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Eben Emerson: Former Church of Christ Minister

January 31, 2011 One Comment

Eben Emerson was raised by his mother in northwest Arkansas.  Even though there was a pentecostal church next door,  his family had no faith affiliation.  Nonetheless, at age 7, seeds were planted in Eben from his friend who worshipped at that church.  Over time, Eben would come to learn about Jesus and prayer through his study of scripture.  In 1993, at the age of 16, he was baptized and became a member of the Church of Christ.  He was a changed man and was soon offered to preach in a rural church.  This led to a two-year stint of study and mission work in Ecuador, followed by another two years in ministry training.  Then came undergraduate and master’s degrees and pastoring in Texas.  But it was the exposure to first source documents of the early Church Fathers and the further study of early church history that had a huge impact on his understanding of the Christian faith.  Reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church in order to refute their claims, Eben found himself being pulled in.  He no longer could proclaim what the Church of Christ professed and left the pastorate.  Finally, he completed his journey, embracing the fullness of Catholicism.