Church Father Friday is the ongoing curation of Patristic texts. These short selections from church history remind us of where we’ve been, and what God has done throughout history for the Church. I pray these excerpts are a blessing to you. Justin Martyr is often quoted in favor of Transubstantiation being the position ofContinue reading “Did Justin Martyr Teach Transubstantiation in Apology 1.66?”
Author Archives: David Chambers
3 Pastoral Lessons from the Letters of Gregory Nazianzen
Church Father Friday is the ongoing curation of Patristic texts. These short selections from church history remind us of where we’ve been, and what God has done throughout history for the Church. I pray these excerpts are a blessing to you. No author has influenced me as much as Gregory Nazianzen. His depth, poeticContinue reading “3 Pastoral Lessons from the Letters of Gregory Nazianzen”
Ministry’s Not About You
Ministry’s dangerous. If you google “pastor fired” you’ll see an endless stream of articles recounting the varied moral failures of former ministry leaders. Adultery, embezzlement, abusive leadership, and addiction always top the list. But as with everything in this fallen world, it isn’t always the glaring, blatant sins that cause all the damage. Rather, it’sContinue reading “Ministry’s Not About You”
John Chrysostom on Sexual Immorality
Pleasure is the god of the lost. Whatever form it takes, sex, drugs, leisure, finance, childolatry, or controlling salvation through works, pleasure remains the goal. It’s easy to forget that the issues we deal with today are the same issues the early church waded through. Sexual immorality isn’t an invention of modernism, it’s been anContinue reading “John Chrysostom on Sexual Immorality”
The First Use of Trinitarian Language in Church History
The Church’s understanding of the Trinity is founded on Scripture and calcified through overcoming heretical controversies. Every orthodox Father following the Apostles used language that affirmed the Trinity in various contexts. But when was the protean use of distinct Trinitarian language in Church history? Often, Tertullian is thought to be the origin of Trinitarian labels because he used “Trinitas” to explain the Godhead. However, while Trinitas is the root of the word “Trinity”, and even though Tertullian was the first Latin speaking theologian to use it, he wasn’t first overall. The first use of Trinitarian language in Church history comes from a surprising source, Theophilus of Antioch.
The Filioque: What it is and Why it Matters
The Trinity is everything. It’s the defining doctrine of Christianity which ties all others together. The Trinity is not an inconsequential abstract thought. It is the nature of the One True God. We’re privileged to have the opportunity to study who God is and what He has revealed to us in His Word. However, whenContinue reading “The Filioque: What it is and Why it Matters”
The Great Irony of Denying Human Depravity
The Biblical teaching of human depravity is in direct opposition to the postmodern view so prevalent in the West. Postmodernism teaches that man is the standard of right and wrong, and by logical extension, naturally good. The argument is focused on whether our negative actions are the result of our genetic disposition or the environmentContinue reading “The Great Irony of Denying Human Depravity”
The Early Church’s Defense Against the Argument of Antiquity
Church Father Friday is the ongoing examination of Patristic writings, controversies, biographies, and modern interpretations. These short selections from church history remind us of where we’ve been, and what God has done throughout history for the Church C.S Lewis wrote a famous introductory essay for Athanasius’ work the Incarnation of the Word of GodContinue reading “The Early Church’s Defense Against the Argument of Antiquity”
Why the Trinity is a Bad Argument for Trichotomy
Attempts to glean from Scripture what it means to be human have brought about two prominent views. The first is Dichotomy. This view states that man was created with two aspects of our nature, body and soul, and that soul and spirit are both Biblical terms given to explain our spiritual nature. The other isContinue reading “Why the Trinity is a Bad Argument for Trichotomy”
Reformation Chambers 