History of John Calvin: The Genius of Geneva

John Calvin

Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF JOHN CALVIN 🎙️Podcast version n July 10, 1509, in Noyon, France, Jehan Cauvin, known to us as John Calvin, was born. Of all the leaders of the Protestant Reformation, none was more significant in forming biblical theology or ecclesiastic thought than this one man. Calvin’s teaching and tradition penetrated more of the world…

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History of October 31: What’s Martin Luther got to do with it?

October 31

Reading Time: 5 minutesHISTORY OF OCTOBER 31: MARTIN LUTHER See my miniseries on the life of Martin Luther. On October 31, 1517, an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 propositions or theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, marking the beginning of the Reformation. Of course, the Reformation began long before that, but this date…

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History of Halloween: The Sacred and the Secular

halloween pumpkin

Reading Time: 5 minutesHISTORY OF HALLOWEEN Halloween (All Hallows’ Eve) is the evening of October 31. In its strictly religious aspect, this occasion is known as the vigil of Hallowmas or All Saints’ Day, November 1, observed by the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. In the fourth decade of the 8th century, Pope Gregory III moved this holiday…

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History of the Kirking of the Tartans: Is it really Scottish?

Tartan

Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF THE KIRKING OF THE TARTANS This Sunday, all over the world, many churches will observe the Kirkin’ o’ th’ Tartans, a celebration of Scottish heritage and culture. What is The Kirking of the Tartans? Kirking Etymologically Kirking is from the Scots word kirk, which means church. In this usage, it means “blessing.” Tartans are…

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History of Martin Luther: Part 8 – Legacy

Legacy,Martin Luther

Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER: PART 8 – LEGACY If you stand outside the door of the house where Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, you can see above the rooftops the towers of St. Andreas Church. You can walk to it in 5 to 10 minutes. St. Andreas is still in use today. It rises…

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History of Martin Luther: Part 7 – Family Man

Family Man

Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER: PART 7 – FAMILY MAN How did Martin Luther, the bull in the China shop, the… “…fox [that had] arisen seeking to destroy the vineyard, [the] wild boar from the forest [that] seeks to destroy it…” …how did he become the very model of a modern Christian Family Man? My Lord…

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History of Martin Luther: Part 5 – Kidnapped

Wartburg

Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER: PART 5 – KIDNAPPED In 1521 Martin Luther was considered both an enemy of the Church and treasonous in the State. The Roman church had previously excommunicated him with the Papal bull and he has just left the Diet of Worms where the imperial ban of the Edict of Worms had…

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History of Martin Luther: Part 2 – Breakthrough

Martin Luther

Reading Time: 5 minutesHISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER: PART 2 — BREAKTHROUGH In Martin Luther’s introduction to the 95 Theses which he nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Church 500 years ago on October 31, 1517, he begins: Out of love for the truth, and the desire to bring it to light… Truth had been supremely important to…

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History of Martin Luther: Part 1 – 500 Years Ago

Martin Luther

Reading Time: 5 minutesHISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER: 500 YEARS AGO This October marks the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, ignited by Martin Luther on October 31, 1517. What is the story behind the man who not only changed the course of Christianity but also impacted Western civilization, raised the status of women, influenced the rise…

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