A Podcast All About Christianity
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” »
Thank you for your ongoing support of the History of Christianity podcast. In addition to the podcast, I also blog on topics related to Christian history. I am including the five most read posts in 2023. These were not written in 2023 but were popular this past year. If you would like to support this … Read More “Top Five Posts in 2023” »
In this special Christmas episode, we look at the figure who would be the inspiration for the popular Santa Claus. While some Christians see Santa as a threat to Jesus, Nicholas of Myra was actually a devoted follower of Jesus who was known for his piety and generosity. In this episode, we look at how … Read More “Episode 60 – Quest for the Historical Santa Claus: Bishop Nicholas of Myra” »
One of the most important events in the early church was the First Council of Nicaea. We might think that with such an important council that the Pope would be giving leadership to it. But in fact, the Pope did not attend the council. What we need to remember is that the bishop of Rome … Read More “The Pope During the First Council of Nicaea” »
One of the most important events in Christian history is the First Council of Nicaea that took place in 325 AD. Christianity can literally be divided between what happened before and what happened after this event. The immediate purpose of the Council was to deal with the Arian question: Was Jesus a created being? Ultimately … Read More “Episode 59 – The First Council of Nicaea” »
If there is something that ties together the history of the church from the first to the twenty-first century, it is Christians disagreeing about biblical interpretations. Often times it got quite nasty and not infrequently, resulted in someone’s death. But sometimes it was done right. Dionysius of Alexandria was a bishop during the third century. … Read More “An Example of Healthy Disagreement From the Early Church” »
When we think about history, we may think about events that took place centuries ago. But history also takes place within our lifetime. That is the case, at least for me, of the events described in the Jesus Revolution. This is the story of the beginnings of the Jesus People movement. It focuses on the … Read More “Jesus Revolution” »
