Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction

December 5, 2007

I have read several books on the ‘Church Fathers’ but they have been published from a Catholic perspective. Yet, more and more, we hear reference being made to the ‘Church Fathers’ in evangelical circles.

I have not read Getting to Know the Church Fathers yet but I plan to. It is my hope that this book will better inform evangelicals on the ‘Church Fathers’.

The following is a description of the book:

Many evangelical Christians know very little about the early church fathers. Others have heard just enough to be suspicious of them and their treatment of Scripture. Still others are becoming interested in this neglected but significant community of believers.

In Getting to Know the Church Fathers, patristics scholar Bryan Litfin introduces readers to ten ancient Christians and dispels the misconceptions that have tainted many evangelicals’ view of them.

Litfin’s personal and accessible approach to the church fathers–including Augustine, Ignatius, Origen, Perpetua, and Tertullian–reveals the riches of the Christian tradition and how much Christians today have been shaped by them in the ways we worship, pray, study Scripture, and live as a community.

Each chapter tells the story of one figure’s life and work, and concludes with probing questions for discussion or reflection, guides to further reading, and a fresh, vivid translation from the church father’s original writings. The book is ideal for students, professors, church groups, and others seeking to learn more about historic, orthodox Christianity.

Author Information: Bryan M. Litfin (PhD, University of Virginia) is associate professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute.

Posted in Book, Book Review, Books, Catholic, Catholicism, Church Fathers, Roman Catholic