How to Study Church History (And Why Every Christian Should)
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- In this video Gavin Ortlund shares 5 reasons why Christians should care about church history and then 4 steps for how to engage it.
Muller and Bradley book: www.amazon.com/Church-History...
Article about curiosity: hbr.org/2014/08/curiosity-is-...
The ATLA religion database: www.atla.com/research-tool/at...
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Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) serves as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Ojai.
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00:00 Introduction
03:03 Why Study Church History?
03:54 Reason 1: Christianity
06:23 Reason 2: Humanity
07:34 Reason 3: The Church
09:04 Reason 4: Learning
12:10 Reason 5: It's Interesting
15:33 How to Study Church History
16:00 Step 1: Cultivate Curiosity
18:53 Step 2: Narrow Your Interests
25:39 Step 3: Dive Deep into Primary Resources
32:09 Step 4: Engage Secondary Literature
35:58 What is Peer Review?
36:44 Locating Scholarly Writings
39:45 Academic Publishing
43:09 Summing Up - Zábava
Best thumbnail ever 😂
😂😂😂😂😂 yes lol
I was just about to say this!
Got a kick out of it too
Loved it myself 😂
I was going to write this too! 😂 Made me giggle 😂
My sister was forever changed as a little girl by Disney’s 1973 animated version of Robin Hood 😅. She did her Bachelors in Medieval History and then just recently graduated with a PhD from Dublin’s Trinity College. Her project examines the cultural memory of Breton monasteries and the Irish influence on Breton monasticism c.700-1100. She has been published, worked with many manuscripts such as the Book of Kells, and invited to speak in conferences, etc. Moral of the story: Follow your interests like Gavin said. No matter how odd or quirky they may seem at first. You never know where they may take you.
That's neat. Disney had an early positive impact of me when it comes to science. I went to Disneyland in 1968 [I was 4 years old]. At that time "Tomorrowland" had a section sponsored by Monsanto [The Monanto Hall of Chemistry].
My dad and I went on the ride, Adventure Thru Inner Space. I absolutely loved it.
"Adventure Thru Inner Space was an attraction in Disneyland's Tomorrowland, presented by Monsanto Company. It was the first attraction to utilize Disney's Omnimover system. The ride simulated shrinking guests to the size smaller than an atom before taking a tour of snowflakes at molecular and atomic levels."
- Wikipedia
"Disneyland - Adventure Thru Inner Space"
czcams.com/video/_-4-RUuuqQw/video.htmlsi=iUkKZWsT8twzNCWW
Every Christian should read the Church Fathers. Great video, Gavin!
Yes! because they're Catholic
No need. The title ‘church fathers’ is unbiblical itself..read Matthew ch. 23..a Christian is to call no one Father but God.
@@philippians4410Not even my papa?! My dada?! The man who planted the seed that became me?!? 😭 😭 😭
@@justinhawes1593 it is referring to within a spiritual context obviously. It is unbiblical to refer to any man as father, or any of the other Manmade churchianity titles used to exalt what are supposed to be servants. I’ll go by what Christ said, you’re free to play along with unbiblical churchianity wolves.
@@philippians4410 It doesn't mean literally 🙄 Otherwise the bible itself is hypocritical🤦🏿♂️ "Honor your FATHER and Mother"
Peak Thumbnail Game From Gavin Once again.
I give zero theological authority to anyone beyond the writers of the NT, but why on earth would someone not want to know what other intelligent brothers thought about it in their lifetimes?
Reading part the Confessions for the first time really opened my eyes to the beauty of church history. Evangelicals really emphasize the importance of the community of believers. However, we should not simply limit this community to those who are on Earth. We have so so much to learn from the saints who have gone before us. Thank you for helping so many of us become more interested in this topic!
Yes! We have many icons in our sanctuary (also known as the “nave”) as a reminder that when we gather to worship, both the saints above and saints below are worshiping.
So why couldn’t they pray for us if they worship with us?
@@nf8367
I certainly don’t want this to become a long argument, as I find that CZcams comments aren’t really the best place for that. However, if this is a genuine question then here is a short answer that could be expounded upon elsewhere:
The saints praying for us does not equal us praying to the saints. You can affirm one without affirming the other. Hope that helps clarify the position.
