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The Complicated Legacy of Jesse Jackson
Six Christian leaders reflect on the civil rights giant’s triumphs and tragedies.
Troubling Moral Issues in 1973
CT condemned the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade and questioned the seriousness of Watergate.
Was Abraham Lincoln a Christian?
In his younger years, Lincoln was a skeptic. But as he aged, he turned toward biblical wisdom—and not only when in the public eye.
How CT Editors Carl Henry and Nelson Bell Covered Civil Rights
Trying to stake out a sliver of space for the “moderate evangelical,” the magazine sometimes left readers confused and justice ignored.
CT Reports from Nixon’s Trip to Communist China
In 1972, American evangelicals were concerned about religious liberty around the world and moral decline at home.
Today in Christian History
February 21
February 21, 1142: Medieval French philosopher, teacher, and theologian Peter Abelard dies. Perhaps best known for his (chaste) love affair with nun Heloise, Abelard made his most important contribution in establishing a critical methodology for theology. Irritated with some of the unreasoning pietism of other monks, he wrote Yes and No, compiling the (sometimes conflicting) sayings of the Bible and church fathers on various controversial subjects (see issue 30: Women in the Medieval Church).
February 21, 1173: Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas a Becket three years after the Archbishop of Canterbury's martyrdom at the hands of King Henry II's knights.
Troubling Moral Issues in 1973
CT condemned the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade and questioned the seriousness of Watergate.
Was Abraham Lincoln a Christian?
In his younger years, Lincoln was a skeptic. But as he aged, he turned toward biblical wisdom—and not only when in the public eye.
How CT Editors Carl Henry and Nelson Bell Covered Civil Rights
Trying to stake out a sliver of space for the “moderate evangelical,” the magazine sometimes left readers confused and justice ignored.
CT Reports from Nixon’s Trip to Communist China
In 1972, American evangelicals were concerned about religious liberty around the world and moral decline at home.
People in Christian History
Dorothy Sayers
Mystery writer and apologist
Augustine of Hippo
Architect of the Middle Ages
C.S. Lewis
Scholar, author, and apologist
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
German theologian and resister
Athanasius
Five-time exile for fighting “orthodoxy”
Harriet Tubman
The “Moses” of Her People
Catherine Booth
Compelling preacher and co-founder of the Salvation Army
William Wilberforce
Antislavery politician
John Knox
Presbyterian with a sword
Dwight L. Moody
Revivalist with a common touch
Billy Graham
Evangelist to millions
Thomas à Kempis
Author of the most popular devotional classic
Perpetua
High society believer
Justin Martyr
Defender of the “true philosophy”
John of the Cross
Spanish mystic of the soul’s dark night
Teresa of Avila
Carmelite mystic and feisty administrator
Oswald Chambers
Preacher who gave his utmost
Joan of Arc
The courageous and controversial teenager who saved her country
Søren Kierkegaard
Christian existentialist
Looking Past Bell Bottoms, Beads, Coffeehouses, and Communes
In 1971, CT said the Jesus People were not just another baby boomer fad.
Tearing Apart ‘The Old Thread-bare Lie’
Black journalist Ida B. Wells exposed Southern lynching.
What CT Asked Advice Columnist Ann Landers
As America teetered on the edge of revolution, the magazine called for more innovation, responsibility, sensitivity, and stewardship.
Disillusioned at the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius
CT helped readers make sense of wild cultural changes in 1969.
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Through a Storm of Violence
In 1968, CT grappled with the Vietnam War and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
Once Lost, Then Found, Then Judged
History is full of Christians trying to figure out if other Christians really experienced the saving work they say they did.
When the Times Were ‘A-Changin’’
CT reported on 1967 “message music,” the radicalism on American college campuses, and how the Six-Day War fit into biblical prophecy.
Evangelism and All That Jazz
In 1966, CT reported on church activities but also on LSD, The Beatles, and the war in Vietnam.
A Time of Moral Indignation
CT reports on civil rights, the “death of God” theology, and an escalating conflict in Vietnam.
The Story Behind Handel’s ‘Messiah’
Meet the unlikely characters who defined this musical classic.
The Call to Art, Africa, and Politics
In 1964, CT urged Christians to “be what they really are—new men and women in Christ.”
‘A Shot Came Out of Nowhere’
CT reported on the assassination of a president, a Supreme Court ban on Bible-reading in schools, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
‘Saint Nicholas Is Our Guy’
A conversation with printmaker Ned Bustard on what traditions teach about the joy of generosity.
From Outer Space to Rome
In 1962, CT engaged friends and enemies in the Cold War and the Second Vatican Council.
New Frontiers in 1961
CT considered paperback books, the Peace Corps, and the first man in space.
Evangelicals Confront a Revolutionary Age
A Catholic on the campaign trail and the “possibly catastrophic character of what is happening under our eyes” caused deep concern in 1960.