Christian Education Classes are currently on hold due to COVID and Summer break. We are currently assessing ways to offer classes to people of all ages in the Fall.
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Previous Classes with Lessons
The Pursuit of Our Co-Mission – Explore the decisive moments in the church which can better inform our decisions today. Examine the ups and downs of the church in carrying out The Great Commission. Taught by Chuck Assadourian. These are decisive points in the church which summarize and expand on Turning Points by Mark Noll)
Lesson 1
Introduction: (70 A.D.), What is the church? What is our co-mission (Matt 28:16-20, Isa 12:4)? What is a turning/tipping point? How are they created? Various principles, alliances, threats, errors, and actions have shaped the church through the centuries. How do Crossroads strategic goals compare with these events?
Fall of Jerusalem, (70 A.D.), In A.D. 66, some of the remaining Jewish Christians fled to Pella, a city across the Jordan River. These events threw the young church’s balance of power toward the Gentiles. Missionaries like Paul had originally dealt with a strong (and conservative) Jewish church, based in Jerusalem. The Christian Jews’ non-involvement in the revolt drove an obvious wedge between them and their traditional counterparts. After A.D. 70, Christians were not permitted in the synagogues but spread beyond the Mediterranean Europe/Mideast region and also in Asia and both northern and eastern Africa.
Lesson 2
Council of Nicea, (c. 325), Christian bishops convened in Nicaea under Emperor Constantine I. This first ecumenical council attempted to gain consensus through an assembly representing all. It settled the Christological issue of the nature of the Son of God and his relationship to God the Father, the construction of the first part of the Creed of Nicaea, established the date of Easter, and early canon law.
Council of Chalcedon (451) Driven by Christological debates, it is the last council which many Anglicans and most Protestants consider ecumenical. It repudiated the notion of a single nature in Christ, insisting on the completeness of both natures: Godhead and manhood. Canon 28 declared the See of Constantinople (New Rome) equal to Rome.
Lesson 3
Fall of Rome (476) Theodosius had earlier merged church and state but did not make the church dominant. Pope Leo persuaded Atilla to not attack Rome, increasing church influence. As Rome fell the Papacy assumed state functions such as grain distribution and defense. The fall shows that empire was clearly not an interest of Christians. St. Augustine of North Africa defended Christianity against charges that it had weakened the Roman Empire
Benedicts Rule (~480–547) The precepts by St. Benedict of Nursia for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot became the guide in Western Christianity for monastic living and an overall civilizing spiritual force throughout Europe following the fall of Rome.
Lesson 3
Battle of Guadalete, (712) The Berber invasion of Iberia eliminated the rule of the Christian Visigoths and ushered in over 700 years of Islamic rule in what is now Spain, continuing military threats to the heart of Christendom. The response was a reorganization of European politics and the church.
Crowning of Charlemagne (800) In 799, Threatened by the Romans, Pope Leo III fled to Charlemagne, asking him to intervene. Charlemagne, advised by Alcuin of York, agreed to travel to Rome. On 23 December Leo swore an oath of innocence. At Mass, on Christmas Day, the Pope crowned him Emperor of the Romans in Saint Peter’s Basilica. The Pope effectively nullified Empress Irene of Constantinople. His rule spurred the Carolingian Renaissance, a period of cultural and intellectual activity in the Catholic Church. French and German monarchies claim to be heirs of Charlemagne.
Lesson 4
Devastation of the East Asian Church (845-987) In 845 Emperor Wuzong of Tang persecuted all those outside the Confucian and Taoist traditions. Bishop Alopen of the Church of the East had previously led the establishment of “The Luminous Religion” in every Chinese province and in Mongolia starting around 635 but the church did not continue to enjoy the protection of political leadership. This lost history is recorded on the “Nestorian Stele” which was rediscovered in 1625 and later corroborated.
Great Schism (1054) The church in the East and West disputed the source of the Holy Spirit (“filioque“), leavening of the Eucharist, the Pope’s universal jurisdiction, and the role of Constantinople. Patriarch Cerularius closed Latin churches in Constantinople and then a papal legation demanded recognition of Rome while requesting help to fight Normans in southern Italy. Leo of Ohrid criticized certain Western customs which Cerularius supported; Cerularius and the legation excommunicated each other. The first crusade in 1095 served both to reunite the church and oppose the advance of Islam.
Lesson 5
Founding of Medieval Universities, (1088-1386) Established in Italy, France, Spain and England to study the arts, law, medicine, and theology, they used ancient writings similar to the “House of Wisdom” in Baghdad. They derived from older Christian cathedral and monastic schools and the transition is somewhat defined by the lists of studia generalia held by the Vatican.
Battle of Caurte, (1094) El Cid led the first major defeat of the Almoravid Berber attackers outside Valencia, Spain. Parity was achieved at the Battle of Tours (732) when Charles Martel defeated the Umayyads. The last Moorish Army was driven out of Spain in 1492 at the Fall of Granada. The Pope called for social reform at home and the Crusades to defend the Byzantines. It had some positive but mostly negative effects in both areas. Unfortunately, materialism remained a powerful driving force.
