Religious Reform in Switzerland The Protestant Reformation Religious Reform in Switzerland In the 16th century, a German monk named Martin Luther became increasingly dissatisfied with the actions and beliefs of the Catholic Church. At this time, Catholicism was the dominant religion. Most national churches were Catholic and reported to the Pope in Rome. Catholic clergy issued indulgences to laypeople as a pardon…
Definition of The Great Schism I have a pastor friend who served at a church that actually split over the color of carpet. One group wanted blue, the other brown, and unable to compromise, they actually went their separate ways. Although splitting over carpet might be a bit uncommon (and rather ridiculous), church splits aren’t. They’ve been happening for generations…
St. Thomas Aquinas was perhaps the most important figure of the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages. This lesson examines what he did to help protect the Church against a rebirth of critical thinking by using critical thinking to defend the Church. Who Was Thomas Aquinas? Have you ever had an argument with someone and ended up arguing on two…
Charlemagne Holy Roman Empire Introduction to Charlemagne Throughout history, many characters have been celebrated as larger than life. There’s Samson of the Bible, Joan of Arc of France, King Henry VIII of England, and of course, the star of our lesson, Charlemagne Holy Roman Empire, whose name actually means ‘Charles the Great.’ Born around the year 742, he began as Frankish…
St Augustine City of God St Augustine City Background St Augustine City of God Throughout time, there have been pieces of writing that captured the hearts and minds of generations. There’s Gone with the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath, and perhaps most famous, the Bible. Today, we’ll be discussing a famous work that in many ways has come to be a…
The Great Crusades The Failure of the Later Crusades The Great Crusades The First Crusade had accomplished a miracle of sorts. A few thousand knights had taken the Holy Land by storm and established a series of Crusader states. These were The County of Edessa, The County of Tripoli, The Principality of Antioch, and The Kingdom of Jerusalem. Yet, if…
The Protestant Reformation was a movement of Christians who disagreed with some of the teachings and actions of the Catholic Church. This article explores the effect of the Reformation on the Church. The Protestant Reformation The Protestant Reformation spread throughout Europe after Luther wrote his 95 theses on indulgences The Protestant Reformation was a movement against some of the beliefs of the…
Conversion of Constantine Conversion Experience Conversion of Constantine: There are moments in time that have changed the world, standing out as turning points in history. For the United States, there’s Lexington’s shot heard ’round the world; for Europe, the crowning of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor. Although these events shaped continents, many historians give them a back seat to the…
The Life of Christ New Testament Miracles The Life of Christ the name Jesus Christ has altered the landscape of the West and the world. Born in Israel some 2,000 years ago, with the name Christactually meaning ‘messiah’ or ‘anointed one,’ many would argue this name stands out from any other name in history. Instructor: Jessica Whittemore Today’s lesson will be…
Early Christian Church Defined Early Christian Church If you look up information on the history of Christianity, you may find things like, ‘During the first century CE, Rome was rocked with the formation of a new religion. Its name was Christianity, and from its inception, the world has been radically changed.’ Although parts of this statement are very true, there…