Church History
Hail Mary, Full of Grace
Introduction One of the most interesting developments within the Church is the focus on Mary. There are numerous theories as to how this all came about but one of the more common ones is that the church was infiltrated with pagan concepts that took over and eventually caused a dramatic shift and change in its [...]
The Development of Theology in the Early Church
Introduction A few week ago I posted on some of the hierarchical developments that progressed until it became the Roman Catholic Church. This week I want to focus on some of the development of theology and emphases in certain thoughts that led to the Roman Catholic position that we know of today. Baptismal Regeneration I [...]
Christianities?
Introduction Note: Before getting into the post I want to clarify a few terms. When I say “orthodox” I don’t mean it as in the view held by the Orthodox Church but I use it in the sense of it being what is “true”. When I say “heterodoxy” or “heterodox beliefs/systems” et cetera I am [...]
Conflict Develops People
One of the things I’ve realized as I’ve been studying church history is that oftentimes the conflict and persecution the early church went through helped develop it doctrinally, spiritually and practically. I realize all of these are intertwined to a great extent but I’ll break down what I mean through this post. It’s easy to [...]
The Path Paved With Good Intentions
I’ve been at college full time for a couple of weeks now and it’s been a great experience. One of the classes I really enjoy is church history and we’ve covered the history of the church up until the reign of Pope Leo I. As we’re going through our textbook one of the course requirements [...]
Heritage Bible Display
Yesterday on my way to work I dropped by the Heritage Bible Display in Parramatta. They have a nice collection of Bibles there and I thought I’d share some info (and photos!) of the ones that particularly caught my interest. They had numerous Bibles on display, most of them English translations and several foreign language [...]
Evangelical Christianity (From the End of the 19th Century to the Present)
Recently, a friend was asking me about modern church history. By the time I’d finished explaining bits and pieces of it, I had the broad scheme of Evangelical Christianity over the last century—at least my take on it—scribbled on a scrap of paper. Discerning that there could be value in graphing the history of modern [...]
Church History & the independent churches in Australia
I would like to discuss church history within the context of the independent church movement from a historian’s perspective. Independent churches (by nature of their definition) are not connected to formal denominations. What this means is that the pastoral emphasis is usually on historical personalities or thematic developments correlated to the Bible. Without association, independent [...]
Historical Sources – What are they? Where to start.
Thanks for your comments on the previous post. I would like to expand on the discussion for those of you who would like to know more: A REALLY SIMPLE INTRODUCTION TO PRIMARY & SECONDARY SOURCES Primary sources are bits and pieces of your life that are accessible to other people. Your driver’s license and the [...]
Well Calvin burned a man at the stake…
The year is 2100 and one of your descendants is doing some research into your life. Because you are not someone of great significance, your descendant will probably find a birthday, time of death, property records, and one or two anecdotes depending on how well you store your digital information and/or how well you are [...]
On Receiving Our Fifth Child
My excellent wife Di gave birth to a baby girl on Sunday evening. We thank God for the opportunity to nurture her life. Our hearts are full — and our days are busy! I’ve selected some wise advice below for parents and would-be parents. For your contemplation… The “little church” “Every Christian family ought to [...]
Learning from Luther
Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) was one the most colourful and passionate characters in church history. As a principle reformer, Luther took complex issues and unravelled them into the common vernacular – allowing theologians and farmers alike to respond with childlike simplicity to the Gospel. We know and love the narrative. The lawyer turned Catholic [...]
