Church History for Chumps

"It's hard out here for a pimp." 
-the early church, probably 

As we continue our aptly named series, "The Early Church Gets the Worm," we discuss one of the most pressing topics for early Christians: …

GUESS WHO'S BACK

Man, it's been a minute you guys. I don't know if you missed us, but we definitely missed you. 

This kicks off our new season, "The Early Church Gets the Worm." We'll be focusing on, y…

In many parts of the world, the question of whether you're a Catholic or Protestant means a lot more than if you submit to the Pope, or how you feel about Martin Luther. 

One such place is Northern Ir…

It's 1550. A generation has passed since the Reformation swept across Europe like a wildfire. 

The Catholic Church has launched the Counter-Reformation, a multi-layered initiative to restore the conti…

In the 5th Century, the Western Roman Empire is on its last leg. 

Riddled with internal conflict, external threats, and even theological disputes tearing at the fabric of the Church, Rome has seen bet…

If you're not a Baptist (and we still love you even if you are), you're probably no stranger to the idea of infant baptism. 

The doctrine of paedobaptism is saturated with the idea that the children o…

Beginning as a fringe interpretation of the creation story in Genesis, the Serpent Seed Doctrine asks a question that no one really seems to be asking: what if Satan and Eve had a little...fling?

It's…

The 16th Century was a rollercoaster for Japanese Christians.

The first half was amazing-- the first Portuguese missionaries broke ground and people were getting saved by the thousands. Churches were …

The discovery (well, sort of discovery) of the New World was one of the most groundbreaking events in world history. The decades that followed however, would be marked by widespread violence and abus…

Well folks, we've danced around this topic for long enough. It's time to unpack the grand-daddy of all heresies (most heresies), the second-century slammer, the demiurge devastator...Gnosticism.

Unlik…

In the second century, it's safe to say that Christians were still kind of figuring things out. 

One of those things for example, was the celebration of Easter. There was a heated disagreement in the …

Well gang-- our Instagram followers supplied the questions, and here we are with the answers.

What heresy do we find most dangerous to the church? How do we feel about nondenominational churches? How …

Manifest Destiny is a heck of a drug. 

In the 1800's, American and Canadian settlers were faced with a problem: what should be done about all these Native/Indigenous people? The result was a pretty gr…

Okay fine, "original doomsday cult" is a little on the dramatic side. But come on, Montanism is like the perfect Frankenstein's monster of heresies. You've got a dash of modalism, a sprinkle of hyper…

The Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century wasn't just a movement. It was a million dominoes falling to trigger a BUNCH of movements all across Europe.

One of the most unique of these movements wa…

Have you ever read through the Old Testament and thought, "Geez, God seems a little harsh compared to that Jesus guy"? 

Well, Marcion of Sinope had that thought as well. In fact, he would have argued …

David Brainerd was an 18th century colonial man for the people. We also have it on good authority that his pals called him 'Davey the Brain.' 

After running into obstacles on his path into pastoral le…

Historically, Christians have believed that when the first humans sinned, it introduced corruption into everything. Human hearts turned away from God, nature began to decay, and all creation groaned …