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Church History Matters for Christians
Church history helps Christians learn from faithful believers, recognize recurring errors, and remember God’s faithfulness to his church. In this episode of Contending for the Word Q&A, Dave Jenkins explains why the past matters for following Christ today.Listen or Watch
Learning from Those Who Came Before Us
Hebrews 13:7 encourages believers to remember faithful leaders and imitate their faith. Their lives are not inspired Scripture, but their courage, conviction, and perseverance can encourage Christians facing challenges today.Church history also gives us perspective. Christianity did not begin with us, and its future does not depend on us. Across the centuries, believers have preached the gospel, endured persecution, and served Christ in his church.Discernment and God’s Faithfulness
Many errors that appear new have surfaced before in different forms. Learning how Christians identified and answered false teaching can help believers exercise discernment today.Above all, the history of the church reminds us of God’s faithfulness. Empires and cultures have changed, yet Christ continues to build his church. The God who sustained his people throughout history remains faithful today.In This Episode
- Remember that you are part of a larger story of God’s work.
- Learn from faithful believers who have gone before you.
- Strengthen your discernment by recognizing recurring errors.
- Rejoice in God’s faithfulness throughout the centuries.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
