In Part 1 of this conversation, Brandon and returning guest Tim Holloway explore the Didache (an early Christian teaching document rediscovered in the 1800s) and what it reveals about the earliest church’s worldview: two ways—life and death, love and chaos, true source vs false sources.

They unpack why identity matters before you read obedience-heavy texts, how shame drives “self-soothing” behaviors, why attachment to God changes everything, and how the early church viewed baptism as an initiation marked by seriousness, fasting, and formation. They also tease what’s coming next: Eucharist, unity, and early church order that challenges modern assumptions.

Timestamps:
00:00:50 Brandon welcomes Tim back and sets up the Didache conversation
00:03:18 Rediscovery era why the Didache matters “for a time such as this”
00:05:39 Augustine and early church pivot points
00:07:48 Ground-floor Christianity loosely held practices surprises ahead
00:10:17 The two ways worldview life vs death and modern spiritual “both-and” thinking
00:12:40 Narrow way thoughts identity before reading obedience texts
00:14:41 Sermon on the Mount echoes loving God neighbor enemy
00:17:01 Heart condition legalism vs grace shame enters the convo