TIMELINE of Christian Theology – All

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MAJOR ONLY: WORLD | RELIGIOUS | PEOPLE | ALL

MINOR & MAJOR: WORLD | RELIGIOUS | PEOPLE | ALL

B.C. | A.D. 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st

All Events

A.D. 1881–1963

John XXIII(A.D. 1881–1963) Born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, Italian priest, archbishop of Venice (A.D. 1953–1958), then pope (A.D. 1958–1963), who summoned ... more

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A.D. 1884–1976

Rudolf BultmannRudolf Bultmann (A.D. 1884-1976) German New Testament scholar, neo-Orthodox theologian, advocate of “demythologizing” the language of the New Test... more

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A.D. 1886–1929

Franz Rosenzweig(A.D. 1886–1929) Franz Rosenzweig was a Jewish theologian and philosophy from Germany. He was critical of Martin Buber’s views, especially of Zion... more

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A.D. 1886–1965

Paul TillichPaul Tillich (A.D. 1886–1965) was a German Lutheran minister, neo Orthodox theologian, and Existentialist philosopher, who had an influential teachi... more

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A.D. 1886–1968

Karl BarthKarl Barth (A.D. 1886-1968) Swiss Reformed pastor and professor, founding figure of Neo Orthodoxy and probably the most influential Protestant theolog... more

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A.D. 1887–1951

Simon Kimbangu(A.D. 1887–1951) Simon Kimbangu was a religious leader in the Congo. He established his own ministry featuring miraculous healings and even raising ... more

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A.D. 1889–1976

Martin HeideggerMartin Heidegger (A.D. 1889–1976) German philosopher whose early work, Being and Time (A.D. 1927), which owed a great deal to Kierkegaard’s analys... more

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A.D. 1889–1966

Emil BrunnerEmil Brunner (A.D. 1889–1966) Swiss Reformed pastor and theologian, advocate of a neo Orthodox theology of divine human encounter that requires a ... more

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19th–20th centuries

neo-scholasticismA late 19th and 20th century movement in the Roman Catholic Church that was based on the philosophy and theology of Thomas Aquinas that was regarded a... more

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A.D. 1890–1944

Aimee Semple McPherson(A.D. 1890–1944) Aimee Semple McPherson was a Pentecostal evangelist and media celebrity in the early 20th century. She pioneered the use of modern ... more

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A.D. 1896–1991

Henri de LubacHenri de Lubac (A.D. 1896–1991) French Jesuit theologian, patristic scholar, and leading critic of neo-Thomism. His views led to the church silencin... more

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A.D. 1898

Spanish-American WarA.D. 1898 The United States of America enters into war with Spain regarding American influence inside the Spanish colony of Cuba. The United States ha... more

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A.D. 1899-1901

Boxer Rebellion(A.D. 1899-1901) A group of Chinese rose up in violent reaction to a gang of Western robbers who used jurisdictional autonomy of Western nations in pa... more

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20th CENTURY

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A.D. 1902–1967

Adrienne von SpeyrAdrienne von Speyr (A.D. 1902–1967) Swiss physician and Roman Catholic theologian whose visionary experiences were a major inspiration for the ... more

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A.D. 1904–1986

Tommy Douglas(A.D. 1904–1986) Tommy Douglas was a Baptist minister and prominent Canadian politician during the 20th century. He spearheaded the creation of the ... more

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A.D. 1904–1959

Joseph BabalolaJoseph Babalola (A.D. 1904–1959) was a leading figure in the Christ Apostolic Church in Nigeria, a Pentecostal church where Babalola led r... more

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A.D. 1904–1984

Karl RahnerKarl Rahner (A.D. 1904–1984) German Jesuit theologian, known especially for his concept of the “supernatural existential,” a major theological i... more

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A.D. 1905–1988

Hans Urs von BalthasarHans Urs von Balthasar (A.D. 1905-1988) Swiss priest and Jesuit theologian, friend of Henri de Lubac, Karl Barth, and Adrienne von Speyr, who was... more

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A.D. 1906

Quest of the Historical Jesus(A.D. 1906) Albert Schweitzer publishes The Quest of the Historical Jesus, and claims that the historical Jesus was simple an eschatological prophet b... more

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A.D. 1906–2002

Carl McIntire(A.D. 1906–2002) Carl McIntire was a Presbyterian fundamentalist and popular radio broadcaster during the 20th century, vociferously opposing the to... more

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A.D. 1906–1945

Dietrich BonhoefferDietrich Bonhoeffer (A.D. 1906–1945) was a German theologian and pastor who was best known for his opposition to Nazism and especially Hitler’s eu... more

