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20th century

Modern Christianity: Twentieth Century

Important topics for studying 20th-century Church History:

  1. The Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement
  2. The Creation vs. Evolution controversy
  3. The Fundamentalist challenge to Modernism
  4. The decline of Post-millennialism
  5. The growth of Christian broadcasting
  6. Christian responses to Nazism and the Holocaust
  7. The rise and ubiquity of Dispensationalism
  8. The church growth/missions movement
  9. Mass Evangelism of Billy Graham and others
  10. Christian leadership in the American Civil Rights Movement
  11. The Ecumenical Movement
  12. The Rise of Liberation Theology
  13. Proliferation of Bible Translations in English
  14. Vatican II
  15. Feminist Challenges to Christianity
  16. The Sex Scandals in the Catholic Church
  17. Roe v. Wade
  18. The Emerging Church
  19. Christian responses to Gender Issues

Want to go deeper?

Consult these books for aspects of 20th-century Church History:

  1. Evaluating the Church Growth Movement: Five Views, edited by Paul E. Engle and Gary L. McIntosh.
  2. Hitler’s Cross: How the Cross was Used to Promote the Nazi Agenda by Erwin Lutzer.
  3. World Christianity in the 20th Century by Noel Davies and Martin Conway.
  4. Global Awakening: How 20th-Century Revivals Triggered a Christian Revolution by Mark Shaw.
  5. The Ten Most Influential Churches of the Past Century and How They Impact You Today by Elmer L. Towns.

The following are useful resources to purchase when pursuing your study of church history: