History & Transmission of the Lord’s Prayer
Catholics took their Lord’s Prayer from one preferred by Henry the VIII in 1545; Protestants, perhaps, from Martin Bucer from 1539.
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.
The War to End All Wars: World War I
They called it “the war to end all wars,” but even before it ended, a British politician remarked: “This war, like the next war, is a war to end [all] war.”
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.
Fight Smarter, Not Harder: Sir Isaac Brock
In the War of 1812, British officer Isaac Brock tricked American General William Hull into thinking that Brock had huge amounts of troops. Brock took Fort Detroit with minimal casualties and a fighting force of half the size.
Standing Amid the Ruins of a Concentration Camp
Visiting a concentration camp means feeling the suffering that calls out from the ground. It means remembering that so many Christians chose to wait passively and that we must make different choices.
Finding Peace and Befriending Bears: Seraphim of Sarov
In the late 18th-early 19th centuries, Seraphim of Sarov fasted, prayed, and meditated for decades. He became a miracle worker, a source of peace, and a friend of bears.
You Can Learn More About the Trinity, But You Probably Won’t Understand More
Sometimes trying to understand the Trinity feels like trying to understand the Jabberwock.
The Mother of Civil Rights in California: Mary Ellen Pleasant
Mary Ellen Pleasant was wise and kind, supported her community, and got justice every time she could for everyone she could.