Church History Articles
Who were the Christians after the apostles? How was the New Testament collected? Find answers to these questions and more.
- A Tradition You Can Trust In 2 Timothy, Paul adjured Timothy to faithfully pass on to others everything Paul had taught him about the Christian faith. Michael Svigel asks the question, How can we know that Timothy did that? He then answers the question for us by listing several of the early church leaders who were taught by either the disciples or by their protégés. Their genuine faith was proven by their willingness to be martyred for the truths they defended.
- Are There "Lost" Scriptures?
- Bible Wannabes How can we be sure the Bible we read today contains all of the inspired writings God wanted included—and none that He didn’t? Michael Svigel walks us through the history and the process used to decide whose writings would be accepted by the church as Scripture. He also disproves some common myths about how false scriptures were rejected.
- Did a Council of Bishops Vote on Your Bible? Many Christians have wondered, at some point, how the New Testament came to include the books that are now in it. And which books were rejected? Michael Svigel explains how the process was actually easier than we’re often led to believe. He explains the test of authenticity that was used and how little conflict the early church fathers saw over the choices made.
- Did a Unified Church Develop from Diversity and Conflict? Did the Christian church start out with all kinds of competing beliefs that gradually, over time, got pared down to the core beliefs we have today? Michael Svigel gives proof that, instead, the early church was unified around the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit from its earliest days. That same unity today will cause the church to survive any attempts to revise its history.
- Did Constantine Declare Jesus to Be "God" in AD 325? Michael Svigel assures us that the divinity of Jesus Christ was never in question among His earliest followers, although some historians have falsely claimed that it was. Examples are given of Scriptures that prove this point as well as the words of one early follower, Ignatius. The truths of Christ have stood the test of time and will keep standing until He returns!
- Discovering the Gates of Hades
- Heroes of the Ancient Church Have you ever wished that the book of Acts had a Part Two, so you would know how the gospel of Jesus Christ was proclaimed and protected from falsehood after the apostles died? This article introduces you to some key figures in the two generations following the church’s founding fathers. Learn why you can follow their examples and defend Christian beliefs today with unwavering assurance.
- How We Got the Old Testament (The Content and Extent of the Old Testament Canon) This scholarly article tackles the question of how the makeup of the Old Testament canon was confirmed. Who decided what books to include, and how did they decide? Wayne Stiles traces the historical process and quotes well-respected historians and scholars, both Christian and secular, to answer this important question.
- I Walked Where He Stood
- Mind Over Matter: The Heresy of Gnosticism both Then and Now Read about one of the heresies that infiltrated the first-century church and how it affected believers. This article explains how Gnostics opposed the writings of the apostles—and lest you think Gnosticism is of little importance today—how it still can deceive Christians in our generation.
- The Importance of Standing Alone
- Understanding Prophecy This article explains the tension between a literal and a non-literal, or allegorical, interpretation of biblical prophecy. The author traces the history of both approaches, and then he states the necessity of returning to the literal interpretation started by the early church. Walvoord expresses the importance of not attaching so many explanations to prophecy that there cannot be any agreement on their meaning.