Church History

In the summer of 1536, promising young author John Calvin was traveling to Strasbourg to pursue a quiet life in academics. He spent one night in Geneva on his journey, where he was approached with an offer from a local minister, William Farel. Farel persuaded Calvin—under threat of God’s cursing—to...

Ayako Miura – From Disillusioned Nihilist to Christian Author Ayako Miura was one of the best-known women writers in modern Japan. Her literary talents are evident and her books grip the reader’s attention from the first page. And yet, Japan’s literary guild has often relegated her writings to the...

Bo Giertz – True Pastor and Insightful Writer In 1927, Bo Harald Giertz had an audience with Queen Victoria of Sweden, who had been a patient of his father Knut. Knowing that Bo was studying theology, and that he was a top student, she asked if he wanted to become a professor. He replied he just...

Johann Gerhard – Pastor and Teacher in Troubling Times Johann Gerhard is often seen as the third pillar of the Lutheran tradition, after Martin Luther and Martin Chemnitz (author of the Formula of Concord and the Examination of the Council of Trent). Gerhard is considered the foremost Lutheran...

The Word Became Fresh Dale Ralph Davis has been a minister at a few traditional Reformed churches in the US. For some time, he was Old Testament professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. Dale lives a much quieter life now, and is happy to chat with Jonathan and James about one of...

Byang Kato and the Universal Nature of the Historical Gospel During the second half of the twentieth century, many African nations declared their independence from the European countries that had ruled them. In 1960 alone, the so-called “African year,” seventeen African nations claimed this...

Gudina Tumsa – Martyr and Thinker On July 28, 1979, Gudina Tumsa led a Bible study at Urael Church in Addis Ababa, one of the congregations of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY). He had barely left the church when he was kidnapped, together with his wife, Tsehay Tolessa, by some...

On December 24, 1920 Benjamin B. Warfield fell ill after being struck with angina pectoris. He died on February 16, 1921. Why should we pause this week to remember a Princeton theologian who has been with the Lord for one hundred years? Perhaps Isaac Newton’s reason is enough, “If I have seen...

Avoiding Chronological Snobbery Nick Needham joins us from across the Atlantic. He’s the minister of Inverness Reformed Baptist Church and a lecturer at Highland Theological College. Nick’s also the writer of an outstanding four volume set entitled 2000 Years of Christ’s Power: The Age of the Early...

Daniel De Superville – Bringing Comfort to a Pilgrim Church If the sixteenth century was a turbulent time for French Huguenots, the following century was disastrous. What little hope they had nurtured in 1598, when King Henry IV’s Edict of Nantes granted them some rights to worship and participate...