For years the early church fathers have been neglected in our churches. Most believers are oblivious as to who they are or what they have done for us modern day believers. The question remains, why don’t we study the church fathers? One of the big reasons that Evangelicals do not learn about the church fathers in Sunday school is because of the belief that they all belong to the Roman Catholic Church. This misconception rubs us of our heritage and the precious lives that where sacrifice so that we could know the truth today. The word Catholic comes from the Greek word Katholicos which means pertaining to the whole or universal. When used to describe the Christian church referred to the unified group of believers in the world; having nothing to do with the Roman Catholic Church. To better appreciate our faith we must learn about our church fathers. We must learn about the great persecutions that they went through and the lives that were lost for the sake of sound doctrine. We must realize that believer at that time where willing to be martyred for their faith. Some of them where put into leather bags with scorpions and snakes then thrown into the ocean. Some where burn at the stake or had their eyes burned out so they couldn’t read their Bible. But, this didn’t stop them the word was in their hearts. I believe that a lack of respect for God and our faith derives from our lack of respect for anything now days. People now leave their church because the music style changed or because they changed the carpet to a wrong color. People leave church and go from one to another until they find one that fits. This would be fine except that we are not in church for carpet or music; we are in it for the word and to grow in our walk with Christ. Some of the church fathers include Ignatius of Antioch which battled the legalistic Jews confusing the Christians. Also, Antioch was the first city where the term Christian was used to describe a Christ follower: Justin Martyr, the first apologist; Iraneus of Lyons who unified believers into a unified Christianity; Tertullian, the first Christian to write in Latin; Athanasius, who protected sound doctrine from the Arians; and Augustine, often referred to as the Theologian of grace. He gave us his testimony of his struggles with sin called Confessions. He stood be the belief that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and that by grace (Jesus’ sacrifice we were saved). If we were to study this amazing individuals who lived and died for Christ we would better appreciate our faith and stop taking it for granted. The church fathers focused unity with the body of Christ. They forgot about themselves and focused on preserving and living out a life pleasing to God. If we were to united and stand together we would be able to fight all those new ideas and religion that are confusing and lying to people everyday. A new movement called the Charismatic movement has plagued our country and the world into believing that a Christian must by rich and healthy to fully show salvation. This movement can be compared to Arianism, in the fact that neither had sound doctrine. Athanasius fought until his death to maintain sound doctrine for the people. Athanasius lived and died for Christ, if he could then we should be able to as well. Today Christianity is separated into denominations because of preference such as music, etc. The church fathers deemed it necessary to die for their faith and to set an example for future believers. We as the decedents of these courageous men and women should continue their legacy as protectors of truth and go against not the people but the doctrines that are deceiving them. By studying the early church fathers we can learn how they struggled and also learn their faithfulness through those struggles. Their main focus was on God and His will for their lives. Most believers desire God will for their lives, but give up when things get hard. By following their example we set the example for the future generations to come.
Book Report
“God never called a Christian army and Jesus never promised salvation by bloodshed” These words describe the main theme of the Caners’ Book Christian Jihad. In Christian Jihad the Caner brothers shed light on Christianity’s darkest time. The crusades. The crusades were fought because of the belief that they were doing it under Gods command. To them they were fighting for their own salvation.
In the beginning of the book we see an assassination take place, at fist I thought that it of course had to do with Muslim terrorist attack, but to my surprise it did not have to do with Allah at all! This threw me off because of my ignorance about the crusades I really had no idea what they were or were about. Nowadays we as Americans are so focused and fixated on the bad guys, because of their terroristic attacks on 911 but we seem to forget or are simply unaware of the lives and blood that was shed on our part. By our part of course I’m speaking of believers and followers of Christ or Christians. Sadly as I continued reading I found myself constantly asking the question, what if they never happened, would we have peace? Sadly after much thought on the subject I found myself in my own battle defending my Christianity against, to what I guess would be classified in religious terms as infidels. I fought not for their peace or salvation, but for my own agenda my own selfish desires to prove my victory. Sadly even if the crusades did not happen, peace would still not exist because deep inside every man there is a selfish ambition burning ferociously inside of us. This is what causes men to fall, to stumble, to disobey, and sadly to achieve those selfish ambitions regardless the case. If we who have been forgiven and redeemed by Jesus, still battle with this how can we expect others who don’t know Christ to keep their selfishness at bay? If anything this lesson should teach and remind all Christians that we were forgiven not by force but by mercy. Not by hate but by love, not by selfishness but by humility Christ’s sacrifice was one without personal gain. In this we see a, merciful God desiring a relationship with his creation. Having been forgiven for our transgressions we in turn should forgive all of those supposed bad guys and all other religions, because they are desperately searching for the treasure that we have found. Luckily for them this treasure is infinite, endless without limit available to all who call on the name of the Lord! As hard as it is to realize, God loves every single human being who has ever lived and doesn’t focus on a particular event in history to pass judgment, he focuses on the thing that has separated his creation from him, sin.
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2. “Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.”
This is my favorite quote by Augustine it constantly reminds me of the reward through our hard times reminding me that this is not the end.
Tools of Dominion
Tools of Dominion: The Case Laws of Exodus is a nearly 1300 page book written by Gary North that expounds upon a reconstructionist perspective of the issue of the role of the Bible in government. Rather than embracing the common viewpoint that the Old Testament law no longer applies in its detail but rather it is only the ‘moral laws’ that carry forward into the present, North firmly believes that every ‘case law’ in the Old Testament law has a modern day application by which Christians should live.
