Send us a Text Message. In many parts of the world, the question of whether you're a Catholic or Protestant means a lot more than if you submit to the Pope, or how you feel about Martin Luther.  One such place is Northern Ireland. For generations, the people of Ireland and the United Kingdom have been steeped in a conflict about religious freedom, civil rights, and discrimination. Tragically, this period of tension boiled over between the 1960's and 1990's, an era of bloodshed and violence known as the Troubles. Today, we are joined by our fantastic guest Oisin Feeney (don't worry, he'l ..read more

Send us a Text Message. Have you ever wondered why some churches use grape juice for communion, while others insist on using wine instead? The answer is more complicated than you think. Or it might be less complicated, I don't know, I feel like you're probably pretty smart.  Either way, join us as we discuss Thomas Welch, the Prohibition Era, and the impact still felt by churches today.  IG: @churchhistory4chumps  ..read more

Send us a Text Message. Church history isn't always as, well, historically reliable as we wish it was. Sometimes the stories of saints and heroes tend to blur the lines between fact and fiction.  That would be the case of Saint Dymphna, an Irish-Catholic runaway who sought refuge from her violent father in a small town in Belgium. What's interesting though, is that whether or not her story is more than folklore, this European community is still honoring the legacy of her story: for hundreds of years, its residents have opened their homes to outsiders suffering from mental and cognitive d ..read more

Send us a Text Message. It's 1550. A generation has passed since the Reformation swept across Europe like a wildfire.  The Catholic Church has launched the Counter-Reformation, a multi-layered initiative to restore the continent to its former Roman glory. One step of this plan in Germany is to recognize the cities that have fallen into the clutches of Lutheranism and coerce their return to the Church.  Suddenly the town of Magdeburg has an urgent question to answer: what is the responsibility of the local magistrate to defend the church from a violent military threat?  Let's ..read more

Send us a Text Message. In the 5th Century, the Western Roman Empire is on its last leg.  Riddled with internal conflict, external threats, and even theological disputes tearing at the fabric of the Church, Rome has seen better days. And the great shadow of the Huns looms larger and larger as days go by.  This leads to one of the most engaging (and unexpected) encounters in church history: the frail and elderly Bishop of Rome face to face with the bloodthirsty tyrant of the Hunnic Empire.  Also, John and Tommy talk about why there was no episode last week, but why that's okay ..read more

Send us a Text Message. 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 remem ..read more

Send us a Text Message. 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

Send us a Text Message. 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 Bartolom ..read more

Send us a Text Message. 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

Send us a Text Message. 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 ..read more