@@chessplayer6632it may be true that “you can affirm one without affirming the other” but it is equally true and reasonable that if the saints are aware of what is happening on earth (as in Revelation) then it is reasonable for us to ask them for prayers as we ask eachother for them. This is how the early Christians thought and practiced; they didn’t get squeamish about evoking saints. That’s a Protestant quirk.
Early Christianity was all about the Mass, which evangelicals despise.
15:01 Even more interesting about July 4, 1826 is that John Adams' supposed last words were "Thomas Jefferson still survives" however he did not know that Jefferson had already died 5 hours earlier.
The thumbnail is amazing!! 😂😂
I’ve often commented that we find studying world history and US history in school important (and probably need to study more US history, judging from trends in our colleges and universities) but we don’t find church history important. How sad is that. We have made church and worship in our own image.
Gavin, print this thumbnail and put it in a frame in your office where it will be clearly visible by the camera 😂
It needs to be his background 😂
Thanks for my new wallpaper
My pastor actually talked to me about doing an apologetics/theology class for Wednesday nights (usually that’s when he has other people teach) and I’ve wanted to introduce the early and earliest church to the church because of the immense value that it brings, you don’t have to be a theologian or an apologist to get some seriously valuable knowledge from these guys.
Love the thumbnail, Gavin! Also, thank you for this video, as a Baptist I’m trying to get more familiarized with church history.
Early Christianity was Catholic.
@@fantasia55yeah sure, and actually theologically sound in comparison to any form of Catholicism since the mid 15th century.
@@ianhastie5785 Early Christianity was all about the Mass.
The thumbnail is tuff
I totally agree that the particular is a pathway to the universal. The more you hone in on something, the more it begins to make sense of other related things.
Gavin - fantastic video (as all of your content is). One question I have: living in the South, as I do, there's a general distrust towards anything regarded as "intellectual" in the area of Christianity, in favor of a more "feelings-based" (interpreted as "spirit-led") perspective that sees the Bible as ultimate authority (as it should), but sees anything else as untrustworthy. What are some recommendations you'd have to address this perspective and encourage a sense of faithful intellectualism (a la "Love the Lord your God with all your mind" by JP Moreland) within the Church? God bless.
Thumbnail is 👌
What is a thumbnail?
Been waiting for this thanks so much!
16:52 This really hit me. Great video, as always, Gavin!
Been waiting for this one, thank you Gavin!
Thank you so much for this and all you do to encourage our faith. 💟✝️
This is so helpful!
I appreciated this video!
Really helpful
This is such an inspiring video, and I agree! Time to get my hands on some research books.
I Love the Thumbnail! 😂❤
I can tell this is going to be a classic!
Extremely helpful video, Gavin! Thank you! Super accessible and informative. I took notes and am excited to use these tips. The thumbnail is hilarious also. Loved hearing a bit of the behind-the-scenes of how you and your friend put them together.
Thanks for this awesome video, eclipsed only by the transcendent thumbnail!
This was great, thank you! Spawned quite a few helpful thoughts based on what you presented and the insights for locating scholarly work were really helpful as well. Wouldn’t mind more videos diving into that actually.
Thank you so much for what you do Gavin, you have no idea how much it helps me understand the faith deeper. I like the thumbnail 😅
Thank you, Dr. Ortlund.
This is a great introduction. It would be wonderful to have some recommendations for those not in academia but who want to study church history.
This video was great, and as an avid viewer of your content, I would love more Church history content
Gavin awesome video I was wondering if you could do a video on the Protestant view on Confession!? God bless Gavin!
Loved the video. I like being a generalist, myself. 😂
The thumbnail is 🔥
This video is extremely helpful! Would love if you continued to make more like this. So great full for your work and what you’re doing on this channel. As a lay leader in my church, this has been helpful in me growing in wisdom and knowledge, to serve God’s people better.
I'm re-reading your Grandmother's book "Disciples of the Beautiful Woman"
glad I found you
I want to study Luther and the reformation if you have any suggestions
Andrew Louth’s Greek East vs Latin west was AMAZING while reading it as an undergrad
27:04 "On The Reading Of Old Books" is also in "God In The Dock" essays by C S Lewis edited by Walter Hooper part 2 selection 4
Thank you for the video, Gavin. I was hoping to see more on what GENERAL church history books to read. I was thinking while it may be more to read it may be helpful to pinpoint those areas we may want to do a deeper dive on. Are Chadwick’s Penguin church history books good to read? Or is Latourette a better route? Thanks. I will check those other videos you mentioned.
