Join Al Krummenacher and Chris Knepp for exploration of the history of Christianity - and the major events that shaped the church of today.
Rev. Chris Knepp's first installment of the Pastors' Class "Turning Points in Christian History" explores two foundational events: Pentecost and the Jerusalem Council, both central to the expansion outlined in the Book of Acts. Chris begins with Pentecost, the church's birth, where the Holy Spirit empowered disciples for universal Gospel proclamation, and the pivotal Jerusalem Council, which affirmed salvation by grace through faith for both Jews and Gentiles, solidifying the church's mission beyond Jewish law.
Rev. Chris Knepp's "Turning Points in Christian History" (Week 2) examines the Councils of Nicaea (325 AD) and Chalcedon (451 AD), which were crucial in defining core Christian doctrine. Nicaea affirmed Christ's full divinity against Arianism, declaring him "of one substance" with the Father. Chalcedon further clarified Christ's dual nature as both "truly God" and "truly man" without confusion or division, decisions that profoundly shaped Christian theology despite leading to some lasting church divisions.
In week 3 of the Turning Points Pastors’ Class, Rev. Stacy Ikard fills in, and explores the Culmination of Christendom in 800 C.E., marked by Pope Leo III crowning Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor. This unique event solidified a centuries-long alliance between the Papacy and the King of the Franks, establishing a Christendom where the political, legal, economic, and cultural life of Europe became fundamentally fused with the authority and influence of the Church, a medieval synthesis that ultimately raised concerns about the fusion of Church and State and the potential for a less Gospel-centered faith. Listen in for a lively discussion at the very end on this very aspect!
Rev. Chris Knepp leads the 4th week of "Turning Points in Christian History" to touch on the Great Schism of 1054, exploring the complex, centuries-long "divorce" between the Roman Catholic West and the Eastern Orthodox East. Though the formal excommunications in 1054 are often cited, the schism's roots were deeper and much earlier, stemming from the political and cultural separation of the Roman Empire. The decisive, irreparable break, however, is considered to be the Fourth Crusade (1204), when Western Christian armies brutally sacked and plundered the Orthodox capital of Constantinople, permanently poisoning relations and solidifying two distinct traditions.
