Church History for Chumps

James the Greater. James the Lesser. James the brother of Jesus. 

Three stories. Three mysteries. Three Jameses. 

Join Jay, Tay, and Tray as we uncover more of the apostolic legacies after the biblical narrative. 

Also, we discuss Taylor's keto-tastic weight loss journey, and some harsh words he has for the Chump Nation if he doesn't get the fan mail encouragement he needs to stay on track. 

If you like our stuff, don't ...

Church history this, church history that. Blah blah blah. 

Let's get ready for some TRIVIA. 

Join us for a fun time of Chump Talk, where Taylor and Thomas will go head to head over some church history trivia. 

Listener, feel free to play at home! And then send us messages making fun of Taylor (or Thomas) for getting their questions wrong. 

Thanks for listening, happy Friday! 

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We all know how the story of the Apostles went down. They all went on missions to different regions of the world, and everyone but John was martyred. Right?

...Right?

MAYBE NOT! 

Join us as we dive into a mini-series within our "Early Church Gets the Worm" series, where we'll discuss what history says about the disciples of Jesus beyond the biblical narrative. 

This week we kick things off with two disciples on the oppos...

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PREPARE YOUR BALLOTS.

Few church fathers have a legacy as controversial as Origen of Alexandria. From rumors of self-mutilation, heresy, and crooked bishops, the story of Origen somehow only got more complicated in the years following his death. 

So this week, we're gonna take this controversial topic and duel it out. 

Each of our hosts has researched this topic, and will bring forth an argument about whethe...

"Hey! I'm walkin here!"

 St. Ignatius, probably

Not much is known of the 1st Century early church father known as Ignatius of Antioch. His early life, conversion, and place of origin are steeped in mystery. 

What we do know is this: after serving as the Bishop of Antioch for many years, Ignatius was captured during the persecution of Trajan. Rather than offer him a merciful execution, the old man was forced to march fro...

"F is for friends who do stuff together"

-St. Peter, about Clement, probably

You know what we love about the early church? 

That with a couple of history books and a number 2 pencil, you can sketch a nice, neat line right from the Book of Acts to the first wave of church fathers. Apostolic succession is a heck of a drug. 

And chief of these early church leaders was Clement of Rome, author of some neat epistles, and widely rev...

Imagine if you were a really cool guy. 

Like, a really cool guy. You helped all your friends know Jesus better. Wrote all these interesting theological ideas. Came up with all these fun words in Greek. Everybody liked you. 

And then in 500 years, someone read your journal and became a heretic, so now everyone hates you. And even now, everyone hates you. They think you're the worst. 

That's what happened to Origen. Okay, not ...

Imagine going to a country with one of the oldest expressions of Christian faith...as a BAPTIST?!?!?

Just kidding. But really, Taylor just got back from a week-long mission trip in Ethiopia, eastern Africa's historic den of Christianity. 

So how did it go? What is the relationship between the Ethiopian Protestants and the Ethiopian Orthodox Christians? Are mission trips something that the church needs to invest more in? Does Tay...

"Nice pagan temple. Be a shame if someone...Christianized it."

-Constantine, probably

The conversion of Emperor Constantine to Christianity was one of the most groundbreaking events to occur in the history of Rome. The single most influential political figure in the world had official changed divine allegiances. 

But as we'll talk about today, the implications for this change would be felt in the religious spheres of th...

The scandal of Christianity is that the Church is seldom greatest amongst the rich and powerful. Often, those rich in spirit are poor in worldly treasure. The "abundant life" promised in the Gospels is nearest to those who share in Christ's sufferings. 

History often shows how the power of the Spirit is felt in the quiet, overlooked spaces of the powerless and vulnerable. 

For many years, this was the experience of the...

Tertullian always had a dragon's tongue. 

After his conversion and baptism, he would unleash his fiery rhetoric on heretics, pagan emperors, and persecuting powers. In the process, he would pen some of the finest Latin theology of the early 3rd century. 

But over time, this dragon would lose its wits. If you've ever wondered why, of the many early church fathers, Tertullian was one of the few denied the title of Saint, wond...

Imagine you're a 4th century Roman soldier on assignment in North Africa. 

Among the theological tension of this region, strange rumors begin to circulate. That within the region of Carthage, there are a peculiarly zealous sect of young men who, well...you'll see soon enough. 

Join Jonathan Taylor Thomas as we discuss this strange phenomena in church history, and how it may, or may not, relate to the church today. 

Also, Joh...

Every story needs a good villain. 

Thanos. The Joker. Tom Brady. 

In the late 4th Century, the Church had a villain by the name of Arianism. 

After the Council of Nicaea, the post-persecution church had united under the banner of Nicene theology, girded by the writings of Athanasius. Under this creed, they affirmed the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ, who is one with the Father and Spirit. 

Although decades had past since this gr...

Have you ever been 'volun-told' to do something? Maybe volunteer for setup at your church, or work the sound board?

Imagine being 'volun-told' to lead one of the most influential dioceses in the nation, when you're not even a baptized Christian yet. 

That would be the story of Ambrose of Milan, a kind-hearted young man with a soft spot for diplomacy. He comforted the unruly masses in Milan so successfully, th...

"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 contro...

"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 co...

"Y'all gon' make me lose my mind up in here."
-Emperor Diocletian, probably

The 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 ...

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 lit...

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 Alex...