COACH: Church Origins and Church History courtesy of the That’s Jesus Channel

About COACH: Church Origins and Church History courtesy of the That’s Jesus Channel

COACH: Church Origins and Church History is a Christian podcast from Bob Baulch that explores how the church grew, suffered, worshiped, and changed the world — one generation at a time. Hosted by a passionate Bible teacher with a heart for truth and revival and research, COACH brings history to life with verifiable sources, captivating stories, and deep theological reflection. From Roman persecution to forgotten revivals, every episode is a fresh look at how God’s people lived and died for the gospel — and what it means for us today. No fluff. No fiction. Just powerful, proven history that strengthens your faith.

Publisher

That’s Jesus Channel / Bob Baulch

Category

education · history · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Jun 2025

Latest episode

13 Feb 2026

Latest episodes

135 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Feb 2026

   0108 – 1797 AD - Wilberforce’s Manifesto - A Practical View of Christianity

   1797 AD – Wilberforce’s Manifesto: When a Parliamentarian Called Britain Back to “Real Christianity” Description: In 1797, as Britain fought revolutionary France and watched its neighbor experiment with “Temples of Reason,” a different kind of revolution quietly appeared on London bookshop counters. William Wilberforce, already known for his exhausting campaign to end the British slave trade, released a thick volume with an even thicker title: A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians… Contrasted with Real Christianity. He wrote not as a cloistered theologian, but as a sitting Member of Parliament who had been shaken years earlier by the Bible and by older Christian writers during a long European journey. Their insistence on sin, judgment, grace, and new birth forced him to reconsider everything—from his jokes about religion to his pursuit of applause in the House of Commons. Urged by John Newton to remain in politics “for God,” Wilberforce stayed in Parliament and threw himself into abolition. Yet he could not ignore what he saw among Britain’s higher and middle classes: a polished, convenient religion that kept Christian language but lost Christian reality. His book drew a sharp contrast between that “prevailing religious system” and what he called “real Christianity”—a faith centered on Jesus’ atonement, the corruption of the human heart, and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. To his surprise, the book spread quickly through the very social circles he gently rebuked, running through multiple editions in Britain and abroad. Over time, it helped make serious, evangelical faith respectable among the educated classes and quietly shaped the conscience of the Victorian world. This episode traces how one layman’s manifesto pressed a nation to ask whether its Christianity was merely a habit or a living, demanding, joyful reality. Keywords (400–500 characters): William Wilberforce book, A Practical View Wilberforce, real Christianity vs nominal Christianity, 1797 Wilberforce manifesto, British evangelical revival, higher and middle classes religion, John Newton counsel, Wilberforce conversion story, slavery abolition and faith, Victorian evangelical roots, British Christianity 18th century, nominal religion critique Hashtags: #WilliamWilberforce #APracticalView #RealChristianity #NominalChristianity #EvangelicalRevival #JohnNewton #BritishHistory #ChristianHistory #FaithAndPolitics #AbolitionAndGospel #18thCenturyChristianity #VictorianRoots CTA: If this story helps you see the difference between “prevailing religion” and real Christianity, share it with a friend who might be wrestling with the same questions.

2. 

   12 Feb 2026

   0107 - DEEP DIVE EP 0017 - 62 AD - The Echo of the Book of Ephesians

   Episode 17: 62 AD – The Echo of the Book of Ephesians Description: In 62 AD, the Apostle Paul was under house arrest in Rome, yet he managed to write a letter that changed the world. This episode explores the powerful story of the Book of Ephesians and how it provided a ”soaring vision” for the early church. We look at the main conflict of that time, where believers faced false teachings and needed a strong voice to help them stand firm against the confusion of the Roman world. You will hear how great church leaders like Irenaeus and Tertullian used this letter to defend the truth about Jesus and keep the church united. The episode highlights how the ”Armor of God” gave them courage and how the promise of grace shaped their identity. We also see how this letter was read in whispered services by candlelight, becoming a lifeline for ordinary Christians who needed to know they were part of one body. Does the echo of Ephesians still reach us today, and are we letting the Bible shape our lives the way it shaped theirs? We invite you to reflect on this question and subscribe to the COACH podcast to explore more stories from the origins of our faith. Apostle Paul, Book of Ephesians, Roman imprisonment, early church history, Irenaeus, Tertullian, spiritual warfare, Christian unity, biblical history, ancient Rome #ChurchHistory #Christianity #COACH #Ephesians #ApostlePaul #BibleStudy Links: Podcast Website: That’s Jesus dot org YouTube: That’s Jesus Channel

3. 

   12 Feb 2026

   0106 - 1355 - The Tavern Brawl and Saint Scholastica Day Riot When Clerical Privilege Turned a University City Violent

   Title: 1355 AD - The St. Scholastica’s Day Riot: When Clerical Privilege Turned a University City Violent Website/YT/POD/FB Description: On February 10, 1355, a complaint about bad wine at Oxford’s Swindlestock Tavern escalated into three days of violence that left dozens dead and the city scarred. The St. Scholastica’s Day riot revealed the deep resentment between Oxford’s townspeople and its university scholars, who enjoyed clerical privileges that protected them from local justice. Students wore tonsures and gowns marking them as churchmen, giving them benefit of clergy—lighter punishments in church courts rather than the harsher penalties townspeople faced. When two students insulted a tavern keeper, the fight spilled into the streets, bells rang from competing towers, and armed mobs from town and countryside attacked scholars in their lodgings. Bodies were thrown into ditches, halls were burned, and books were dragged into the streets. King Edward III responded by restoring the university’s charter while imprisoning Oxford’s mayor and placing the town under interdict for over a year. He then expanded the university’s authority over Oxford’s markets and justice system, deepening the imbalance that had sparked the violence. As punishment and memorial, the mayor and town officials were required to walk to St Mary’s Church every February 10th, attend mass for the slain scholars, and pay a penny for each death—a ritual of submission that continued for nearly five hundred years. The riot demonstrates how structural inequality, when mixed with legal privilege and daily friction, can ignite catastrophic violence. It reminds the church today that systems which create separate standards of justice—even when rooted in religious authority—can breed the very resentment they claim to prevent. Keywords: St Scholastica’s Day riot, Oxford University history, medieval town and gown conflict, benefit of clergy, clerical privilege, King Edward III, 1355 Oxford riot, medieval university violence, church court system, medieval legal privilege, Oxford medieval history, university town conflict Hashtags: #StScholasticasDayRiot #OxfordUniversityHistory #MedievalTownAndGown #BenefitOfClergy #ClericalPrivilege #KingEdwardIII #1355OxfordRiot #MedievalUniversityViolence #ChurchCourtSystem #MedievalLegalPrivilege #OxfordMedievalHistory #UniversityTownConflict CTA: If this story challenged how you think about privilege and justice in the church, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

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Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Contact COACH: Church Origins and Church History courtesy of the That’s Jesus Channel

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