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Benedict XVI and the Church’s Early Steps January 23rd, 2009 by Matthew Warner Recently, I decided to read and review a series of books by Pope Benedict XVI that just seemed like they should all go together. I started with Jesus of Nazareth, followed by The Apostles, and now his book on The Fathers. Together they paint an amazing picture of the springing forth of Christianity in history.Jesus is of course the source and at the center of it all. In the Apostles we find the manifestation of the Church. And now in studying the Fathers (the early Church fathers, that is)...

WHY CATHOLICS HAVE MORE FUN THAN PROTESTANTS WHILE STUDYING EARLY CHURCH HISTORYCatholics admire evangelical Protestants for their courage to stand up on life issues and many other truths of moral law. Catholics also admire their Protestant brethren for their devotion to reading the Word of God and their willingness to stand up for what they believe and bring others to knowledge of Christ's saving work. Catholics see the grace of Christ at work in these Christians and often depend on their generous prayers in time of need.So, Catholics feel badly for Protestants who oftentimes feel crushed upon embarking on studies...

The Future Lies in the Past -- Why evangelicals are connecting with the early church as they move into the 21st century.Many 20- and 30-something evangelicals are uneasy and alienated in mall-like church environments; high-energy, entertainment-oriented worship; and boomer-era ministry strategies and structures modeled on the business world. Increasingly, they are asking just how these culturally camouflaged churches can help them rise above the values of the consumerist world around them. For younger evangelicals, traditional churches are too centered on words and propositions. And pragmatic churches are compromising authentic Christianity by tailoring their ministries to the marketplace and pop culture....

Unless you spent yesterday in a cave, you know that Pope Benedict XVI promulgated Sacramentum Caritatis, his apostolic exhortation on the Eucharist. It’s a thoroughgoing treatment of its subject, examining the sacrament in light of theology, spirituality, history, and morals. It’s very practical, too, touching on points of refinement in celebrating the Eucharist, receiving the Eucharist, and observing the fasts and feasts. Like everything Benedict does, it’s steeped in the doctrine of the Fathers. He invokes Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Cyprian, Jerome, Augustine, and Chrysostom, as well as the martyrs of Abitina. Consider a small sample: 13. Against this backdrop we...

Early Church Fathers on the Church Ignatius of Antioch Follow your bishop, every one of you, as obediently as Jesus Christ followed the Father. Obey your clergy too as you would the apostles; give your deacons the same reverence that you would to a command of God. Make sure that no step affecting the Church is ever taken by anyone without the bishop’s sanction. The sole Eucharist you should consider valid is one that is celebrated by the bishop himself, or by some person authorized by him. Where the bishop is to be seen, there let all his people be;...

The Early Church Fathers believed we are justified by faith and works. The works in question are not accomplished by the goodness of the individual, but by the grace of God. Clement of Rome Let us therefore join with those to whom grace is given by God. Let us clothe ourselves in concord, being humble and self- controlled, keeping ourselves far from all backbiting and slander, being justified by works and not by words. . . . Why was our Father Abraham blessed? Was it not because of his deeds of justice and truth, wrought in faith? . . ....

Thinking about Advent, and what it means, and why we even celebrate Christmas, led me to these quotes by other, earlier witnesses for our Lord Jesus. John the Apostle: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God;  all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.   In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from...

I'm in the process of doing research on those people who have hurt the Church (universal) both in the past and in the present.I would appreciate any help in gathering the names of those you think whose positions, actions, practices, etc., have done harm to the Body of Christ, although they may have been well-intentioned.Would you please list your pick(s) and a brief summary of why you chose them. For example, Augustine is considered a "church father," although his writings encouraged the marriage of church and state for the purpose of societal transformation, even if it required forced "transformation" (i.e.,...

WHO WAS THE FIRST church historian? Most Christians would immediately say the Gospel writer Luke. He also gave us the book of Acts, an account of the early church during the time of Peter and Paul. But after that there is no major effort to record the history of the church, at least not one that anyone was aware of, until around the year 325. Then Eusebius, the bishop of Caesarea in Israel, saw the importance of preserving the story of the early Christian church for us who would become believers in later generations. Think of the incredible task he...

It would be extremely beneficial at this point if we could simply produce the original autographs for examination. This would greatly simplify the operation of establishing correctly the New Testament Text. But this simply cannot happen. It has long been acknowledged by scholars that we no longer have the "originals." They have long since passed from the scene. This is due to the fact that scribes were known to destroy worn out MSS after they had copied them. Apparently the church valued the WORDS of the original more than the original itself. Therefore, the readings of the originals must be...

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada author Clive Douglas Campbell and Phoenix, Arizona, USA publisher Selah Publishing Group are pleased to announce the release of Messiah: 2030. Nobody knows the day and hour of the Second Coming, but the following years are on the front cover: Messiah: 2030 Cluny: 1030 Jesus: 30 David: 970 Abraham: 1970 Noah: 2970 Adam: 3970 Messiah: 2030 claims the Bible prophesies a sixth Arab-Israeli war will be over in 2003 and include the following: --the Palestinians will be deported to Jordan --Israel will go to war with Jordan, possess Jordanian land east of the Jordan River and King...