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© 2026 Church History for Chumps
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We're not your grandfather's church history podcast. But we'd also really appreciate it if he still listened.
Saints, heretics, councils...and the occasional crazy stuff. We have fun.
IG: @churchhistory4chumps
110 Episodes
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Happy New Years, Chump Nation! We haven't forgotten about the Crusades, trust us. But we wanted to bring in the new year with a good friend of ours, the mind behind Inspiring Philosophy, Mike Jones. We walk through his insights on the current state of Islam, whether secularism is working out for the Western world, and how apologetics can still work in 2026. It's a good time! We promise you'll enjoy it. Thank you again to Mike and the Inspiring Philosophy team for all the sweet wor...
Rarely is one so compelled to gaze upward than when they enter the majestic Sistine Chapel. Featuring historically renowned art pieces such as the Creation of Adam and the Last Judgment, the Pope's private chapel is a spectacle that millions travel to witness every year. But did you know how it was built? Or how Michelangelo got roped into (sort of against his will) painting his now-famous ceiling? It's a pretty sweet story, and we're excited to share it with you. Join...
Merry Christmas, Chump Nation! Each year, we find ourselves immersed in traditions that range from decorating a tree, hanging large socks over the fireplace, and preparing for the arrival of a magical Arian puncher. But where do all of these traditions come from? Join us as we explore the vast range of Christmas Day customs and the different nooks and crannies of church histories where they originate from. And to any Puritans that may be listening today: give Christmas a cha...
Bienvenidos, amigos. It's the 16th century. The Aztec Empire has recently fallen at the hands of the Spanish conquistadores. Colonialism is spreading throughout New Spain, and with it, a rise of the Spanish faith: Roman Catholicism. The Native population is apprehensive, as they deal with the social collapse of their civilization and the health crises of crippling diseases. Until one December morning, when a humble Aztec peasant is walking to Mass, and sees something that will cha...
We all knew this day would come. For many of our friends in the Baptist tradition, there is no competition as to who the greatest Baptist is to grace the pulpit. Only a battle for second place. The gold medal belongs to Charles Spurgeon, the cigar smoking, quip quipping, Bible preaching, pulpit shaking, rootinest, tootinest cowboy in the wild, wild west. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, often known as the Prince of Preachers, built a reputation for bold, spirited teaching in his decades o...
I remember when AI was just a quirky little app that we used to laugh about. Now AI is everywhere: from your aunt's posts on Facebook to the suspiciously well-written essays turned in by terrible 6th graders. The influence of AI is growing, and the question of its morality is becoming more and more relevant. So what do you think, is AI opening Pandora's box? Or is it a new tool to be honed for the Gospel? We'll share our thoughts on the pod, you share yours in the comm...
It's a story as American as apple pie: a man known for his good morals is accused of chopping down a tree, and would one day lead a great nation. Oh wait, you think I'm talking about George Washington? WRONG! This is Saint Boniface, my friend. Often called the Apostle to the Germans, Boniface was a monk, preacher, missionary, and yes, sometimes a destroyer of pagan idols. Join Thom, Taylor, and John as we discuss our new favorite lumberjack. Side note: As I'm typ...
If you live in America, chances are you've been spoon fed Pilgrim lore since you were but a wee lad. You've likely heard the tales of adventurous English men and women braving the seas, fist bumping Indians, and wearing terrible clothing. But what's the real story? What would possess these people to brave a journey that would take them weeks, and possibly even cost them their lives? What was so bad that they needed to leave? And what did they believe was waiting for them? We...
If you were around for this story in 2018, you remember that it was everywhere. An American missionary is killed after attempting to make contact with an isolated tribe that lives on a small island in the Bay of Bengal. Criticism was immediate. Swarms of news outlets condemned the man for resurrecting age-old imperialist tactics in defying the tribe's desire for autonomy. Many Christians defended the action, citing the significance of the Great Commission and defending his desire ...
From Arianism to Modalism, Nestorianism to Docetism, we've hit our fair share of heresies on this show. (By talking about them, not by committing them, hopefully) So for this week's episode, we'll be discussing how the church has historically dealt with the "h-word." We'll also consider, from our own ministry perspectives, the optimal way to address heresy in a modern context. Also, Taylor learns something new about Colorado! And we discuss whether Estes Park is real or whether it...