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A.D. 1906

Azusa Street Revival(A.D. 1906) The Azusa Street Revival begins in Los Angeles and lasts for several years. This movement gives birth to Pentecostalism. more

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A.D. 1907–1986

Mircea Eliade(A.D. 1907–1986) Mircea Eliade was a Romanian philosopher and historian of theology. He argued that sincere experiences of a sacred divine form the ... more

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A.D. 1910–1915

Fundamentals(A.D. 1910–1915) Publication of The Fundamentals, a series of books from which the Fundamentalist movement took its name. more

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A.D. 1913–2003

Carl HenryCarl Henry (A.D. 1913–2003) was an American theologian and evangelical Christian. He was a key figure in the development of fundamentalist evan... more

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A.D. 1913–2005

Paul RicoeurPaul Ricoeur (A.D. 1913–2005) was a French philosopher who was distinguished for revolutionizing the methods of hermeneutic phenomenology to be... more

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A.D. 1914

World War I(A.D. 1914) World War 1 begins, a four year conflict pitting the British Empire, France, the Russian Empire, and the United States against the German ... more

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A.D. 1917

Scofield Reference Bible(A.D. 1917) Publication of the second edition of the Scofield Reference Bible, which becomes the most important text for the Dispensationalist movemen... more

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A.D. 17 Nov 1918–21 Feb 2018

Billy GrahamBilly Graham (A.D. 17 Nov 1918–21 Feb 2018) One of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th Century. He was an ordained Baptist minister w... more

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A.D. 1920–2005

John Paul II

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abt 1920

Fundamentalismgrew out of 19th century American evangelicalism that felt liberal Protestantism was abandoning the fundamentals of the faith. Specifically this term ... more

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A.D. 1922

Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy(A.D. 1922) Harry Emerson Fosdick’s sermon “Shall the Fundamentalists Win?” identifies the main issues on the modernist side in the Fundamentali... more

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A.D. 1923

Ottoman Empire Ends(A.D. 1923) The Ottoman Empire is partitioned after losing World War I. more

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A.D. 1923

Christianity and Liberalism(A.D. 1923) J. Gresham Machen publishes his book, Christianity and Liberalism, which articulates the main points on the Fundamentalist side of the Fun... more

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A.D. 1923–

George LindbeckGeorge Lindbeck (A.D. 1923– ) American Lutheran theologian whose influential work, The Nature of Doctrine (1984), positioned him at the forefront of... more

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A.D. 1924

Ottoman Caliphate Ends(A.D. 1924) The Ottoman Caliphate ends shortly after the Ottoman Empire is partitioned following the end of World War I. more

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A.D. 1925

Scopes “Monkey Trial”The trial in 1925 of John Scopes, a biology teacher in Tennessee, for defying a state law forbidding the teaching of evolution in public schools. Skep... more

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A.D. 1926–2015

Rev. Robert Schuller(A.D. 1926 – 2015) Rev. Robert Schuller was an American Christian author and televangelist who founded the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County. He wa... more

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A.D. 1927–2018

Thomas AltizerThomas Altizer (A.D. 1927–2018) was an American theologian who radically embraced Nietzsche’s assertion that God is dead in a Hegelian synthe... more

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A.D. 1927–

Benedict XVI(A.D. 1927- ) Born Joseph Ratzinger, German priest and theology professor, archbishop of Munich (A.D. 1977–1982), cardinal (A.D. 1977–2005), and p... more

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A.D. 1928–Present

Gustavo Gutierrez(A.D. 1928–Present) Gustavo Gutierrez is a philosopher, theologian, and Dominican priest from Peru. He played a major role in the development of lib... more

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A.D. 1929

Great Depression(A.D. 1929) The Great Depression begins. It was a worldwide economic depression which lasted anywhere between 5 to 10 years in differing parts of the ... more

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A.D. 1933–2007

Jerry Falwell(A.D. 1933–2007) Jerry Falwell, Sr., was a Southern Baptist pastor and prominent televangelist and conservative activist. He also established a mega... more, Sr.

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A.D. 1933

Adolph Hitler more

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A.D. 1936–Present

Gianni Vattimo(A.D. 1936–Present) Gianni Vattimo is an Italian philosopher who has also been involved in politics, being a member of the Party of Italian Communis... more

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A.D. 1939

World War II(A.D. 1939) World War II begins, a 6 year conflict pitting the British Empire, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States against Nazi Germany, t... more

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A.D. 1941

Holocaust(A.D. 1941–1945) Germany in World War II engaged in a policy of systematized murder of approximately 6 million Jews (about 2/3 of the European Jewis... more

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A.D. 1942–Present

Daniel DennettDaniel Dennett (A.D. 1942–Present) is an American philosopher, author, and prominent atheist. Dennett argues that evolution can explain the origin o... more

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1945 A.D.

