History Discussion Questions: Episode 1

Choose one of the following questions and respond to it below.

1. Why was the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD such an important event in the rise of Christianity?

2. What stood out to you from watching the various worship services in the first video?

3. What do you think the American church could learn from the Church of the East?

2. I thought it was awesome to see the various "strengths" that each denomination/church brought. The philosophy of the church in the west and the artistic worship in the east are some examples. While the churches split in the past and division was won the day, their distinctives are awesome to see because they reflect something of the Lord no one else could.

The two biggest things I noticed were tradition and discipline, two things I think the western church can learn much from. It’s very clear there is no inherent “Christian culture”; it’s so cool to see culture displayed in worship! In their practice, we can see that there is a high level of reverence for God. I noticed that because of this level of reverence, their worship is not focused on needing the emotional experience of a relationship with God. God is worth bowing to simply because he is God. I can even attest to this in the way my family practices Christianity. A regular practice of high discipline and deep reverence is something I’d like to get back to.