Conflict, Creeds, & Reformation

The church’s past is not a museum of old arguments. It is a living record of how God’s people have wrestled with truth in the middle of political upheaval, cultural pressure, and human weakness.

This course explores how the creeds and the creedal process show us the ways Christians refined and retained theological convictions in shifting socio-political contexts. It looks at the Protestant Reformation, not as a distant historical artifact, but as a movement whose effects still shape us—both in healthy ways (renewed focus on Scripture and grace) and in challenging ways (planting the seeds of autonomy and liberalism that run through modern life). Along the way, we’ll consider the enduring significance of the solas—Scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, to the glory of God alone—as ongoing anchors for faith and practice.

By the end, you’ll see history not as trivia, but as training: past conflicts form the convictions we must carry into the present.

• Learn how the creeds emerged from real conflicts and why they still matter.
• Recognize how the Reformation reshaped theology, worship, and even modern society.
• Grapple with both the gifts and the challenges the Reformation handed down to us.
• Explore the solas not as slogans but as theological convictions to live by today.
• Gain confidence in reading the past as a source of wisdom for navigating the church’s present challenges.