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100
( AD 70) The Fall of Jerusalem
The fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 is considered a turning point in the history of Christianity because it scattered the Christians from Jerusalem to the to the rest of the world, helping spread the message from the Jews to the Gentiles. This spreading of Christians eventually led to christondom.
Account of the fall of Jerusalem by Flavius Josephus -
312
(AD 312) The Edict of Milan
The Edict of Milan, decried by Emperor Constantine of the west (shown) and Emperor Licinius of the east, made it legal in the Roman Empire to practice any religion. This edict gave Christians back property and legal rights (like the establishment of a church).
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325
(AD 325) The First Council of Nicaea
The First Council of Nicea was a theological turning point in the history of Christianity by determining who Christ was. It fought the teachings of a man named Arius who taught that Jesus was not the same as the Father and was not God. The result was the Nicene Creed. This council also represents the beginning of the church and government working together.
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The Nicean Creed -
451
(AD 451) Emperor Marcian calls for the Council of Chalcedon
On May 23, 451, Emperor Marcian of the Eastern Roman Empire called for a council of bishops in order to "end disputations and settle the true faith more clearly and for all time."1
1. W. H. C. Frend,The Rise of Christianity (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984), 770. -
Period: 451 to 451
The Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon is important to Christian doctrine in two separate ways. It translated the Christian doctrine successfully into Greek and successfully stated how Jesus could be human and divine at the same time. It is also important because it showed that Christians can live in the world and glorify God.
<a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8GSIKI0esg' > -
530
(AD 530) Benedict's Rule
"...monasticism was the driving force of the Chrstian faith for a very long time..."2
2. Dr. Mark A. Noll, <em>Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity</em> (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2000), 103.
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Jan 1, 1054
(AD 1054) The Great Schism
"The Great Schism of 1054 was a major turning point in Christian history because it brought to a head centuries of East-West cultural disengagement theological differences, and ecclesiastical suspicion. It also symbolized the isolation that would attend the Eastern churches for most of the millennium to follow"3
3. Dr. Mark A. Noll, <em>Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity</em> (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2000), 134.
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Apr 18, 1521
(AD 1521) The Diet of Worms
At the Diet of Worms Protestantism was born. This renewal (by Protestant standards) changed the face of Europe and eventually the world. People saw that Martin Luther and his followers could break away from the Catholic Church (going against the church could mean death and was unthinkable to do) and thought that could rebel against the government set up above them.
Luther's Speach -
Nov 1, 1534
(AD 1534) The English Act of Supremacy
The English Act of Supremacy was the English act of breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church as seen by Martin Luther and many others just over a decade earlier. This act is represented what was going on in Europe at that time: multiple different Protestant churches with people's loyalty to the nation more than the church. The church no longer had a say in everyone's day to day life and just became church (this doesn't mean that the church didn't influence people's lives). -
Jun 4, 1540
(AD 1539) The Founding of the Jesuits
The founding of the Jesuits is important for the reason for all of Christianity and Catholicism. The first is the success in their efforts in convincing Protestants to come back to Catholicism and strengthening the faith of Catholics. They also symbolized what Catholicism would be for the next 400 years (this would be the second). The third is the zeal of the Jesuits in mission work that spread Christianity. -
(AD 1738) The Conversion of Charles Wesley
The Wesleys made adjustments in Protestantism influences Christianity wherever the Gospel has been taken by evangelicals. Their adjustments where doctrinal adjustments, but they kept Protestant traditions (while the world was changing). For this reason their conversion (and life) is considered a turning point in Christianity
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<a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv1l8q3PjM0' >Video</a -
(AD 1738) The Conversion of John Wesly
The Wesleys made adjustments in Protestantism influences Christianity wherever the Gospel has been taken by evangelicals. Their adjustments where doctrinal adjustments, but they kept Protestant traditions (while the world was changing). For this reason their conversion (and life) is considered a turning point in Christianity. -
Period: to
The French Revolution
VideoThe French Revolution started this idea in Europe of a secular Europe. A Europe that would use reasoning and science to determine daily activities and to understand the mysteries of the world. This idea was the down fall of Christendom and Christianity in Europe and again shifted the homeland of Christianity: this time to North America. (It is important not note that the end of the French Revolution is argued about, but for timeline purposes it ends with Napoleon's Empire). -
(AD 1793) The Demoralization of the Cathedral of Notre Dame
The demoralization of the Cathedral of Notre Dame is just one of the examples of the idea of a secular Europe and the French Revolutionaries' break from Christianity. During the French Revolution, the people turned the Cathedral into the Temple of Reason where a person from the Opéra would play Liberty and bow to the flame of Reason. -
(AD 1797) The Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening spread Protestant Christianity in America and brought many to Christ. This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.
This applies to Australia, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years. -
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The Penticostal Movement
The Pentecostal Movement was a movement in the church that emphasized the Holy Spirit and its gifts (e.g. healing and tongues). It started on Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California. A man named William J. Seymour also held a series of meetings that same year. Pentecostal (and charismatic) is a key reason why Christianity has spread throughout the world. -
(AD 1910) The Edinburg Missionary Confrence
The Edinburg Mission Conference marked the beginning of a world Christianity, not just a North America and Europe Christianity -
(AD 1934) The Founding of the Wycliffe Bible Translators
The Wycliffe Bible Translators are one of the biggest translators of the Bible. The translation of the Bible may be a key role of the transition of Christianity from being a Northern religion to a Southern religion while spreading it across the world.
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(AD 1947) The Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are copies of Old Testament manuscripts thus proving the Old Testament and the New Testament (for if Christians say that the Old Testament is true, and it is, therefore we must believe them when they say that the New Testament is true).
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(AD 1959) Pope John XXIII appeals for the Second Vatican Council
Pope John XXIII became pope in 1658 and the next year he called for a council which became the Second Vatican council. -
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The Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council was a Catholic response to dealing with the modern world. One solution allowed the Catholic tolerance of other religions worldwide. -
(AD 800) The Corination of Charlemange
The coronation of Charlemagne marked a new era in Christianity and in Europe. It showed a new way of life where everything was determined by Christianity (aka the Roman Catholic Church) and protected by secular rulers.
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