over and that Christians now had freedom to gather, to travel, and to confer with one another on a worldwide scale. It began what some have called the Golden Age of the Church, a time of great advancement and great saints. Yet at almost the very same time, a new threat arose to challenge the Church. This time it was not a threat from outside; it was a threat from within. It did not take the form of arenas filled with lions or of cruel executioners. Rather, it was the insidious and destructive force