Liefeld, David R.2019-09-252019-09-252016-12-282005http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12424/161550"A highly educated female friend once told me that the early Church taught reincarnation until, during the Constantinian era of the Church, a bishop’s wife insisted on banning it. 2 What troubled me, as I pondered this comment, was not her New Age ideas—pastors are well prepared for this by our studies of contemporary culture. What really troubled me was the ease with which she asserted a conspiratorial view of early Church history. I had known many lesser-educated people who believed in global conspiracies, whether of the Jews or the Trilateral Commission, but this was a highly educated professional. Her comment illuminated the extent to which anti-authoritarian, often feminist, reinterpretations of Christian history have penetrated popular culture"engWith permission of the license/copyright holderfeminist mythsChristian originsearly ChurchCultureCommunity ethicsSocial ethicsSexual orientation/genderComparative religion and interreligious dialogueGlobal Church History and World ChristianityEarly churchArticle