A Three Minute Lesson in Church History

AD 33 - Christ is crucified, then resurrects

AD 33-66 - All the books of the New Testament are written in this time period, being circulated within the churches of the known world

AD 33 - the Holy Spirit is given at Pentecost, an official Jewish holiday in which thousands of Jews converge upon Jerusalem in celebration.  The church preaches to these masses and the many respond, eventually taking the gospel with them back to their own cities, including Rome

AD 33 - the church flourishes in Jerusalem, led by the Apostle James

AD 34 - the church begins and flourishes in Antioch, on the edge of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey).  This is the headquarters for the church led by Peter, Paul, and Barnabas

AD 34 - the church flourishes in Rome

AD 42 - the church flourishes in Alexandria, Egypt

AD 330 - the church flourishes in Constantinople

AD 998 – Prince Vladimir, of Russia, having embraced the Christian faith, sent envoy’s around the known world to find the most faithful representation of Christianity, with whom to align his nation.  Upon visiting the church in Constantinople, the prince’s representatives declared, “During the Divine Liturgy, we did not know if we were on earth or in heaven.”  At this point, the nation of Russia became a Christian nation.

AD 1054 - the Roman church under the Roman bishop (AKA the pope) decides to take the position of primacy and demands that all Christians are under his authority.  The other bishops (Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople) say no.  The Roman church breaks away from the other churches.

AD 1517 - A monk named Martin Luther determines that there are serious errors within Roman Catholic doctrine and practice and seeks to correct the errors.  The Roman church excommunicates him, thus creating the Lutheran church and the start of the Protestant Reformation.

AD 1533 - John Calvin, a French lawyer, begins writing and questioning Roman Catholic doctrine and practice and is forced to flee to Switzerland, thus beginning the second wave of the Protestant Reformation, the Calvinists

AD 1536 - Menno Simons, a Dutch Roman Catholic priest, rejects the teaching and practice of the Roman Catholic church, including the teachings on the sacraments, thus beginning the third wave of Reformation, the Anabaptists, a more extreme form than Luther or Calvin

AD 1538 – The Anglican Church (known in America as the Episcopal church) separated from the Roman Catholic Church via the protestations of King Henry and his desire to re-marry for the fourth time.  The pope wouldn’t allow this, so Henry broke the churches of his country away from Rome and became the head of the church.

AD 1538 to Modern Day – From this point forward, the Protestant church has continued to splinter, especially in the US, constantly moving into divisions and even non-denominationalism.

* Take note that four of the five historical churches, Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople (AKA the Eastern Orthodox Church) have been going since the beginning, united but wrinkled, flawed but being perfected.