Christian History Magazine

Christian History Magazine Christian History magazine - Learn from the past, engage the present, and meet the future in faith. w Subscription is on a donation basis.

Christian History magazine is a full color production, with articles by notable scholars enhanced with engaging images and layout. Dr. Jennifer Woodruff Tait is the Managing Editor, with Dr. Chris Armstrong serving as the Senior Editor.

On this day 60 years ago, the Second Vatican Council came to a close. But what was Vatican II, and why does it matter fo...
12/08/2025

On this day 60 years ago, the Second Vatican Council came to a close. But what was Vatican II, and why does it matter for the entire Christian church?

This issue of CH will explore the convening of the Second Vatican Council in 1962, a historic council in Roman Catholic history and a culmination of Catholic doctrine in response to the changing world. Starting with the sixteenth-century Council of Trent and the Catholic reply to the Protestant Reformation, this issue covers the multiple political, theological, and philosophical factors that eventually led to the First Vatican Council in 1869. Still, as this council closed, some business remained unfinished. Crisis outside the church and controversies within would precipitate the Second Vatican Council nearly one hundred years later.

During Vatican II, bishops from around the world gathered to debate and respond to questions raised by the modern world. What should liturgy, governance, and education look like in the modern church? How should clergy exercise their authority? What roles do lay people play in the life of the body? How does the church respond to racism, world wars, and other modern evils? How should Catholics relate to Protestant and Orthodox believers? And how about those of other faiths?

Join Christian History as we explore the work and consequences of this historic council in our latest issue. Read for free on our website https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/issue/ch157-vatican-ii

Advent: a time of preparation, of waiting, of marveling. 🎄 ✨ The season of Advent spans the four Sundays before Christma...
11/30/2025

Advent: a time of preparation, of waiting, of marveling. 🎄 ✨
The season of Advent spans the four Sundays before Christmas and is marked by candle wreaths, chocolate calendars and Christmas traditions. But where did it come from? What is its true purpose? How can you celebrate it at home?
Bring Advent into your Christmas season by reading “Awaiting his coming,” a glimpse into the history and meaning of Advent found in our most recent resource: “Fasts & Feasts: A historical guide to the church calendar.”
Link to "Fasts & Feasts" below!
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/issue/ch156-1-fasts-and-feasts

Though George Washington declared November 26th as Thanksgiving Day, the national holiday was not regularly observed in ...
11/27/2025

Though George Washington declared November 26th as Thanksgiving Day, the national holiday was not regularly observed in America util 1863, when Abraham Lincoln made it a formal holiday to be observed on the last Thursday in November. In 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt changed it to the third Thursday in November.

But possibly the oldest continuously observed day of Thanksgiving in America is the Schwenkfelders’ Day of Remembrance.

In this painting by Adolph Pannash, the newly arrived Schwenckfelders look tidy, cheerful, and well-costumed; the real people probably would have appeared less than neat and refreshed. The journey was frightening, and nine persons died during the trip. The Quakers who are greeting them here all look like the smiling man on the oatmeal box.

Nevertheless, the scene contains much truth, and is intended justly to glorify the event. The persecuted Schwenckfelders, who brought their gaily decorated wooden chests filled with their belongings, and their beloved books, were welcomed in Pennsylvania by the Quakers—themselves well acquainted with intolerance and persecution.

Two days after their arrival, on September 24, Pastor George Weiss led them in a gathering to give thanks to God for their safe passage and for His deliverance and mercy in providing them with a new home. The meal they held on this day, their thanksgiving meal, is still observed and celebrated each year by Schwenckfelders on September 24th, their Day of Remembrance.

A bit of history for you on this happy Thanksgiving day! 🦃🍏

11/14/2025

Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Known for his daring stand against N**i Germany and prophetic words about christian community. But what was his first act of resistance?

In this podcast by Life Together House, historians Joe Thomas and Jonathan King travel into history to listen in on the lives of faithful Christians as they help us navigate our way today as followers of Jesus Christ.

Learn how pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer navigated life in N**i Germany and how his story inspired Christians struggling through South African apartheid.

Listen online using the link in our bio, or follow CHM on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or

Who became the 12th apostle, and why were 12 necessary? When Judas betrayed Jesus and lost his place among the 12, why w...
11/06/2025

Who became the 12th apostle, and why were 12 necessary?
When Judas betrayed Jesus and lost his place among the 12, why was filling his spot significant?
Read along with Jim Parker, professor of biblical interpretation and archaeology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, to understand how crucial a decision Judas’s replacement was.
Link below:
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/ch156-who-replaced-judas

History’s most famous doubter? Definitely Thomas. But Bryan M. Litfin of the Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty Univ...
11/02/2025

History’s most famous doubter? Definitely Thomas. But Bryan M. Litfin of the Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty University claims that while he is remembered for doubting, his subsequent mission was really quite daring.
Reconsider Thomas in “‘Doubting’ or ‘Daring’ Thomas” linked below.

https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/ch156-daring-thomas

The question comes up ever year for Christians: Should I celebrate Halloween? Derived from "All Hallows Eve"— a feast da...
10/31/2025

The question comes up ever year for Christians: Should I celebrate Halloween?

Derived from "All Hallows Eve"— a feast day celebrated in conjunction with "All Saints Day" and "Commemoration of the Faithfully Departed" — the day's traditional purpose was to remember all the faithful Christians who have gone to be with God. The three days were referred to as "Allhallowtide". In fact, the above images are of Saint Philip and Saint Bartholomew and their excruciating martyrdoms. (Read more about their stories in Alan S. Bandy's article "Partners in mission" in Issue #156, linked below).

For most of us, Halloween is the only remaining vestige of these holy days, but there are many ways to remember the saints other than Halloween. Our friend Ashley Tumlin Wallace has ample resources for how to celebrate the saints at home— and Halloween especially— as does Christian History Institute's newest resource Fasts & Feasts: A Historical Guide to the church Calendar.

https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/ch156-partners-in-mission

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