Through sacrifice, mercy, and charity, women down through church history may have given us our greatest examples of love demonstrated and proven through selfless giving and service to others.

A look at one of the greatest gifts a pastor can give a congregation.

A Plea for the Poor (1793)

True and False Leaders(1539)

Christian Asceticism from the Early Church Through the Reformation

This issue's Gallery could more aptly be called the Christian History Rogues Gallery. These unhappy tales from the past present good examples not to follow.

This eloquent Baptist preacher of Victorian England was also loved for his earthy wisdom. Our text and engraving are taken from his popular writings John Ploughman's Talk and John Ploughman's Pictures. The homespun sage had much to say that, in his words, "would not suit well the pulpit or the Sabbath."

It doesn't take big money to make a big impact.

What does it take to generate excitement instead of yawns?

Three obstacles to a ministry's ascent--and how to scale them.

Puritans are often charged with having been the origin of modern attitudes toward money. Upon scrutiny, the things ascribed to Puritans turn out to be secularized versions of something that the Puritans only accepted in a context of supreme allegiance to God and obedience to Christian moral standards.