Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words

Have you ever read a book so convicting that you kind of wish you hadn’t read it? That’s this book.

Four Witnesses is a not-so-brief history of the early church from the perspective of four of its founders: Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr and Irenaeus of Lyons. It tells their stories in a personable way that helps to give an idea of what the early church was like, as well as giving a testimony to their dedication amidst persecution.

The most important part, though, comes in Bennett’s afterword, where he gives his own spiritual journey that took place while he was researching and writing the book. The underlying idea he points out, that he was convicted about himself, is this: when looking at the early church’s structure, hierarchy, practices and beliefs, the best model of that exists today in the form of the Catholic church. Furthermore, he argues that, when looking at certain actions that the early church swiftly did away with as heresy, they come scarily close to the way the Church is carried out by evangelicals and even Anglicans.

This has just scratched the surface. I don’t want to let one book be a strong enough force for me to drastically alter my faith, but it’s hard to not feel swayed strongly by the power of his words and the logic and support behind his arguments.

More to come, I’m sure.