Why do most fundamental christian theologians praise early christian writers such as ...?

Question

Augustine of Hippo, Ambrose of Milan, Jerome, Irenaeus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, Athanasius of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, and Justin Martyr in their wrightings, when they contradict most of what fundamentalist believe in... such as the Eucharist being the Body and Blood of Christ... The universal ruling over believers by the Vicar of Jesus (the bishop of rome)... Confessing sins to priest... baby baptism... and so on?

Answer 1

Well obviously the can't go with the overtly catholic ones like Augustine or Aquinas!

Answer 2

Hello!

Well, that's a good question. You know, many Christians rely on tradition. They look back to those men because they were the first (in this case, I think) catholics. So it is thought that, as truth is being discovered by tthe theologians, they write down their notes for future generations. Many good and sincere people rely a lot on this writings and when facing a dilemma, they ask themselves, "what does (you name it) say about this? What did they discover?".

You gave some good examples of tradition. Baby baptism, confessing sins to a priest, etc, they're traditions; they're not in the Bible. You'll not find anything like that in the Scriptures (I don't mean to offend anybody, I respect what everybody might believe, I'm trying to be as respectful as I can at the same time am being honest). But some Christians interpret the Bible by tradition, and how do we know tradition is ok? We compare it to the Bible; and how do we interpet the Bible? by tradition... and so on.

For example, Justin Martyr (please, correct me if am wrong) wrote about Christians worshiping on sunday as the Lord's day in the early II a.C. century. Many people claim that, as it was the custom of some Christians in those times, the day of worship was changed by Jesus from the seventh-day Sabbath to the first day, the Lord's day. But, nowhere in the Bible you'll find sunday, the first day, being the Lord's day (in fact, just the opposite, seventh-day Sabbath is called the Lord's day [Ex. 20:10; Mark 2:28]), neither a change by Jesus or the apostles. The "change" was made years after the apostles' death. It is a tradition of some people in the II century, but the early Christians (the ones in the Bible) gathered on the seventh day just as it has been since Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:1-3). But since tradition says that most Christians have been worshiping on sunday for about 19 centuries, it is taught that Jesus changed the Sabbath after His resurrection, and that Bible texts such as Acts 20:7, and other texts, support the tradition that sunday is now the day of worship

You see? That's the way things work in some churces. Good Christians by the way, I'm not against people. It's natural to rely on tradition about things that seem so far away from our time. So we think that those people knew better since they lived in a closer time to the early church.

But, the Bible is plainty clear that the Scriptures are the lamb that will guide us to truth:

"Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path." (Psalms 119:105; NKJV))

"Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You." (Psalms 119:11)

"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." (John 17:17)

...and we could go on.

Well, good question. And honestly, it's not my intention to offend anyone, I don't want to ever do that. Take care, guys. God bless you!

Answer 3

I don't think there is much evidence that these Patriarchs held such views as transubstantiation or apostolic succession. Infant baptism is still practiced by Presbyterians. If you are referring to Fundamentalists (it is such a useless word) as pre-millinial Baptist, cultural separatists, then you should know those Christians don't praise or read the early church fathers at all. Their history goes back about as far as Dwight Moody.

Answer 4

You are speaking of catholocism- born again christians do not follow that false doctrine. We follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. And we do not baptize babies- babies have no understanding of the gospel are too young to be held accountable then. And we only pray to Jesus- He is the mediator between God and man.

1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

1 Timothy 6:3
If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,

2 John 1:9
Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

Answer 5

definitely many early Christian sects probable such simply by fact the essenes the sect that Jesus maximum probable belonged to believed in reincarnation. Origen of Alexandria, considered one of Christianity's nicely suited systematic theologians, grew to become right into a believer in reincarnation. Origen grew to become right into a guy or woman dedicated to scriptural authority, a virulent disease to the enemies of the church, and a martyr for the religion. He grew to become into the non secular instructor of a super and grateful posterity and yet his teachings have been declared heresy in 553. The debates and controversies that flared up around his teachings are somewhat the checklist of reincarnation interior the church. The case against Origen grew by suits and starts from some.D. 3 hundred (fifty years after his death) till 553. From approximately 395 to 403 Origen grew to alter into the concern of heated debate throughout Christendom. Origen's chief theological artwork. Origen grew to become into finally formally condemned interior the 2d Council of Constantinople in 553, while fifteen anathemas have been charged against him. The critics of Origen attacked him on guy or woman factors, and for this reason did not create a scientific theology to oppose him. nonetheless, you are able to nonetheless glean from their writings 5 significant factors that Christianity has raised against reincarnation: (a million) it sort of feels to shrink Christian salvation. (2) that's in conflict with the resurrection of the physique. (3) It creates an unnatural separation between physique and soul. (4) that's outfitted on a lots too speculative use of Christian scriptures. (5) there is not any recollection of previous lives. in case you learn this concern heavily you would be unable to help yet ask your self if Jesus him self did not prepare the doctrine of reincarnation in his ministry. If he did, Christianity declared his teachings heresy suited alongside with the different teachings approximately it. particularly an alluring probability. Love and advantages Don

Answer 6

Because fundamentalists read them selectively for what they agree with, or, more likely, because they don't actually read them at all. Like all Christians, they selectively choose what they like from writers they agree with and pretend that the other things don't exist.

It's just like Catholics who praise a writer like St. Thomas Aquinas even though he wrote that one of the glories and pleasures of heaven would be to see the damned writhe around in agony.

Answer 7

sounds quite pagan!

imagine the horror of a child hearing they were about to eat the blood and body of a man?

you tell me

Answer 8

Well, I don't agree with all of them, but they give us some stuff to think about. It's an interesting thought.

I respect them for this reason, however: they lived, bled, and died for the church. Without them, we might not have the church today.