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Essay Prompt
“Christian history is human history, incorporating all of the dimensions of human experience from institutions to economics to wars. But at its foundation, Christianity is a way of thinking about reality, and the varied ways Christian thinkers have articulated and explained the faith have been at the heart of some of the most important developments of Christian history. Although no idea is the product of a single isolated mind, one person can usually be identified as the main innovator or spokesperson of a particular idea. Select one such Christian thinker (not including Jesus or any of the New Testament writers) and make the case that his/her thought had a drastic effect on the course of Christian history. To do this, you will need to (1) describe the thinker and his/her main idea in historical context; and (2) argue specifically how this idea effected historical developments in the thinker’s own time and in later history. This might entail how later people implemented this idea, elaborated on it, or reacted against it. Note—you do not have to write on an “orthodox” Christian thinker; feel free to pick a “heretic,” because often heretical thought is more historically important (and more fun!) than orthodox thought.”