Author Description

The new pedagogical approach of The History of the Catholic Church--part of the entire Encountering Jesus series--has a number of distinct features. Contemporary news stories that connect recent events in the Church and the world to a particular period in history, lead to chapter focus questions that students will be responsible to remember and answer both through the coverage of the chapter, to the end of the course, and beyond. Several different applications, assignments, and projects offered in a variety of learning styles allow the teacher to gauge a student's ability to retain and apply knowledge. This elective--written in accordance to Option B: History of the Catholic Church from the USCCB Curriculum Framework--is one that can supplement catechesis on the Church that students were introduced to in an earlier course on Ecclesiology. The historical nature of this text lends itself to a wide array of informative infographics and photo essays as well as challenging student assignments. For example, each chapter suggests three assignments meant to be completed over the approximate two-week duration the chapter material is being studied. Research reports, surveys, video presentations, debates, and various art forms are some of the formats and media that make up the chapter assignments. Finally, text is built around the opportunity introduce new material and foster mastery, while also providing more opportunities for review. This approach--encouraged throughout the Encountering Jesus series--is necessary in a course with a fast-moving and wide scope of content that follows this sequence: Sanctity and Redemption: Understanding Salvation History as the Time of Christ The Church's Divine Origin The Gospel Spreads Despite Persecution The Era of the Church Fathers The Formation of Christendom The Church in the Midst of Renaissance and the Age of Exploration The