You're one of the only Protestants diving deep into church history and helping us reclaim it from Catholics. Thank you for helping us see that "to be deep in church history is to be Protestant"! 😊
Reclaim it from the Catholics? Just like the bible?
I’m not a Roman Catholic, but I would disagree with your comment. If you’ve read any church history, you might be a little kinder to the Roman Catholics and the Orthodox as they have a much better handle on church history than many Evangelicals have had.
@@Apriluser Agreed.
@@aadschram5877 The scriptures were written long before the manmade pagan Catholic religion ever existed. And no, I am not a ‘Protestant’ either. All manmade denominational weekend religion is an abomination.
Church Fathers said anyone who denied the Eucharist was the Body of Christ was not even a Christian.
Cool video. Mark Noll's Turning Points was my first book on Church history. I do think Jaroslav Pelikan is a great place to get started with understanding the history of Christian thought and begin to dive into the Church Fathers.
Gavin can you do a video on tradition in early church writings?
Thank you for this video Gavin! I’ve found myself, much like you and C.S. Lewis, to be quite interested in medieval church history/medieval general history, their God saturated metaphysics is inspiring. Love that idea of diving deep into something specific within that time period. And, you outdid yourself with that thumbnail lol.
Depending on which Lewis books you read as several of his writings were edited before being republished after his death, and others attributed to him taken from unpublished writings he left which were published by Bebee and others (Bebee a minister of the "Community of Christ" or Restored Mormon Church) who edited older books to state the opposite of what the earlier editions stated.
I would also like to add when reading peer reviewed articles to critically think through and address the argument/points made in the article. Sometimes I wonder how some articles get through peer review…
Many of my favorite books are textbooks of source documents. I'm slowly working my way through Baird and Kaufmann's Medieval Philosophy, Philosophical Classics Vol.2 (already did Vol.1 Ancient Philosophy). I've read quite a bit of the Ante-Nicene fathers. just starting to fill in the gap of the Medieval Period. I probably should do some more Later Fathers. I'm also getting into Luther and currently working on the Augsburg Confession. I Might try Heresies of the High Middle Ages, Wakefield and Evans.
Gavin, thank you so much for all you do, including this video! I find your content encouraging and stimulating. I have been wanting to get a general overview of church history and was thinking of reading The Christian Tradition series by Yaroslav Pelikan. What is the best scholarly work you would recommend that gives a general overview on church history?
I love church history. I love history in general but have loved studying church history more. A fellow Elder in our church is teaching a church history class during our Sunday School hour. It’s been so helpful. Thank you for an excellent, concise video on this important topic. Too many believers in the modern American Church are completely ignorant to the history of the church and it is to their detriment.
The earliest Christian text, the Didache, describes the Mass just as it is today, except the collection was at the end.
Amazing thumbnail XD
I’ve been studying church history recently for a few weeks now, a video like this is very helpful
The internet has made the search for truth a truely daunting task. I'm glad you brought up that point. I noticed this a few years ago, but the amount of copycat information on topics and how little information on a topic is shocking. It has become more and more clear to me that the internet has limited the amount of information, not increased it.
The internet is both a blessing and a curse because truth and falsehood are transmitted at the same high speed. The following quote encourages me to keep seeking truth.
"No one in the world can change truth. What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it."
- Maximilian Kolbe
Studying Church history made me convert to the Catholic Church! Great video Gavin
Solid stuff. Another thing to emphasize is chasing footnotes and bibliographies. When I'm entering a new area of research I'll sometimes attain a source just for the footnotes! You'll find yourself quickly learning what secondary literature has been most influential or formative, which is a great start. Often because of the pressure in academia to "publish or perish," a lot of secondary literature is simply bad and straight-up makes no impact within scholarship. Such sources are, for the most part, a waste of time!
Awesome video brother
Thanks for the video! Just recently started to dig into church history and I wish I would have started sooner. Bought a lot of the books you recommended from your previous videos. Which has led me down a rabbit trail lol
Yes! I’ve been looking for something like since the beginning of my Christian walk. So thankful for your channel!
