Christian History Made Easy – Leader's Guide

People and Events Every Christian Should Know

In this 12-session DVD-based study, Dr. Timothy Paul Jones takes you through the most important events in Christian history from the time of the apostles to today. He brings to life the fascinating people and events that shaped our world. This isn’t dry names and dates. It’s full of dramatic stories told with a touch of humor. This series, based on Dr. Jones’s popular award-winning book Christian History Made Easy, ties in spiritual lessons believers can glean by looking at the past, and shows how God was still working in his church despite all the ups and downs.

You will learn: The fascinating stories of people such as St. Patrick, Martin Luther, and Augustine. People who changed history: Constantine, Charlemagne, and Francis of Assisi How we got the Bible that we read today — John Wycliffe, William Tyndale and others. The Middle Ages and the Reformation: Kings and Queens, Monks and Reformers Where church doctrines and practices originated. How the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches came to be. Reason and Revival – How modernity and the scientific revolution affected Christianity. How Christianity has spread around the world

You don’t have to be an expert to lead this 12-session study. Perfect for small groups, Bible studies, or personal use. Ages: Young adult to adult.

The Sessions

The 12 sessions cover major eras and topics with plenty of stories and humor. You’ll cover the early church, monasticism, medieval conflicts, the Protestant Reformation, the Great Awakening, 19th-century missions, modernity, and postmodernism.

Complete Kit contains everything you need, including: Leader pack with the DVD of twelve 30-minute video sessions and PDF files for promotional posters, fliers, handouts, bulletin inserts, and banners for you to print. One printed leader guide + PDF of the leader guide. One printed participant guide with session outlines, discussion questions, definitions, and time lines. Buy an additional participant guide for each person. One copy of the award-winning Christian History Made Easy book. This full-color, 224-page book by Timothy Paul Jones tells additional stories that shaped Christian history. One CD-ROM containing the fully illustrated 100-slide Christian History Made Easy PowerPoint presentation to give the leader optional material such as additional images and information to go deeper into popular events and people.

Award-winning author Dr. Timothy Paul Jones has bachelors and masters degrees in biblical literature and pastoral ministry, as well as a doctorate in educational leadership. He is a professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. In 2010 he won the ECPA Christian Book of the Year award in the Christian Education category for Christian History Made Easy.

Dr. Timothy Paul Jones is a brilliant young biblical scholar who helps simplify the complex. His [resources] are great and sorely needed during our time when many are biblically illiterate and know even less about Church history.
—Dr. Jerry Newcombe, author, TV host, and spokesperson for Truth that Transforms with Dr. D. James Kennedy (formerly The Coral Ridge Hour)

View a short overview of Christian History Made Easy

About the Author: Dr. Timothy Paul Jones

Timothy Paul Jones serves as the C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Ministry and as associate vice president at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world. Before teaching at Southern Seminary, Dr. Jones led churches in Missouri and Oklahoma as a pastor and an associate pastor.

Dr. Jones has authored or coauthored more than a dozen books in the fields of family ministry and apologetics, including the CBA bestseller The Da Vinci Codebreaker. In 2007, Charles Colson listed him as one of “four names you need to know” when responding to the new atheists. Christian Retailing Magazine awarded Jones top honors in 2010 in the Christian education category for his book Christian History Made Easy. Jones has also received the Scholastic Recognition Award from the North American Professors of Christian Education for his research in faith development.

The son of a rural pastor, Dr. Jones earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in biblical studies at Manhattan Christian College. He also holds the Master of Divinity degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Doctor of Philosophy degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has taught biblical languages at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and at Oklahoma Baptist University, as well as lecturing on the reliability of the New Testament Gospels at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) at forums sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Despite his academic background, Dr. Jones has shown a capacity to communicate to ordinary people in an appealing and accessible style. He has been interviewed on numerous radio and television programs, including WGN Morning News, Fox &Friends, Crosstalk America, and Bible Answer Man. Dr. Jones is married to Rayann and they have three daughters.