Page 16 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

A History of the Church in Africa

He never visited a big city.
He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He
was born.
He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness.
He had no credentials but himself.
He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned
against Him.
His friends ran away.
One of them denied Him.
He was turned over to His enemies and went through the
mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
While He was dying, His executioners gambled for His clothing,
the only property He had on earth.
When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the
pity of a friend.
Centuries have come and gone, and today He is the centerpiece of
the human race and leader of mankind’s progress.
All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed,
all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever
reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this
earth as powerfully as that One Solitary Life.
—James Allan Francis

Historians will debate the finer historical points, but one truth upon
which we must stand firmly is that Jesus Christ is the “cornerstone” of
all history:

Christians have always insisted on the historicity of Jesus’ life—an
actual birth, a datable death, a witnessed resurrection, locatable
towns. There is a parallel historicity in the followers of Jesus. As
they take in everything Jesus said and did—all of it a personal
revelation of God in time and place—it all gets worked into local
history, eventually into world history. (Peterson, 2177)

Why Study Church History?

There are many reasons why it is important and beneficial to study
church history. Seven primary reasons are listed below.

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