The “Historical Nonsense” of Early Pluralistic Christianities (Carson)

 This is very much worth reading: ...During the last decade and a half a number of writers with media savvy have unleashed books and articles to support the view that originally Christianity was pluralistic in content and largely tolerant (in the new sense!) in attitude. There was no agreed orthodoxy, but highly diverse theological syntheses.…

Doctrinal Hair-Splitting and the Early Church (Young)

I've mentioned this helpful patristics resource here before: From Nicaea to Chalcedon by Frances Young. It's a great study on some of the church fathers and their teaching (e.g. Athanasius, Basil, Cyril, and so forth). One early church leader Young discusses is Gregory Nazianzen, who is called "Gregory the Theologian."  Gregory was a defender of…

Abortion, Murder, and the Early Church

In the ancient Roman Empire human life was generally not highly valued.  Some Greco-Roman religions involved child sacrifice, shedding of blood, and other inhumane acts.  Roman citizens typically didn’t speak out against the brutal killing methods displayed in the arenas – in fact, people flocked to see humans mercilessly slay each other or be torn…

O The Sweet Exchange!

Here are some great words from a late second century AD Christian tract/treatise called the Epistle to Diognetus (10:2-5). “Oh the surpassing kindness and love of God! He did not hate us, or reject us, or bear a grudge against us; instead he was patient and forbearing; in his mercy he took upon himself our…

Go Back and Be Like the Early Church?

  These are great words from a commentary-like book Eugene Peterson wrote on Ephesians, Practice Resurrection. “In Thessalonica, some members of the church were so sure that the Lord was returning any day that they quit working.  They sat around speculating what kind of cloud would provide the chariot for Jesus’ arrival and letting their…