The text and notes make the point that the Book of Acts deals with two Apostles, Peter and Paul. Outside of the Gospels, most of the New Testament is the result of Paul’s activity. Reading Acts and some of the Pauline letters make clear there was tension between a Pauline faction and a group aligned with the other Apostles.

The first note of tension can be found in the events culminating in the Jerusalem Conference. The tension only increased as the demographics of the church shifted from Jewish converts to mainly gentile converts.

The disagreement on what gentiles had to do to me members of the church is but one example of differencing views as the church was developing theologically. The early church, going all the way back to Acts and Paul, was not a monolithic system of beliefs.

The church today is, likewise, not a monolithic system. There are a myriad of difference between and within denominations, varying theologies, and difference structures.

Post a thread addressing the following questions or points:

1. What is your reaction to the differences between Paul and the other Apostles, specifically the Jerusalem Conference?

2. What do the differences in the early church tell you about church today?

Use the information posted in the folder and in the textbook as a guide. Feel free to do additional research. See if you can find more detailed discussions from other books or academic related web sites. If you do additional research be sure indicate sources and citations appropriately.

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