How Not to Handle a Pastoral Succession
On September 17, 1944, a relatively unknown pastor named Kenneth Owen White arrived at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington, D. C. (later known as Capitol Hill Baptist Church), eager to prove himself.
Articles on History
409 results found
Podcast: The Surprising Impact of One Church in the Nation’s Capital (Caleb Morell)
Caleb Morell traces the story of Capitol Hill Baptist Church and how God sovereignly worked through history to both build his church and bring himself glory.
How Can a World Full of Evil and Suffering Be a Part of God’s Plan?
Can this fallen, brutal, cruel world really be God’s plan? What is God’s answer to our many, fervent prayers?
Podcast: What We Can Learn from the Prayers of Church History (Zach Carter and Jonathan Arnold)
Zach Carter and Jonathan Arnold help us understand and engage with written prayers throughout church history.
How to Be Confident in the Resurrection: Look to Its First Witnesses
How can anyone be confident that the resurrection really happened? The first followers of Jesus didn’t claim their leader rose from the dead because of gullible ignorance or blind faith.
Prayers of Old Remind Us That We Are Not Alone
Looking at prayers that came from those before us was just an opportunity for me to personally dive into where the church has been and to understand that we’re not alone.
Reading the Parable of the Prodigal Son on the Shoulders of Giants
Read the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15 and reflect on the magnificence of this story from Jesus along with commentary notes from gifted teachers throughout church history.
Podcast: John Owen’s Advice for Killing Your Sin (Kelly Kapic)
Kelly Kapic discusses John Owen and his insight into the corruption of the human heart and the gospel’s power to change us from the inside out.
Is Christianity Good for the World?
Some claim that Christianity is oppressive and toxic, but in this video, Dr. Sharon James argues that a biblical worldview is essential for human freedom, flourishing, and fulfillment.
The Story of the Nun Who Escaped to True Freedom
Christian freedom, as Luther taught, wasn’t about moderation in these things. It was about resting in Christ and serving and loving your neighbor. Nothing we do can make God love us more.
How These Seven Developments Shaped the Modern World
What happens in 1776—this one remarkable year—is that there are seven key developments that you can see in a particularly intense form.
Every Detail of Jesus’s Birth Was Part of God’s Plan
Every detail of Jesus’s birth was part of God’s plan before the foundations of the earth were set in place. So the promises and prophecies of his birth were detailed and specific.
The Story of the Monk Who Changed the World
It’s not the metal band that gives the ring its worth. The value comes from the diamond the ring holds. In the same way, it’s not the strength or size of our faith that saves us.
A Devotional on the Most Glorious of Birthdays by Charles Spurgeon
Leland Ryken, Charles H. Spurgeon
The birth of Christ should be the subject of supreme joy. We have the angelic warrant for rejoicing because Christ is born.
3 Prayers of Thanksgiving from History
Jonathan W. Arnold, Zachariah M. Carter
As we draw near to Thanksgiving, use these written prayers from the past as examples to help give you words to express your gratitude to God.
Over the centuries, theologians have articulated several different theories or models of the atonement.
Justice Denied Is Love Denied
You have heard it said that justice delayed is justice denied. But I tell you that justice denied is love denied.
A Brief History of the Doctrine of the Work of the Holy Spirit
Many people will be surprised to discover that the work of the Holy Spirit was not developed as a doctrine until after the Protestant Reformation.
What Studying Old Conflict Can Teach Us
We seem to live in a world of increasing polarization in which the members of warring tribes address each other with remarkable vitriol in the online environment.
Who Was Herman Bavinck, and Why Is He Worth Reading Today?
Herman Bavinck is someone who people have become really interested in and aware of in recent years through the translations of some of his theological works. He was a really important thinker.
Nietzsche or Christ? Who Will We Follow amid Our Political Angst?
The days of rage are back. In the face of current social and political events, resentment may not be flooding the street (at least not yet), but it is raging at the level of the heart.
Podcast: Jesus’s Birthday, the Exodus, and Other Bible Timeline Questions (Andrew Steinmann)
Andrew Steinmann discusses the timeline of the Bible, when key events actually happened, and why it all matters for our understanding of the Bible's message for us today.
What a Heated Disagreement between Two Puritans Can Teach Us Today
It takes the effort to understand and to empathize—in an age of polarization when empathy seems to be in short supply. It takes time and mutual generosity.
You’re Romantic Whether You Know It or Not
Some marks of the Romantic movement seem quite alien to us today. Others, by contrast, seem thoroughly natural to us, to the extent that we do not even notice them.
God Used This Broken Pastor—and He Can Use You Too
Part of what I try to do as I’m reading church history is to make sure that I’m keeping these people human.
Why John Owen and Richard Baxter Didn’t Like Each Other
When we see other people, we do so through a filter that operates on the basis of the only evidence we have: what we see them do and hear them say. It’s easy to get that wrong.
When the Church Got Slavery Wrong
It’s one of the great tragic notes in all of church history that when African slavery came into view and such prominence, the church did not take a clear stand against it.
Believers of every era grapple with God’s command to give up everything for his sake, even while they strive to understand the corresponding promise of greater rewards.
The Most Significant Edit to the Declaration of Independence
Franklin read Jefferson’s draft which said, “We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable,” and he crossed out “sacred and undeniable” and replaced it with “self-evident.”
10 Prayers from History to Pray for Your Loved Ones
Jonathan W. Arnold, Zachariah M. Carter
Oh Lord, with your gracious and merciful eye, look upon the contrition of my heart. According to your certain promise, stay with me as I acknowledge you to be the maker and defender of all creation.