of the interpreter.  This examination of the history of the Christian church presupposes the Lordship of Christ, the authority of the Scriptures, and the importance of the Church as God’s instrument for the redemption of humankind. It will explore the development of the church from its beginnings as a loosely-organized, charismatically-led band of Jewish believers through the development of the Roman Catholic Church and conclude with its splintering during the Reformation to form the major modern denominations.