ME / ST 675
Cultural Engagement and the Early Church
An introduction to how the early church engaged its world, tracing the interplay of catechesis, liturgy, and public witness from the apostles through the patristic era. You will read primary sources in context to see how worship formed identity, how catechumenate and discipline shaped daily life, and how bishops, theologians, and communities articulated political and public theology amid empire, persecution, and pluralism. Throughout, the course surfaces patterns of formation and mission that travel well into today’s parish life and neighborhood presence.
Stephen O. Presley serves as the Senior Fellow for Religion and Public Life at the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy and Associate Professor of Church History at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Presley holds B.S. from Baylor University, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the author of Cultural Sanctification: Engaging the World Like the Early Church (Eerdmans, 2024) and Biblical Theology in the Life of the Early Church: Recovering an Ancient Vision (Baker Academic, 2025). Presley is actively writing, and speaking on topics related to Christian cultural engagement, blending his passion for the richness of the Christian tradition with a practical vision for cultural renewal.
Trinity is to be an evangelical seminary in the Anglican tradition. To this end we develop Christian leaders who can plant, renew, and grow churches that make disciples of Jesus Christ.
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