Episode Overview

Title: Church History Resolutions for the New Year
Podcast: 5 Minutes in Church History with Stephen Nichols
Air Date: December 31, 2025

This New Year's Eve episode offers listeners a practical and inspiring blueprint for making church history more a part of their spiritual life in 2026. Host Stephen Nichols proposes a resolution: take a deeper dive into church history with specific, actionable suggestions. Nichols delivers five concrete ways to engage with the past, introducing listeners to primary sources, pivotal personalities, and invaluable resources—culminating with a moving reflection on the enduring power of hymns.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Case for Church History Resolutions

• [00:07] Stephen Nichols warmly greets listeners with a New Year’s wish and proposes “a resolution for you for 2026: Take this year to take a deeper dive into church history.”

2. Five Practical Approaches to Engage Church History

2.1. Read Sermons

• “Reading sermons is a great way to get into church history, a great way to be introduced to these figures and not just simply read about them or hear about them, but to read them directly.” [00:23]
  • Nichols recommends reading one sermon a month or even weekly, underlining the vitality and timelessness of historic sermons.
  • “It’s as if these figures are reaching across the centuries to preach to you.” [00:36]

2.2. Pick a Person

• “Pick a person that you’ve been interested in or that you hear a lot about and spend this year getting to know that person.” [00:52]
  • Start with a short biography and then move to their writings.
  • Nichols shares his chosen figure for the year: “This year I’m going with Charles Hodge, one of those stalwart Princeton theologians.” [01:16]
  • Hints at recurring features on Charles Hodge in future episodes.

2.3. Pick an Era

• “You could go to the Great Awakening, or to the British Reformation, or to Calvin’s Geneva... or my favorite moments, 20th century American fundamentalism and evangelicalism.” [01:32]
  • Encourages exploring diverse periods, from early Christology debates at Nicaea to more recent centuries.

2.4. Use Trusted Resources

• Recommends structured resources for deeper study:
  • “A Survey of Church History” by Robert Godfrey (73-episode series).
  • Reformation Bible College courses: Church History 1 and 2 by Dr. John Tweedale.
    • “Now, you’ll be getting the ending first because we do Church History 2 in the spring semester and Church History 1 in the fall.” [02:17]
  • Directs interested listeners to learning.reformationbiblecollege.org for more details.

2.5. Read and Sing Hymns

• “Spend some time with hymns. You need to get yourself a good hymnal.” [02:44]
  • Shares a story about an old hymnal found in a used bookstore, filled with Isaac Watts’ hymns and psalms.
  • Explains the structure of Watts' hymn collection: those from Scripture, on divine subjects, and for the Lord’s Supper.

3. Memorable Hymns and Quotations

• Recites lines from Isaac Watts’ “Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed?”:
  • “Alas, and did my Savior bleed? And did my sovereign die? Would he devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?” [03:18]
• Closes with the last stanza from the hymnal:
  • “Glory to God on high, Salvation to the Lamb, Let earth and sea and sky his wondrous love proclaim…” [03:47]

4. Closing Challenge and Blessing

• “So I would challenge you to make the resolution to do a deeper dive into church history as we move into 2026.” [04:15]
• Expresses gratitude for listeners and wishes a blessed New Year.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On reading sermons:

  • “It’s as if these figures are reaching across the centuries to preach to you.” (Stephen Nichols, 00:36)

• On choosing a person:

  • “This year I’m going with Charles Hodge, one of those stalwart Princeton theologians. I suspect in 2026 we will be visiting with our new friend Charles Hodge often.” (Stephen Nichols, 01:16)

• Isaac Watts’ hymn stanza:

  • “Alas, and did my Savior bleed? And did my sovereign die? Would he devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?” (Isaac Watts, quoted by Nichols, 03:18)

• Isaac Watts’ closing hymn stanza:

  • “Glory to God on high, Salvation to the Lamb, Let earth and sea and sky his wondrous love proclaim, upon his head shall honors rest, and every age pronounce him blessed.” (Isaac Watts, quoted by Nichols, 03:47)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:07 | Introduction and New Year’s greeting, setting the resolution | | 00:23 | First suggestion: read sermons | | 00:52 | Second suggestion: pick a person, example: Charles Hodge | | 01:32 | Third suggestion: pick an era | | 02:09 | Fourth suggestion: use teaching series/courses | | 02:44 | Fifth suggestion: hymns and story of Isaac Watts’ hymnal | | 03:18 | Excerpt from “Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed?” | | 03:47 | Final stanza from Watts’ hymnal | | 04:15 | Challenge to listeners and closing remarks |

Summary

This episode delivers five actionable, thoughtful methods for individuals to immerse themselves in church history throughout the new year. Whether by reading primary sermons, following the journey of pivotal figures, focusing on historical eras, enrolling in curated church history courses, or discovering the theology of classic hymns, Nichols makes the past accessible and inspiring. His use of engaging anecdotes and timeless hymnody serves to connect the present generation with the faithfulness and insights of previous ones, encouraging every listener to make church history their own spiritual resolution for 2026.