The Church Fathers as Spiritual Mentors: Faith Is Illumined

Historian Michael Haykin examines the lives of such church fathers as Irenaeus of Lyons, Cyprian of Carthage, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, Macarius and Augustine, as he uncovers the theological debates, councils, creeds and preaching of the ancient church (A.D. 100–600). After the foundational ministry of the apostles, these early church leaders were pivotal to the formation of theological creeds, the defence of the faith against error and heresy and the development of early church ecclesiastical structure.

Defending the authority of the Scriptures, the doctrine of the Trinity, the godhead of the Holy Spirit and the deity of Christ, these church leaders provide a great example of the apologetic work of the ministry and the need for pastors to be astute to the theological challenges of the day. Dr. Haykin also considers the influence of the emperor Constantine and the development of the papacy and addresses such “modern” issues as abortion and the millennium. We owe the church fathers a great debt for their example of a committed, living faith.

Publisher: Joshua Press
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781894400817

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Michael A G Haykin serves as Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is also the director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. He has written and edited numerous books. He is married to Alison and they have two children, Victoria and Nigel.

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‘Haykin does a great work. It should be no surprise. I do not know so much about titling the series as mentoring, because he does give us an excellent review of tier theology and even the struggles that came about. Remember, that most of what we call dogma or doctrine, came out of great debates. He reviews the debate. So rather than an example to emulate, he discusses the basic tenets of the faith. It is definitely a nice survey of an era of church history that is usually reduced to a few key names. Do not overlook the chapter on the origins of the papacy. It shows how the church in error came to be and how history will always repeat itself.’ Matthew A. Crawford