Christian History Home > 2007
The Gospel According to J.S. Bach: Did You Know?
A Musical Vocabulary for Budding Bach Fans
Compiled by Calvin Stopert and Jennifer Trofton
Gnosticism Unmasked
by D. Jeffrey Bingham
Gnostics: Did You Know?
Interesting and Little Known Facts about the Gnostics
Compiled by Jennifer Trafton and Rebecca Colossanov
The Hunger for Secret Knowledge: Recommended Resources
The Heresy that Wouldn't Die
Though Gnostic sects faded in the early church, Gnostic ideas have had a long shelf life.
Philip Jenkins
Taught by the Apostles
What is the truth about Jesus? Ask those who knew his earliest followers, said Irenaeus.
Fr. John Behr
The Earliest Mere Christianity
Before creeds, even before an official New Testament, there was the Rule of Faith.
D. H. Williams
The Gnostic Christ
The Secret is Out
The discovery of the Nag Hammadi collection brought ancient Gnostic writings to light.
David M. Scholer
In the Know
The Gnostics believed that knowledge is the key to salvation--for a select few.
David M. Scholer
Defining the Faith
Gnosticism emerged during a time when Christians faced an identity crisis.
Everett Ferguson
Roots Matter
Defending the faith in today's cultural climate means not only knowing our Bible but also knowing our history.
Darrell L. Bock
From the Editor
It Only Takes a Spark (to keep a heresy going)
Jennifer Trafton
No Other Gospel
Despite the appearance of Gnostic "gospels," the early church decided that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were without rival.
Nicholas Perrin
One God, One Christ, One Salvation
Irenaeus the "peacemaker" was the early church's best warrior against Gnostic heresy.
D. Jeffrey Bingham
The Gospel According to Bach: Recommended Resources
Dig deeper into this issue's theme.
Freedom and Faith
Bach still speaks to the church today.
Paul Westermeyer
Bach & the Bible
His underlining and marginal comments give us a window into his personal faith.
Robin A. Leaver
Sermons that Sing
As part of his century's lengthy worship services, Bach's music reinforced and deepened the proclamation of the Word.
Robin A. Leaver
What Language Shall I Borrow?
When Bach wanted to express the depths of Christ's suffering, he used the words and melodies of well-known hymns.
Jennifer Woodruff Tait
Grace Notes
Luther's example inspired Christian composers to fill the church with the finest music they could create.
Carlos Messerli
The Gospel Truth
Luther believed that music has the power to teach Christian doctrine. He put this belief into practice with his catechism hymns.
Mark Noll, translations by George MacDonald
Singing the Word of God
Protestant reformer Martin Luther planted the seed that grew into a rich musical tradition culminating in Bach.
Mark Noll
The Christian History & Biography Timeline
Johann Sebastion Bach
To the Glory of God Alone
Fueled by his Lutheran faith, J. S. Bach devoted his life to creating music for refreshment, proclamation, and praise.
Calvin R. Stapert
A Joyful Noise
Jennifer Trafton
Caffeine and Counterpoint
The coffee craze unleashed Bach's whimsy.
Elesha Coffman
Bach in Japan
With the help of conductor Masaaki Suzuki, Bach's music is bringing the message of Christian hope to a secular nation.
Uwe Simon-Netto
Love Amidst the Brokenness
The fall of Rome was the 9/11 of the ancient world; Alaric, its Osama bin Laden. As the "eternal city" crumbled, Augustine of Hippo pointed Christians to the City of God—the eternal church on pilgrimage through a world that is not our home.
Timothy George
FROM THE EDITOR
Christian History & Biography Celebrates 25 Years
Jennifer Trafton
The Starving Body of Christ
We live in a world of vast economic injustice, crippling poverty, and wealthy churches. So did "golden-mothed" preacher John Chrysostom.
Bradley Nassif
Contagious Compassion
Deadly epidemics and social traumas haunt the news and test the limits of our kindness and courage. How should Christians respond, when the church itself is so divided? Perhaps we need another Catherine of Siena.
