Early Christian worship on sunday or the sabbath, Tertullian Paul and Marcionism, Emperor Constantine, apostolic succession, water baptism early church, early church fathers, wine in the ancient world, was the wine in the bible alcoholic, revelation, holiness, sanctification, faith, resurrection, tithing, conservatives, evangelical Christian Church, Muslim terrorists, are all muslims terrorists, pacifism and the new testament

CH101 Feedback and Comments

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.

Constantine and the Christian Empire, by Charles Odahl - represents 31 years of research, retracing the steps of Constantine across Europe and the Eastern Empire. This is possibly the most exhaustive work on Constantine ever published.

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 its 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 its zeal and spiritual power, Constantine gets a bad rap in MY opinion. If you are interested in learning more about Constantine I would highly recommend the text by Charles Odahl (to the right) to better decide if Constantine was a Christian or just a political opportunist. My articles will be edited using Odahl's excellent research:
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

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.

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

Questions/Answers
Do you agree with the claim by the Orthodox Church that "apostolic succession" has been in affect from the time of the apostles to our current church age?

Some discussion on Pacifism and the New Testament

What can be known for sure about Apollos? I would like to know if he wrote the NT letter to the Hebrews.
Many have been told that Paul may have written NT Hebrews, but we are presenting evidence that would suggest Apollos to the be real author.
What is the Proper Name for the Land Occupied by Israel, Jordan, and Other Nations in the Middle East? I have had some lively comments on this one
Thomas S. McCall, Th.D., of the Zola Levitt organization (a pro-Israel group) states that the term "Palestine" is an invention of the Roman Emperor Hadrian that gives preference to the pro-Palestinian movement and "haters of Israel." I believe Dr. McCall is incorrect and I cite evidence from ancient writers who use this term.
Why is the Sunday-Law of Constantine ignored when Sunday is not mentioned in the Scriptures?
Why do Christians worship on The Lord's Day rather than on the Jewish Sabbath?
Why did the Reformers reject The Apocrypha?
Was the collection known as The Apocrypha considered "scriptural" in the early church? Why did the Reformers reject these writings?
Is it true that most of the early "Christian" schools in the first several centuries taught universal salvation?
Origen and his writings caused great controversy during several periods in early Christianity. Most of this controversy comes from one document, De Principii, where Origen does wrestle with some difficult biblical passages and speculates about the possibility of universal salvation. Read more in this CH101 explanation.
What was the social setting that would have given Saul the authority to hunt down Christians?
Water Baptism in the Early Church
What did the early fathers preach/teach about water baptism?
Wine in the Ancient World
Was the wine in the Bible alcoholic, or only grape juice? Get an historical presentation using ancient writers to understand this topic.
The Early Fathers on NT Revelation
How did the early fathers view the New Testament book of Revelation?
The Fathers on Holiness
What was the stance of the early church with regards to santification and holiness? Was there a clear position on this issue?
How Did the Early Church Fathers View Military Service?
Several liberal scholars and other authors have stated that the early church fathers had a negative view of military service - that Christians in the first few centuries did not participate in the military. This question is addressed by reading what several early fathers actually say about this issue.
Why do Christians burn candles in Church?
Did the Original Christian Church Adopt Pagan Influences?
Many sects like Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, and some fundamentalist groups claim that the Catholic Church corrupted primitive Christianity with pagan beliefs.

Book Reviews
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 probably believes that "true" Christians should live by the Old Testament).

The evidence of the trinity in the New Testament

Book Reviews of Bart Ehrman texts, David Bercot, and Hannah Smith.

Biblical Issues
The New Testament, Faith, and the Resurrection
What exactly does "inerrancy" mean? Is this particular doctrine necessary to be an evangelical Christian? Could it be that inerrancy actually works against New Testament faith?
Was the wine in the bible alcoholic?
The New Testament and tithing
When the Jerusalem Council met they did not include tithing in their demands on the new Gentile Christians. Does the NT support the concept of tithing?

Culture and Opinion
Faith and Certainty
A response to a critic of Christianity who suggests a conspiracy theory to explain Jesus, the supposed resurrection, and the early growth of Christian faith.
Thoughts on the movie, End of the Spear
A great movie - it reminds me of my missionary experience in Argentina many years ago. I relate a bit of my personal time with Philip Saint, brother of Nate Saint, the martyred pilot of the movie.