What Does Church History Teach Us?

June 4, 2010


There are many values to studying church history:

1. We see how God has moved in the past.
2. We learn from the mistakes others have made.
3. We honor the heroes who paved the way for us today.
4. We learn our own place in the Christian family tree.
5. We gain a new appreciation for God’s work around the world.
6. We see the variegated nature of God’s worldwide family.
7. We understand our own branch of the Christian movement better.
8. We see the price others paid to preserve the gospel in the world.
9. We gain understanding of Christians whose background is different from ours.
10. We learn to distinguish things that matter a lot from things that matter a little.
11. We are humbled by the example of others who went before us.
12. We are made strong by the memory of those who wrestled with hard issues.
13. We appreciate God’s grace even more because it is displayed through weak and fallible men and women.
14. We have a heritage that we can pass on to the next generation.

See Why Study the Church’s Past?

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