Illustration by Christianity Today
What Kids Think About God Matters
Three theology books to read this month.
From a Galaxy Far, Far Away to Carol Stream, Illinois
CT tracked cultural changes while going through several of its own.
The Year of the Evangelical
America prepared for a bicentennial, and religious identity dominated the presidential campaign.
Considering Both Sides of Church Divisions
CT hosted debates about the charismatic movement and women’s ordination.
Confronting Evils
In 1974, CT saw trouble in the White House, Chile, and Cyprus, and in the American fascination with exorcists.
Today in Christian History
March 21
March 21, 547: Italian monk Benedict, author of the Benedictine rule (which established the pattern for European monastic life through the Middle Ages), dies at Monte Cassino. In 1965 Pope Paul VI proclaimed him the patron saint of Europe.
March 21, 1146: At the urging of Bernard of Clairvaux (one of the most famous theologians and monks of his day), France's King Louis VII announces he will lead the Second Crusade to regain the crusader capital of Edessa. When he failed two years later, Christians were devastated that a crusade preached by a moral exemplar and led by royalty could fail (see issue 24: Bernard of Clairvaux and issue 40: The Crusades).
From a Galaxy Far, Far Away to Carol Stream, Illinois
CT tracked cultural changes while going through several of its own.
The Year of the Evangelical
America prepared for a bicentennial, and religious identity dominated the presidential campaign.
Considering Both Sides of Church Divisions
CT hosted debates about the charismatic movement and women’s ordination.
Confronting Evils
In 1974, CT saw trouble in the White House, Chile, and Cyprus, and in the American fascination with exorcists.
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
George Whitefield
Sensational Evangelist of Britain and America
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
Teenage war hero with visions
Søren Kierkegaard
Christian existentialist
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.
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March 18
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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.
Christian History Issues
View all
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.