High School Church History

[AlexMiller1984]

Hey guys, I'm a teacher at a Christian high school and working on putting together curriculum for a new church history course my school will offer as an elective. I'm much stronger in the patristic era and have always struggled with the middle ages since church history, at that time, is inseparable from European history.

Does anyone here have any recommended resources for how to teach this period of church history well?

At the moment, I'm suggesting Shelly's Church History in Plain Language or Gonzalez's two volume Story of Christianity as the textbook.

 

[RamistThomist]

Shelley is more accessible than Gonzalez. Gonzalez is good, but that is a LOT of reading material for a high schooler (when combined with his other assignments).

 

[No Other Name]

I only own Needham and Gonzalez. I would recommend neither for a HS level.

 

[Ploutos]

I found Gonzalez very readable, and would not consider it to be beyond a high schooler in any way. It is fairly basic, but it is a lot of reading and one would need to weigh it with the student's overall assignment load.

The big thing with Gonzalez is that it's not from a particularly reformed point of view. It gives a very even-handed and somewhat ecumenical overview of church history. That said, it does present a lot of useful information in a very easy-to-understand way, and it offers an opportunity to teach the student to read critically where the implied worldview of the author diverges from yours.

 

[Polanus1561]

Nick Needham.

No reason for the older Gonzalez when Needham exists.

 

[No Other Name]

Mileage may vary. I know my high schoolers that I teach would not at all find Gonzalez fairly basic, neither in reading volume nor in readability of grammatical phrasing.

Incidentally, come to think of it, I may have answered differently when I was teaching HS 5 or even 10 years ago. So mileage may vary.

 

[AlexMiller1984]

i appreciate the input. I'm not as concerned for now about the textbook, but rather input on how to make teaching the middle ages simpler since the history of the church is tied up with the history of how Europe develops.

 

[JD]

Bullies and Saints by John Dickson is a very fun and enlightening read. It is not a textbook, but covers the middle ages very well.

This review is short but helpful.

 

[JD]

i appreciate the input. I'm not as concerned for now about the textbook, but rather input on how to make teaching the middle ages simpler since the history of the church is tied up with the history of how Europe develops.

I think Bullies and Saints provides a good lens. Are you familiar with Beth Schweiger's essay Seeing Things? She talks about how the task of the Christian historian is to extend love of neighbor across time. I have a pdf I could send you. It's an excellent read. Eye opening for me personally.

I think that the distinctly character-driven focus of B&S provides a great oppurtunity for students to practice this virtue while they practice doing history. This could be especially useful in helping students to consider the lived experiences of the men and women who "did the things" that developed both the church and Europe more broadly.

 

[Ploutos]

Nick Needham.

No reason for the older Gonzalez when Needham exists.

I have never heard of this work prior to now.

 

[SolaScriptura]

Not to derail the thread... It's been a long time since I read Gonzalez... doesn't he have commitments to liberation theology?

 

[CasualWestminsterEnjoyer]

Not to derail the thread... It's been a long time since I read Gonzalez... doesn't he have commitments to liberation theology?

That doesn't really come out in his history.
The main issues as I recall in his history are:
1) Denial of Johannine authorship (and thus, inspiration) of the Johannine canon
2) A certain revisionism (very friendly to Nestorius, for example)
3) Barthian ideas, especially Calvin vs the Calvinists
4) A general dislike of dogmatics and dogmatism in all its forms (the orthodox were being too dogmatic in rejecting monotheletism. Beza is too dogmatic. Etc).
5) Basically no appreciation at all for the Reformed Orthodox.

 

[arapahoepark]

Look for videos like the Crash Course series.
There is too much to dumb down.
Choose a few people, especially interesting ones and events and then dive deep in them.
Let me know if you need help brainstorming.

 

[Parakaleo]

You could use excerpts from J A Wylie. I say excerpts because it is so very lengthy. However, he does an excellent job of showing how church history shapes developments in European history and vice versa.

 

[Jack K]

Not that you asked, but when you get to the Reformation, The Unquenchable Flame by Michael Reeves is better suited to engage high schoolers than any textbook might be.

 

[davejonescue]

Dont know much about it, but its from RHB, and it popped up in my email about a week ago. It says its only 272 pgs, so might fit perfect for High Schoolers with a busy schedule.




