Church history was one factor that loomed large in causing me to shift my stance on baptism. Check out my thoughts in the video below:
church history
Early Christians Debated How to Interpret Genesis, Too
For many folks with a little exposure to church history, this is actually old news. Discussions of how to interpret the early chapters of Genesis are as old as Christianity. But since I’ve been reading through the major theologians of… Read More ›
Shouldn’t Communion be a Full Meal?
When we look at what the New Testament says about the early church’s worship gatherings, we see a lot of evidence that they originally included full communal meals. For instance, in Jude verse 12 we get a reference to the… Read More ›
What Does “Sacrament” Mean?
Some call them sacraments, while others prefer to say ordinances. In this week’s new video, I attempt to clear up confusion as to why different Christians use different terminology when referring to holy rites like Baptism and Communion, and briefly… Read More ›
Early Church Fathers Profile: Saint Irenaeus of Lyons
Probably my favorite theologian of the early church, Irenaeus was a thinker captivated by the pursuit of truth about God. Here’s a quick rundown of his life and legacy, as well as the elements of his theology that most stand out to me.
The Earliest Church Fathers on Election and Predestination (Part Two: Apostolic Fathers)
Christians have long wrestled with the subject of how God’s plans and actions in salvation interact with human responsibility and choice. And it is common for proponents of any theological system to appeal to the writings of theologians from the… Read More ›
What Did Worship Look Like in the Early Church?
In my recent deep-dive back into church history, one of the things I’ve been most interested in is learning more about what early Christian worship looked like. There’s certainly a lot we can learn simply from reading the New Testament…. Read More ›
The Earliest Church Handbook: The Didache
In this new video post, I’m giving a quick introduction to what is likely the oldest church handbook in history, The Didache (aka the “Teaching” or “Instruction”). This short, ancient text gives us a fascinating window into the everyday practices… Read More ›
Getting to Know the Earliest Church Fathers
The history of Christianity is long and complex, but as I’ve written previously, there are a ton of reasons why it’s worth getting to know a little more about. Learning how the earliest Christians understood and lived out their faith… Read More ›
Why You Should Study Church History (And Where to Start)
You know the old cliché: “Those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it.” And yet, sadly, when the subject of church history is brought up among many churchgoers these days, there’s not a lot of knowledge evident…. Read More ›