Monday, November 10, 2025

It is the 10th of November 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

A happy Monday to you, or whenever you are listening. Thanks to those who wrote to let me know how much they loved the questions from the kids- it was great to get to do that for the weekend edition. As for today- a mailbag Monday, I received an email from Rhett in Wichita Falls- home of the band Bowling For Soup and Bedhead- similar era, very different bands.

Rhett asked what I realized, Ben Mast- Mr Mast had asked when I went searching for his email. They, and others, have wondered in light of all the Christian biographies I do, what my own would sound like.

Long-time listeners have probably heard a number of things they think about me, your friendly neighborhood church historian, but sure, for Rhett and Ben and everyone else wondering, I was born February 17th, 1979, in San Bernardino, California. I’m the youngest of 4 and the only boy. I lived in Lake Arrowhead, California, then down the mountain in Riverside, and then I moved to Irvine in the 4th grade.

I grew up in a family that went to church in spurts- my mother grew up Catholic, while my dad came to faith as a young man in an orphanage in Los Angeles. In the second grade, we went to a very big church that did musical theatre, and somehow I ended up with a leading role as the baby gorilla who appeared in a dream to a girl who had to write a paper on evolution.

Youth groups were a kind of social network- camps- Forest Home, Calvin Crest- and overnighters were always a part of my landscape, but I didn’t think much about the faith other than I hoped not to go to hell.

In high school, I followed my sister to a youth group at Irvine Presbyterian church, and I got involved- paid attention (sometimes) but really wanted to be a sports announcer or sports talk radio host.

Around 17, I became aware, in a very real sense, of my own sin- nothing scandalous- just pricked in my conscience. I started asking theological questions to my youth pastor and came to understand the basics of Jesus taking my sin and giving me his righteousness.

A story for another time- I was rejected by every college I applied to and ended up staying in Irvine- most of my friends had left, but I started volunteering with the jr high group (there was another volunteer… she was something else- we got married- 25 years ago next August).

In serving and volunteering, I found a fulfillment that helped me take my faith seriously as I tried to model it and teach it to younger kids.

My old youth pastor had become a pastor in a nearby town- it was a PCA (Presbyterian church in America) church, and I was the youth director serving with the immortal Samuel Ortegon Pepke. I hadn’t been baptized, so I did that real quick before I started the job and also started a degree in theology and biblical languages at nearby Concordia University. I was a student of Rod Rosenbladt and, for my last two years, was his assistant, where I first met so many of the people associated with 1517 today.

I was convinced through my studies and this strange new ability to study and learn stuff that I might serve the church as a teacher, so, newly married, I moved to St. Andrews and ended up with a PhD from the School of Modern History. Concordia in Irvine called about some part-time work, and by 2006, I was back at my Alma Mater. A bunch of us, like Adam Francisco, Rosenbladt, and other 1517 folk, all went to a church in Capistrano Beach with Ron Hodel. I started teaching adult classes there- some of which were filmed and sparked an idea about online videos and education. As I taught at Concordia, I did a podcast with a colleague called Virtue in the Wasteland (it started fun and then went off the rails at the end as I was also going off the rails- teaching and administrating and doing stuff with the earliest iterations of 1517). In 2016 Scott Keith and I had been talking and I made the giant leap of faith- leaving Concordia for this, full time- and after the old podcast died out- after a period of self sabotage and a hospitalization and I was put on the shelf for at least 6 months- I was able to rest in my faith- not as a “professional” but as a child of God needing grace as much, or more as I needed to teach about it. 2019, May 1st, we started on this voyage of a daily show and I couldn’t be more blessed to get to share this with you.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and 2 Peter 1:

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 10th of November 2025, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who was once known to me as a listener of my old podcast who would help make playlists of all the songs we would talk about- he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man whose day is probably determined today by how my Rams did yesterday… 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.