Wednesdays, Jan. 11 – March 28, 6:30 PM, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, Room #105
Overview
“A History of Christianity in America, Part I” is the first segment of a four-part study that highlights the major people, issues and events related to American Christianity from colonial times to the present. In addition to being an in-depth survey of Christianity in America, this series also focuses on the ongoing controversies over the proper relationship between church and state, and the challenges and opportunities of living in a society that is becoming increasingly pluralistic, secularistic, and hostile toward Christian beliefs and values.
Part I is an interactive study based on directed readings and focused discussions centered around the following topics:
- The evolution of England’s constitutional monarchy and the principles of civil liberty.
- The English and Scottish Reformations, and their subsequent impact on American Christianity.
- The founding of America’s thirteen colonies, and the impact of Christianity in early colonial history.
- The Salem witchcraft trials.
- Religious diversity in colonial America.
- Roger Williams, William Penn, and the early controversies over separation of church and state.
- How “Christian” was colonial America?
- Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and the Great Awakening.
- Christianity and the American Revolution.
- Was the American Revolution justifiable according to Biblical principles?
Text
Mark Noll, A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada (Eerdmans, 1992). (Available at www.Amazon.com for $28.)
Note on the Instructor
Dr. Jefrey Breshears is an historian, a former university professor, and the founder and president of The Areopagus, a Christian study center and education ministry in the Atlanta area. As a history professor, Dr. Breshears has taught specialized courses in Christian history, U. S. history, and Christian apologetics.
Course Files
Major Topics and Reading Assignments
A — 1 The Evolution of English Constitutional Government (Text)
A — 1 The Evolution of English Constitutional Government (Outline)
B — 2 English and Scottish Reformations (Text)
B — 2 English and Scottish Reformations (Outline)