Christian History articles from February 1998

Christian History archives from February 1998

DID YOU KNOW?
February 1, 1998... Little-known or remarkable facts about church growth in the ancient pagan world. For more than 150 years after the Resurrection, Christians had no official church buildings. During this time, evangelism was conducted mainly in homes, in...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
February 1, 1998... Whether or not Livingstone is considered a hero depends on how one defines heroism and in what context. If heroism rests merely upon exploits, then Mr. Livingstone certainly has sound claim to the appelation of hero. But hero of what? ...

DEFENDING THE CANNIBALS.
February 1, 1998... How Christians responded to the sometimes strange accusations of their critics. Christians are cannibalistic, incestuous, ass-worshiping magicians who practice dangerous superstitions. Or at least that is what early critics thought. ...

ORDINARY SAINTS AT FIRST CHURCH.
February 1, 1998... It wasn't revivals or eloquent preachers that most influenced pagan society but everyday Christians doing everyday evangelism. Pagans and Jews converting by the thousands after hearing the preaching of the apostles. Apologists, using...

The Exile and the Slave Girl.
February 1, 1998... Two of the least known but most effective early evangelists. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR (c. 240-c. 332) Converted a nation--before Constantine As an infant, Gregory was whisked away from his homeland--Armenia--by his nurse. His father, it...

KEY CONVERTS.
February 1, 1998... Rejecting paganism, these five Christians helped evangelize an empire. GREGORY THAUMATURGUS (c. 210-2 60) "The Wonder Worker" Parents today sometimes worry that their children will go off to college and return as converts to some...

THE GROWTH OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY.
February 1, 1998... c. 30 Death and resurrection of Jesus; coming of the Holy Spirit c. 40-65 Missions of Paul and associates, especially to Gentiles c. 40 The word Christians first used to describe believers in Antioch c. 50-95 ...

LIVE LONGER, HEALTHIER, & BETTER.
February 1, 1998... The untold benefits of becoming a Christian in the ancient world. Constantine, the first Christian to rule Rome, governed for 31 years and died in bed of natural causes at a time when the average imperial reign was short and emperors' lives...

EVANGELISTS TO THE DEATH.
February 1, 1998... It took centuries for Christian martyrs to impact pagan society. The blood of Christians is seed," wrote Tertullian, a North African Christian, in about 197. "[It is] the bait that wins men to our school. We multiply whenever we are mown...

THE COMPETITION.(rivals to Christianity in the ancient world)
February 1, 1998... When Christianity came to town, the religious marketplace was already crowded. It is A.D. 240 in Dura Europos, a Roman garrison on the Euphrates River. If you walk the streets at the western edge of town, you pass: * A temple of...

FROM BLACK MAGIC TO MYSTICAL AWE.(Roman paganism)(excerpts from 'Paganism and Christianity: 100-425 C.E.: A Sourcebook')
February 1, 1998... Glimpses of many-sided Roman paganism--from engravings, parchments, and tablets of the ancient world. Casting spells From a book of spells, early fourth century: Spell of Attraction: it attracts those who are uncontrollable and...

THE EMPEROR'S NEW RELIGION.(conversion of Emperor Constantine)
February 1, 1998... The story of early Christianity's most famous--and most controversial--convert. The first Life of Constantine describes its subject as "resplendent with every virtue that godliness bestows." This panegyric came from the hand of Eusebius,...

The Emperor Strikes Back.(Christianity in Roman Empire)
February 1, 1998... How the once illegal religion became the law of the empire. Let superstition cease; let the folly of sacrifices be abolished. Whoever, after the publication of this law, continues to sacrifice, shall be punished according to his deserts."...

ROMAN REDUX.(Interview)
February 1, 1998... Today's evangelistic challenge is not all that different than it was for the early church. an interview with ROBERT LOUIS WILKEN The situation of the ancient and modern church seems strikingly similar: both are minorities in...

Evangelism in the Early Church.(Bibliography)
February 1, 1998... Most historians agree on the basic methods and reasons for the evangelization of the Roman Empire, but each brings a different emphasis. (All the in-print books can be ordered from Books Now at 1-800-962-6651 ext. 1248 or http://www....