W. Robert Godfrey

Dr. W. Robert Godfrey is a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow and chairman of Ligonier Ministries. He is president emeritus and professor emeritus of church history at Westminster Seminary California. He is the featured teacher for the six-part Ligonier teaching series A Survey of Church History. His many books include God’s Pattern for Creation, Reformation Sketches, An Unexpected Journey, Learning to Love the Psalms, and Saving the Reformation.

  • Struggle in American Churches Media Resource by

    The controversy involving J. Gresham Machen in the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America is only an example of the growing tensions and rapid changes that roiled churches across the country. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey discusses the struggles within American churches and the beginnings of Pentecostalism. View Resource

  • J. Gresham Machen Media Resource by

    God has used men to passionately defend the historic Christian faith throughout the history of the church. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey introduces J. Gresham Machen, a man used by God to fight the tides of twentieth-century liberalism. View Resource

  • Fundamentalism Media Resource by

    Protestants throughout the nineteenth century stood united as evangelicals, but as this term began to lose meaning, a replacement term was needed. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey examines the shift in American evangelicalism and the battle between modernists and fundamentalists. View Resource

  • Empires & Missions Media Resource by

    It was an age in which empires rose and fell and in which the reach of the gospel spread. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey examines a century of great missionary endeavor and those who made it possible. View Resource

  • A Remarkable Century Media Resource by

    The twentieth century was a remarkable century, encompassing the best and the worst of human history. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey introduces some of its major events and the way the church adapted to its problems and opportunities. View Resource

  • Abraham Kuyper Media Resource by

    Abraham Kuyper did not ignore the realities that the church faced in the modern world. In this last lesson, Dr. Godfrey maps out Kuyper’s vision of a pluralistic society that would not hinder our freedom to be Christians. View Resource

  • The Church in Europe Media Resource by

    Revival spread throughout Europe by men who faithfully preached the gospel. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey introduces us to these men and perhaps the most important thinker for the Christian in the modern day, Abraham Kuyper. View Resource

  • Two American Revolutions Media Resource by

    The American Revolution and the Second American Revolution will have a significant impact on the development of the church in America. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey explains how these revolutions made the churches in America different from the churches in Europe and led to the Second Awakening. View Resource

  • Christianity & Science Media Resource by

    The idea that Christianity is incompatible with science is false. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey exposes this falsehood by exploring the four major fields of scientific endeavor that were attacking Christianity and contributing to the growing pessimism of the nineteenth century. View Resource

  • The Presbyterian Witness Media Resource by

    The Presbyterian church experienced the revival that swept across America by balancing the desire for vital religion with the desire for sound theology. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey explains why this was a critical process in the development of the Presbyterian church during nineteenth-century America. View Resource

  • The Intellectual Scene Media Resource by

    Ideas have consequences, and the intellectual changes that were taking place in Europe would set the stage for the entire nineteenth century. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey explores those ideas and how they began to expand beyond the continent of Europe and influence American religious life. View Resource

  • Charles Finney Media Resource by

    Charles Finney believed revival could be broken down to a science. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey introduces Finney’s methods, his many critics, and the nature of true revival. View Resource

  • Roman Catholicism Media Resource by

    Roman Catholics reacted to the mounting pressures of the nineteenth century by reasserting papal authority. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey shows how the declarations of the First Vatican Council create a dilemma for today’s Roman Catholic scholar. View Resource

  • The Second Awakening Media Resource by

    The Second Great Awakening was a period of increased evangelism and social reform. In this lesson, Dr. Godfrey explains how the Second Great Awakening would influence society and introduces its important theologians. View Resource

  • The Nineteenth Century Media Resource by

    The ideas and events of the nineteenth century produced effects that can be felt down to this day. In this introductory lesson, Dr. Godfrey shows us why the history of the church in this century still matters and gives us five categories to analyze and understand it for ourselves. View Resource