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Turning points in church history

Discussion in '2003 Archive' started by Matt Black, Jul 25, 2003.

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  1. Matt Black

    Matt Black Well-Known Member
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    The other day I came across a book by a chap called Noll entitled 'Turning Points'. In it he lists 10 turning points in church history. Now, I only glanced at the book so I forget what his were, but if you had to list 10 turning points, what would they be? As a starter, here are mine:-

    1. Separation from Judaism post-70 AD
    2. Christianith becoming the state religion 4th century
    3. The Christological Ecumenical Councils of the 4th and 5th centuries
    4. The rise of the Papacy and Holy Roman Empire and suppression of all other forms of church, 5th-9th centuries
    5. The east-west schism, 1054 ( but actually much earlier)
    6. The Reformation 16th century
    7. the Radical Separatist Reformation and the rise of congregationalism and Baptists 17th century
    8. The Methodist and Great Awakening revivals, 18th century
    9. The rise of 'higher criticism' and fundamentalist reaction, 19th and 20th centuries
    10. The pentecostal-charismatic movement, 20th century

    Yours in Christ

    Matt
     
    #1 Matt Black, Jul 25, 2003
  2. mioque

    mioque New Member

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    Matt I'm going to avoid duplicating your list. So my list will probably end up looking a bit unusual.
    1. The fall of jerusalem in 70, causing the power in the church to shift from the people who held the viewpont of James towards those who hold to the views of Paul.
    2. The Bar Kochba rebellion 132-135, this event finalized the seperation between Jews and Christians
    3. Christianity is the first movement in the world that gives up on scrolls and starts using books.
    4. The life of Origen, inventor of textual criticism and the man who made it acceptable for influential Christian thinkers to be (to put it mildly) excentric.
    5. The invention of monasticism
    6. 367 Athanasius of Alexandria is the first to list the books that make up the New testament.
    7. Augustine of Hippo, responsible for infant baptism and several doctrines that make him very popular with the Reformation crowd.
    8. Thomas a Kempis writes 'The imitation of Christ', after the Bible the most widely available Christian book on earth.
    9. The invention of the printing press.
    10. Late 19th century in the Netherlands, Abraham Kuyper invents an approach to politics that is at the same time, democratic, Theocratic and has separation between church and state. (not a turningpoint yet, but it could go far).
     
    #2 mioque, Jul 25, 2003
  3. ScottEmerson

    ScottEmerson Active Member

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    I agree with minoque - one of the biggest turning points was the invention of the printing press. It made readers out of a population that was grossly illiterate. People began to read the Word of God for themselves. This is one of the most important inventions in the last 2000 years for humanity, as well as Christianity.
     
    #3 ScottEmerson, Jul 25, 2003
  4. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    How about AD732 when Charles Martel and the Frankish armies finally defeated the Saracens and Islam's advance at Tours, France (just a few miles from Paris).

    Think of all of Europe as "the Balkans", with a huge Moslem population and government. No crusades. No renaissance. No reformation.

    Without that one stopping battle and then centuries of slowly driving Islam OUT of Europe we would have no free Spain in 1492 (the year the Moors were finally driven from Spain and in the peace/prosperity that followed the crown gave Columbus $$ for exploration).

    732 and the FRENCH (dissed regularly) and German knights deserve recognition.

    BTW, Martel's grandson Charles the Magnificent (Charlamagne) was crowned on Christmas Day AD800 as the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (which was neither Holy nor Roman nor an Empire).
     
    #4 Dr. Bob, Jul 25, 2003
  5. Tim

    Tim New Member

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    How about the day Baptist Board went online? Now we can post our 95 theses every day of the week! Though perhaps they don't create such a stir.
     
    #5 Tim, Jul 25, 2003
  6. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
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    All the biggies seem to be covered. Let me add a few specific significant events:

    Latin replaces Greek as the language of the western church. Tertullian begins the process in earnest; Jerome cements it with his translation of the Bible. This not only establishes Latin as the common (and scholarly) language of the west but further separates the Greek and Latin churches.

    Gregory the Great reformulates the conception of church and state, of "Church and State as co-operating to form a united whole, which acted in two distinct spheres, ecclesiastical and secular," as the Catholic Encyclopedia puts it.

    The Council of Trent takes action to reform the clergy and reduce corruption but refuses to make any doctrinal reforms. This provides a focus for the Counterreformation, which stems the seemingly unstoppable tide of Protestantism in Europe.

    The Turks capture Constantinople in 1453, crippling Christian influence in southeastern Europe. Moscow conceives itself as the true successor to the Byzantine church; Greek scholars scatter to the West, taking previously unknown Greek documents to the West - including texts Erasmus would use to form the textual basis for his New Testament.

    The current near disappearance of Christianity in Europe, shifting the center of gravity of the church toward Latin America, Africa and Asia, including China, where Christianity has shown robust growth despite a half-century of persecution and intolerance.
     
    #6 rsr, Jul 25, 2003
  7. Mark Osgatharp

    Mark Osgatharp New Member

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    Matt Black,

    The separation from Judaism occured during Christ's earthy ministry. The Jerusalem synogogue was already expelling Christians during this time. As Christianity spread there were immediate divisions between the believing and unbelieving Jews.

    Mark Osgatharp
     
    #7 Mark Osgatharp, Jul 25, 2003
  8. KenH

    KenH Well-Known Member

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    553 A.D. - The despotic emperor, Justinian I, convened the Fifth General Council of the Church, and assumed the power in the church to determine who or what was orthodox and who or what was heretical. Justinian ruthlessly fully implemented the idea that the emperor was the de facto head of the church.
     
    #8 KenH, Jul 26, 2003
  9. mioque

    mioque New Member

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    "Justinian ruthlessly fully implemented the idea that the emperor was the de facto head of the church. "
    The pope really didn't like that and so the conflict started ending in the split of 1054
     
    #9 mioque, Jul 27, 2003
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