From Arianism to Modalism, Nestorianism to Docetism, we've hit our fair share of heresies on this show. (By talking about them, not by committing them, hopefully) So for this week's episode, we'll be discussing how the church has historically dealt with the "h-word." We'll also consider, from our own ministry perspectives, the optimal way to address heresy in a modern context. Also, Taylor learns something new about Colorado! And we discuss whether Estes Park is real or whether it...

Note: We love that some of our listeners enjoy our podcast with their entire families. However, this episode contains some content that may be a little inappropriate for the little ones. “I dedicate this edit to all my friends who couldn’t watch The Smurfs because they were allegedly satanic.” — Our editor, Ray We know—we’re a few days late for Halloween. But bear with us. The Satanic Panic was a period of widespread fear that underground Satanic groups were orchestrating a conspiracy invol...

The world is obsessed with hot takes. Sometimes to an unhealthy degree, we think. So for today's episode of Chump Talk, we're going to be cracking open the vault of spicy takes and sharing them with the world. The only thing was, to keep things fun and fancy free, we opted to keep them on the milder side. Save the scorched earth comments and heretical potshots for your *second* favorite podcast. And who knows, maybe we'll take the gloves off in a future episode? *shrug emoji* Today we'r...

They said we'd never make it. Our series on the apostles ends with easily the most impactful of them all: the man himself, Paul. Author of 251 books of the bible, survivor of many attempted murders, the world's greatest evangelist. But what does history say happened to him where the New Testament is silent? Was he killed in Rome under Nero's persecution? Or did something way LAMER happen? Let's unpack it. Also, the boys talk about our favorite hometown dinner spots (special ...

Thomas is BACK, BABY. It's about dang time. But also, we're wrapping up our series on the Apostles with two of the minor-est boys in the bunch, Thaddeus and Bartholomew. While the biblical narrative doesn't offer us much on these two lads, history has no shortage of legends about their lives. Where did they go? Were they martyred or did they die of natural causes? Also, let's listen to more chump-inspired poetry for our kind and generous listeners. Don't forget to vote on ou...

For a long-time follower of Jesus, Thomas really got the short stick when it came to nicknames. But that's okay. He redeemed his doubting ways and was named with the rest of the disciples even after Jesus ascended to heaven. But here's a question-- what did he do after that? Did he go to Persia? Or perhaps, even farther??? Join us as we explore the fascinating legacy of the Apostle Thomas and his missionary travels. We will also share many of the stories attributed to him throughout chu...

Let's be honest-- each of the Gospel authors clearly had their favorite disciples to write about. Lots of Peter yapping, a little bit of Thomas doubting, a little bit of John being beloved. But what about the other guys? Well, one of those 'other guys' is the apostle Philip, and he's our focus for this week. Join us as we try to uncover once again, what happened to this disciple that the Bible didn't say? Was he martyred? Where did his travels take him? Also, are we any better at writing haik...

How's that for a title, huh? We heard we're supposed to be better at hooking people. But seriously, few of the apostles get as wild of a post-Acts story as John. Supposedly boiled in oil, miraculously survived, and then banished to a tiny island where he wrote Revelation. Supposedly. So let's see what the history books have to say about ol' John the Beloved. Also, we'll talk a little bit about Matthias, who was surprisingly a LOT more interesting to the early church than you'd think! An...

Few things are worse than living in the shadow of a really successful older sibling. We imagine the siblings (or cousins, right Catholics?) of Jesus probably felt that way. Imagine being young Gregory of Nyssa, the brother of four siblings who would go on to receive sainthood. And two of them are your oldest brother and sister. What a nightmare. For Gregory, living a life of spiritual adventure like his relatives was far from his mind. But of course, the Lord had other plans. Join...

As we comb through history's ranks of church fathers, we tend to take something for granted. Many of these people had a natural desire for leadership. Augustine, Athanasius, Antony, they all had a natural penchant to address the crowds and stir up courage. This was not the case with our next Cappadocian Father, Gregory of Nazianzus. Gregory had a monastic soul, he longed for a quiet and peaceful life of prayer and contemplation. This was not, however, the plan that the Lord had for him....

Do you know what happens when you combine the trauma of growing up as a PK (pastor's kid, of course) with the Game of Thrones-esque violence of the Roman Empire? Well, you sort of get Julian the Apostate. Born in the era of Constantine's great conversion to Christianity, Julian was the last emperor not to be wooed by the Empire's new religious convictions. Raised on the classics and fascinated by a mix of cult religion and philosophy, Julian decided it was time to give paganism one last...

We asked for Q's, and you guys delivered. So now we're back with the A's. Who's our favorite heretic? Are we Calvinist, Arminian, or something else? Do we have any advice for someone considering pastoral ministry? We answer those questions and many, many more. As fun as this episode was to record, we honestly just enjoy any chance we get to interact with the folks who listen to our show. We really, genuinely appreciate you guys. TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:1. Follow @churchhisto...

We're back in the 4th century, baby. And it's time we finally talk about the Cappadocian Fathers. Two brothers and one lifelong friend, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus were three of the most pivotal figures in the history of Eastern Christianity. And today, we begin with Basil. During a thyme of heretical emperors, he was a voice of Nicene wisdom. When the east was peppered with poor and needy souls, he provided the sage hand of charity. His words wit...

This week, we're taking a short break on our early church series, mostly because Taylor put "I get to lead an episode on Baptist missions every once in a while" in his contract when he joined the show :( Isaac McCoy was a Baptist missionary in the early 19th century who endeavored to bring the Gospel to the American Indians that lived throughout the Midwest. Historically, he's known for attempting to form a westward colony for the Native Americans to relocate to. Join the boys as we exp...

Imagine you're writing a letter to the President (or Emperor, depending on what era you live in). Point by point, you bring up each idol of that day and age, and refute it thoroughly. Then you explain, it clear and compassionate terms, that the reader should submit themselves to the God of Christianity, repent of their sins, and commit to a Christian life. Actually, the more I talk about it, the less crazy it sounds. But this is essentially what we see in the 2nd Century document ...

Persecutions are tough. I think we can all agree with that. But an issue that doesn't get as much attention is what the church does after a time of persecution. Specifically with the Christians who may or may not have caved under the threat of harm or violence. The 3rd Century in Rome (as we've discussed on the show before) was a tough time to be a Christian, and while the persecution wasn't long, the problems that it created for the church definitely were. Enter St. Cyprian...

For the past few weeks, we've been covering the stories of the Apostles after the biblical narrative concludes. And...we can be honest. This series has gone over like watching a jaded old magician spoiling a handful of classic magic tricks in front of an unsuspecting child's birthday party. But sometimes that's just how history is. But what about Saint Peter? We all know the story: at his hour of martyrdom, he begs his oppressors to be crucified upside down because he was unworthy...

The lore surrounding the lives of the Apostles never ceases to amaze. People getting boiled alive (and surviving). Dudes getting thrown off the top of the Temple. Crazy stuff. But what if most of these crazy things are actually false? And what if nobody had a cool martyrdom? And what if Santa Claus is a FRAUD? Well, you'll just have to listen to find out. Join Taylor and John as we continue our journey through the lives of the apostles to see what history has to say about their fates af...

When you think of the persecution of the Christians in the early church, it doesn't take long for the mind to naturally think of the Colosseum. But how involved was the Roman Colosseum in the practice of executing Christians in the first 4 centuries after the life of Christ? And what about the other stadiums built around that time? Join us as Tommy leads us through a rabbit trail for the ages. Also, the guys discuss what brands they're wearing (weird, I know), and whether or...

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 forget to hit Follow! IG: churchhistory4chumps ...