Soundings

BOETHIUS WAS A CHRISTIAN SCHOLAR and philosopher who lived at the time when the classical world of late antiquity was receding and what scholars call the early Middle Ages was about to dawn. His full name, Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, indicates that he belonged not just to the aristocracy of Rome, but also to the […]

The Cappadocians THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA convened by Emperor Constantine in 325 culminated with the composition of the Nicene Creed that clearly affirmed the full deity of the Son. However, as we saw in the previous article (Methodist Message, November 2011), the Nicene Creed did not resolve the theological conflict between the orthodox Fathers and […]

Athanasius (296-373 AD) WITHOUT A DOUBT, Athanasius, Bishop and Patriarch of Alexandria, is one of the most important figures in the Church in the Patristic era. Often described as the most remarkable bishop and the greatest theologian in the 4th century, he was a staunch defender of Nicene orthodoxy. His commitment to the doctrine of […]

Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD) ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANT and yet also the most enigmatic figures in the early history of the Church is Origen of Alexandria. A theologian with great powers of speculation and a prolific writer, he has authored about 800 treatises on exegesis, philosophy, apologetics, ascetical theology, mystical theology and dogma during […]

IDOLATRY A CHIEF SIN “Idolatry is “the principal charge against the human race, the world’s deepest guilt, the all-inclusive cause of judgement”. All other sins – murder, fornication and fraud – are included in this chief sin.” TERTULLIAN WAS BORN AT CARTHAGE in the middle of the second century into a pagan family. He was […]

Irenaeus of Lyons (d. 202 AD) ONE OF THE GREATEST THREATS to the Church in the second century is Gnosticism, a multifaceted and polymorphous sect whose origins can be traced to ancient Iran and Babylon. A mixture of Hellenistic philosophy, Iranian mysticism, heterodox Judaism and Christianity, Gnosticism exerted a powerful and corrosive influence in the early […]

UNLIKE THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS whose works addressed pastoral issues and concerns in the various churches, the Apologists were early Christian writers who wrote treatises in response to pagan criticisms. Steeped in the philosophical thinking of their day, the Apologists were robust defenders of Christianity. Their works offer invaluable insight into the early Church and its […]

Polycarp (65-155) POLYCARP IS MORE INTERESTING as a man and a martyr than a writer. The great early Church historian Eusebius (260-341) believed that Polycarp was acquainted with the apostle John, and “others who had seen the Lord”. In fact, the most prominent theologian of early Latin Christianity, Tertullian, cites a tradition which says that […]

We begin this month with a new series entitled “Faith of our Fathers”. This series explores the rich theological and spiritual heritage of the Church by reflecting on the writings of the saints. These servants of God hailed from diverse backgrounds and lived in different historical and cultural contexts. They were pastors, elders, theologians, mystics, […]

THE SALVATION ARMY was established in 1865 when William Booth, a minister from London, brought the Gospel to the homeless, the poor and the hungry in the streets of London. Booth’s original aim was to direct these converts to the established churches of his day. But when he found that these new believers were not […]

Are there any bases for Christians to support communism as a political ideology? COMMUNISM MAY BE DESCRIBED AS AN IDEOLOGY that seeks to promote a classless society. It envisions a society where the full equality of its members is recognised and respected, and where the public owns the means of production. Communists believe that under […]

THE BIBLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (BPC) began in the United States in 1937 as the result of a schism caused by the Modernist-Fundamentalist Dispute. The origins of this dispute can be traced to the inaugural address delivered in 1891 by Charles Briggs, a minister of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America (PCUSA) to […]