered that for many days I was fit for nothing but to grieve.’ He was one ‘whom I loved as a son.’ When Idelette died, Calvin wrote to Farel that he was doing what he could to keep himself ‘from being overwhelmed with grief.’” Derek W. H. Thomas and John W. Tweeddale, eds., John Calvin: For a New Reformation (Crossway, 2019), 85. Author Bio Kyle Grant is the pastor of Grace Bible Church in Elkhart, Indiana. He is married to Julia, and they have three children. Kyle has an undergraduate degree in Bible, an MA in Biblical Studies, and a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching and Teaching from Knox Seminary. He writes on matters of family and parenting at growingfathers.com. He also serves as an adjunct professor at various Christian colleges and universities. Related Resources: The Theology Handbook What is Theology? The Church Calendar Loading price… Loading price… Add to Cart View Blog Add to Cart