by Peter James | Jan 8, 2025 | Ulrich Zwingli
COVID punctured a hole in our veneer of invincibility. Who could have ever conceived of a worldwide pandemic in the twenty first century? Plagues were only something we read about in history books. Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) was a stalwart of the Protestant...
by Peter James | Jan 7, 2025 | Francis Asbury
John Wesley asked a gathering of English Methodists, “Our brethren in America call aloud for help. Who will go?” Francis Asbury (1745-1816), a twenty-six-year-old itinerant preacher, was one who answered the call. He said goodbye to his parents and set...
by Peter James | Jan 6, 2025 | Douglass Steere
Imagine a church sanctuary without a pulpit, communion table, choir loft or organ. The worship space is simple and functional in design. Wooden benches face each other, the back pews slightly elevated to improve sight lines. Douglas Steere (1901-1995) describes a...
by Peter James | Jan 5, 2025 | Anima Christi
I grew up in a Protestant church with an empty cross in its sanctuary. It was polished and clean, made of burnished brass. Whenever I entered a Catholic church, I couldn’t quite get over the visual of Jesus hanging on a cross. Catholics contend a crucifix is a...
by Peter James | Jan 4, 2025 | Elizabeth Prentiss
Elizabeth Prentiss (1818-1878) suffered from chronic insomnia and debilitating migraines. She once wrote to a friend that she “scarcely knew a moment free from pain.” She lived with her husband George in New Bedford, Massachusetts where he served as pastor...