We loved this and want you to do more like this!!!
I took notes, i felt as though i was in a college class
Thank you for your channel, Gavin. It is so needed in our day. Would you please address the matter of celebrating Christmas in church history? Is it truthfully, in its roots, a Christian holiday?
Thank you and God bless you!
"Would you please address the matter of celebrating Christmas in church history? Is it truthfully, in its roots, a Christian holiday?
It is a Catholic feast day, the word itself meaning Mass of Christ. That other Christians celebrate it in their own way, is good.
I also recommend Ryan Reeve's CZcams videos to begin getting a broad overview of church history.
Very interesting… on one hand i’m more of a conservative baptist approach, “me and my bible”, since I see the analytical mind as very deceitful playground for Satan once it become a basis for our life instead of a mere external tool, and all this over-cleverness is a subject which is criticized [both the Pharisees and the philosophers] directly by Jesus! In the gospel given to us… on the second hand i can’t neglect how scholars like you Gavin give me so much inspiration and strength at times, how beautiful and strong all this knowledge can be and how in itself it can serve our Lord… generally speaking, I don’t see any path for me in actual scholarship, but since I’m not a monk nor an evangelical missionary “living the street”, and I already indulge myself in personal life activities and hobbies, I might look more seriously into church scholarship as such. Thank you Gavin!
Really enjoyed this video, Gavin. I will definitely re-watch it to focus on it a bit better. Lots of great tips and answers to questions I've had for a while.
After reading Schaff, I've focused on biographies, and I've preached numerous biographical sermons because--unlike our Catholic friends with all their saints--Protestants are fairly unaware of church history.
History was my undergrad so this was a great “refresher”. I took as many Church History electives as I could. “The Historian’s Craft” by Bloch shaped me the most. A close second would be “They Say I Say”, which is the best book I’ve read on how to write.
Thanks again for the refresher!
Great
I remember the Lutheran historian Paul Maier talking about the connection between the pro-consul Gallio and Nero’s counselor Seneca the Younger (who was Gallio’s brother) and the timing of Paul’s journey to Rome. It got me interested in God’s fingerprints on history. For years, I tried to find a book that looked at events from the perspective of God’s sovereignty over history. How the weather determined the outcome of battles would be an example. (How about the fog that hid Washington’s troops from the British?) Alas, I never found such a book.
Check out the American Covenant by Marshall Foster
awesome video Gavin. I recently got really curious about sola scriptura and i’m reading whitaker’s disputation on holy scripture and it’s been very rewarding so far.
Jesus didn't give the keys of the Kingdom to Luther, Calvin, or Wesley. Period.
Hey Gavin! Great video and really helpful to get these kind of practical tips. Perhaps another practical video that would be helpful is if you could expand on how you take notes or collect and synthesise the information you get from primary and secondary sources. I personally find it easy to read and consume the information from curiosity but learning how you look back over the material and distill the insights (like the notes you mentioned at the back of your books) would be a really interesting topic!
A good point you've mentioned is using curiosity to guide your choice of church history topic to start with.
Well one of the things I am curious about is the history of tithing.
When you read the NT you obviously get examples of how people would give. There is no clear example of tithing though.
Whether this is accurate or not I don't know but I was once shown to an interesting perspective of how tithing was introduced in the early church. To summarise the perspective: Somewhere along the way the guys back then were looking for ways to raise funds for God knows what and yeah tithing is brought in and it does a good job in bringing in the money.
So yes I am curious about the history of tithing in the church context.
Church history is so cool!!! God is in all things and it’s so awesome to see how He was working in past generations. Does anyone have any good resources on Martin Luther and John Calvin? I’m also interested in evangelism during the medieval era and the 1800s. Especially during the time of Joseph smith and how Christians battled that. Thank you!!!
Can we please get a similar video on biblical studies 🙂. Would love your step-by-step guide on that.
Yes!! Definitely plan on watching this video carefully. I grew up Catholic but considers myself Protestant after high school. I want to know more of the Word of God and Church history. Situation have began to convince me to look more deep into the Word of God and church history, Catholic Church, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox.
Hearing from Protestants and Catholics has taken me to a place of questioning the Protestant church and Catholic Church. I really want to know more of church history.
