Episodes

  • Justin Martyr: The First Christian Philosopher
    Jan 29 2025

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    Have you ever heard someone say that Christianity is anti-intellectual?

    Well, you should send them this episode. And have them 'like' and 'subscribe' too, that would help us a lot.

    But anyways. Justin Martyr was a 2nd-century Greek man with a love for philosophy, who found the fullness of all love of wisdom in Christ. We think he's a pretty cool guy.

    And today we're joined by another pretty cool guy, friend of the show Jacob Lewis. Join John and Jacob as they wax philosophically about, well, philosophy.

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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • The Birth of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
    Jan 21 2025

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    As you guys know, we love presenting church history as a beautiful anthology of the story of God's people. Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of the vastness of that story when we don't venture out of our own contexts.

    So today, we're going to peer to the far outside branches of our Christian family tree, and discuss the origin of one of the most longstanding Christian traditions in the world: the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

    To any Ethiopian (or otherwise East African) listeners, please forgive all of my flaws and mistakes, and feel free to let us know how to pronounce things properly.

    Thanks for being here.


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    33 mins
  • Second Century Persecution: Romans Just Don't Understand
    Jan 14 2025

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    "Why are you booing me? I'm right!"
    - the early church, probably

    The first century was a funky time to be a Christian, but persecution as we know it was pretty scattered and sporadic. In the second century though, things are starting to ramp up.

    Join us for another episode from our "The Early Church Gets the Worm" series, and listen to us forget to edit out some fun mic noises in the first five minutes!

    Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/chumphistory

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    38 mins
  • Perpetua and Felicity: Sisters of Suffering Sainthood
    Jan 7 2025

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    In our newest piece in our series of Early Church lore, we discuss another tale of martyrdom, that of Perpetua and Felicity.

    The early third Century was not an easy time for Christians in Northern Africa. But as so many tales of martyrs go, their story was one of both tragedy and triumph, as they took up the cross of Christ in the truest way.

    Thanks for tuning in!

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    46 mins
  • First Century Persecution: From Zero to Nero
    Jan 1 2025

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    "It's hard out here for a pimp."
    -the early church, probably

    As we continue our aptly named series, "The Early Church Gets the Worm," we discuss one of the most pressing topics for early Christians: persecution in the Roman Empire.

    Happy New Year, friends.

    Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/chumphistory

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    48 mins
  • Sergius and Bacchus: Best Bros in Life and Martyrdom
    Dec 24 2024

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    GUESS WHO'S BACK

    Man, it's been a minute you guys. I don't know if you missed us, but we definitely missed you.

    This kicks off our new season, "The Early Church Gets the Worm." We'll be focusing on, you guessed it, stories from the early church era.

    The story of Sergius and Bacchus is a tale of brotherhood, friendship, and the lasting legacy of their 5th century martyrdom.

    We love you guys. Stay safe, drink lots of water, and have a wonderful, joyous Christmas. God bless you!

    Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/chumphistory

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    58 mins
  • The Troubles: Religious (well, kinda religious) Turmoil in Northern Ireland
    May 31 2024

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    In many parts of the world, the question of whether you're a Catholic or Protestant means a lot more than if you submit to the Pope, or how you feel about Martin Luther.

    One such place is Northern Ireland. For generations, the people of Ireland and the United Kingdom have been steeped in a conflict about religious freedom, civil rights, and discrimination. Tragically, this period of tension boiled over between the 1960's and 1990's, an era of bloodshed and violence known as the Troubles.

    Today, we are joined by our fantastic guest Oisin Feeney (don't worry, he'll tell you how to pronounce it), host of The Troubles Podcast. Join us as we're led into the vast history of the Troubles by someone with the accent to prove he knows what he's talking about.

    In other news, we're going to use this special episode to close out our season, so we'll be going on a break for a few weeks.

    See you guys in Season 3!

    IG: @churchhistory4chumps
    (@thetroublespodcast)


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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Thomas Bramwell Welch: Why Do Some Churches Use Grape Juice?
    May 24 2024

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    Have you ever wondered why some churches use grape juice for communion, while others insist on using wine instead?

    The answer is more complicated than you think. Or it might be less complicated, I don't know, I feel like you're probably pretty smart.

    Either way, join us as we discuss Thomas Welch, the Prohibition Era, and the impact still felt by churches today.

    IG: @churchhistory4chumps



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    42 mins