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Church History

Christianity and the So-Called “Dark Ages”

Posted: March 14, 2024

Christianity and the So-Called “Dark Ages” By Melissa Cain Travis MAR 9 READ IN APP In his famous essay, “The Age of Reason,” American Founding Father and deist, Thomas Paine,… Read More

Christmas Origins: “The Man Who Came in from the Cold”

Posted: December 6, 2023

I wrote the following piece in the mid-1980s. The audio talk (14 mins) is based on the original paper. The Man Who Came in from the Cold I remember the… Read More

Unity in the Sub-Apostolic Church (Steve Staten)

Posted: October 15, 2023

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

Hidden Origins of the Campbell Movement: Cooperating across denominational boundaries (James L. Gorman)

Posted: September 5, 2023

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

Cordell Christian College | Resurrected Living

Posted: April 21, 2023

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

The Seven Sacraments

Posted: January 16, 2023

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

History, Hermeneutics & Church Polity – Courtney A. Bailey

Posted: December 1, 2022

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

AIM UK & Ireland – next module this Saturday 3rd December

Posted: November 30, 2022

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

Q&A 1616—Santiago de Compostela

Posted: January 7, 2022

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

The Sinner’s Prayer (with updated reflections), by Stephen Staten

Posted: December 27, 2021

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

Posted: September 27, 2021

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

The ancient Christian creed (4th century)

Posted: September 9, 2021

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

Who are the Jehovah’s Witnesses?

Posted: March 24, 2021

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

“COC & ICOC: The Rift and the Repair – Revisited”

Posted: March 18, 2021

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

This Day in History: St. Patrick Dies

Posted: March 17, 2021

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

Patrons, Prophets, and Preachers, by Rob Kranz

Posted: August 31, 2020

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

Interview with Douglas Foster: Alexander Campbell Biography

Posted: August 17, 2020

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

Church History Insights – Christian Ray interviews Daryl Reed

Posted: July 27, 2020

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

The divided legacy of Alexander Campbell

Posted: July 8, 2020

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

Posted: May 30, 2020

  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

Restoration or Reformation?, John Teal

Posted: May 2, 2020

  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

How Churches of Christ responded when the 1918 ‘Spanish flu’ killed millions

Posted: March 22, 2020

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

Are You an American Church? (London, 1986)

Posted: February 10, 2020

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.  

COC & ICOC: The Rift & The Repair-Audio & Notes

Posted: May 9, 2019

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

Q&A 1542 – John boiled in oil?

Posted: December 7, 2018

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

Download Bercot classes (1 Dec 2018)

Posted: December 1, 2018

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.

PRIESTHOOD OF THE BELIEVER, by Bob Koivisto

Posted: September 24, 2018

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

91 Key Dates in Church History

Posted: September 13, 2018

Some Key Dates in Church History

Tomb of Christ

Posted: November 29, 2017

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

Review of Terry Whalin’s Billy Graham: A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist

Posted: November 4, 2017

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 online trove of Biblical manuscripts

Posted: September 26, 2017

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

Q&A 1505 – What was the Inquisition? (Torture, witches, Galileo… and lessons for today)

Posted: September 10, 2017

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

Why I Am Not a Protestant, by Douglas Jacoby

Posted: June 7, 2017

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

Bercot lessons at YouTube

Posted: November 3, 2016

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

Linguistic Insight: Christmas & Santa Claus

Posted: July 31, 2013

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

Paul’s grave claimed found by the Vatican

Posted: December 19, 2006

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

Church History: Baptismal theology in the past 2 centuries

Posted: July 28, 2006

Link to Restoration Quarterly Article:  LINK

Complete Set of Patristic Writers Online

Posted: May 4, 2006

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

Church History: 381 AD. Rome’s Official Religion

Posted: February 28, 2006

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

Church History Century by Century

Posted: December 4, 2005

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

Archaeologists Unveil Ancient Church Site

Posted: November 10, 2005

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

Gnosticism, by Andrew Kitchen

Posted: July 17, 2003

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