Word Studies: Church History Part 1

Class: Church History Part 1

Week #10-11: April 16-27
Professor: Dr. Tom Taylor

Assignments: Students should read the book, One Hundred Dates in Church History before the time of the second major test. It must be a reading… not a quick scan of the table of contents. By reading this book you can elevate your grade by one letter, i.e., a “C” to a “B”.

Dr. Tom Taylor will be teaching Church History for the next two weeks. Dr. Taylor received his BA from Bryan College, MDiv and STM from Faith Seminary and a Doctorate from Philadelphia Biblical University. To quote his own words, he is “retired emeritus from Biblical Seminary having held the post of Associate Professor of Church History and Old Testament for 24 years... I have written few books (but lots of articles that were not all wanted!) and have concentrated lately on conference ministry… Married to Ruth with five children and a small army of grandchildren and great grandchildren. Better known for humour and playing the harmonica than for scholarship, but that is just another of the inequities in the world.”



Church History allows each student to understand the role the church has played in history and the process the church has undergone in the past 2000 years. Dr. Taylor takes the class through the formation of the church in the first century to Constantine's  legalization of the church to Luther's 95 Theses. The importance of learning about church history lies not in the knowledge of what happened but the understanding of how the church got to where it is today and the implications of that on the lives of believers today.


Dr. Taylor loves to interact with the students in and out of class. His many experiences give him much to talk to the students about and he regales them with many stories. The students shared their thoughts on their teacher and the class:


"It was an incredible privilege ad honor to sit underneath Dr. Taylor's teaching. His in depth knowledge of the subject matter enabled me to understand the important role the church has had throughout the course of history. His joy and passion for learning inspires me still today."
- Benjamin, Muskoka (Alumnus)

"Amazing to really realize how the church has played such a huge part in history in the past. It was a class like no other."

- Jordan, Goulais River

"This class taught me much about the history of the early church. Dr. Taylor presented his material with excitement and enthusiasm. He knows his stuff."

- Ryan, Wyoming