Many speak of the "Early Church Fathers." But who precisely are these "Fathers of the Church" and why do they matter? Here and in our overview article on the Early Church Fathers, we begin to provide some answers to these important questions. All Christian Churches look to the Bible for nourishment, truth, and guidance. But who identified these particular writings as inspired Scriptures? Who provides the interpretive rules so that we can understand these writings? And who gives us access to apostolic teaching that may not have been explicitly recorded in the Bible? The answer to all these questions is the same -- the Early Church Fathers. This group of writers, who lived from the 2nd through 8th centuries, are an extremely important resource for all Christians -- Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox. Why? Because these "Fathers of the Church" lived in an age relatively close to the apostles, before disputes arose between Eastern and Western Christians, before the turmoil of the 16th century Reformation.

A society characterized by loss of respect for life, violence, exotic religious cults, sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, and even pedophilia. Sound familiar? This was the world of the Early Church Fathers. In these lively shows that are weekly broadcast across six continents, Catholic historian and theologian Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio brings out the colorful personalities of the Fathers of the Church and makes their rich teaching accessible, enjoyable, and relevant to the challenges we face every day. The Early Church Fathers succeeded in bringing a pagan society to Christ. If we pay attention to what they taught, we will succeed in doing the same for our own de-Christianized society.