Getting to Know the Church Fathers by Bryan M Liftin

Getting to Know the Church Fathers by Bryan M Liftin

Introduction

This paper briefly discusses the work of Bryan M Liftin and hos his book has become an inspiration for the readers. The book is a lively piece for evangelical readers. It is an excellent narrative of religious and historical themes. It shows how the Fathers of the Church live their lives and are how they are devoted to the worship of God. This paper outlines his work and philosophy about the Church Fathers and invites the people to the path of God. He wants people to embrace their religion.

Discussion

Most of books that are written explaining about the fathers of the church in one way or another are more generally not exactly out of the reach of a layperson. Dr. Bryan Litfin a Theology professor. He had tried his best to fill the space including Evangelicalism with an introduction that is quiet welcoming as well as thoughtful. All the way throughout his book, Litfin had used illustrations and anecdotes in order to make the stories, and thoughts related to the ten church fathers much more accessible and easy to understand to the believers who possibly have not yet acquired their PhD's. The fathers who are discussed in detail in this book are Ignatius (Antioch), Irenaeus (Lyons), Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Augustine, Perpetua, John Chrysostom, Origen, Athanasius, and Cyril of Alexandria. All these fathers have lived a life with extreme amount of devotion to the worship of God. Their lives are a lesson for all those who want to live their lives according to the righteous path as defined by God. The fathers of the Church are an example for people of all ages. The guidelines have proven to be an example since then.

Litfin opened his book with a story of a boy named Billy. During times of his childhood, Billy used to spend a lot of his time at the house of his grandmother, but as he started to grow up and become much more independent, the time he used to spend at his grandparents became less and less. Once after the death of his grandmother, he was visiting the house and roaming around here and there when he discovered hidden in the attic the remarkable and extraordinary legacy of his grandparents and his family. This made him realize and regret all the years and time that he had lost. The purpose of sharing this story was obviously to highlight that how Evangelicals and the Protestants in general. The individuals today do not frequently spend much time thinking, inquiring and asking about their heritage as a church of even around one hundred years back, much less the heritage of fifteen hundred years ago. In contradistinction to Billy's searching through his grandmother's hope chest, the usual way in which we hear about the fathers of the church is most of the time in a proof-texting way and manner so as to prove that all such ...