Podcast: Why Study Church History? Pt. 2
In this podcast, we continue talking about Church History, with the aid of thoughts from Justo Gonzales, author of The Story of Christianity.
It’s when we discover the past that, as Justo Gonzales says, we begin to recognize the lenses through which we see Scripture and Christianity. Even Christians who may feel they don’t have much to do with the past often learn that the modern movement they are in is a response or reaction to things of the past.
If we don’t pay attention to where we’ve been in history, we lose the plot and wander around disoriented. It happened at times in Scripture, and it can happen again today. As we study Church History, we keep our eyes on the plot of what God has done in the world, what He is doing, and what He will do.
We want our All Saints students to be able to say that their understanding of God, His actions, and His work are richer because they have looked at them throughout history.
Quoted
“Without understanding the past, we are unable to understand ourselves, for in a sense the past still lives in us and influences who we are and how we understand the Christian message.”
"If we are to break free from an undue weight of tradition, we must begin by understanding what that tradition is, how we came to be where we are, and how particular elements in our past color our view of the present.”
—Justo Gonzales, The Story of Christianity
Learn More
Find out more about the resources, authors, or ideas in this episode:
- Gonzales, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Present Day. Prince Press, 1999.
- Introduction. Gonzales, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Present Day. Prince Press, 1999. [Introduction.pdf]
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