The Apostasy That Wasn't: The Extraordinary Story of the Unbreakable Early Church (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)

With the touch of a master storyteller, Rod Bennett narrates the drama of the early Church s fight to preserve Christian orthodoxy intact even as powerful forces try to smash it to pieces. The theory goes like this: Just a few centuries after Christ s death, around the time the Roman Empire converted to Christianity, the true Faith suffered a catastrophic falling-away. The simple truths of the gospel became so obscured by worldliness and pagan idolatry kicking off the Dark Ages of Catholicism that Christianity required a complete reboot. This idea of a Great Apostasy is one of the cornerstones of American Protestantism, along with Mormonism, the Jehovah s Witnesses, and even Islam. Countless millions today profess a faith built on the assumption that the early Church quickly became broken beyond repair, requiring some new prophet or reformer to restore the pure teaching of Jesus and the apostles. This theory is popular... but it s also fiction. In The Apostasy that Wasn t, Rod Bennett follows up his bestseller Four Witnesses with an account of the historical events that led him out of his own belief in apostasy theory and into the Catholic Church. With the touch of a master storyteller, he narrates the drama of the early Church s fight to preserve Christian orthodoxy intact even as powerful forces try to smash it to pieces. Amid imperial intrigue, military menace, and bitter theological debate, a hero arises in the form of a homely little monk named Athanasius, who stands against the world to prove that there could never be a Great Apostasy because Jesus promised his Church would never be broken.

Review

"To read this book is to live in the fourth century, for a vivid moment, knowing the thrills and heroics to which true faith led our ancestors. This is the most enthralling book you'll read this year." -- Mike Aquila, Catholic author of over 40 books

About the Author

Rod Bennett was, for many years, the editor of Wonder Magazine, a popular Christian media journal. His writings have appeared in other national publications as well, ranging from Rutherford and Gadfly to Catholic Exchange and Our Sunday Visitor. Rod has appeared on many well-known radio and television programs such as The Journey Home and Bookmark. His first book, Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words, is a best seller from Ignatius Press. He also edited Why Catholic Bibles Are Bigger with apologist Gary Michuta and compiled Chesterton s America. A convert from the Southern Baptist faith, Rod joined the Catholic Church in 1996. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Dorothy and their two children.