Three Great Challenges to the Church

February 18, 2010 – 10:05 am

From Gerald Priest’s Church History II Syllabus, p. 35:

Three great challenges, all quite different in nature, confronted the church during the period of Latin-Teutonic Christianity between 500 and 800: (1) the heresy of Arianism; (2) the evangeli­zation of the barbarian tribes in Europe; and (3) the threat of Islam.

All three continue to be a challenge. Evangelical Protestant Christianity is still confronted with the heresy of Arianism in the cults and liberalism; and is now endeavoring to reach a “Christianized” but agnostic people of Europe with the true gospel. Today the threat of Islam is greater than ever before. Its goal is still defeat of the “Christian West” and world domination.

Most themes throughout history, especially church history, do not go away. They just migrate into different shells. It is with tremendous confidence that we can stand upon the bedrock of the Word of God and oppose these changing-yet-ever-the-same challenges.