Category Archives: Early Christianity

My Favorite Early Christian Passage: Commandment 12 of the Shepherd of Hermas

Posted on 03/21/2019 by

The Ante-Nicene Fathers Series refers to this section of The Shepherd of Hermas as “Commandment XII.” The Lightfoot translation that I am quoting from and linking to calls it Mandate 12. Search “Mandate 12” (or phrases in the quote) at … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Christianity, Holiness | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Early Christianity in a Nutshell

Posted on 08/07/2016 by

I’ve been looking for a way to describe the Christianity I see in the early church fathers for many years. In the midst of a discussion with a friend, this outline came to me. 1. The Gospel: They preached total … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Christianity | Tagged , , , ,

Why I Quote the Early Christians

Posted on 06/20/2016 by

The early churches moved forward in unity and holiness. Until we can boast the same things, I am going to assume that our novelties are errors, not improvements. Continue reading →

Posted in Early Christianity | Tagged , , , , ,

Visions of the Kingdom

Posted on 02/24/2016 by

What power, wisdom, and joy we miss because we have forgotten the promises the apostles’ churches knew and took for granted! A Facebook friend sent me a list of verses he thought described the millennium, the 1000-year reign of Jesus … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Christianity, Evangelicals, Modern Doctrines, Protestants, Teachings that must not be lost | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Why Not Keep the Law of Moses?

Posted on 12/08/2015 by

This is from an email exchange. I thought it would be helpful for many others besides the recipient. Here are the kind of issues that were asked: I will start with two simple laws that are referenced as far back … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Christianity, Modern Doctrines | Tagged , , ,

Roman Catholicism and I

Posted on 09/27/2015 by

Sometimes I am very glad for questions sent to me by email. Occcasionally I write an answer, look at it, and say,”That expresses very well what I think. Finally, I got something across the way I wanted to.” Someone emailed … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Christianity, Roman Catholic & Orthodox | Tagged , , , , , ,

Some Beginning Articles on the Church

Posted on 06/04/2015 by

For some reason, I ended up on the subject of church life on my new site. It took a while to pull all three of these posts together, even though one was once previously written on this blog. That article, … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Early Christianity, Evangelicals, missions, Protestants, Teachings that must not be lost, Uncategorized, Unity | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

An Ancient Theologian explains Tradition

Posted on 01/31/2015 by

Originally posted on Dead Heroes Don't Save:
Irenaeus, a 2nd century theologian, defended Christianity from the Gnostic philosophies that were popular at the time. His 5 volume work, Against Heresies, dedicates the first two volumes to describing the Gnostic…

Posted in Early Christianity | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Christian Thanksgiving Meal

Posted on 11/27/2014 by

I’m sure very few Protestants know what “Eucharist” means. Ironically, if I’m right, not many Catholics know what Eucharist means, either. The word comes from the Greek ευχαρστια, meaning the giving of thanks: thanksgiving. It was chosen because of Jesus’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Christianity, Modern Doctrines | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Athanasian Creed: A Review

Posted on 10/13/2014 by

Who am I to “review” the Athanasian Creed? I do not review it on my own authority. I review it on the authority of the teachings of Jesus, the apostles, and of the Christians, churches, and councils that preceded the … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Christianity, Modern Doctrines | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments