In historic Christianity the field of apologetics (a reasoned defense of the faith) is considered a branch of theology. Apologetics often has a close connection to evangelism (communication of the gospel message) by attempting to remove intellectual obstacles that may stand in the way of a person embracing faith (conversion). In this four-part series we’ll take a look at how apologetics can…
Augustine of Hippo (354–430) was born in North Africa to a pagan father and a Christian mother. Following a youth and an early career steeped in debauchery and ambition, Augustine experienced a dramatic conversion to Christianity when he turned from his pagan beliefs. His classic book Confessions details his conversion story and, to this day, remains a perennial bestseller. Over his lengthy career Augustine was a prolific author,…
Saint Justin, also known as Justin Martyr, was one of the first Christians to meet Greco-Roman thinkers on their own ground by using philosophy as a tool or handmaid (servant) to defend the gospel message. But what else did he contribute to historic Christianity? Here’s your crash course on the life and accomplishments of Justin Martyr—and why he still matters…
How did the tiny and little-known Jesus movement overcome hostilities and persecution within four centuries to become the official religion of the Roman Empire? Christians, of course, believe that God sovereignly arranged the circumstances of history to allow the gospel to go forth with power and great success. Yet God’s providential workings behind the scenes of history do not rule…
Jesus Christ lived the most consequential life in human history. As Christian theologian Michael Green notes, “His coming split history into two: everything is dated before or after this man.”1 But the religion that bears his name started small and slow in the backwater of the Roman Empire. What factors contributed to its subsequent rapid spread? In this series we’ll…
Lasting from about the fifth century AD into the fifteenth, the Middle Ages, sometimes called the age of the church, may be one of the most interesting periods of history and, at the same time, one of the most mysterious. It also faces much prejudice—people may not know a lot about the Middle Ages, but they tend to have negative…
Named for two Roman Emperors, Aurelius Augustinus was born November 13 AD 354, in Thagaste, a small Roman province of Numidia in North Africa (present day Algeria). His family was what might be called a lower middle-class. His father, Patricius, was a small-landowner with pagan beliefs who seemed to care more about his son’s education than his character.
Throughout history, these theological books have impacted both the church and the world. I chose these works in order to provide a broad scope of historic Christian thought, although I do not necessarily agree with every point these authors make. But whatever your branch of Christendom or denominational attachment, I do encourage you to consider these books for your theological…
You know how I like lists, well here’s my all-time defenders of the faith list. The last three are still alive and defending. Top Twelve Favorite Christian Apologists List (outside the New Testament and in historical order only) 1. Athanasius 2. Augustine 3. Bonaventure 4. Thomas Aquinas 5. Blaise Pascal 6. Benjamin Warfield 7. C. S. Lewis 8. Walter Martin 9.…
I wrote this article when I first came to work for Reasons To Believe in 1998. Influential British mathematician-philosopher Bertrand Russell once remarked, “I am as firmly convinced that religions do harm as I am that they are untrue.”
Reflections 