I really don’t know where God is leading. Pray for me my Christin brothers and sisters!
Be careful, by studying the early Church Fathers you could revert to the Catholic Church, these dudes were very catholic in their understanding of the bible.
@@aadschram5877 Not entirely true - but it definitely can help point someone in that direction.
@@aadschram5877 Only if you use the fallacy of retroactive Romanism, which is interpreting what the Church fathers say as if they were referring to the same doctrines held by the Roman Catholic Church today. You will certainly see things like "bishops" and even the practice of forgiveness of sins by bishops etc. but honest study requires that one understand what these practices and terms meant to Christians in the Early Church and without attributing current meanings. Furthermore, you will also see a lot of things that go against what the Catholic Church currently defends (but which is ignored by them) and you will also see a lot of inconsistency and divergence between the Church fathers themselves, after all, they were human.
@@pedroguimaraes6094 Maybe, but as early as 100AD, they all recognize that the Catholic church is the one true church, founded by Christ.
Luther and others had broken off from this one church, each with their own new theology.
St. Ignatius of Antioch whose was the disciple of St. John the evangelist for nearly 20 years. (AD107);
“Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there, just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”
Cyril of Jerusalem 350 A.D. “And if you are sojourning in cities, inquire not simply where the Lord’s house is, nor merely where the church is, but where the Catholic Church is. For this is the peculiar name of this holy Church, the mother of us all, the spouse of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God.”.
@@pedroguimaraes6094 Reading them "honestly" one reads of things like:
The Eucharist being the resurrected body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Baptism being regenerative, salvific, and how one is Born Again scripturally.
Baptism of infants
Intercessory prayer
The Chair of Peter leading the Church
Sacramental priesthood.
Salvation by a faith working in love (never faith alone)
(And never such a thing such as Sola Scriptura, everyone reading the bible on their own and being their own authority)
The unique teachings of Protestantism not to be found.
Love your channel. We are missionaries in Nicaragua, and have lifelong love of studying church history. Christian school k-college, some seminary, listen to 25+ sermons a week for 30 years. Huge Augustine fan, have been to Europe to experience church history more than 15x and find it sad when churches are now visitor information centers, restaurants and other things. I believe that is due to the absence of the Holy Spirit since"My Word does not return void". My saved Catholic college roommate has given me a perspective on Catholicism similar to yours(compassionate and reasoned). Keep up the great work!
Question for german speaking folks: Is there any church history books that you can recommend? In german or at least english but available in Germany?
With a great level of discernment. This also means not to gobble up people’s writings who have been labeled as “church fathers” as if it is cotton candy. Could the writing have been modified? This is more of a common problem than many people think.
You posted this at the exact time I wanted to start seriously reading the church fathers and early church writings! thank you for your work Gavin! Ive watched almost everything youve been in!
Remember to let the church fathers be the church fathers, don't force them to line up with a specific denomination & don't read modern day definitions into words
@@BaptistChris1611and it’s important to remember that the church fathers weren’t inspired either. They disagreed with each other and in some cases disagreed with themselves! I’ve seen RC/Protestant debates where they have both used the same CF to try and prove the same point! God Bless
@@scottie8365Wow! The best comment, for me on this subject matter. It's good to study the church fathers, but NOT to the point of thinking whatever they taught n practiced was 'thus saith the LORD'.
They were called "Church Fathers" because they were "Fathers" and "Doctors" of the Catholic church, they were mostly theologians, bishops and saints.
St. Ignatius the bishop of Antioch (110AD) whose was the disciple of St. John the evangelist for nearly 20 years.
“You must follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father, and the presbytery as you would the Apostles. Reverence the deacons as you would the command of God. Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop.
Let that be considered a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop, or by one whom he appoints.
Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there, just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”
This was as early as 100AD, just less than 50 years after the NT were written and more than 300 years before the bible was even conceived. This church was already in existence at Pentecost, 50 days after the resurrection of Christ ..
The rest is history.
@@joekey8464 they still err though and weren’t divinely inspired and should be read and studied not at the level ,or close to the level,of Scripture ,do you know how long it was after Peter had first met Jesus that he was rebuked by Paul for not sitting to eat with the gentiles? And he was divinely inspired! God Bless
This video was great. As someone pursuing a master's, I would love to hear more about middle-age church history.
