Church History and Theology

CHT | S2E8: Paul - the Apostle to the Gentiles No other person outside of Jesus Christ has affected so much of the development and theology of the church than Paul. His writings make up nearly half of the books of the New Testament and his leadership helped found the churches of Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome. He helped align the focus of missions, theology, and gentile relations in the Church of Je...

Today's episode takes a look into the character and life of the Apostle Peter. Much is made of his ministry that has no home in either Scripture or authentic history, but we will dive into what can be known regarding him and his ministry God gave him. While he is clearly NOT the bishop of Rome or the first pope, what we learn of him is even more impressive: a humble man who has learned through his...

Today's Episode finds us all throughout the New Testament delving into the question of offices and roles in the leadership structure of the First Church. After that we see what the enduring offices and roles are for the church, including the surprising centrality of the Scriptures in the governing of those in the offices and roles of the church. Title: The Leadership of the Apostolic Church Date:...

In today's episode we join the first Church in Jerusalem about a year after the Resurrection of Christ. The apostles create a new office in the church that has far reaching ramifications for the future. The first two deacons are Stephen and Philip and their stories are part of the expanding infant church as the Holy Spirit spreads the Gospel to the ends of the Earth. Title: The First Deacons - Ste...

Today's episode centers in on the first church from the day of Pentecost onwards. Who was the church made up of? What were its characteristics? Its habits? What a tremendous grace that God has shown us the starting description of His NT people. Buckle up! As the Gospel goes out into the world you will see its adaptability throughout time and space. Title: The NT Church is Born Date: AD 30 or 33 (d...

Today's episode has us talking about headship and leadership. Both in the Invisible Church and the Visible Church. And wouldn't you know it? God is consistent everywhere He goes. The general idea is this: the only bottleneck of leadership ought to be on Christ; not on any other human or leader. Christ instituted a concept of multifocal leadership for the church: multiple apostles appointing multip...

Title: Why Study Church History? Date: 1st-21st Century Place: Worldwide Key Figures and Events: Our Brothers and Sisters Documents of Significance: The Bible (as always) Narrative Overview: As we get into the "Why" of the study of church history, we cover how it has affected us already, where God is at work, the tie-ins to ecclesiology and eschatology. In the end, as an extension of Christian fel...

Title: What is Church History? Date: Creation - Present Day Place: Worldwide Key Figures and Events: God and His People Documents of Significance: The Bible :) Narrative Overview: This introductory episode explores the fundamentals of Church History and Theology. What exactly is Church History? Where does it begin, who is included, and what are its boundaries? We'll delve into these questions, dis...

England, 1700s. Anne Steele was a poet who published under the pseudonym Theodosia. ​ Her hymns were included in many hymnals.​ She was part of a circle of writers and intellectuals, both men and women, who provided her with intellectual stimulation and support. ​ Despite suffering from physical ailments and the deaths of loved ones, Steele lived her life by seeking to glorify God through her writ...

Ireland, 400s. Today we will again attempt our livestream of Saint Patrick's Confessions. So many myths and legends surround him that some clarity would certainly be beneficial. Join in for some Emerald Isle wisdom! A translation of the confessions is found here: https://www.confessio.ie/etexts/confessio_english# If you ever want to join in the livestream, it is hosted on YouTube Wednesday evening...

1563 AD. In the wake the Council of Trent's condemnation of the Protestant Reformation and the Peace of Augsburg (1555), there arose a desire to clarify a clearer set of Lutheran beliefs that were informed and influenced by Calvin's reformation in Geneva. The result? A politically needed theological document that has become one of the most influential catechisms in the Protestant churches. Its ton...

Tonight is a reflective show that talks about some of the long-term plans for Church History and Theology. When we begin the next walkthrough and what that will look like. Why we do this, reintroduction of our methodology and goals. Also, if there is time, maybe a teaser of another project that is in the works for those of you who are super-fans of Church History.

c. 750 AD This episode will find us in the recesses of the Medieval Era, learning something about a church so desperate for power that it told one of history's greatest lies to get it. The Roman church's forgery known as "The Donation of Constantine" was used for 700 years to legitimize the temporal powers of the church in Rome. Once proven to be a lie, it was quickly put to the side. But the dama...

203 AD. This episode will find us in Carthage in the early 3rd century alongside some of our most laudable sisters in the faith. Two young mothers and catechumens face the ultimate test for a Christian. And is not their testimony one of deep challenge to those of us in our day? The text in which their story is told is found at the following link: https://earlychristianwritings.com/text/tertullian2...

100s AD. The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus is one of my favorite artifacts from the early church. Its author is unknown to us but thankfully, due to a single manuscript, we have the full text of this marvelous letter. In it we get a glimpse of a Christian's defense of Christian theology, description of their lifestyle, and a snapshot of issues of their day. Join in! We won't be reading it in it...

1302 AD. Pope Boniface VIII continues to develop and clarify the sweeping reforms (largely promulgated by his great-uncle, Pope Gregory IX) of the temporal power of the Roman church by issuing his papal bull: Unam Sanctam. "The One Holy [Church]" Tonight we will go through the text and discuss its situation in the late 13th/early 14th century. A translation can be found at this link: https://www.p...

Grab your Bibles. Let's get into this.

After last week's infamous silent stream of this lesson, we are back again. This time with audio! We are paying attention today to Jan (John) Huss' most influential treatise on the church. If you want a copy of this book, it was translated to English in 1915 and is available here: https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/schaff-the-church

In this episode, we delve into the question of baptism in the earliest church. Specifically, we aim to understand the practice of baptism as broadly as possible in the first two centuries of the church. If you want to follow along, I am using Roberts Donaldson's translation of the Didache: http://earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-roberts.html And for Justin Martyr's 1 Apology I am using Robe...

In this episode, we go back to the earliest part of the 2nd century (100s) to listen to the Bishop of Antioch writing to a church in Smyrna as well as his letter to that church's bishop, a man named Polycarp. These are only two of the seven letters Ignatius wrote on his trip to Rome to be martyred. They are worthy of our attention, as are the other five (another episode). If you want to follow alo...

In this episode, we join Luther during the first years of the Reformation in order to grasp his developing arguments and thoughts on a variety of topics that go far beyond his first arguments against indulgences. Let's be a fly on the wall in Heidelberg (1518) and Leipzig (1519) and see what wisdom we can glean from all that went on in those early days of the Protestant Reformation.

Many have a view of the nature of the church that rests on the person of Peter. What can we know of his role in the early church from their own writings?

Today we will be discussing a work called the Didache. It is a 1st or 2nd century writing that gives us a glimpse into the habits of the early church in a specific area. If you want to read it for yourself, here is a link to it: http://earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-roberts.html

How NOT to deal with heretics and false teachers.

What if your greatest sin was transformed into a repentance that changed the course of history?