Because Jesus Taught It: Christianity Through the Eyes of the Church Fathers

What if everything you learned about Christianity left out the best parts?

Grammy-nominated rapper FLAME takes you on a riveting journey with the Church Fathers— from the certainty of Reformed theology to the ancient, sacramental heart of historic Christianity. With raw honesty and sharp theological insight, he dismantles the comfortable myth of "just me and my Bible," exposing how modern Christianity has quietly traded depth for convenience.

Through personal struggle, seminary revelation, and encounters with the earliest voices of the Church, FLAME asks the questions many believers are afraid to ask: Who taught you what you believe? And did Jesus actually teach it?

Blending memoir, theology, and church history resource, this book is an urgent invitation to rediscover Baptism, the Eucharist, and the timeless wisdom of the Church Fathers — because the Holy Spirit never stopped teaching.

From FLAME: 

"Shouldn't we know who God is? The nature of God's existence? The true nature of Jesus, the Messiah? The difference between God's Law and His Gospel? The nature of these rites He established that have been called the Sacraments? How those Sacraments ought to be enjoyed and applied? If the Sacraments are important enough for Jesus to implement, then we would do right to wrestle with how they have been historically understood and practiced to see where they fit into the Christian life." —page 11

"The Christian life is about Jesus. It is about serving others as unto Jesus in the many ways God has designed you to serve. Loving others as we have been freely loved by Jesus. Growing more in our identity as the baptized into Christ Jesus. But we are not isolated, thinking only about ourselves. Baptism, as understood by the apostolic and church fathers, is all about identity in Christ Jesus and the community of the saints, that is to say, the church. The Lord’s Supper is a communal meal whereby we are all united in our Lord and to one another. This is why we should not catch our cues from pop culture or pop-Christian culture, serving self over anything else or remaining isolated from others." —page 37

Praise for Because Jesus Taught It

" This sounds like a book about ancient Christianity, but even more than that, it is about contemporary Christianity—with its perfectionism and endless self-scrutiny—and our desperate need for the Sacraments. FLAME’s joy in discovering the efficacy of Baptism and the real presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper, as found in the church father’s works and carried over into Lutheranism, is exhilarating and contagious. This seminary-trained rap star makes an engaging case for a faith that is both evangelical and sacramental."
— Dr. Gene Edward Veith Jr., PhD; author of Spirituality of the Cross and Embracing Your Lutheran Identity

" In his most recent book, Because Jesus Taught It, FLAME tells inspiring stories of faith and faithfulness through the ages in ways that speak to our contemporary times. With insights from the earliest Christians as well as his own walk of faith, FLAME challenges readers to explore a deeper understanding of the teachings of Jesus that make a difference in our lives today."
— Rev. Dr. Gerhard Bode, chairman of the department of historical theology and director of the Center for Reformation Research, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri

"In a seamless melding of memoir and theology, FLAME brings the reader along on his personal journey of patristic discovery. . . Deeply relatable and moving, yet informative and researched, FLAME’s book on the early church fathers and the historic Christian view of the Sacraments is fresh, well-written, and difficult to put down."
— Christa Petzold, author of Journey Through Church History and Gathered by Christ: The Overlooked Gift of Church

"FLAME gets the church fathers—and they got him too. Despite what you may have been taught growing up, Christianity did not go off the rails after the New Testament, only to be rediscovered by Martin Luther. The Holy Spirit has a history, and this book rejoices in that history. The Word of God and the sacramental life have always gone hand in glove. . . I highly recommend this book."
— Rev. Dr. Joel C. Elowsky, professor of historical theology, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri

"Because Jesus Taught It by FLAME is an essential guide for anyone seeking to understand and teach the true nature of Jesus Christ. It emphasizes the importance of clear, Christ-centered instruction, ensuring that even the youngest believers can grasp the core tenets of the faith."
— Rev. Dr. B. Keith Haney, assistant to the president for Mission, Human Care, and Stewardship, LCMS Iowa District West

"As a lifelong Lutheran, I’ve learned much from FLAME’s journey and gained an even deeper understanding of what we believe about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. FLAME gives us a front-row seat to his tussle with Scripture and the early church fathers as he discovers that Lutheran teaching on Baptism and the Lord’s Supper isn’t European innovation but a preservation of what the earliest Christians taught. This book will foster understanding and dialogue among readers with different views on the Sacraments."
— Michelle Diercks, author of Promised Hope: Finding Peace in God’s Faithfulness