Carl Sommer

Carl Sommer holds an M.A. in historical theology from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. He has one published book, "We Look for a Kingdom: The Everyday Lives of the Early Christians." He has fifteen years’ experience as a religious educator in St. Louis, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. He is currently Adjunct Professor of Church History at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in Saint Louis.

Latest Articles By Carl Sommer
What I Learned from the Early Christians about Spiritual Growth, Part 6: We need the Truth
What I Learned from the Early Christians about Spiritual Growth, Part 6: We need the Truth
Human beings all have differing intellectual capabilities. Some excel at book learning, some learn by observing nature, and still others learn by doing. Some learn new ideas and come to new thoughts quickly. Others, who are just as intelligent, process information at a slower pace. These differences are given to us by God.
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What I Learned From the Early Christians about Spiritual Growth Part 5: We Don't Need as Much Stuff as We Think
What I Learned From the Early Christians about Spiritual Growth Part 5: We Don't Need as Much Stuff as We Think
Some time around AD 245 there lived in the Roman city of Carthage a man named Cyprian, a wealthy, important man with a talent for rhetoric. His impressive personal gifts, along with the accident of his birth, ensured that he would prosper in pagan society, and he became enormously wealthy. He also fell into the innumerable vices to which pagan Roman society was susceptible.
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What I Learned from the Early Christians about Spiritual Growth, Part 4: We Need to Struggle
What I Learned from the Early Christians about Spiritual Growth, Part 4: We Need to Struggle
A few years ago I was leading my seminarians through a study of the ascetic teachings of some of the Early Church Fathers. One of the seminarians raised his hand and asked a question born of a mixture of deep perplexity, hope, and fear. “According to the Fathers,” he asked, “Is there any way for a person to grow that doesn’t involve suffering?” This is a question any of us would ask, hoping for
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What I Learned from the Early Christians about Spiritual Growth, Part 3: Human Effort Matters
What I Learned from the Early Christians about Spiritual Growth, Part 3: Human Effort Matters
It was necessary in the development of orthodox doctrine for Pelagianism, which held that human beings can do good without the aid of divine grace, to be defeated. It’s impossible to see how people could need a Savior if we can do good on our own.
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What I Learned from the Early Christians about Spiritual Growth, Part 2: Everything is Gift
What I Learned from the Early Christians about Spiritual Growth, Part 2: Everything is Gift
The monastic tradition, which began already late in the third century and was shifting into high gear in the first half of the fourth century, stressed the importance of human initiative in the process of growth in holiness. This is understandable. Monks have deliberately taken on a difficult task; learning to live together in harmony even with a community of like minded men or women
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What I Learned from the Early Christians about Spiritual Growth, Part 1: We Need Silence
What I Learned from the Early Christians about Spiritual Growth, Part 1: We Need Silence
When we think of the Early Church Fathers and Mothers, we tend to think in terms of common mental images: martyrs standing in the center of an arena, bravely facing an unspeakably cruel death, apologists defending the faith, theologians explaining the faith, or monks living solitary lives in some remote desert.
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