In this episode Ben Petersen interviews Dr. Donald Fairbairn, an expert on early church history and the Robert E. Cooley Professor of Early Christianity at Gordon Conwell Seminary. They discuss the origins of his interest in early Christianity, the rise of monasticism, and the relationship between the institutional church and charismatic influencers. They also explore the relevance of monasticism in modern Protestantism and the lessons that can be learned from early Christian biographies.