Church History Made Simple with Dr. David Watts

Although the Anabaptists were often persecuted and misunderstood, many of their principles, especially religious freedom and the separation of church and state, eventually influenced much of modern Protestant Christianity.

Martin Luther (1483–1546) was the father of the Reformation, which transformed not only Christianity but all of Western civilization.

This week on CHMS with Dr. Watts, we continue to study the groundwork that Luther set for the Protestant Reformation. Luther's important theological themes included Luther criticizing Catholic theology as being confident in mankind’s capacity to progress (or ascend) toward God. He called this a theology of glory, and said that our theology must be rooted in the reorienting cross.

In the Summer of 1520, a document bearing an impressive seal circulated throughout Germany in search of a remote figure. “Arise, O Lord,” the writing began, “and judge Thy cause. A wild boar has invaded Thy vineyard.” The document, a papal bull named after the seal, or bulla, took three months to reach Martin Luther, the "wild boar".

In this episode, we continue to explore the historical formation of the Doctrine of the Trinity.

In this episode we explore the historical formation of the Doctrine of the Trinity.

The rise of Constantine: The death of Galerius in May 311 from a severe illness brought an end to the severe persecution of Christians (Edict of Toleration). His death created a power vacuum that allowed Constantine to eliminate rivals, starting with his victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312, ultimately leading to Constantine becoming the sole ruler of a reunified Roman Empire by 324.

The Emperor Constantine is one of the major figures of Christian history. After his conversion, Christianity moved swiftly from the seclusion of the catacombs to the prestige of palaces. The movement started in the fourth century as a persecuted minority; it ended the century as the established religion of the empire.

Today, we are discussing the social impact of the gospel in the early Christian church. So we're talking about now the post-New Testament era and into the second century, and the struggle that the early Christians had.

Today, we're going to talk a little bit about the Alexandrians. We are also going to begin talking about a very famous person named Jerome. Jerome was known for his translation of the Bible into what was called the Latin Vulgate. The early church debated how much they needed secular studies, including pagan literature and philosophy. And as the Christian message spread, believers faced the spiritual and intellectual challenge of teaching people with different philosophical outlooks.

In today's episode, we will learn about John Wycliffe and Jan Hus, two of the most important forerunners of the Protestant Reformation. Though they lived more than a century before Martin Luther, their teachings challenged the authority and practices of the medieval church and helped prepare the ground for the Protestant Reformation.

How we got the Bible.