A Podcast All About Christianity
One of the earliest sects of Christianity was Montanism. Like many of the early splinter groups, it was named after its founder, in this case, Montanus. We do not know much about Montanus, other than he lived in the second century and was active in Phrygia in Asia Minor. Montanus was accompanied by two women, … Read More “What is Montanism?” »
I recently read Paradiso, the epic poem written by Dante. Actually, this is part three of Divine Comedy that began with Inferno and Purgatorio. I should indicate that I have not read those first two sections. This was written by Dante Alighieri in Italian, in the fourteenth century. It is a masterpiece that explores aspects … Read More “Paradiso by Dante” »
When we speak of theological schools in the early church, we do not mean anything like modern seminaries or Bible colleges. These were schools of thought. There was teaching going on, but more of a master-disciple relationship. There were five patriarchal sees in the early church and these were Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, Jerusalem and Rome. … Read More “Antioch and Alexandria and Their Theological Schools” »
There has been a recent discussion about Baptists and creeds as the Nicene Creed was discussed at the Southern Baptist Convention. It has been claimed by some that Baptists are, by definition, anti-creedal. Is this true? It might be helpful look back at some Baptist history. Baptists, emerged out of the battle for state church … Read More “Do Baptists Reject All Creeds?” »
If someone asked you to name a Baptist, you might offer John the Baptist from the New Testament. Now John was not a Baptist in the modern sense, although there are Baptists who would disagree with that. However, one of the first modern Baptists was named John: John Smyth. What do we know about this … Read More “The Other John the Baptist” »
Some Christian traditions observe the season of Lent, the forty days (excluding Sundays) before Easter. Many people are familiar with the idea of giving up something for Lent, but where did this come from? The word Lent comes from the Old English encten, which simply refers to the Spring season. The Latin name for this … Read More “What Are the Origins of Lent?” »
There are various ways to do theology. One is to go through the Bible and make theological reflections. Another is to organize theology around a number of agreed upon categories. But another is autobiography. Colby Dickinson looks at this in the book, Theology as Autobiography. In this book, Dickinson looks at theology requiring translation, and … Read More “Theology as Autobiography – Review” »
One of the most well known events in the early church was the Council of Nicaea. But it can equally be said that there is no other as misunderstood event as the Council of Nicaea. I get it. It is the first major church council and it is called by the Roman Emperor. The seeming … Read More “What Happened at the Council of Nicaea?” »
The text that I am going to share is of historical interest on multiple levels. On one hand, it is an examination of the theology of Martin Luther compared to the theology of John Calvin. That is an important topic. But this examination was also writing by Martin Luther King, Jr., who is of historical … Read More “Martin Luther King, Jr. on Luther vs Calvin” »
