Andy Hynes

Two Key Men 2 of 2 Charlemagne As I mentioned in the previous post, the Middle Ages gave us some key figures in the History of Christianity. We may disagree with them on some levels, but we are indebted to their furtherance of Christianity. While we may not like to think about the direct link […]

We have so much to learn! Once the Post-Nicene Church Father era ends with Augustine, we see an emergence of authority take place. What happened leading up to this point? Five Ecumenical councils took place, a claim to succession from Peter began , Christianity moved beyond the borders of the Empire, and in 476 the […]

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers As we recently viewed the first five ecumenical councils from a distance, I want to take a closer look at some influential men from that time. The men that lived during the time of the Council of Nicaea through the late 400’s are referred to as the Nicene and Post-Nicene Church […]

The Five Influential Councils Say what you want about Constantine and the conversion of the Roman Empire to a form of Christianity, but one thing we should be grateful for is the May 20, 325 Council of Nicaea. This was the first of five Ecumenical councils that involved bishops from all over the Roman Empire. […]

Old School The modern Christian movement has enveloped itself in a battle over worship. Unfortunately, the primary issue is style, proving today’s impression of worship; starts and ends with “singing.” However, singing is not the end all of worship, but a single component. Our worship today often resembles a cultural shift based upon our demographic […]

Taitian, Irenaeus, Origen, and Tertullian As I mentioned in my previous post, early pagan philosophical critics sought to discredit and destroy the “new” Christian religion. However, their ill-fated attempts did not stand a chance against the providential hand of God. In His ordained plan, He placed certain men to write apologetic works refuting those pagan […]

In the 1st century the newness of the Christian faith led to various attacks. Pagans, Jews, and the Romans all sought to destroy the “new” religion. They didn’t realize the faith was not new, just rounding in form. (The Christians saw their heritage lifted out of the OT Judaism in the person of Jesus Christ.) […]

The providence of God gets lost in the singular discussion regarding salvation. When we talk about this topic this is the main idea. However, as I continue to look through a historical lens I see more than that. Maybe we do not think beyond salvific things in reference to God’s providence and allow ourselves to […]

Church History is a common course in almost every undergraduate and graduate level degree in Theology, Bible, ministry, etc. However, I have begun to think we have lost the purpose or thrust behind the need for studying the historical roots of the church. In a day when the newest, latest, and most innovative ideas take […]

While teaching my Contemporary Worldviews class, we wrapped up the semester with Postmodernism. While Postmodernism may not necessarily be considered a worldview, as it is the absence of any absolutes, it is a common approach to life in 21st century America. With each successive worldview I sought to help the students think about engaging others […]

Identity Crisis This post does not take the multisite church approach to task. Skilled craftsmen in church planting can hash that out. This post does not seek to bash a single location containing multiple congregations, pending a differentiation between those congregations. Along with the differentiation, there are separate pastoral leaders. Many churches have multiple ethnic […]