Assemblies of God – Spanish Eastern District 

Richmond Hill Institute 

History of the Christian Church 

Syllabus 
 
Instructor: Guesnerth Joshua Perea 
Cell: 718-314-0410 
Email: ​gjperea@gmail.com 
Class page: ​http://www.guesnerth.nyc/church-history-class.html  
  
Required Text:  The Story of The Christian Church​ by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut 
 
 
Recommended Texts 
1. The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Present Day​ by Justo Gonzalez 
ISBN: 978-1565635227 
 
2. Church History In Plain Language​ by Bruce L. Shelley 
ISBN: 978-0849938610 
 
3. A People’s History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story ​by Diana Butler 
Bass 
ISBN: 978-0061448713 
  
Grade:​ Daily Participation (33%) + Midterm (33%) + Final (34%) = Grade 
 
Examinations: ​There will be one midterm exam and one final paper. 
 
Final Paper:​ Write a well-developed 3-5 page essay discussing one of the following. Papers 
should be double-spaces and in “Times New Roman” or “Calibri” or “Arial” font, size 11/12. 
The essay should also include a Bibliography.  
1. Choose one of the church mothers/fathers– eg. Augustine of Hippo, Perpetua and 
Felicitas, St. Athanasius, Theodora, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, 
Julian of Norwich, Martin Luther King Jr. or any other figure and describe the life of 
the person(s) and why s/he is important for the church. 
2. Write about the divisions of the church in 1054 AD & 1517 AD and describe why they 
harmed or helped the church. 
3. Write the history of your local church. Include the founding of the church, how it 
came to be part of a denomination or not, former pastors, former locations, how the 
membership has changed, etc. 
 
Course Description 
A survey of the great movements, revivals and conflicts that have marked the church from its 
earliest days to the twentieth-century Pentecostal revival. The course emphasizes the fact 
that no one can properly appreciate or understand the great variety in the Christian church 
today without knowledge of the vast sweep of church history preceding it. The course will 
introduce the student to church history. It will encourage the student to place the church in 
relevance to secular history and give us a greater understanding of our faith and our 
connection to one another. 
 Assemblies of God – Spanish Eastern District 
Richmond Hill Institute 
 
 
Purpose of The Class 
The History of the church should be important for every Christian. It is essential that all 
Christians know and understand how the church has developed over time. It is also 
important that we not only study how the church has developed, but also study its 
beginnings, circumstances, members, and learn its purpose. As well, to take the church out of 
the “historical bubble” and place it in relevance to “secular” history. In addition, to be able to 
reach the understanding that our churches today still have the same spirit, mission, task, 
Spirit and God. Lastly, that, contrary to what some people think, God can use us in the same 
manner in which God acted with the church throughout history. 
 
Class Objectives 
1. To introduce students to the history of Christianity as a global religion, and to reflect 
on the diversity of its beliefs and practices. 
2. To understand how Christianity has been transformed in its self-understanding and 
culturally displaced in the modern Western world. 
3. To see all of the “things” that all Christians, regardless of denomination. 
 
 
Class Calendar 
 
Date  Themes Covered  Book Chapters 
Introduction: How do we study Church History 
Jan. 31  Chs. 1-4 
The Apostolic Church 
Feb. 7  The Apostolic Church  Chs. 5-8 

Feb. 14  The Persecuted Church  Chs. 5-8 

Feb. 21  The Imperial Church  Chs. 9-11 

Feb. 28  Midterm Exam​ and The Medieval Church  Chs. 12-17 

Mar. 7  The Medieval Church - The Reformed Church  Chs. 18-20 

Mar. 14  The Reformed Church  Chs 21-23 

Mar. 21  The Reformed Church - The Modern Church  Chs. 24-25 
Final Paper Due​ & Modern Church 
Mar. 28  Chs. 24-25 
The History of American Pentecostalism