“What is Ecclesiology?”……Ecclesiology is the study of the church. The word Ecclesiology comes from two Greek words meaning “assembly” and “word” – combining to mean “the study of the church.” The church is the assembly of believers who belong to God. Ecclesiology is crucial to understand God’s purpose for believers in the world today. Some […]

“What does it mean that the church is the bride of Christ?”……The imagery and symbolism of marriage is applied to Christ and the body of believers known as the church. These are those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal savior and have received eternal life. In the New Testament, Christ, the Bridegroom, […]

“What was the First Great Awakening? What was the Second Great Awakening?”……Answer: The First and Second Great Awakenings (c. 1735-1743 and c.1795-1830, respectively) were theologically significant in that they helped to shape Christian thinking by the intense revivalism they created. Each had leaders who were noteworthy in history, with Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield being […]

“What is the Nazirite/Nazarite vow?”……Answer: The Nazirite/Nazarite vow is taken by individuals who have voluntarily dedicated themselves to God. The vow is a decision, action, and desire on the part of people whose desire is to yield themselves to God completely. By definition, the Hebrew word nazir, simply means "to be separated or consecrated." The […]

“What was the Great Schism?”……Answer: The Great Schism is the title given to the rift that formed in the Church in the eleventh century A.D. This separation led to the “Roman Catholic” Church, hereby known as the Western Church, and the “Greek Catholic” or “Greek Orthodox Church,” hereby known as the Eastern Church.……In order to […]

“Why is it important to be familiar with church history?”……Answer: In the minds of many, history is a subject to be tolerated when necessary, but ignored whenever possible. Sadly, this is also true for church history. The philosophy behind this attitude is that whatever was done in the past is dead and gone, but what […]

“Who were the early church fathers?”……The early church fathers fall into three basic categories: apostolic fathers, ante-Nicene church fathers, and post-Nicene church fathers. The apostolic church fathers were the ones like Clement of Rome who were contemporaries of the apostles and were probably taught by them, carrying on the tradition and teaching of the apostles […]