I’m only here for the thumbnails.
I'm a complete novice in church history (I'm about 11 months into studying it), but I found it helpful to get a general historical overview first before doing any 'deep dives', as it were. I find I can't read specific authors unless I can place them in a historical timeline and put their theology in its proper context.
For example, a year ago I wouldn't have had a clue about the difference between Augustine of Hippo and Augustine of Canterbury.
I started out watching general introductions to church history on CZcams and then trying to get a grounding in medieval history, which I knew nothing about at the time.
I then progressed to more specific books like 'Turning Points' by Mark Noll and 'Pillars of Grace' by Steven Lawson.
But thank you for this helpful guide - it gave me some useful pointers and further resources to explore. I think it's very helpful to make this kind of content as we protestants are often distinctly lacking in knowledge about church history.
Nick Needham's series of books is very good.
Yes, I've heard of these and would really like to get round to them at some point. Thanks.
Also, Nathan Busenitz's lectures on historical theology are really good.
czcams.com/play/PL4sbg6ng23C5ERVzh0-3aKvRw6jt6lRp9.html&si=BSZBrtr0JPL8RIKN
You videos are great! They supplement my seminary studies! Love Church History…the Creeds, Confessions and Catechisms are awesome!
My study of history actually left me with a very serious problem with my faith. It appears to me that for most of church history, people believed that there was an infallible authority in the church (either in the pope, or in the unanimity of the bishops in church councils). Yet they are arguing about stuff which they can't really know (like Christology), and/or contradicting their predecessors (like inventing papal infallibility). It seems to me that these early Christians thought that their conscience was the voice of God, and was therefore infallible. It seems much more likely to me that my conscience is my own voice. This is because my conscience never tells me anything which I didn't really already know. If my conscience really were an external voice, why doesn't it tell me things of a factual and logical nature which I did not already know? It only convicts me about how I ought to be doing things which I already know about. If Christians really were speaking to an infallible holy spirit, their consensus and understanding would increase with time. I see rather in church history a gradual multiplication of confusion and absurdity. I do not see a unifying spirit in the study of church history; I see human error.
I lived at a monastery for about 6 months and read several old books (such as "unseen warfare"). I thought these experiences were useful from a psychological perspective. I believe much of church teachings are a pre-scientific psychology. They teach you how to think and feel properly. I find this very valuable. Even if I don't believe in their interpretations of their experiences (I see the "demons" inside myself as voices originating inside my own being, rather than originating from somewhere outside), the actual experiences and ways of relating to them are the same, since those ancient authors were humans the same as I am.
So, I don't go to church. The reason is that it seems to me that all the churches are teaching and arguing about stuff which they don't really know (because they can't verify it), but they are completely neglecting everything that is within their power. A list of some of the things they ought to be talking about, but are not, are humility/pride from a psychological perspective for a healthy spiritual life, and sins in the broader society that they ought to be calling out, such as that our monetary system is based on usury, and that we have rampant fornication, adultery, and divorce. It came straight out of the mouth of Jesus that you shouldn't divorce for any which reason. Paul said that if a believer sins, and will not repent, then treat him like an unbeliever. The obvious conclusion is that people who get frivolous divorces ought to be kicked out of the church until they repent. But which church does this? I actually got a lot more serious about looking for a church when I was about to get married, and for the sake of my marriage, I quit church altogether. Their lack of teaching on sexual morality ought to be a huge black mark on all churches.
I don't know any church which holds itself to a higher moral standard than I hold myself, or which can teach me anything practical that I can actually use in my life. Neither do I have any experience of Jesus as a living person. So, I just don't go to church.
Any good church history books on revival?
I want to find the original document of "Saint Anthony" by Athanasius. Does anybody know where I can find it?
And thank you Gavin for this video!
Go to New Advent. Look in "Fathers of the Church" under "Life of St. Anthony" (Athanasius).
