Every Christian should know the story of the church. Christianity is a historical faith: it rests on what God did in history in Christ, and Christ promised that he would build his church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matt 16:18). Church history is the record of that promise being kept, through martyrdom and persecution, councils and controversies, corruption and reformation, revival and mission. Knowing it guards you from the arrogance of thinking you are the first to read the Bible, and from the despair of thinking the church is about to disappear. It also lets you thank God for the people who handed the faith on to you.
Church history is also one of the most practical tools an apologist has, because many objections are historical claims in disguise. 'Constantine invented the divinity of Jesus.' 'The Bible was chosen at Nicaea.' 'The church was always Roman Catholic, and the Reformation was a sixteenth-century novelty.' 'The true church fell away after the apostles and had to be restored.' 'Christianity is a white colonial religion.' Each of these can be tested against the sources, and each fails. Knowing the facts, including the church's real sins, which you should admit honestly, lets you answer calmly and accurately rather than with slogans.
This module tells the story in eight lessons. Lessons 1-2 cover the apostolic church, the age of martyrs and the councils that defined the Trinity and the person of Christ. Lessons 3-4 trace Augustine, the early medieval church and the medieval papacy, with the forerunners of reform. Lessons 5-6 cover the Reformation and the Reformed confessions and Puritans. Lessons 7-8 follow revival, mission and the challenge of modernity to the global church of today, including Christianity in Australia. Each lesson has a timeline to memorise, primary sources, and practice in answering the myths you will meet.