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"Who could be so callous, so stony-hearted, who so unmindful of brotherly love, as to remain dry-eyed in the presence of so many of his own kin, who are broken now, shadows of their former selves, disheveled, in the trappings of grief?" -St. CyprianThe Darkness:Roman persecution resulted not only in the death of Christians but also in an internal division concerning the proper response to those who apostatized and sought a return to the Church after the persecution. The divergent views created …

The Argument for the Great Apostasy If the early Church was the Catholic Church, why can’t we say that Christians just lost their way early on? That’s the argument many Mormon and Protestant theologians make. In Mormon theology, this idea is expressed in terms of a Great Apostasy that followed the death of the apostles: Following the death of Jesus Christ, wicked people persecuted and killed many Church members. Other Church members drifted from the principles taught by Jesus Christ …

The Claims of Early Christian Beliefs You can find countless variations of the claim that early Christians believed Protestant things: Mormons who claim that the early Christians believed Mormon things Muslims who claim they believed Muslim things Non-religious people claiming that they didn’t originally consider Jesus divine And various other religious groups making similar claims about how their teachings were what the earliest Christians really believed. Almost all …

Choosing Between Parents When my parents divorced, I had to choose between them—but it’s not what you think! Please afford me the chance to explain before you jump to conclusions. Many years ago, my father and mother were married and deeply loved each other. But over time, difficulties arose between them, which caused a slow deterioration in the health of their relationship and, eventually and regrettably, divorce. And worse, their separation had the unintended result of dividing my br …

The Role of Sacred Tradition in Early Christianity The first Christians didn’t learn their faith from the Bible because none of the books of the New Testament had been written yet. This is evident in Paul thanking the Corinthians for “maintain[ing] the traditions even as I have delivered them to you” (1 Cor. 11:2), and instructing his disciple Timothy,“what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). Paul thanked the …