Church History for Chumps

Apr 15 2025 67 ep. 47 mins 29

Church History for Chumps Podcast artwork

We're not your grandfather's church history podcast. But we'd also really appreciate it if your grandfather still listened to us.

IG: @churchhistory4chumps

Religion & Spirituality History Society & Culture

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The Council of Nicaea: The Greatest Church Business Meeting Ever

Apr 15 2025 66 mins

"Conference room, five minutes!" -Emperor Constantine, probably 325 AD was a year of rebirth. The Church was recovering from the Diocletianic Persecution, the worst wave of violence and discrimination faced thus far. Theologians and clergy were also battling the schism of the Donatists and the heresy of the Arians, both of which brought division to the body. But 325 felt different.

The Great Persecution: The Empire Strikes Back!

Apr 08 2025 55 mins

"Y'all gon' make me lose my mind up in here." -Emperor Diocletian, probably The third century wasn't a great time to be a Roman. But believe it or not, it was a great time to be a Christian! Churches were built, the faith was spread, and the influence and witness of Christ's followers flowed far and wide. But that would soon come to an end. I mean, sort of. It didn't stop. It just

Catechism in the Early Church: Becoming a Citizen of God's Kingdom

Apr 01 2025 70 mins

Imagine you had a friend who was, I dunno, an alien. They have no grasp of life on earth, no understanding of human customs, minimal grasp of the language, culture, music, anything like that. And so for years, they undergo a process of both learning and un-learning. Gradually detaching from their weird Martian ways (no disrespect to our Martian listeners), and becoming finely tuned

Athanasius of Alexandria: The Five-Time Exile Champion

Mar 25 2025 51 mins

Have you ever had to move across the country? It's a life-changing experience. Disrupting your regular routines and rhythms, adjusting to a totally foreign environment, learning new regional customs. Now imagine being forced to move, against your wishes. Five different times, after being welcomed back home. That sounds pretty rough, huh? Welcome our topic for today, the greatest th

Saint Patrick: Pirates, Snakes, Barbarians, Oh My!

Mar 18 2025 45 mins

Did you know that Saint Patrick was the first Christian clergyman to ever don a priestly robe in green? No? That's because it's not true! There's a lot of mythology around our boy, Paddy. But that just makes his story that much more interesting. Thanks for tuning in! Don't forget to leave us a cool review and tell a friend about us. Or an enemy. IG: @churchhistory4chumps Text Us! B

Augustine of Hippo: Your Pastor's Favorite Theologian

Mar 11 2025 53 mins

Every sport has a Wayne Gretzky. A Hank Aaron. A Michael Jordan. The 4th Century didn't have Michael Jordan, though. It had Augustine of Hippo. And maybe Augustine didn't drop 30 points against the Jazz with a flu (or whatever), but Michael Jordan never took down Pelagianism without breaking a sweat. Wayne Gretzky never wrote Confessions, bro. Hank Aaron wasn't mentored by Ambrose

King Charles I: The War Among Protestants

Mar 04 2025 84 mins

When most Christians (okay, all Christians that aren't Catholic) look back on the Reformation, we typically do it with a little twinkle in our eyes. It feels like a time of triumph, of sticking it to the man once and for all. In reality, the Reformation, for all its successes, was often a mess. And nowhere was that mess more evident than in 17th century England. Join us this week a

Anthony the Great: The First Desert Father

Feb 25 2025 49 mins

Imagine that you're a teenager. You live in one of the biggest cities in the world, and your parents have just died, leaving behind a Bruce Wayne-esque amount of wealth and land. This is any kid's dream come true. The world is your oyster. Unless your name is Anthony the Great. Then you decide to sell all your stuff, give it to the poor, and then go live in the desert for 80 years.

Third Century Persecution: An Empire in Crisis

Feb 17 2025 35 mins

"Awwww here it goes." --Kel Mitchell, Kenan and Kel We're back in the early church again, which means we're into the story of Christian persecution in the Roman Empire. The 3rd Century was no pleasant time for the Romans, Christian or not. Through a series of civil wars, external threats, and economic woes, the Empire was closer to collapse than ever before. This growing instabilit

John Brown: Martyr...or Murderer?

Feb 11 2025 59 mins

John Brown was a man on a mission from God. Or so he thought. Less than a decade before the Civil War began, John Brown would attempt to lead a slave rebellion by taking over a military armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Although unsuccessful, he would solidify his actions as a villain of the proslavery south and a hero of the antislavery north. Brown considered himself as a hero o