There is something in me that wants to clear Thomas' name. People through the ages have hung on this apostle the derogatory label "Doubting Thomas" for his caution concerning reports that Jesus had been raised from the dead, "Unless I see the nail...
Bernard of Clairvaux
It’s called the “Rule of Three.” People understand ideas and concepts best in groups of three. In writing, the Rule of Three serves as an essential storytelling principle. In comedy, the Rule of Three fits with a classic joke structure. In nursery...
Mozarabic Liturgy
How can I summarize Christian-Muslim relations? Let's just say it's complicated. Whether we lay the blame on Muslim wars of expansion or retaliation by Christian crusades, both religions share blame for mistreating one another. Muslim Moors...
Martin Luther
I feature some people for prayer more than once, especially those for whom more is written, and prayers are more plentiful. Such is the case with Martin Luther (1486-1546). This is now the fourth time I have highlighted one of his prayers. While...
Gregorian Prayer
Once upon a time, there was a season called Advent, but it has fallen on hard times in recent years. The reason for its decline will hardly surprise you. There’s no money to be made in Advent! Christmas is what drives the money train. This would...
Walter Brooks
Harriet Beecher Stowe exposed the sale and separation of enslaved families as a critique against slavery in her groundbreaking novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The death of Harriet's eighteen-month-old son Samuel of cholera gave her deep empathy for...
Walter Rauschenbusch
The Social Gospel movement in America emerged in the late nineteenth century in the wake of rising urban industrialization. Preachers and revivalists continued to rail against the social vices of drinking, smoking, and extramarital sex, but now, a...
Puritan Prayer of Thanksgiving
What is the difference between a Pilgrim and a Puritan? Pilgrims were a name given to a small band of English immigrants who came to America in 1620 on the Mayflower and settled in Plymouth. They were originally called "Separatists" for breaking...
Edward Reynolds
Aristotle praised moderation as a virtue. Given how much polarization there is in American politics right now, I concur with Aristotle's sentiment. In Christian parlance, moderation is closely aligned with the biblical word "temperance." Edward...
Wilhelm Loehe
Some people have an influence disproportionate to their humble circumstances. Wilhelm Loehe (also spelled Lohe, 1808-1872) is one such person. Wilhelm was derogatorily labeled "a pietist" by the examiner grading his trial sermon. It was the age of...
Clement of Rome
As I reflected on today's prayer, I had a flashback of sitting in a seminary class studying Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. As my professor was explaining the conflict in the Corinthian church, he described Corinthian believers as...
Clement of Alexandria
The enrollment cliff is coming to a college near you. The college-age population in America is shrinking, and universities are now feeling the squeeze. If you add higher tuition costs and increased debt load to the mix, you can appreciate why...
Baron Bunsen
He was a career ambassador for Prussia (nineteenth century German Empire). He was good at what he did since diplomacy was his strong suit. Baron Christian Charles Josia von Bunsen (1791-1863) was appointed ambassador to Rome, having earned a...
Peter Datheen
Lady Elizabeth de Grave left church one Sunday despondent over the state of her soul. After listening to the preacher pronounce God's judgment for those who transgress the law, doubts about her salvation kicked into high gear. Maybe she was kidding...
Benjamin Brawley
Teaching was his "sacred calling." He tried his hand at preaching but soon realized his skills were best served by providing young African Americans with the best education possible. Benjamin Griffith Brawley (1882-1939) showed early academic...
John Durname
John Harvard and his wife Anne sailed to America in 1637. John was assigned to lead a Boston church but died within the year of tuberculosis at the tender age of 31. He donated his library of four hundred books and half of his considerable estate...
Anna Warner
Two teenage girls, Susan and Anna, were plucked from their swanky Manhattan townhome to relocate to a dilapidated farmhouse on a deserted island that years earlier had protected the Hudson River Valley from invading British forces during the...
Jeremy Taylor
It was a time of massive religious and political upheaval. England was in the throes of a civil war, and Christians were at each other's throats. Whoever was in charge, whether Protestants or Catholics, could find nothing good in each other and...