Monday, August 11, 2025

It is the 11th of August 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

A very happy Monday to you- keep sending in your “why do we, or they, do X in worship” questions- I’m getting some good ones- I will be in Germany and Switzerland for the better part of next month and so I’m getting things ready ahead of time (don’t you always? No- I record the show you get in the morning the day before- it keeps me fresh- this show is asynchronous, but just barely).

A question came in from Brian in Washington, D.C.? No. The state? No. The town in Western Pennsylvania- home of the whiskey rebellion and referee Gene Steratore of the infamous index card for measuring a first down.

Brian gave me a pretty extensive history of his own from being baptized Catholic to going to an episcopal school to marrying a Methodist, and they now worship at a non-denominational church that used to be affiliated with the Vineyard. Brian’s got range. He asked about “reformation” churches and if there was a quick and easy way to know which is which.

Well, Brian- no. Not really. Thanks for the email. The last word for today comes… wait, no. I’m reminded of Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird”- an approach to writing that takes one thing at a time. It is the same with churches. Rather than try to figure out a matrix from above and *hope* that the churches fall in line- it’s best to go church by church.

But there are a couple of things worth noting. Reformation churches are those that trace their lineage back to the 16th century movements- not a single movement (unfortunately) but similar churches across Europe (at the time) that sought a different authority- not the Pope or patriarch, but Scripture and the idea that it is sufficient to instruct and teach- and namely that we are saved on account of faith in Christ alone. OK- so, who is who in the zoo? I’ve got some Weekend Edition bios coming up I’m doing a Luther and a Calvin and a Zwingli- part of me thought that was a little basic or on the nose- but following those three lines can be helpful. Or we can make a distinction between the magisterial and radical reformations. The “magisterial” are those who had the backing of magistrates- Kings and Princes and the like. Luther had the Elector of Saxony behind him. Calvin had the city government of Geneva behind him (usually), and Zwingli had the canton of Zurich. The Anglicans (or, Episcopalians- as some of them are called here) had Henry and Edward and Elizabeth and all that.

But others were “radical” in that they didn’t have the backing of the magistrates and tended to be a lot more “leveling”- less hierarchy, no state involvement. You may have heard of “free” churches- we’ve got a contingent of listeners at the Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary. My in-laws worship at an EV (or Evangelical) Free church. And before you make the joke, “so no tuition or tithing?” Hahaha. No. They are free from State control. So the “Free Lutherans” are magisterial and sacramental (that’s another distinction you’ve probably seen, Brian, between Catholic and Vineyard), but have a little rebellion in them- they tend to be congregational- again, it’s a question of authority.

The modern-day non-denominational Christian- or Calvary Chapel (and the Vineyard came out of that movement- fascinating stuff) or “Bible” church likely has roots in the radical reformation.

Depending on where you sit, there are going to be some making a big deal about distinctions between the churches of the Reformation, while others are more likely to see the differences between Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox bodies. Brian, it seems like you are a kind of “pan-evangelical Protestant”. I’d be curious to hear a “why do they or we do x” type question from you!

Of course, in our American context, it gets trickier because the main denominations tend to have conservative, moderate, and progressive wings, wherein the disdain within groups, but in different wings, is sometimes the meanest of them all.

And so, my suggestion is “church by church”- a cool thing is that many stream services, and so you can see who is doing what and how- even churches in the same denomination and wing can be vastly different- Lutherans and Presbyterians in southern California can differ from town to town!

I think and dream in church family trees- and when we get the upcoming reformer bios, I’ll do some more modern “descendants”- thanks for the question, Brian.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Hebrews 11.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 11th of August 2025, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who knows that it was the first down marker and the tip of the football that were so close Steratore pulled a 3x5 card out of his pocket to see if he could slide it between- he is Christopher Gillespie

The show is written and read by a man who knows to brace himself- by reading the 5th verse of Hebrews 11, the Enoch questions are gonna start flying in… I’m Dan van Voorhis.   

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.