Practica Prophetica

This is the historical story of how Satan infiltrated the early church and made her the representative of his philosophy and ideas.

It covers the slow and gradual process whereby the practices of heathenism, which is the natural religion of fallen human nature, were adopted into the Christian church. The religious teachers who carried the church into this darkness and apostasy were schooled in Greek philosophy, a philosophy which exalted human ideas above the word of God.

These were the church “fathers” of the four centuries after the apostles passed from the scene. Turning away from the spiritual power from God, which gives victory over sin, they instead courted human power: the power of popularity, fame, and money. With the excuse that they were making it easier for the heathen to be converted, they brought in heathen ceremonies and ideas, and “Christianized” them.

But instead of the heathen becoming true Christians, the Christians instead became heathen. Their practices, their aims, their religious ideas…all were heathen, sensual, devilish; but all was now done no longer under pagan names, but under the names of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the pantheon of saints. In short, the church became a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” 340p

Contents

1. The Heathen World
2. Heathen Philosophy
3. The Apostolic Church
4. The Fathers
5. The Epistle of Barnabas
6. Hermas and Clement
7. The Epistles of Ignatius
8. The Teaching of the Apostles
9. Irenaeus
10. Justin Martyr
11. Clement of Alexandria
12. Tertullian
13. Origen
14. The Great Apostasy
15. The Great Apostasy (continued)
16. The Great Apostasy (continued)
17. The Great Apostasy (concluded)

Books > E. J. Waggoner > Fathers of the Catholic Church