Why the Early Church Didn’t Care About Sermons (And What That Says About Us)

In this episode, Pastors John and Jamie dive deep into Chapter 7 of The Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider, exploring the surprising centrality—and marginality—of sermons in early Christian worship. Is the modern evangelical emphasis on the sermon biblical or cultural? What did worship really look like in the early church? How did the Orthodox Church preserve ancient practices? And how did things shift as Christianity expanded through the Patristic period? 💬 In this thoughtful, sometimes humorous conversation, we unpack: • The historical development of Christian worship • The role of liturgical practices and church tradition • Why the early Christians gave “surprisingly little attention” to sermons • How Tertullian, Origen, and Chrysostom influenced the evolution of preaching • The Orthodox Christian view on worship and how it contrasts with modern evangelical approaches • What it means that worship “teaches us how to believe” Whether you’re a pastor, a seminary student, a church history nerd, or just curious about why church looks the way it does today, this conversation will challenge your assumptions and deepen your understanding of historic Christianity. #christianity #churchlife #EarlyChurch #ChristianHistory