880: Mike Aquilina - Why Heretics and Villains Have Always Been Good for the Church

On this episode of The Shaun Tabatt Show, we're joined by author Mike Aquilina to talk about his book Villains of the Early Church: And How They Made Us Better Christians.

The early Church faced its share of villains—persecutors like Nero and Julian, heretics like Marcion and Arius. But as Mike Aquilina demonstrates in his book, these villains actually helped to make the Church stronger and more faithful.

The threat of persecution made Christians strong and bold. It forced them to think deeply about their faith and to defend it against those who would attack it. The menace of heresy made Christians smarter—it forced them to study the Scriptures and the writings of the Church Fathers in order to defend the true faith. And the villains of the ancient world proved the mettle of heroes like Peter and Paul, Irenaeus and Athanasius. Treachery and adversity inspired the Fathers' clearest teaching, most entertaining invective, and more than a few memorable jokes.

In this episode, Mike Aquilina shares some of the most fascinating stories from the early Church, and he shows us how these villains can actually help us to be better Christians today.

We'll discuss:

• The different types of villains that the early Church faced
• How these villains helped to make the Church stronger and more faithful
• The importance of studying the early Church fathers
• How we can learn from the villains of the early Church to be better Christians today

If you're interested in learning more about the early Church, or if you're looking for inspiration to grow in your faith, then you won't want to miss this episode of The Shaun Tabatt Show.

For more on Mike Aquilina, visit FathersOfThechurch.com.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Villains of the Early Church: And How They Made Us Better Christians

The Shaun Tabatt Show is part of the Destiny Image Podcast Network.