What you will find with CH101, by Al Baker
I have great passion for early church history in general, the ancient Greek and Roman world, and the first three centuries of Christian history in particular. There is a real lack of knowledge and understanding of early church history, especially among Protestants. The early church was not perfect, even 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.

I find that most Protestants attack anything "Catholic" without realizing how many "Catholic" teachings and traditions started before the "Catholic Church" was formed, thus some of these early traditions are ancient, and technically "Christian." At the same time, Catholics want to insist that the Catholic Church started with Peter as the first Pope and Orthodox Christians believe the various branches of the Orthodox Church represent the "true" Christian faith. These are not historically-based positions, but this is the reason for Church History 101 - to educate people on Christian history.

A good place to start if you want to understand how I approach all subject matter and historical data is to listen to my lecture on "Epistemology." How do I "know" what I know? How can I be certain of what I "know?"
This lecture is in two parts to keep the audio file from being too large:
Introduction to Epistemology and Uncertainty - Part I - and -
Introduction to Epistemology and Uncertainty - Part II

Meet Dr. R.A. Baker
Dr. Baker's Research.

Historical Revisionism
THIS statement can be found ALL over the internet:
"After deciding against the Donatists, Constantine led an army of Christians against the Donatist Christians."
Read the account of Emperor Constantine and the Donatists to see how this is a case of changing history.

Numerous CH101 readers have written to me with questions and critical comments about what I have written regarding Emperor Constantine. There is a significant percentage of conservative Protestants who believe Christianity suffered greatly under Constantine. As a young man I was taught that the Catholic Church started with Constantine and was the beginning of Christianity losing it's way.

One reader expressed it very close to how I learned it as a young man:
"Paul said that the 'mystery of iniquity' was already at work in the church even during his day (2 Thes. 2:7). How much more in the years following the death of Paul and the other Apostles would the 'mystery of iniquity' be working."
While there are some valid points to be made for Christianity losing it's zeal and spiritual power, Constantine gets a bad rap in MY opinion. If you are interested in learning more about Constantine to better decide if he was an evil man or a Christian, or not, and here are some links on CH101:
Emperor Constantine comes to Power
Emperor Constantine and Christian Faith
Emperor Constantine at the Council of Nicea
Emperor Constantine and Worship of the Sun (Sol Invictus)
Emperor Constantine and Christians in the Military
Emperor Constantine Against the Donatists
Read the CH101 Reviews of
Flea Market Jesus, by Arthur Farnsley

David Bercot books:
A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs


Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up



Why Does Tertullian Call the Apostle Paul
"The Apostle of the Heretics?
"

Men like Douglas Del Tondo have an established theological position, a dogma, and they look for ANYTHING in the early church writings to bolster their position. Del Tando has either not read enough of the writings he cites OR he is purposefully misleading people. I would like to think it is the former; to purposefully mislead is to lie.
The Demands of Christian Tolerance

"Can we disagree, yet remain agreeable? Christians can be the most dogmatic people when Truth demands that we be more humble."

John Gibson asks some probing questions regarding "Truth-seeking" and being tolerant of those who disagree with us.

Culture and Opinion
Paul Marshall's article, "Blasphemy and Free Speech" augments my rebuttal of Prof. Kidd:
Why Are There So Few Muslim Terrorists?
Prof. Thomas Kidd answers this, his own rhetorical question. I take him to task for misleading his audience.


The Trinity in the Early Church
A Critique of "The Doctrine of the Trinity: Christianity's Self-Inflicted Wound," by Anthony Buzzard and Charles Hunting. Mr. Buzzard is something of a Ebionite Christian (he does not believe in the deity of Jesus and seems to believe that "true" Christians should live by the Old Testament).

ALSO: The evidence of the trinity in the New Testament

Other Topics include:
Discussion on Pacifism and the New Testament
Who Wrote the Letter to the Hebrews in the Bible? Was it Paul?
Why do Christians worship on The Lord's Day rather than on the Jewish Sabbath?
Why did the Reformers reject The Apocrypha?
Did the early "Christian" schools teach universal salvation?
How did Saul have the authority to hunt down Christians?
Why do Christians light candles during worship?
Palestine or Israel?
How did ancient writers refer to the region surrounding the land occupied by Israel? This site is getting attacked by pro-Israeli visitors claiming that our information is inaccurate, some stating that we are purposefully engaging in political propaganda. Read some of these comments/conversations and judge for yourself.

Other Questions
Water Baptism in the Early Church
Wine in the Ancient World
The Early Church Fathers on NT Revelation
The Early Church Fathers on Holiness
The New Testament, Faith, and the Resurrection
The New Testament and Christian tithing

Other Topics of Interest:

1. Early Church History Podcasts
"Grace to You," a study in Ephesians using Watchman Nee, "Sit, Walk, Stand."

"Contemplative Prayer," a series based on the Brother Lawrence classic "The Practice of the Presence of God."

Church History class lectures given at Saint Augustine's College. (unedited)

2. Early Church History Book Reviews
The Christian's Secret to a Happy Life, by Hannah Whitall Smith

How the Christian New Testament Canon was Formed
The NT was NOT dropped from heaven.
The NT was NOT delivered by an angel.
The NT was NOT dug up in a field as golden plates like the Book of Mormon.
The NT was NOT suddenly "discovered" in a clay jar with 27 "books" intact like the Dea Sea Scrolls or the Nag Hammadi texts.
Read "How the New Testament Canon was Formed"


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First Century Christian Church History
ist Century Church History
The conversion of the apostle Paul
Early Church History of Galatians
James the brother of Jesus in the Bible
1st Century Christian Church Struggles
Christian History - conversion Apostle Paul
Palestine - Philo, Josephus, Strabo, Aristotle
Apollos NT Hebrews in Ancient Rome
Apollos NT Hebrews in the Bible
Wine in Bible Alcoholic?
Hellenized Jews First Century Christianity
Hellenized Jews Gentile Christians
Hellenized Jews New Testament
Jews and the conversion of the apostle Paul
Conflict in the Early Christian Church
Palestine vs Israel Zola Levitt Dr. McCall
Palestine in the Bible and the Ancient World
Apollos NT Hebrews in the Bible
Apollos NT Hebrews - Ancient Roman World
Palestine Israel in Ancient Greece Rome
Alcoholic Wine - New Testament
First Century Christian Church History Issues
How the New Testament was formed
How the NT Canon was formed or canonized
Questions about Wine in the Ancient World
Wine Alcohol in the Bible - New Testament
Early Church Catechesis - Catechetical Training
Questions regarding Christian Issues
Palestine - Israel Map Ancient World
Apollos Alexandria Hebrews in the Bible
Apollos Paul Corinthians - Bible
First Century Christian Persecution
1st Century Persecution of Christians
Gnosticism in the 1st Century Early Church
Early Church History of Galations
Early Christianity War and Conflict
Early Christianity Constantine and War
Important Issues in Early Christianity
Palestine Israel in Greek Roman World
Apollos Alexandria Hebrews - Bible
Apollos Paul Corinthians NT