Research Background and
Current Interests
R.A. Baker
Lecturer: Church History and NT Studies
Continental Theological Seminary - Brussels, Belgium
Ph.D. Ecclesiastical History - University of St Andrews
Bio page | Research | Statement of Faith
I have great passion for church history in general, and the first 300-400 years in particular. There is a real lack of knowledge and understanding of early church history, especially among Protestants. We should realize that the early church was not perfect, though they were closer to the apostolic age. To understand how the fathers faced the issues of their day should instruct us, at the very least to give us perspective, and help us know which issues are truly important. (You can hear my salvation testimony here)
My primary focus was on second century Egyptian Christianity as evidenced through the writings of Clement of Alexandria - specifically, the spirituality contained in his third major work, Stromateis (or Miscellanies). Clement led the famous philosophical/theological school in Alexandria, Egypt. He authored several works, all probably written between 190-202 AD.
2024-2025
I am teaching "Synoptic Gospels" this semester and have been digging into a comparative look at the synoptic texts for the first time in my 49 years of biblical reading and study.
2023-2024
I dedicated 6 months to the study of women in early Christianity, beginning with the gospel material and the Pauline writings (including Acts).
2020
I worked on a distillation of my Ph.D. research to write an introduction to contemplative prayer using my personal experience. That work unfortunately stalled out.
2013-2015
Two years dedicated to the study of Constantine and his role in the development of the early church. Work on Constantine has also led to several months of research on how the Early Church viewed military service. Many visitors to this site are looking for good historical information on Constantine. Unfortunately, there are many non-historical and blatantly false things being written/said about Constantine.
Ph.D. bibliography
20% of my research bibliography revolved around Gnosticism, gnostic writings, and Clement's interaction with these concepts.
20% revolved around philosophy [Plato and Philo of Alexandria] because philosophy was so important to Clement, especially these two writers...now referred to as Middle Platonism, and Clement's interaction with them.
10% was in New Testament studies: the Pauline letters and the Alexandrian letters To the Hebrews and The Epistle of Barnabas.
50% - focused specifically on Clement and his writings.
Published Work and Papers Presented at International Conferences
* Conference Paper + eBook or Publication
- "The Canaanite Woman and the Sarcasm of Jesus," (in progress...)
- "Prayer and Contemplation: The Hidden Teaching in Clement of Alexandria's Stromateis" (forever in progress...)
- "A Concise History of the Christian Church: From the Apostles to the Council of Nicea" (eBook) (download here)
- "Pacifism, the Military and Christianity: From the New Testament to Emperor Constantine" (eBook) (download here)
- Spiritual Contemplation in Clement of Alexandria's Stromateis: The Adaptation of the Philosophical Category Theoria, (Download as a PDF: Ph.D. Thesis, University of St Andrews - March 2001)+
- "The Secret Oral Tradition of Jesus Revealed in Clement of Alexandria's Stromateis," Prayer and Spirituality in the Early Church, Vol. 2, ed. Pauline Allen, Wendy Mayer, Lawrence Cross (Brisbane 1999) + (download here)
- Mysticism in the Early Church: A Comparative Study of Clement of Alexadria and Gregory of Nyssa, M.Litt Dissertation, University of St Andrews (download here) (June 1998)
- "St. Gregory of Nyssa: A Mystic?" (Scottish Universities Ecclesiastical Conference, 1998)*
- "The Clear Language of Prayer and Spirituality in Clement of Alexandria's Stromateis VII.7" (North American Patristics Society - Chicago, U.S.A. - May 2000).*
- A Concise History of the Christian Church: From the Apostles to the Council of Nicea 325 A.D. (ebook, 2005) +
- Christians, War and Military Service: From the New Testament to Emperor Constantine (ebook, 2015) +
- "The Development of Christian Spirituality," Spirituality in the Early Church Fathers (3-part presentation, 2005)*
Other Articles/Papers Include:
- How the New Testament Canon was Formed
- A Brief Introduction to Gnostic Texts
- "Second Repentance" in the Early Church: The Influence of The Shepherd of Hermas
- Wine in the Ancient World, Part I (Part II in progress)
- The Da Vinci Code: Fact, Fiction, or Faith?
- "A Brief Introduction to The Sayings of the Desert Fathers"
- "The Theology of a Martyr: The Letters of St. Ignatius"
- "Early Christian Worship Represented in the Didache"
- "Origins of Christian Monasticism: Evidence for the Greek Classical Tradition"
- "St. John of the Cross: The Positive Framework in his Darkness"
- "The Spirituality of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Letters from Prison and Life Together"
- "The Biblical Ethos of The Rule of Benedict"
You can find lectures and readings of other papers on our Podcast page:
- Lecture on Epistemology
- Three Part Paper on The Development of Christian Spirituality
- Lectures on Church History
Personal Bio/Professional Experience
1958-1976 - Grew up in Huntsville, Alabama
1974-1976 - Attended Grissom High School
1976 June - Came into the Faith
1976-1977 - Discipled by Ralph Sigler
(now pastor of Harvest Church, Dothan AL)
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1977 - Graduated from Dothan High School
1978 - YWAM-Argentina (DTS/SOE)
1981 - B.S. Business Admin
(Management/Marketing), Troy University
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1982-Present - Member, Pastor and Credentials in the Assemblies of God (AG)
1981-1983 - Pastor, "The Brother's House," a Chi Alpha discipleship house, Troy, AL
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1983-1996 - Chi Alpha Campus Ministry (AG)
[Troy Univ (82-84), Western Washington Univ (85), Univ of Alabama (86-97)]
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1989 - Licensed, Alabama (AG)
1989-1996 - Chi Alpha District Rep, AL (AG)
1989-1990 - Homeric and Classical Greek,
Univ of Alabama
1995 - Ordained, Alabama (AG)
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1997-2001 - Lived in St Andrews, Scotland
1997-2001 - Pastored Bethel Church (AG)
Dundee, Scotland
1997-1998 - New Testament Greek,
Univ of St Andrews
1998 - M.Litt. Dissertation, Univ of St Andrews
2001 - Ph.D. Ecclesiastical History,
Univ of St Andrews
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2001-2002 - Asst to Patrick Jones III, Attorney,
Dothan, AL
2002-2007 - Marketing Mgr, (NASDAQ: BPHX)
BluePhoenix Solutions, Raleigh NC
2005-2009 - Adjunct Professor,
Saint Augustine's Univ, Raleigh, NC
2010-2011 - Interim Dept Chair - Phil/Religion,
Saint Augustine's Univ. Raleigh, NC
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2016-2024 - Pastor, Troy Community Church
(AG), Troy, AL
2022-2024 - Adjunct Professor, Troy Univ
2008-Present - Marketing Consultant
2024-Present - Lecturer/Professor,
Continental Theological Seminary
(AG) Brussels, Belgium
