Guard the Good Deposit

I ntroduction

The Great Tradition for the Whole Church

The early church was mainly made up of nobodies and cast-offs. The poor lower classes, the slaves, the women and children were the majority of the Church. Most Christians could not read or write. Very few had an influence or status in society. They were opposed and oppressed at every turn. Yet it was these ancient Christians who experienced some of the most dynamic and explosive growth the Church has ever known. How do the nobodies and cast-offs do such amazing things for Christ and his Kingdom? How do they learn Christian truth? How do they share the faith? How do they pray or worship? How do they represent Christ and his Kingdom? The Great Tradition of the Church formed in response to questions like these. “The Great Tradition represents the central core of Christian belief and practice derived from Scripture that runs between the time of Christ and the middle of the fifth century.” 1 It is the legacy of early Christian

1 Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis, Sacred Roots , TUMI, 2010, p. 74.

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