The early church thrived in a culture
far more godless than our own

The issue isn’t what we see in a godless world,
but rather what that godless world hopes to see in us.

As Christians, the culture that made us comfortable, and that we enjoyed has all but disappeared. It’s more important than ever that we commit ourselves to live holy and godly lives. Be encouraged however, for what is new for us, was the soil from which the early church grew and thrived. My novel, Polycarp - a destroyer of our gods, provides insight into how the early church lived, grew and became better followers of Christ because of the godlessness that surrounded them.

Here is an excerpt from a time Ignatius, a prominent pastor in Antioch, sent young Polycarp to help a church in a nearby town that had a very bad reputation.

“As I entered the gates of the old city, I was immediately struck by the grotesque paganism that dominated the city. It was an immoral scene I was not completely prepared to encounter...As I navigated my way through the crowds, I wondered what Ignatius was getting me into; ‘This mission would be better suited for a blind man,’ I muttered to myself. I rode straight on trying not to look to right or left. I was embarrassed and tried to ignore the gross comments and solicitations that both immoral women and men were making towards me. It was profoundly evil, and what is even odder is that I never felt as if they were talking to me, but rather were searching my soul, fishing for any sign or manifestation of secret lust...A wave of apprehension came over me, and I felt intimidated by the dominion of evil before me...’Be sober and watchful,’ I thought to myself. ‘I can hear the roaring lion as he prowls looking for a simpleton to devour.’ I didn’t want that to be me.”