Lesson 6
Vulgate Translations of the Bible (c. 1360 – 1487) Jerome (405 A.D.) translated the Bible into Latin. Bede, Alfred the Great, and Waldo made partial translations. Jon Hus made the first Czech translation in 1360. Wycliffe and Luther made some of the first full English and German translations. These later translations expanded literacy and enabled people to question leaders as the Bereans did.
Fall of Constantinople, (1453) The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople dealt a massive blow to Christianity and the Roman Empire as Ottoman armies were set to advance into Europe without an adversary to their rear. This helped drive the formation of nation-states in Europe. After the conquest, Sultan Mehmed transferred the capital of the Ottoman Empire from Adrianople to Constantinople. Several Greek and non-Greek intellectuals fled, many to Italy, helping to fuel the Renaissance.
Lesson 7
Diet of Worms (1521) Luther’s testimony at trial and correspondence made an impression upon the mind of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. Emperor Charles V’s edict outlawed support for Luther. Prince Frederick hid him in Wartburg Castle, where Luther began his German translation of the Bible. The edict was temporarily suspended at the Diet of Speyer 1526 but then reinstated in 1529.
English Act of Supremacy (1534), The Act of Supremacy unified church and state by validating the ten Acts that Mary had repealed, and also confirmed Elizabeth as Governor of the Church of England.
Lesson 8
Founding of the Jesuits (1540) Ignatius of Loyola founded the society after a post battle wound conversion. In 1534, Ignatius and six other young men, including Francis Xavier and Bl. Peter Faber, professed vows of poverty, chastity, and later obedience, including a special vow of obedience to the Pope: “… I will believe that the white that I see is black if the hierarchical Church so defines it.”
Founding of Puritan New England (1620) Emphasis on Bible literacy made Puritan New England one of the most highly literate groups in history. These communities also produced most of the Ivy League, popularized town halls, and produced the New England industrial base population.
Lesson 9
Second Battle of Mohács (1687) Following the 1683 Battle of Vienna, this Hapsburg victory caused a deep crisis in the attacking Ottoman Empire. The Polish King declared “I came, I saw, God Conquered”. This ended 1000 years of attempted invasions and permitted a gradual shift away from national defense.
Conversion of the Wesleys/1st Great Awakening (1738) The Wesley brothers spread the Gospel to ordinary people and Charles began to write the poetic hymns for which he would become known. In 1739 the brothers took to field preaching, under the influence of George Whitefield, whose open-air preaching was already reaching great numbers. They founded the Methodist church. Jonathan Edwards is also associated with the 1st Great Awakening. [2nd Gr. Awakening = ~1800-1840; 3rd = ~1855-1900]
Lesson 10
French Revolution (1789) Government policies, from 1789 to the Concordat of 1801, formed the basis of the Laïcité movement. The materialist Revolution sought the destruction of Catholic religious practice. It remains in doubt as to whether this was popularly motivated or forced on the people by those in power. Publications of Andrew Dickson White (1865-1896) White founded Cornell as an alternative to the religiously founded Ivy League. In A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom (1896) he created the false perception that Christians have opposed science for centuries. Widely discredited among historians of science, his views remain popular in the media and academia.
Lesson 11
The Edinburgh Missionary Conference (1910), Lord Balfour led the culmination of 19th century Protestant Christian missions and the formal beginning of the modern Protestant ecumenical movement. The conference was driven by the watchword: “The Evangelization of the World in This Generation.”
Second Vatican (1962) The Pope set out to define more fully the nature of the Church and the role of the bishop, to renew the Church, to restore unity among all Christians, including seeking pardon for Catholic contributions to separation, and to start a dialogue with the contemporary world.
Lesson 12
Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism (1974) Evangelical leaders met to discuss the progress, resources and methods of evangelizing the world. The conference led by Billy Graham brought together religious leaders from 150 nations. The theme of the congress was “Let the earth hear His voice.”
The Character of Turning Points and the New Shape of Christianity What is our identity within the international body of Christ? What has been American’s role? What should America’s role be? What is our role? What are the next tipping points in the church?
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Exploring Crossroads 2014 – What is Crossroads all about? Come learn the basics of how our faith and practice are rooted in the glory of the triune God’s free grace received through faith in Jesus Christ as illuminated in the sacred pages of Scripture. This class is required for all seeking membership. Taught by Pastor Don Sampson. YouTube Videos are available for you to view online below for most lessons. Lessons 1, 2, and 6 are coming soon.
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3: Salvation By Grace Alone
Lesson 4: The Nature of Mankind
Lesson 5: God and the Holy Spirit
Lesson 6
Lesson 7: Good Works and Worship
Lesson 11: Spiritual Gifts and Giving
Lesson 12: Church Government and Discipline
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Exploring the New Testament I – This quarter we will focus on the Intertestamental period, the Gospels, many of Paul’s letters, and the letter to the Hebrews. Taught by Tim Carroll