Note: We love that some of our listeners enjoy our podcast with their entire families. However, this episode contains some content that may be a little inappropriate for the little ones. “I dedicate this edit to all my friends who couldn’t watch The Smurfs because they were allegedly satanic.” — Our editor, Ray We know—we’re a few days late for Halloween. But bear with us. The Satanic Panic was a period of widespread fear that underground Satanic groups were orchestrating a conspiracy invol...
The world is obsessed with hot takes. Sometimes to an unhealthy degree, we think. So for today's episode of Chump Talk, we're going to be cracking open the vault of spicy takes and sharing them with the world. The only thing was, to keep things fun and fancy free, we opted to keep them on the milder side. Save the scorched earth comments and heretical potshots for your *second* favorite podcast. And who knows, maybe we'll take the gloves off in a future episode? *shrug emoji* Today we'r...
They said we'd never make it. Our series on the apostles ends with easily the most impactful of them all: the man himself, Paul. Author of 251 books of the bible, survivor of many attempted murders, the world's greatest evangelist. But what does history say happened to him where the New Testament is silent? Was he killed in Rome under Nero's persecution? Or did something way LAMER happen? Let's unpack it. Also, the boys talk about our favorite hometown dinner spots (special ...
Thomas is BACK, BABY. It's about dang time. But also, we're wrapping up our series on the Apostles with two of the minor-est boys in the bunch, Thaddeus and Bartholomew. While the biblical narrative doesn't offer us much on these two lads, history has no shortage of legends about their lives. Where did they go? Were they martyred or did they die of natural causes? Also, let's listen to more chump-inspired poetry for our kind and generous listeners. Don't forget to vote on ou...
For a long-time follower of Jesus, Thomas really got the short stick when it came to nicknames. But that's okay. He redeemed his doubting ways and was named with the rest of the disciples even after Jesus ascended to heaven. But here's a question-- what did he do after that? Did he go to Persia? Or perhaps, even farther??? Join us as we explore the fascinating legacy of the Apostle Thomas and his missionary travels. We will also share many of the stories attributed to him throughout chu...
How's that for a title, huh? We heard we're supposed to be better at hooking people. But seriously, few of the apostles get as wild of a post-Acts story as John. Supposedly boiled in oil, miraculously survived, and then banished to a tiny island where he wrote Revelation. Supposedly. So let's see what the history books have to say about ol' John the Beloved. Also, we'll talk a little bit about Matthias, who was surprisingly a LOT more interesting to the early church than you'd think! An...
Few things are worse than living in the shadow of a really successful older sibling. We imagine the siblings (or cousins, right Catholics?) of Jesus probably felt that way. Imagine being young Gregory of Nyssa, the brother of four siblings who would go on to receive sainthood. And two of them are your oldest brother and sister. What a nightmare. For Gregory, living a life of spiritual adventure like his relatives was far from his mind. But of course, the Lord had other plans. Join...
Let's be honest-- each of the Gospel authors clearly had their favorite disciples to write about. Lots of Peter yapping, a little bit of Thomas doubting, a little bit of John being beloved. But what about the other guys? Well, one of those 'other guys' is the apostle Philip, and he's our focus for this week. Join us as we try to uncover once again, what happened to this disciple that the Bible didn't say? Was he martyred? Where did his travels take him? Also, are we any better at writing haik...
As we comb through history's ranks of church fathers, we tend to take something for granted. Many of these people had a natural desire for leadership. Augustine, Athanasius, Antony, they all had a natural penchant to address the crowds and stir up courage. This was not the case with our next Cappadocian Father, Gregory of Nazianzus. Gregory had a monastic soul, he longed for a quiet and peaceful life of prayer and contemplation. This was not, however, the plan that the Lord had for him....
Do you know what happens when you combine the trauma of growing up as a PK (pastor's kid, of course) with the Game of Thrones-esque violence of the Roman Empire? Well, you sort of get Julian the Apostate. Born in the era of Constantine's great conversion to Christianity, Julian was the last emperor not to be wooed by the Empire's new religious convictions. Raised on the classics and fascinated by a mix of cult religion and philosophy, Julian decided it was time to give paganism one last...
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