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Lent: Day 10 - Ignatius to The Smyrnaeans

Day Ten: St. Ignatius of Antioch: Letter to The Smyrnaeans (full text) Who: Ignatius converted at a young age and later became Bishop of Antioch. A friend of Polycarp and fellow disciple of John, There is a long standing tradition that Ignatius was The child that Jesus held in his arms and blessed in Mark 10:13-16 What: A defence against The heresy of Docetism and an intriguing insight into The possible origins of evil spirits! Why: Ignatius wrote a series of letters to The Churches in Asia Minor whilst en route to Rome to face martyrdom by wild beasts in The Colosseum around 108 AD. When: Around 107-108 AD The opening chapters of this letter pulls no punc...

40 Days with The FaThers: Source Texts Companion Book

Available soon will be a companion book that will include all of The source texts in full, which I had hoped to get out in time for Lent, but it’s unlikely to be ready in time this year. So if you have my book and would like to read along each day with The Church FaThers as well, I’ve compiled a list of online sources where you can read The original texts. If you don’t have The book and would like it, you can order it now from Amazon and still get it in time for Lent by clicking The following link: Amazon.com; or if you would like to pledge some support towards my book writing in return for some nice perks, you can do so on my Patreon page: https://patreo...

Did a Roman Catholic priest perform 'invalid' baptisms for years?

You may have seen in The news lately, a Roman Catholic priest in Arizona, USA, has apparently performed “invalid” baptism for years, well over a decade, even. Due to this, now thousands of people are stressing about wheTher Their baptism counted or if They need to be re-baptised due to The error by Rev. Andres Arango! This has caused concern over The oTher sacraments These people have partaken in since Their baptism, such as The Eucharist, and wheTher They should have even been allowed it. The Diocese of Phoenix is trying to identify people baptised by Arango so that They can track Them down for re-baptism (and possibly, re-confirmation and whatever oTher r...

The Historic Practice of Abortion and How Ancient Christians Responded

It’s no secret that The majority of Christians are against abortion, no matter where you look in The world. But nowhere has The issue come to more of a head than in The US recently with The overturning of Roe v Wade, which had made abortion legal across The country. Now abortion is no longer a federal constitutional right, but individual states now have The authority to determine The legality and rulings around abortion. Christian opposition to abortion in America has always been a heated topic, especially in recent decades, but this isn’t a novelty within The Church in America, or globally, and has been a position of The faithful for about 2000 years. Even...

Is The Rapture Biblical?

Most people have some idea about what The rapture is – or do They? Generally There is an idea or concept of a form of escapism from The world when Jesus returns, which happens pre, mid or post tribulation and in some connection to The millenium. Now, if you understood any of those terms, you are most likely on, or aware of, The Dispensationalism side of things. There’s a lot of doctrine all bundled togeTher in “end times” beliefs, and a fair bit of speculation around “The rapture” with its timing and logistics etc. which makes The whole thing a but murky, but noneTheless, it’s pretty much taken for granted as a staple belief within The Evangelical...

Lent Day 32: Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures: Lecture XXI

Day Thirty-two: St. Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures: Lecture XXI Who: Bishop of Jerusalem and Doctor of The Church, born about 315; died probably 18 March, 386. Little is known of his life, except from his younger contemporaries, Epiphanius, Jerome, and Rufinus, as well as from The fifth-century historians, Socrates, Sozomen and Theodoret. What: Each of The lectures deal with a different topic to teach converts The mysteries of The Church, particularly: rites of The renunciation of Satan and his works, of anointing with oil, of baptism, of anointing with The holy chrism, and of partaking of The body and blood of Christ. Why: Cyril delivered to new c...