1. The Challenge of the Church in History Pages 114 to 118

2. What is the task of the Church?  To be an agent of God’s love  Which is not always easy!  Needs to respond to new challenges, cultural changes

3. 3 periods of Christian history  Jewish Christianity (A.D. 30 to 130)  Greek / European (A.D. 50 – 1964)  Global (1960 to present)

4. Jewish Christianity  Jerusalem the starting  First Christians were Jewish  Apostles first preached to Jewish communities on their missionary journeys  Jesus’ teachings  practice (care for poor, sick…)

5. Conflicts  Inequitable distribution of goods (Jewish followers favoured over Gentile converts, 1 Cor. 11.17ff)  Kosher food laws? (Acts. 10)  Response to sinners? (Mt. 13.24-30)

6. Greek / European Christianity (AD 50 -1964)  Rome dominated politically  Greece dominated culturally

7. Jewish & Greek Christians encountered questions  Theological / Ethical  Circumcision?  Mosaic Law? (food / Sabbath )  Christian soldiers in army?  Spouse didn’t convert?

8. European dominance  Beginning with Greece’s influence (Alexander the Great)  Rome takes over in 1 st C  Constantine converts 312  Christianity tolerated 313

9. Some “corrections”  313 Edict of Milan “tolerates” Christianity as a religion  DID NOT make it the official religion!  325 Council of Nicaea  380 Theodosius Christianity Official religion of the Empire

10. Problems with power?  Popes have “secular” power (wage wars, palaces, owned land…)

11. Encounters with Greek Philosophy 2-5 Centuries  Christian thinkers (Origen, Athanasius, Tertullian, Augustine) use Plato’s phil. (neo-Platonism) to explain Gospel  Language & images closer to Greek thinking than Jewish  Pictures, statues, icons…

12. Evangelization of N. Europe (8-9 centuries)  Irish & Celtic monks  Fear of supernatural…  New penitential practices  Private confession  Spiritual counselling

13. Encounters with Islam & rediscovery of Greek Philosophy  8 th – 13 th C  Crusaders  Arab thinking, writings of Aristotle   St. Thomas Aquinas

14. Key ideas from Aquinas  God the highest good  People are made for happiness

15. Christianity divided  1054 A.D.  Eastern Church & Western Church split  Schism: ccc #2089 p. 117

16. 16 th Century: Protestant Reformation  Issues: sale of church offices, indulgences,  Pope  Lack of training for clergy  Role of Scripture…  Abuse of power  Reformers:  Martin Luther  John Calvin  Ulrich Zwingli

17. European Empire  Europe colonized every continent  European “way of life”  Church missionaries evangelize

18. Age of Rationalism 17 th C.  Reason  knowledge  A counter-movement to Church  Authority needed to be justified by reason (not simply faith / Revelation)

19. Industrial / Technical Revolution  19 th C, Church begins to loosen ties with the ruling class  Supports workers’ rights, esp. unionizing  Greater responsibility for the poor

20. Global Christianity 1960 to date  World Church / Global Church  No longer dominated by one culture  “catholic” = universal  Global & local in solidarity  Diversity welcomed  Pluriform unity