Mapping the First 500 Years of Church History

After two weeks on why church history matters, Charlie and Abigail start laying out the map. This week they cover the first three of eight eras they’ll walk through in the series: the church of the apostles, the early church under persecution, and the moment Christianity went from illegal to mainstream under Constantine. Along the way they talk about what “the church” actually means, why one verse about Peter shapes so much of church history, how the destruction of the temple in 70 AD scattered believers, and why so many early heresies were about one question: who is Jesus? They also touch on what changed when following Jesus no longer cost you anything. And yes, Abigail makes the case for naming a kid Irenaeus. It’s a big-picture look at the centuries most of us know the least about, even though they’ve shaped our faith the most.