Nag HammadiA town in Egypt, situated on the Nile. In A.D. 1945, a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts were discovered, including the Gospel of Thomas... more religious texts

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A.D. 1947

Cold War(A.D. 1947) The Cold War begins after Soviet and American relations deteriorate and the Americans announce a policy of containing the Soviet Union. Th... more

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c. A.D. 1948–1526

Conrad Grebel(c. A.D. 1948–1526) Conrad Grebel was an Anabaptist Swiss merchant and politician who cofounded the Swiss Brethren movement, a precursor to the pres... more

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A.D. 1950

Humani Generis(A.D. 1950) The papal encyclical Humani Generis condemns theologies which deny that God could have created human nature and not direct it to a superna... more

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A.D. 1950–Present

Rowan Williams(A.D. 1950–Present) Rowan Williams is an Anglican Bishop and theologian from Wales who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012. He ... more

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A.D. 1950

Munificentissimus Deus(A.D. 1950) The papal bull (The Most Munificent God) declares that the (that her body and soul was taken directly to heaven) is an official doctrine o... more

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A.D. 1950–Present

Rowan Williams(A.D. 1950–Present) Rowan Williams is an Anglican Bishop and theologian from Wales who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012. He ... more

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A.D. 1952

European Steel and Coal CommunityA.D. 1952 As part of an effort to unify Europe after the horrors of World War I and World War II, six countries (France, West Germany, Belgium, the Ne... more

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A.D. July 15, 1957

Dr. Daniel Olukoya(A.D. July 15, 1957) Dr. Daniel Olukoya is a very successful Nigerian Pentecostal minister-televangelist and author who preaches a prosperity oriented... more

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A.D. 1958

European Economic Community(A.D. 1958) The European Economic Community is created, further integrating the economies of the six countries within the European Steel and Coal Comm... more

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1960s

Liberation TheologyRefers to a movement, primarily in Catholicism, that originated in Latin America in the 1960s that understands Christianity from the perspective of th... more

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A.D. 1961

First Person in Space(A.D. 1961) As part of Cold War jockeying for power, the Soviets send the first person into space. more

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A.D. 1962–1965

Vatican II(A.D. 1962–1965) The ecumenical council of Roman Catholic bishops presided over by Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI that was held between 1962–196... more

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born A.D. 9 April 1967

Sam HarrisSamuel Benjamin Harris (born A.D. 9 April 1967) is a neuroscientist, author and prominent critic of religion. Harris published his first book, Th... more

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A.D. 1969

First Person on the Moon(A.D. 1969) As part of Cold War jockeying for power, the Americans land the first person on the moon. more

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A.D. 1971–Present

Richard DawkinsRichard Dawkins (A.D. 1971–Present) is an English scientist, author, and prominent atheist. He argues that God almost certainly does not exist and t... more

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late 20th century

Charismatic movementearlier known as “neo Pentecostalism” in the late 20th century and is a widespread growing movement among Catholic and mainline Protestant churche... more

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A.D. 1991

Cold War Ends(A.D. 1991) The Cold War ends as the Soviet Union collapses under the pressures of economic stagnation, internal unrest, and perpetual war readiness a... more

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A.D. 1991

Information Age(A.D. 1991) The Information Age begins as the World Wide Web is released to the public. more

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A.D. 1993

European UnionA.D. 1993 After several decA.D.es of expansion the European Economic Community becomes the European Union, a single European currency (Euro) is create... more

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21st CENTURY

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Sep 11 2001

9/11 Terrorist Attacks(A.D. Sep 11, 2001) Islamic fundamentalists use commercial airliners to commit terrorist attacks against the United States, hitting the Pentagon, and ... more

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A.D. 2007

Great Recession(A.D. 2007) The Great Recession begins, a two year long economic contraction with the greatest economic impact on the world since the Great Depression... more

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A.D. 2007

EU ConsolidationA.D. 2007 After expansion of the European Union to include more members, many formerly under Soviet control, the Lisbon Treaty consolidates European U... more

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A.D. 2016

Brexit(A.D. 2016) The United Kingdom creates an EU “constitutional crisis” by voting to leave the European Union in the face of strained by economic pre... more

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