Tools of Dominion is a very interesting resource that gives an explanation of the Old Testament law in a way that accentuates its emphasis on justice in government. It is through this justice that God reveals His blessings and His judgments, and North holds that this justice should be held to in any government, Christian or secular, that wishes to avoid the judgment that God brings to those nations that turn their backs on His clear-cut requirements for justice.
Fascinating and controversial, Tools of Dominion takes a look at the issue of separation of church and state through the eyes of the Old Testament.
Book Review: Christian Jihad
Christian Jihad, written by Ergun and Emir Caner, gives a detailed overview and examination of Christian history from the early church through the middle ages up until the time of the Reformation, particularly elucidating the views of war by the major figures in each era, from passivity to aggression. In addition this work provides insight into the relationship of the Church and State through those time periods. It also provides an honest and unapologetic account of when Christendom pronounced Holy Wars against Islamic regimes and sought to make converts by force. I believe this book is most helpful in giving contemporary Christians a more in-depth understanding into the dynamics, thinking and details throughout Christian history regarding war and religious conflict. It gives insight in regards to these issues for contemporary Christians and the lessons that can be learned from history. Additionally, this book provides a very helpful appendix regarding “just war criteria” from thoughts of major thinkers throughout Christian history. This work is a must read for Christians and non-Christians alike.
This is awesome!
Christian Jihad… my humble opinion
The concept of a Christian Jihad at first glance seems rather oxymoronic. It seems to be the heretical consolidation of Muslim ideology and Christian theology. However, Drs. Emir and Ergun Caner give another, rather unorthodox, view of Christian history. Christian Jihad examines the events, circumstances, and belief systems of the early church Christians through the time of the Crusades and demonstrates how what is known as a “holy war” became a part of Christian life.
The Crusades was a war focused on the vanquishing of the peoples who had wronged Christians living in Moslem lands. This included Moslems and Jews alike. Ironically, the early church was infamously pacifistic; religiously shying away from war because of their faith and the extremely high frequency of persecution they faced on a regular basis during the first and second centuries AD. With that, the pressing question becomes, “What changed? Why did these historically temperate and somewhat passive people become warriors?” “The Unholy Marriage,” the unbiblical allegiance that united the church and the state and put Christians in the position of be a part of every societal venue including all aspects of government and the military. The same group of believers that had spent hundreds of years in solitude or oppression and maltreatment were now in the spotlights of their respective areas. Though not all church leaders of the time supported such involvement in political arenas, it became banal for Christians to be a part of these bodies, with a particularly high influence on military involvement.
Under the leadership, encouragement, and support of the papacy of Urban II, Christian armies ravaged the lands in retribution for their wrongdoing, with the ultimate Christian Jihad being called on November 27, 1095. It was this year, that Pope Urban II would have his army of warriors preach, pray, have “a procession in honor of God”, fast, worship, and retake the city of Jerusalem, slay thousands upon thousands of Moslem and Jewish men, women, and children, and have his soldiers at the end of the battle immersed in so many corpses that they were described as having blood up to their knees.
The army had become wholly Christian and impassioned by war. The soldiers were taught that by their fighting they would be given salvation for doing God’s work. They were told that it was their responsibility to honor the Lord by fighting. They were deceived, by the “church”.
Christian Jihad gives an authentic look at the history of our religion. The information was astounding, saddening, and absolutely necessary. It is the work that is needed for Christians to know where they’ve come from in order to plan where they are going. To move forward blindly is ignorant. To neglect the facts and truths of our (sometimes flawed) thinking is irresponsible. Christian Jihad gives the modern Christian some perspective on the root of the hostility between Christians and Muslims.
Though it is easy to look on history and play the “us/ them game” where we stand awe stricken by the horrific events done in Jesus’ name and act as if “we” would never do such a thing, this work gives us the opportunity to kneel humbly before God acknowledging that we all get it wrong at some point…in some way. Acknowledging that we do the same things today.
A brother in Christ once said, “Christians are mean” and my heart was saddened by it, maybe even a bit offended, until I experienced “the mean Christians” myself. In our being “more spiritually mature than others” how many times do we stand on our side and point fingers saying “you’re wrong”? How often do we “judge” or “label” the world and stand around with our fellow seminarians acting as if even on our own campus there had not been a time when people of other races were not admitted?
While having a rather “interesting” conversation with my mother about my a attending a Baptist institution, (I was raised Episcopalian), she told me that in 1986 she was asked to be in her best friends wedding that was being held in a Baptist church. Only, the leaders of the church told the bride she could not get married there if she had a black person in her wedding. She changed venues. But, the issue remains that there is a dissimilation not only between Christians and the world, but Christians and other Christians.
According to the dictionary, persecution is to “subject (someone) to hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of their race or political or religious beliefs.” In what ways do we maltreat others because of our worldview?
Sometimes the same separation that was between the converted Christians who were looked down upon during the Crusades for not being “real Christians”, and the separation of Christians of different denominations and races of today is still prevalent. Perhaps they are not being murdered with swords, but maybe murdered with mouths and that is only sometimes.
This book made me look at my own heart, my own worldview. It gave me perspective and much needed information to reflect on how I approach the world with evangelism. I hope we all can be honest enough to see how we do these same things (on a different scale) in our everyday lives.
Brilliance
“This is a battle between who you are and you God wants you to be.” -Keith Williams
"Resource Recommendation"…. well, kind of.
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Resource: Response to Dan Brown’s (The Da Vinci Code’s) view of the Council of Nicaea
This YouTube clip is a short response to the views of Dan Brown (author of The Da Vinci Code). The main point is to make it clear that the Holy Trinity was not invented by the Council of Nicaea.