Illustration by Christianity Today / Source Images: Getty, Baker
An Able Reply to the Toughest Challenges to Reformed Theology
A new book on the Reformed tradition commends it as a “generous” home combining firm foundations and open doors.
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.
Looking Past Bell Bottoms, Beads, Coffeehouses, and Communes
In 1971, CT said the Jesus People were not just another baby boomer fad.
Today in Christian History
February 20
February 19, 843: Empress Theodora reinstates icons once and for all in the Eastern churches, effectively ending the medieval iconoclastic controversy. A council in 787 had allowed the veneration of icons, but opponents of images still controlled most of the government and much of the church leadership. The controversy continued, however, and was one of the reasons for the Great Schism between Catholics and the Orthodox in 1054 (see issue 54: Eastern Orthodoxy).
February 19, 1377: John Wycliffe stands trial in London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral for his criticism of the church. He argued against the sale of indulgences, the worship of saints, the veneration of relics, the “emptiness” of some church traditions, and the indolence of clerics. In spite of five papal bulls ordering his arrest, he was never convicted as a heretic (see issue 3: John Wycliffe).
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.
Looking Past Bell Bottoms, Beads, Coffeehouses, and Communes
In 1971, CT said the Jesus People were not just another baby boomer fad.
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
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.
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.
Trending in History
-
Was Abraham Lincoln a Christian?
-
How CT Editors Carl Henry and Nelson Bell Covered Civil Rights
-
Once Lost, Then Found, Then Judged
-
Trump Becomes the First President Since Eisenhower to Change Faiths in Office
-
CT Reports from Nixon’s Trip to Communist China
-
The Half-Truths We’ve Told About MLK
Trending topics
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.
Why CT Was Skeptical of Cold War Calls for Peace
In 1959, evangelicals looked to political leaders to hold up America’s great spiritual heritage as responses to the Soviet Union divided Christians.