On his Assembling of the Church blog, Alan Knox recently wrote not just one, or two, but three posts on Tertullian’s writings and their bearing on ecclesiology (which basically means the study of how we “do church”).
It’s illuminating to read what church leaders wrote in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. So much corruption crept in when Rome took over the church that it’s otherwise difficult to sort what practices are actually rooted in the Apostles’ teachings.
If you have a few minutes, go read Alan’s posts. You may be surprised at how much church meetings have changed!
Very interesting reading. I wonder if a church in America could pull that off today. I especially liked the section on there being no business conducted. We American Christians are just a little too open to merchants selling “Christian” goods in the church.