James D. Smith III and Kimberly Dawsey-Richardson
Setting the Captives Free
Oppressed women around the globe await those willing to carry on the legacy of Pandita Ramabai.
Robert Eric Frykenberg
On Earth as It Is in Heaven
What is the role of the government? Can we build a Christian society in this world? Protestant Reformers Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Bucer, and John Calvin all grappled with those questions—and came up with different answers.
Tony Lane
The Lord of Consciences
Those who fight for religious freedom today stand in a long line of Christian predecessors, including Baptist leader Thomas Helwys.
James E. Bradley
Following Jesus in the Dark
The difficult choices of Dietrich Bonhoeffer show that, in extreme circumstances, the path to peace may not always be paved with clear ethical answers.
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
God's Image in Color
Racism continues to stain society and challenge the church's commitment to a color-blind gospel. Albert Lutuli's peaceful pursuit of justice in South Africa pointed a way forward for the generations to come.
Gerald J. Pillay and Carolyn Nystrom
Encounters with Islam
Few issues have more serious implications for Christian witness and global politics today than Christian-Muslim relations. We can learn much from Arab Christian apologist John of Damascus, eloquent Assyrian Church leader Patriarch Timothy 1, and tireless Protestant missionary Samuel Zwemer.
Andrew Saperstein
The Postmodern Maze
Abraham Kuyper reminds us that only Christ can bring wholeness to our fragmented age.
Richard Mouw
Costly Love, Radical Forgiveness
What made African bishop Festo Kivengere rejoice in the face of monstrous evil?
Tim Stafford
FROM THE EDITOR
A Devoted Life: From the Editor - Rediscovering Benedict
Jennifer Trafton
TURNING POINT
"You have not labored in vain"
After a crushing political defeat, William Wilberforce nearly gave up his fight to abolish the slave trade. But a life-changing letter from John Newton sent this Daniel back into the lion's den.
Kevin Belmonte
Radical Christians
Alone or in community, early monks and nuns sought to follow Christ in a whole-hearted and vividly countercultural way.
Jennifer Hevelone-Harper
A Devoted Life: Recommended Resources
Dig deeper into this issue's theme
Compiled by the authors in this issue and the editors
Unceasing Prayer in an Uncertain World
As the peace and unity of Europe collapsed, the monastery of Cluny pointed a new way forward.
Dennis Martin
PEOPLE WORTH KNOWING
Faith of Our Mothers
The history of the church would have looked very different without these famous moms.
Elesha Coffman
A Devoted Life: Did You Know?
Interesting and little-known facts about Benedictine monasticism.
A Devoted Life: Christian History Timeline
From its roots in the early Eastern church, through the Benedictine centuries, to the birth of new kinds of religious orders in the Middle Ages
compiled by Antonia Ryan with contributions from Carmen Acevedo Butcher
STORY BEHIND
The Original Do, Re, Mi
Julie Andrews made it popular, but the real musical genius behind this singing aid was a medieval monk.
David Neff
The Blessing of Benedict
The "Father of Western Monasticism" spent his life teaching spiritual beginners about kindness, community, and prayer.
Carmen Acevedo Butcher
Converting Europe
For centuries, monks were at the center of the Western missionary enterprise.
Glenn W. Olsen
Illuminating Europe
Under Charlemagne's influence, the monasteries shaped the future of Western education, trade, and even handwriting.
Thomas O. Kay with Jennifer Trafton
Re-Monking the Church
Many Catholics and Protestants are looking back to Benedict for the community and spiritual intensity they can't find in modern culture.
Chris Armstrong
LIVING HISTORY
Praying in the New World
compiled by David Neff and Rebecca Golossanov
CHANGED LIVES
Grace is in the Details
An 18th-century book gave Richard Foster new eyes for the present moment. The ordinary had never looked so extraordinary.
Richard J. Foster
A Life of Listening
Benedict's Rule became the gold standard of monastic life.
Hugh Feiss, OSB
The Christian History & Biography Timeline
The Unfolding Faith
A bird's eye view of the early church, the emergence of the Gnostics, and the development of the biblical canon.
Compiled by Michael Holmes, with contributions from Nicholas Perrin
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