What You Will Find at
Church History 101

CH101 attempts to accurately present the data of the early church. How do we know what happened after the New Testament period? We have an enormous amount of documents from the first three centuries written by those who were leaders. It is amazing that we have so many written sources.

Unfortunately there are many web sites where you can find all kinds of misleading information on the early church. The early church fathers are not easy to read or understand - not easy to read because they tend to be verbose - they are known to drone on and on. They can be difficult to understand because they discuss issues of the day that are not as clear for us. Like the NT writers, sometimes they refer to things their readers fully knew but the details have been lost in the sands of time.

I try to present the data without making theological or doctrinal judgements - just the information as clearly as possible.

COMMENTS - QUESTIONS - CRITICISM
I welcome EVERY single serious comment, question or criticism - and I answer almost every single one. The Question/Answer section is where I will sometimes go beyond the basic data and give you MY personal opinions.

Other Articles/Papers of Interest

• Introduction to Gnostic Texts
  
• "Second Repentance" and The Shepherd of Hermas
  
• Introduction to The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
  
• Wine in the Ancient World
  

WHAT'S NEW ON CH101

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An Interview with DH Williams, Retired Professor of Church History and Patristics at Baylor University

We discuss Dr. Williams' book on Retrieving the Tradition for Protestants and Dr. Williams discusses the flaws of the "Great Deception and Fall" of the Church that continues to skew our view of Early Christianity. Read the interview and download Chapter 4 of his book.

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What the Early Church Fathers Say
About Obeying Our Government

Early Christian Writers Followed the Apostolic Mandates

It took 100-150 years for the New Testament documents to circulate all over the Roman Empire, yet the writings of the early church fathers echo what we have in our modern NT. The amazing thing? Christians were challenged to pray for the Roman government and obey the laws - while they were being persecuted! Read the second article calling Christians to obey the law of the land.
Why this is becoming more important?
Read the Jewish Journal article below.
Read comments posted to me AND my response on this series.

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Blog Articles by R.A. Baker

"Western" Individualism in Christian Faith (4 Parts)
This series addresses the argument that Western Christianity is overly focused on the individual.
Personal Forgiveness in the New Testament

How Can a God of Love Also Have Wrath? (4 Parts)
This series is a response to those who mock the idea of God's wrath and judgement.
Introduction: The Lamb of God in Revelation

Women in Early Christianity (6 Part Series)
This series began from my reading of a scholar who opened my eyes to the women who followed Jesus.
The Chosen Helped Me "See" the Women Around Jesus

Historical Errors by Frank Viola (4 Parts)
The Book Pagan Christianity sold thousands of copies, yet is FILLED with historical falsehoods. I felt compelled to respond. As Protestants we can very ignorant of early Christianity!
Historical Errors by Frank Viola, Introduction

Feedback: Q and A

These are some of the most popular Question/Answer articles:

• Was Saint Athanasius a black man?
• Is worship on Sunday Wrong?
  
• Was wine in NT alcoholic?
  
• What did the church fathers say about the military?
  
• Is land called Palestine or Israel? in the NT period?

What's New - Part TWO

France On Fire! Germany and Belgium are Next.
Protests in the streets of the USA is leading us to a European disaster. Christians need to PRAY...and Vote.

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Christian Spirituality
Welcome Notes

No Tuition - Free Access
Work at Your Own Pace

This class revolves around the historical development of contemplative prayer (Christian Spirituality). The class met for three hours one day per week. It is a practical class - we spend 5-15 minutes in each class in silent prayer, then 15-20 minutes to write in a prayer journal about their time in silent prayer.
We read excerpts from 10-12 ancient Christian writers and 2-3 modern writers, then we shared around an hour of discussion on the concepts from the readings. All lectures and readings can be downloaded.
Join the class or just read and share the materials.

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Constantine the Great
There are many non-historical things said about Constantine. Many conservative Protestants are ignorant when it comes to this important figure in early Christianity. As a young man I was taught many things about Constantine that I learned (much later in my life) were false.
Constantine's rise to Power - His Christian Faith
Constantine at the Council of Nicea - Did He Worship the Sun?
Constantine and Christians in the Military
Constantine Against the Donatists