Church History

Unity in the Sub-Apostolic Church WAS THERE UNITY IN THE SUB-APOSTOLIC CHURCH? AN INVESTIGATION OF THE TUNNEL PERIOD (~A.D. 62-150) Stephen Francis Staten Wheaton College, 1997 In this masters thesis… Read More

Article appearing in the newsletter of Common Grounds Unity, 19 Aug 2023, used by permission Origin stories deeply shape our identity, theology, and practice. The stories we tell ourselves about… Read More

RESURRECTED LIVING “What are you going to do with your new resurrected life? This is the heroic question.” Richard Rohr Continue reading.

Note: The following was constructed from an 8-part series in our 2022 newsletter. Catholicism’s Seven Sacraments The Council of Trent (1545-1563) affirmed: “If anyone says that the sacraments… are not… Read More

Here is my self-published thesis, available on Amazon at the following link: History, Hermeneutics & Church Polity in the International Churches of Christ in Jamaica amazon.com And at Barnes and… Read More

Hi everyone, Just in case you hadn’t heard, the next AIM UK & Ireland module is round the corner – this Saturday in fact. The sessions will be both in-person… Read More

Do you think the remains of James the Just are in the church of St. James of Compostela (Santiago de Compostela) in Spain?  Reply from Joseph Harris (Augusta, GA):  No,… Read More

Introduction C.S. Lewis used the term ‘a great cataract of nonsense’ to describe how people use a modern idea to construe Bible theology. One such example, perhaps the best example,… Read More

The Nature of Christian Unity: Historical Understandings of Churches of Christ Written by Douglas A. Foster, The below are excerpts from a paper presented at the Stone-Campbell Dialogue in June… Read More

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only… Read More

I. FOUNDING In the wake of the Second Great Awakening, many sects emerged in 19th century America. A combination of religious liberty and a strong spirit of individualism fostered numerous… Read More

Join us for a conversation. Common Grounds Unity presents this conversation with Dr. Nick Zola & Dr. Douglas Jacoby on Saturday, March 20. Details on the flyer. Zoom meeting link… Read More

On March 17, 461 A.D., Saint Patrick, Christian missionary, bishop and apostle of Ireland, dies at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland. Today he is honored with the annual holiday of St. Patrick’s Day. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/saint-patrick-dies

Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Stepping into the Jordan Patrons, Prophets, and Preachers by Rob Kranz One of the advantages of teaching is that I always… Read More

Our DNA: An Interview With Douglas A. Foster I grew in Michigan, in a county with roughly 500 lakes. I spent a good portion of my childhood, barefoot with friends,… Read More

Daryl Reed is the Lead Minister of DC Regional Christian Church in the Washington DC area. We had an enlightening conversation about Church History and Race. Daryl is a third… Read More

Critical biography examines the ‘gifted but flawed’ leader of the American Restoration Movement. By John Mark Hicks When Alexander Campbell died in 1866, he left his legacy in a divided… Read More

  A Dream Worth Resurrecting: by Ben Brewster Ben Brewster wrote the below for Common Grounds in 2018. His book “Torn Asunder” is a must-read! The below is a re-post…. Read More

  Yesterday, I received an email from a friend who shared a copy of “The Stone-Campbell Reformation: Its Roots and Ideals” from July 1994 with an article by Leroy Garrett…. Read More

Many congregations canceled services, and some Christians focused on feeding and nursing the poor. By John Mark Hicks NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville saw its first case of the “Spanish flu” in… Read More

The article I wrote back in 1986 about the origins of the Churches of Christ in the U.K. May be of some interest to some readers.  

Two classes given by Douglas Jacoby & Nick Zola at “The Harbor” Pepperdine Bible Lectures, on May 3, 2019. The two audio lessons are followed by the Powerpoint presentation with… Read More

At my church this morning it was preached that the apostle John survived being boiled in oil before he was exiled on Patmos. Is this true? It is certainly true… Read More

EARLY CHURCH HISTORY WITH DAVID BERCOT Saturday, December 1, 2018 Download the PowerPoint from https://www.athensinstitute.org This will be available to all paying students until midnight 2 Dec ET only.

Jesus spoke out often about the very things which lead to a misguided understanding of God’s revealed truth in the Scriptures. Those influences are ignorance, apathy, religion, tradition and open… Read More

Some Key Dates in Church History

The archaeological exhibit on the tomb of Christ is on display at the National Geographic Museum through August, 2018. Click here. Articles: click here.

When I was a teenager, I remember how my heart was moved by Billy Graham’s Peace with God. The simple way in which Graham is able to express profound truths has enabled him to connect with… Read More

An extraordinary collection of 68 New Testament and other Biblical manuscripts dating from the fourth to the twentieth centuries has been digitized and made available for study online. Continue reading… Read More

What exactly was the Inquisition? (If you prefer to listen to my reply, click on the arrow for the podcast, The Inquisition (20 min). If you want to save and… Read More

To hear the podcast (54 mins) titled Why I Am Not a Protestant, click on the arrow. To download and listen to it later, right click here and then on ‘save… Read More

Listen to David Bercot’s lessons (Scroll Publishing) through its YouTube channel. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL6qGDn7Nnd84-UgURpw8Dw Description Welcome to the Scroll Publishing YouTube channel. We are a small publisher of Christian books… Read More

The Origin of the word Christmas The modern word Christmas comes from the Old English Cristes mæsse, or Christ’s mass. In Medieval Catholicism, this was the Mass. The word mass… Read More

The tomb of Paul was discovered just outside the old city walls of Rome, in the area of the Church of St Paul Outside the Walls. Excavation of the grave… Read More

Link to Restoration Quarterly Article:  LINK

http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/

381 AD. This is the date that Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Earlier in the same (fourth) century, it had become legal, but from this date… Read More

This is the “handout” to accompany the church history powerpoint presentation made in Lagos, Nigeria (2005). In addition, the 7 lessons of church history are: 1. No clergy/laity distinction! 2…. Read More

Check out this story if you haven’t seen it already. Link

I wrote the following piece in the mid-1980s. Following is another, more humorous, piece. Hope you enjoy them! — DJ The Man Who Came in from the Cold I remember… Read More

The word “gnosticism” comes from gnosis, Greek for “knowledge.” Esoteric or secret knowledge is meant. The Gnostics believed that only an elite few enjoyed special enlightenment. The Gnostic view of… Read More