“Blessed indeed are the children who read and study this fresh account of the history of Christianity! It is an amazing work, both in terms of content and design. In the relatively brief compass of 250 pages or so, it covers the entirety of church history, highlighting key developments and key issues. Familiar figures in church history such as Augustine, Luther, and the Wesleys are touched upon, as well as lesser known individuals like Anne Dutton and Phillis Wheatley. With the various study questions throughout the book, it makes for an ideal textbook for a course on church history. In fact, it is so thorough and well written that I am even tempted to use it in one of my own seminary or college introductory courses on the history of the Church! I cannot say this loudly enough: Very highly recommended!” — Michael A. G. Haykin, chair and professor of church history, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“This majestic and powerful book will become a staple in Christian homes and Christian schools for years to come. Its accessible writing, engaging illustrations, and historical faithfulness will engage readers of all ages. This visual encyclopedia brings to life the purposeful and powerful calling of Christians whose obedient lives helped change the world. May all Christians read this book and see that being a Christian means serving King Jesus, who is sovereign over all and who is good, just, merciful, and powerful at all times and in every situation. I can't wait to use this book in my homeschooling.” —Rosaria Butterfield

 

[Pictet]

Have you listened to Carl Trueman's Westminster Lectures on the Medieval Church and Reformation?
They are aimed at a higher level than you are teaching, but they are a model of interesting, engaged teaching that pulls out key issues and shows why they matter. Listening to them yourself before you taught could be very helpful.

 

[Ploutos]

Dont know much about it, but its from RHB, and it popped up in my email about a week ago. It says its only 272 pgs, so might fit perfect for High Schoolers with a busy schedule.


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“Blessed indeed are the children who read and study this fresh account of the history of Christianity! It is an amazing work, both in terms of content and design. In the relatively brief compass of 250 pages or so, it covers the entirety of church history, highlighting key developments and key issues. Familiar figures in church history such as Augustine, Luther, and the Wesleys are touched upon, as well as lesser known individuals like Anne Dutton and Phillis Wheatley. With the various study questions throughout the book, it makes for an ideal textbook for a course on church history. In fact, it is so thorough and well written that I am even tempted to use it in one of my own seminary or college introductory courses on the history of the Church! I cannot say this loudly enough: Very highly recommended!” — Michael A. G. Haykin, chair and professor of church history, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“This majestic and powerful book will become a staple in Christian homes and Christian schools for years to come. Its accessible writing, engaging illustrations, and historical faithfulness will engage readers of all ages. This visual encyclopedia brings to life the purposeful and powerful calling of Christians whose obedient lives helped change the world. May all Christians read this book and see that being a Christian means serving King Jesus, who is sovereign over all and who is good, just, merciful, and powerful at all times and in every situation. I can't wait to use this book in my homeschooling.” —Rosaria Butterfield

This book is actually aimed at a younger audience. I know, because we are working through it with an elementary-school-aged child right now.

 

[Faithhopelove24]

This book just came out from Christian Focus. Got a copy but haven’t read it yet. Short paperback.

Reclaiming the Dark Ages

Simonetta Carr and S.M. Houghton are both good accessible reads for high schoolers. Lots of good photos and short readable sections.

Carr


Houghton

 

[jwithnell]

My point of reference is home schooling so it may differ from the classroom.

We found Nick Needham's Daily Readings helpful so the kids could get a direct sense of the Patristic writings without jumping in over their heads. We discussed the doctrine involved and considered how those doctrines played out across time.

We found Bruce Shelley helpful; I generally summarized the context, then we read brief passages together.

We had done a "social study" of the Old Testament era previously, so we did not need to cover the church before the time of Christ.

 

[cthorn14]

BK Kuiper might be at the right level.

 

[ZackF]

It is sad there are not more options if even older, even dated ones.

 

[AlexMiller1984]

Not that you asked, but when you get to the Reformation, The Unquenchable Flame by Michael Reeves is better suited to engage high schoolers than any textbook might be.

Hey Jack, thank you for this. I've forgotten about this book and would definitely include sections of it for the class.

Have you listened to Carl Trueman's Westminster Lectures on the Medieval Church and Reformation?
They are aimed at a higher level than you are teaching, but they are a model of interesting, engaged teaching that pulls out key issues and shows why they matter. Listening to them yourself before you taught could be very helpful.

I haven't listened to these yet, but this is my new gym playlist for the foreseeable future!