A friend was asked what he would include in a picture related to Oscar Wilde’s quote, “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” He wanted to drag a mattress and sheets into his sanctuary.
Story Subject: church
History & Transmission of the Bible
The history of translation and transmission of the Bible was complex, contentious, and sometimes violent.
The Affair of the Sausages: Huldrych Zwingli
Huldrych Zwingli once scandalized Catholic authorities by eating sausages during Lent.
Sharing a Church in the Holy Land Gets Complicated
Six different denominations vie for space at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem – sometimes with violence.
Feeding the Hungry: Basil of Caesarea
In the 360s, Basil of Caesara, a bishop, spent his own money to buy food for the starving poor during a famine.
History of Vacation Bible School: D.T. Miles
Vacation Bible School was started by D.T. Miles in 1894!
Role of Women in the History of the Church
Women had leadership roles in the early church, but then that power was taken away. Reformer John Knox railed against women’s leadership, as did men at a General Assembly meeting in America in 1811.
Tea & Cookies with Protestors: Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu was still trying to bring down Apartheid in the mid-eighties. The powers that be hired protestors to try to smear Tutu, but he ended up sharing a tea party with them.
A Martyr to End Slavery: Rev. Elijah Parish Lovejoy
Elijah Parish Lovejoy was a minister and journalist who felt called to fight slavery. He refused to stop speaking out, to stop writing, to give up his cause. He was murdered by a pro-slavery mob.
Looking for Christ in Christian Nationalism
Christian Nationalism means one group’s notion of Christianity holds power regardless of what the majority want. It can even mean a dictatorship.