"I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious."-Constantine, probably The 4th century has begun to dawn. The Christian church is in hot water. The new system of tetrarchy established by Diocletian has already started to teeter, and Rome looks to fall back into the chaos of the prior century. But in the West, stands a man. A man who, unknown to anyone at this point, would become one of the single most controversial figures in church history. His name was Constantine. He would do something a Roman Emperor had never done. He would profess Christ as Lord. Things are about to get interesting. Thanks for listening, gang! IG: @churchhistory4chumps Text Us!Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/chumphistory
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1:09:23
The Council of Nicaea: The Greatest Church Business Meeting Ever
"Conference room, five minutes!" -Emperor Constantine, probably 325 AD was a year of rebirth. The Church was recovering from the Diocletianic Persecution, the worst wave of violence and discrimination faced thus far. Theologians and clergy were also battling the schism of the Donatists and the heresy of the Arians, both of which brought division to the body. But 325 felt different. Realizing the need for unity and cooperation, the church gathered from far and wide in the Bithynian city of Nicaea, to discuss matters of polity, doctrine, and fellowship. It would go on to become the greatest church business meeting of all time. As Taylor will say many times. Thanks for listening, gang. Love you bunches. Text Us!Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/chumphistory
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1:06:15
The Great Persecution: The Empire Strikes Back!
"Y'all gon' make me lose my mind up in here."-Emperor Diocletian, probablyThe third century wasn't a great time to be a Roman. But believe it or not, it was a great time to be a Christian! Churches were built, the faith was spread, and the influence and witness of Christ's followers flowed far and wide. But that would soon come to an end. I mean, sort of. It didn't stop. It just got a little more martyr-y. Jonathan Taylor Thomas are back with another banger, discussing the Diocletianic Persecution of the early 4th Century. It would be the final and most violent persecution brought about by the Romans, and (against all odds) would lead to a bright and new dawn for the church. Thanks for listening! Especially if you're from Malta. We love Malta. Text Us!Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/chumphistory
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55:01
Catechism in the Early Church: Becoming a Citizen of God's Kingdom
Imagine you had a friend who was, I dunno, an alien. They have no grasp of life on earth, no understanding of human customs, minimal grasp of the language, culture, music, anything like that. And so for years, they undergo a process of both learning and un-learning. Gradually detaching from their weird Martian ways (no disrespect to our Martian listeners), and becoming finely tuned in the rhythms of a human being. That's a little bit what catechism (the process of teaching children and new converts) was like in the early church. Men and women who had been brought up in a secular, Roman culture needed to slowly learn the ways of following Christ. Crockpot style. It was a rich and transformative process.Join the boys as we talk all about it. And Taylor talks about Disney, because of course he does. Also, shout out to Malta. Thanks Malta! You guys ROCK.Text Us!Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/chumphistory
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1:10:08
Athanasius of Alexandria: The Five-Time Exile Champion
Have you ever had to move across the country? It's a life-changing experience. Disrupting your regular routines and rhythms, adjusting to a totally foreign environment, learning new regional customs. Now imagine being forced to move, against your wishes. Five different times, after being welcomed back home. That sounds pretty rough, huh?Welcome our topic for today, the greatest theologian of the 4th Century, Athanasius of Alexandria. He would dedicate his life to defending the mystery of orthodox christology against the heresy of Arianism. And for that, we think he's pretty cool. Speaking of cool, Taylor is back with a little trial run. Look at him! Wow. Let us know if you think he's good or not. Seriously. Text Us!Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/chumphistory
We're not your grandfather's church history podcast. But we'd also really appreciate it if he still listened. Saints, heretics, councils...and the occasional crazy stuff. We have fun. IG: @churchhistory4chumps
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