Evan Jones – Supporting the Cherokees on the Trail of Tears May 26, 1838, was the start of the so-called Trail of Tears, when about 15,000 men, women, and children of the Cherokee nation were forced to give up its…
Imagine you belong to an urban church. You have some generous members, but money remains tight as the church continues to grow. Meanwhile, tensions with city and its officials are on the rise. Your social credit score, much like your…
Some diseases are more pernicious, causing more damage to the body, than others. And in like fashion some heresies tend to have a kind of pernicious staying power that cause significant damage to the body of Christ more than others. …
Montanism in the Second Century: “I am the Lord God, the almighty, dwelling in man.”[1] These shocking words were spoken by Montanus of Phrygia (modern-day Turkey) in the mid-second century, A.D. Along with two disciples, Priscilla and Maximilla, Montanus claimed…
Many Christians are familiar with Pelagius, the Celtic monk who challenged Augustine of Hippo’s prayer, “Give what you command, and command what you will.” According to Pelagius, this was a useless prayer, because human beings already have what is necessary…
We are all too familiar with rioting and unrest in our streets. But riots over theology? Over one letter of the Greek alphabet–literally one iota? Yet the Arian controversy of the fourth century was a decisive juncture for the Church.…
Aphrahat the Sage – A Lesser-Known Church Father Typically depicted with a turban and a thin and grave bearded face, Aphrahat is not high in most people’s list of Christian authors. Scholars, however, find him interesting for several reasons. For…
Introduction Though often treated as an ancient heresy confined to the early centuries of the church, Gnosticism remains a persistent theological temptation. Its modern expressions are rarely labeled as such, yet its core instincts continue to surface in Christian teaching,…
“Sine dominico non possumus” (“We can’t do without the Lord’s Day”). This was the answer of a group of 49 Christians (31 men and 18 women) who were arrested for participating in a Lord’s Day service. They lived in or…
The corridors of history are filled with surprising twists and abrupt turns. Some philosophers, noting how the cogs of history seem to turn abruptly upon the smallest of happenings, have sometimes discussed what popular culture refers to as “the butterfly…
