If you're not a Baptist (and we still love you even if you are), you're probably no stranger to the idea of infant baptism.  The doctrine of paedobaptism is saturated with the idea that the children of believers are heirs of the covenant of grace, and through baptism are welcomed into God's family.  But did you know that for several centuries of church history, the youngest believers weren't just baptized, but were also given communion? Join us for an episode that might ruffle a little feathers, where we discuss the history of paedocommunion. But just remember, if you don't ruffle ..read more

Beginning as a fringe interpretation of the creation story in Genesis, the Serpent Seed Doctrine asks a question that no one really seems to be asking: what if Satan and Eve had a little...fling? It's a wild doctrine with even more of a wild history. So let's talk about it! Also, we're not gonna be too crude this episode, but given the nature of this episode's topic, it may not be appropriate for our youngest listeners. Maybe ask your parents. Or your grandparents.  Thanks for listening, cool cats.  IG: churchhistory4chumps  ..read more

The 16th Century was a rollercoaster for Japanese Christians. The first half was amazing-- the first Portuguese missionaries broke ground and people were getting saved by the thousands. Churches were built, clergy established, things were looking great.  The second half was...well, pretty bad. A combination of suspicious Japanese leaders and the shaky reputation of the European powers started to turn the tides of what Christianity would look like in Japan for hundreds of years.  So let's talk about it! Thanks for listening~ Also hey, John and his wife are hosting this episode! To ..read more

The discovery (well, sort of discovery) of the New World was one of the most groundbreaking events in world history. The decades that followed however, would be marked by widespread violence and abuse of power as the colonizing Europeans came to settle in a foreign new land.  In the midst of this broken system, there were several voices who were critical of these injustices. They believed that the Church was betraying a fundamental value of Christianity: to love and lay your life down for your neighbor. One of those voices was the Dominican friar known as Bartolomé de las Casas.  J ..read more

Well folks, we've danced around this topic for long enough. It's time to unpack the grand-daddy of all heresies (most heresies), the second-century slammer, the demiurge devastator...Gnosticism. Unlike many of the heresies we've discussed so far this season, Gnosticism is a tricky one to pin down. There is no singular, authoritative Gnostic worldview, so it takes a little nuance to define. But we'll do our darnedest.  Thanks for listening, pal.  (you can skip to 7:21 if Christian metal banter isn’t your cup of tea btw) IG: @churchhistory4chumps  ..read more

In the second century, it's safe to say that Christians were still kind of figuring things out.  One of those things for example, was the celebration of Easter. There was a heated disagreement in the church about whether Easter should be celebrated on a Sunday (the Lord's Day) or whether it should stay on the day of the Jewish Passover.  What came of this agreement is one of the oldest and richest homilies from that era: the Peri Pascha (roughly translated to 'On the Passover') by Melito of Sardis. It contains some beautiful affirmations of Christ being the center of the Christian ..read more

Well gang-- our Instagram followers supplied the questions, and here we are with the answers. What heresy do we find most dangerous to the church? How do we feel about nondenominational churches? How has our study of church history affected our work as pastors? WILL WE EVER DO AN EPISODE ON THE CRUSADES??? All of these questions (and a lot more) will be answered.  IG: @churchhistory4chumps  ..read more

Manifest Destiny is a heck of a drug.  In the 1800's, American and Canadian settlers were faced with a problem: what should be done about all these Native/Indigenous people? The result was a pretty gross blemish on the face of North American Christianity: the adoption of Indigenous Boarding Schools.  The story behind this episode isn't a fun one, but we believe it's important as believers to remember the full story of our Christian heritage, even the parts that make us squirm a little. Praise God for His abundant mercies.  IG: @churchhistory4chumps  ..read more

Okay fine, "original doomsday cult" is a little on the dramatic side. But come on, Montanism is like the perfect Frankenstein's monster of heresies. You've got a dash of modalism, a sprinkle of hyper-pentacostalism, and a healthy splash of end times panic. And all before the 3rd Century! Montanism was a strange movement in the early days of Christianity. It demonstrated a growing tension that some believers had about how the Holy Spirit interacted with believers at that point in history. There are lots of cool things to talk about in this episode. Thanks for being here! You're the coolest pe ..read more

The Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century wasn't just a movement. It was a million dominoes falling to trigger a BUNCH of movements all across Europe. One of the most unique of these movements was that of the Anabaptists. While Lutherans and Calvinists fought about whether justification or predestination were cooler sounding words, Anabaptists were marching to the beat of a very different drum. So what's the deal? Are Anabaptists the ancestors of modern day Baptists? We'll talk about all that and more.  IG: @churchhistory4chumps  ..read more