This video is good and necessary! My hope is that enough Christians do start getting an interesting history! There are far too many misnomers out there
Have you done a video on Christian nationalism? Or the cultural mandate?
started studying it, after Steven Anderson derided it :))
Another wonderful video! Thank you for being a Protestant beacon of light in what seems to be an overwhelmingly catholic sea in the theological realms of CZcams. I have one question in regards to studying church history, particularly as it relates to the papacy. My spouse, having grown up in a Catholic household with a staunchly devout Polish mother, is walking a tough path between Protestantism and Catholicism. I’m trying to be a good protestant witness but sometimes I feel overwhelmed in doing so as my spouse is a researcher by occupation and thus needs solid, provable evidence and reliable sources to persuade him towards one side or the other. With that being said, what are some good early church resources for proving that the papacy as it’s known today is a manmade accretion without biblical foundation or precedence in early church history? I’m fully convinced that the papacy was not ordained by God. The lack of evidence in scripture alone was enough to persuade me of that but I’ll need more ammo in my arsenal to convince my spouse and his mother.
Thanks! I have several videos on the papacy that could be helpful, and a chapter in my forthcoming book. Also see Walls and Collins, Roman But Not Catholic.
First show her this video czcams.com/video/Ws1n_ViOaYM/video.htmlsi=2FrlJMkXS8_zoZ0f
Second, you can lead her to Matthew 16:18 where Jesus makes Peter the rock where his one true Church will be established, gives him the keys to the kingdom of Heaven a power greater than infallibility, the power to bind and loose, a gift he also gives to the other Apostles. Luke 22 where Jesus identifies Peter as the and prays that Peter alone, after denying him 3 times, not be sifted by Satan when strengthening the other Apostles, establishing the doctrine of Papel infallibility/ex Cathedra
For 1st century non-biblical proof of Papel supremacy you can 1 Clement (which may even be older than the Gospel of John), a letter the corinthians wrote specifically to the Bishop of Rome, after kicking out their clergy (as all protestants have done) that were selected by the Apostles. And ask yourself, why not ask the other Bishops (which are probably not even a part of your Church btw. There were only Catholics for the first 1500 years of Christianity) if they were all equal? Why go specifically to Rome to settle a dispute? The answer is because Papel Supremacy has always been part of Apostolic Tradition.
On *BOETHIUS* please address whether it's possible that he apostatized at the end of his life. He was in duress in prison, but instead of focusing on Christ and Christianity, he seems to find his consolation in non-Christian or neutral philosophy. When one would think that he would know that according to Christianity, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden and reside in Christ (as Col. 2:2-3 teach).
It occurs to me that when reading Church History you have to put your trust somewhere. For example I deeply trust John Chrysostom. He is closer to the Apostolic Age than the Reformers, his language is the language of the New Testament and his life was exemplary. I can honestly say, and my Orthodox sisters and brothers would agree, that one John Chrysostom is worth a hundred Calvin's or a hundred Luther's or a hundred George Whitefield's!
My favorite historical contingency. Had Hitler pushed forward into Moscow and captured the leadership rather than turning to destroy reserve troops in Ukraine, the Soviet Union falls in 1941. The wars outcome is now completely different. One little thing makes a massive difference.
I'm interested in the apostolic fathers because they seem like they should have an insight into the world the western church is moving into.
Carl Trueman argues that we can learn the most today from the 2nd century church. An interesting idea.
@TruthUnites I find that agreeing with Carl is pretty much always a good idea. It's the same when listening to your dad, brothers and yourself.
You can buy the writings of the apostolic fathers in English for less the $20. Rick Brannon has a great translation.
I keep wanting to like this video, then I remember I already did
Takeaways:
'A person resembles their culture more than their biological parent'
Curiosity is the driving factor in the historical studies.
The particular opens up the pathway to the universal. I.e. John Adams into the US experiment
How can I learn about theology in high school?
Cant wait to study the one true holy apostolic Catholic Church’s history now
Exactly, when most Protestants read the early church fathers correctly they would see the early church was Catholic. I'm glad Gavin is promoting Catholocism.
Anyone else click because of the thumbnail? 🤭
Gavin advising people to think things through contradicts Martin Luther, who said reason is the "Devil's whore".
I look forward to welcoming all the Catholic converts that will come from their studies of church history! (: How long until Gavin joins Christ one true Church?
To be deep in history.........
Studying church history will more likely turn people away from being catholic
Wow the prejudices of our time in around the 10 min. They had mistakes but different mistakes. That I would say talks to cross demoninizations too