You’ve probably heard the quotation at least a few times, most likely in a sermon encouraging people to live their faith in the world. “‘Preach the gospel at all times,’ Francis of Assisi said. ‘If necessary, use words.’” It’s a heartwarming sentiment with two flaws. First off, St. Francis never said it; second, even if […]
[Read More...]Church History: The Fall of the Roman Empire and the Church Planter Whose Planting Didn’t Go According to Plan
Video courtesy of Rose Publishing By the end of the fifth century, the western half of the Roman Empire was crumbling into a conglomeration of barbarian kingdoms. The city of Rome remained central for churches in communion with the Roman church, but Rome wasn’t nearly so central for the new barbarian rulers rising in the […]
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Church History: What Did the Real St. Patrick Do?
Video courtesy of Rose Publishing The real St. Patrick wasn’t Irish, he never sent a snake to England, and no one has ever even officially declared him a saint. So why do people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Mostly because they like to party and to pinch people who forgot to wear green, I guess. But […]
[Read More...]Church History: Who Was Augustine and Why Does He Matter?
As a young man in North Africa, Augustine traded the Christian faith of his mother Monica for the pursuit of personal pleasure and prestige. Despite her son’s descent into deeper rejection of God, Monica never stopped praying for him. And the more Augustine chased after the things he thought would make him happy, the more God […]
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Church History: How Did Church Councils Clarify What Christians Believed About Jesus?
Video courtesy of Christianity.com It’s one thing to live as a Christian in a world where your faith is persecuted and oppressed. Life may be hard but the boundaries between belief and unbelief are fairly clear. It’s quite another to remain faithful when the name “Christian” is not persecuted but praised and even endowed with […]
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Church History: What Was the Real St. Nicholas Known For?
Today, St. Nicholas is mostly known as a paunchy old geezer who spends one night each year breaking into people’s houses and stealing cookies before escaping to an Arctic hideaway where enslaved elves do his work for him. Kind of creepy when you think about it. The good news is that none of this was […]
[Read More...]Church History: How Did Christians Decide Which Books Belonged in the New Testament?
Video courtesy of Christianity.com To learn more about how Christians determined which texts were true and authoritative, read these articles: Who Decided Which Books Belong in My Bible? and Why No Baptized Lions or Talking Crosses Made It Into Your Bible. 30 Days through Church History: Day 8
[Read More...]Church History: Who Were the Gnostics and What About Their Gospels?
Video courtesy of Christianity.com To learn even more about the Gnostics and other challenges to second-century Christians, read these four brief articles from Ligonier Ministries: * Montanism * Gnosticism * Marcion’s Challenge * Irenaeus of Lyons 30 Days through Church History: Day 7
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Church History: What Happened after the Apostles Died?
By the end of the first century, Roman persecutions were dogging God’s people from the outside, and false teachings from people who claimed to be Christians were hounding the church from within. The Ebionites said that Jesus was a human Messiah but not the divine Lord. Most Gnostics, on the other hand, depicted Jesus as […]
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Church History: Do the Dead Sea Scrolls Have Anything to Do with Jesus and the Early Church?
Near the northwest corner of the Dead Sea, there is a long-deserted settlement known as Qumran. Here, it appears that a discontented Jewish sect maintained a thriving religious community in the second century B.C. and again in the first century A.D. At one point, this community’s library contained more than a thousand sacred scrolls. Some […]
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Church History: What Happened to the Jewish Temple?
When Jesus walked along the dusty roads of Judea and Galilee, the Jewish people had a temple in Jerusalem. But today, there isn’t one. So what happened to this temple? First, a bit of background: The temple in the time of Jesus was the second Jewish temple. The Babylonians had burned the first temple in […]
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Church History: Did Nero Really Fiddle While Rome Burned?
You’ve at least heard the saying. Maybe you’ve even said it yourself at some point when someone was fooling around in the face of an impending crisis. “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” But did he? No, not even a chance. In the first place, fiddles as we know them weren’t even invented until the Renaissance, […]
[Read More...]Church History: Do Any Ancient Historians Mention Jesus?
Video courtesy of Christianity.com To dig deeper into ancient historians’ references to Jesus, take a look at this chapter from Gary Habermas. 30 Days through Church History: Day 2
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Church History: A Thirty-Day Whirlwind Tour through the History of Christianity!
Have you ever wanted to gain an overview of church history, so that you can understand where all the divisions and denominations came from? But it’s not like you have hours each day that are free to fill with reading! If that’s the case, here’s an idea: check in here every day for thirty days. […]
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Today on WGRC in Pennsylvania
Today, at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time, I’ll be talking with Larry Weidman on the program “Matter At Hand” on WGRC near South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Larry and I will be discussing why it’s essential for every Christian to know the history of the Christian faith. Please pray for me, that the gospel will be multiplied and […]
[Read More...]Today on WCTS in Minneapolis
Today, at 10:45 a.m. Eastern time, I’ll be talking with Steve Davis on the program “Christianity in a Changing Culture” on WCTS in the Twin Cities. Steve and I will be discussing why it’s essential for every Christian to know the history of the Christian faith. Please pray for me, that the gospel will be […]
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Today on KRKS in Denver
Today, at 6:00 p.m. Eastern time, I’ll be talking with Gino Geraci on Crosswalk from KRKS in Denver, Colorado. Gino and I will be discussing why it’s essential for every Christian to know the history of the Christian faith. Click here to find out more about the resources that Gino and I will be discussing. […]
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Today on KGNW Live from Seattle
Today, at 8:20 p.m. Eastern time, I’ll be talking with Doug Bursch on Live from Seattle on KGNW. We will be discussing why it’s essential for every Christian to know the history of the Christian faith. Click here to listen. Click here to find out more about the resources that I will be discussing with […]
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Today on Mars Hill Today from Portland
Today, at 4:15 p.m. Eastern time, I’ll be on air with Joe Gonzalez on “Mars Hills Today” on Portland-based KPDQ. Joe and I will be discussing why it’s essential for every Christian to know the history of the Christian faith. Click here to listen. Click here to find out more about the resources that Joe […]
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Today on WMPC in Michigan
Today, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time, I’ll be talking with Greg Bullen on “Off the Bookshelf” from WMPC in Flint, Michigan. Greg and I will be discussing why it’s essential for every Christian to know the history of the Christian faith. Click here to listen. Click here to find out more about the resources that […]
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