Church History

TODAY, after two thousand years, Christianity is the faith, at least nominally, of one-third of the earth’s population. From a handful of fishermen, tax collectors, and youthful troublemakers in an obscure province of Judea, the faith has spread over the globe to claim the loyalty of almost two thousand million inhabitants of our planet...

In Jane Austen’s novel Northanger Abbey, one of the characters, Catherine Morland, states that history “tells me nothing that does not either vex or weary me.”1In many respects, this statement is a good reflection of the contemporary Western attitude towards history...

We remember the saints and allow the memory of their faith to spur us on to deeper worship and greater service to the Lord. All Saints Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, or Hallowmas, is a Christian celebration in honor of all the saints from Christian history...

The early centuries of the church saw Christianity threatened by a number of theological heresies: Gnosticism, Arianism, and Pelagianism, to name but three. While history never repeats itself exactly, the essence of many of these heresies has reappeared from time to time in the long history of Christianity...

A terrifying thunderstorm, a kidnapping, a castle hideout, a knightly disguise . . . these are the ingredients of a remarkable story. The life of the German monk whose teachings set in motion the events of the Reformation has all of that and the discovery ofa treasure—the good news of God’s free gift of forgiveness through faith in Jesus...