GETTING TO KNOW THE CHURCH FATHERS

Litfin, Bryan M. Getting to Know the Church Fathers

Getting to Know the Church Fathers

Introduction

Bryan Litfin, associate professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute has written a fascinating and helpful book titled Getting to Know the Church Fathers. It slowly dawned on the reader as he or she their way through this book that the title must have been very deliberately chosen, for it is quite apt. By the time you read any of the brief biographies of these early church fathers (and a couple of mothers as well), you get the feeling that you are somehow connected to them and, more importantly, you have seen a glimpse of their personalities - in short, you are getting to know them. Far from just explaining their theology, Litfin actually introduces us to them. The sensation is not unlike when, at a social event, your friend introduces a newcomer with the words “George here rowed at Chicago too” or “Mary is also a bookstore owner” (Litfin, 2007, 25-299).

The excellent introduction contains an explanation of who the church fathers were and discusses several fallacies concerning them. In answering the question “why study the church fathers” the author not only invites us to plunge into the pages of his book, but to embark on a fascinating exploration of our spiritual ancestors. Litfin provides a brief time line and a map in the introduction, but the reades would have liked to have seen more visual materials included within each chapter. Reproductions of bits of manuscripts, artwork from the period, and graphical presentation of related data might have counteracted the occasional tendency to doze off during my late-night readings (Litfin, 2007, 25-299).

Book Summary

Getting to Know the Church Fathers is an accessible book written to introduce early church history specifically to an evangelical audience. Many evangelicals have lost touch with the grand tradition of the Christian faith, focusing solely on the expression of their present experience. Those who do have an appreciation for history operate under the faulty assumption that important church history began in the first century but then little of significance happened until the Reformation era. This book effectively addresses this shortcoming by exposing readers to ten significant early Christian people.

Litfin's approach is engaging for a newcomer to church history. Rather than exploring the church's past by concentrating on doctrine and controversies, Litfin focuses his attention on the stories of people. Litfin's volume provides engaging stories of ten early Christians: Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons, Tertullian, Perpetua, Origen, Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Augustine, and Cyril of Alexandria.

Litfin uses many contemporary analogies that evangelicals will respond to well. For example, his volume begins with a clever story of a young boy who loves his grandmother. He enjoys her presence for many years but then becomes a little more distant as time passes. He becomes too busy for his grandmother. Upon her death he gains access to her attic. There he finds pictures and memorabilia from his ...