Issue 28 : 100 Most Important Events in Church History
Originally published in 1990
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Table of Contents
Important information before you begin
Kevin A. Miller
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When the Roman general sacked the temple, the Jews were forced into a new era—and so were the Christians.
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The agreement shifted Christianity from being an illicit, persecuted sect to being a welcome—and soon dominant—religion of the Roman Empire.
David F. Wright
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At stake in the church's first general council was the simplest, yet most profound, question: Who is Jesus Christ?
Bruce L. Shelley
His letter is the earliest authoritative statement to fix the New Testament as we know it today.
Carsten Peter Thiede
A brilliant, profligate professor of rhetoric became the church's leading theologian for centuries to come.
This Latin translation stood as the preeminent Bible text for centuries—and set the standard for future translators.
If Jesus was truly God, how could he be truly human as well? Leo the Great helped guide a critical council to a clear answer.
Tony Lane
His flexible, compassionate guidelines for Christian community forever shaped monastic life—and influenced Western society.
Bennett D. Hill
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The pagan prince of Kievan Rus' embraces a new faith
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Long-standing differences between Western and Eastern Christians finally caused a definitive break, and Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox still remain separate.
George T. Dennis
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Waves of pilgrims and soldiers embarked for the Holy Land, beginning an era of exploration, conquest, defeat, and folly.
The massive treatise set forth a theological system so influential it has been declared eternally valid.
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When two popes, and later three popes, vied for supremacy, the medieval church entered a dramatic, forty-year crisis of authority.
Francis Oakley
Using his revolutionary invention—printing from movable type—he made the Scriptures potentially accessible to every person.
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A selective chronological listing
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An obscure monk invited debate on a pressing church issue—and touched off a history-shattering reform movement.
Eric W. Gritsch
Was the wayward Luther free to dissent? A German council rendered a judgment.
Eric W. Gritsch
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Hated by Protestants and Catholics alike, these "radical reformers" wanted to not merely reform the church but restore it.
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Breaking from Rome, the English Parliament declared King Henry VIII "the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England."
Either adored or abhorred, the reformer and his teachings live on in his monumental work.
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Responding to the Reformation, the council charted the Catholic church's course for the next 400 years.
A team of scholars produced an English Bible translation unsurpassed in linguistic beauty and longevity.
They were ordained ministers and missionaries. Then their hearts were "strangely warmed," and their changed lives gave rise to a worldwide movement.
Roger J. Green
A mighty wave of revival washed across North America, forever altering the religious landscape.
Mark A. Noll
In an epochal council, the Catholic Church undertook its most searching self-examination ever and renewed itself for a modern world.
Joseph A. Komonchak
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A Baptist preacher had a dream that guided one of the most profound social movements of our times.
Wesley A. Roberts
A brief listing of significant dates that also earn a place in the "Christian History 100"
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January 18, 1562: The counter-reformation Council of Trent reconvenes after a 10-year break caused by the revolt of Protestant princes against Emperor Charles V. During the break, all hope of reconciliation between Catholics and Protestants had vanished.
January 18, 1815: Konstantin von Tischendorf, the biblical critic known for discovering and deciphering the "Codex Sinaiticus" (a fifth-century manuscript of Paul's epistles), is born in Germany.
January 18, 1830: Baptism of Tauta'ahau Tupou. King ...
