Early Church Fathers

Good morning,

In light of Sunday being Father’s Day, I thought I would write a bit about the “early church fathers” that we sometimes hear about in church circles.  “Early church fathers” is a term that is broadly used to denote men who were leaders and theologians in the early church.  One of the first men to receive such a title is Linus, who is mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:21. Some of the more well-known church fathers are Augustine, Justin Martyr, Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp and Jerome.

Most of what we know about the early church fathers comes from their writings, and those writings are often helpful in understanding how the Gospel continued to be spread and how the early church evolved and organized itself.  We also learn about the many heresies and false teachings that were circulating in the days of the early church, as the church fathers often wrote defenses of the Gospel.  One of my classes at LBC was on the works of the early church fathers…and the reading wasn’t easy!

By and large, the early church fathers were faithful defenders of the faith, and many of them ended up being persecuted and some eventually died as martyrs.  However, just like all fathers, the early church fathers were flawed men.  In fact, some of them held some distinctly unbiblical views that were rejected by the church.

One such man was a man named Origen of Alexandria.  A prolific writer, Origen’s works include many defenses of Jesus.  However, he also held many views that cannot be supported in the Bible.  For example, he believed that everyone existed in soul form before Creation, and your lot in life was directly proportional to how committed you were to God in your pre-existence.  He also believed that there was a ranked order of the Trinity (God the Father, then God the Son, and then God the Holy Spirit) and that eventually everyone (including demons) would be purified and saved by God.  He was therefore an early proponent of universalism.

Another such man was a man named Tertullian. Tertullian was initially a staunch defender of Christ in the early church and helped the Roman Catholic Church to rise in influence within the empire.  However, he later espoused a theology that only some Christians were filled with the Holy Spirit.  He further believed that those folks could give prophecies that were new revelations and should be considered the same as Scripture.

So what’s the big deal?  Well, if you were able to be with us this past Sunday you might remember that we looked at Paul’s instruction in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to test everything.  That includes the early church fathers.  They were important, but they weren’t perfect, and some of them even ended up being considered heretics by the church.  If someone is trying to teach you something about God, Jesus, or faith and quotes an early church father to support their belief, do the hard work of making sure that teaching lines up with Scripture.  Simply saying “Origen said” or “Tertullian taught” isn’t enough!  Any teaching has to agree with Scripture to be true.

Here's what’s happening:

1.               TONIGHT – Youth Group meets in the schoolhouse at 6:30 pm.

2.               TONIGHT – MCC Quilt Knotting in the church lobby at 6:30 pm.

3.               SATURDAY – Witness Festival.  “Gates” open at 10:30, concert and speakers from noon until 10 pm.

4.               6/25 – The Missions Trip team is hosting a Chicken BBQ fundraiser at the church.  Details and an order sheet are on the bulletin board near the church entrance.  They will need some help on the day of the BBQ preparing the meals.  Please see Thomas if you are able to help.

5.               If you would like to give directly to the missions trip, please do so over the next few weeks so the team can start finalizing the numbers.  You can use the special giving envelopes by the offering box.  Gifts are tax-deductible.

6.               We will be taking our annual “summer break” from Sunday School in July and August and have a coffee fellowship time from 9:30 until 10 each Sunday morning. There is a sign-up sheet to provide the snack on the bulletin board near the church entrance.

7.                Baptism Sunday is set for 8/24.  Please let me know if you would like to be baptized.

Have you ever felt the sting of rejection?  Just about all of us have, including 12 men in Jesus’ day who were told by someone "You're not good enough...go home."  Then Jesus appeared in their lives and said "Follow me."  This Sunday we are starting our summer sermon series on the 12 disciples!  If you know of someone who is struggling with believing that God loves them and can use them, be sure to invite them to join you at the Bridge! 

See you on Sunday,

Scott