1689er
Puritan Board Freshman
One thing that I have noticed is that most people within the church today don't like polemics. To them, it seems mean-spirited presumptuous, and hateful, even when it is done in a kind, thorough, and patient way. It is especially bad when the false teachers are in sheep's clothing. It confuses the sheep when the shepherd attempts to hit and scare off what appears to be one of them. Anyway, I was wondering what was the view of polemics by the average Christian in the patristic era? What did they think about writings ad Gnostics or Pagans? What about in the Medieval era?