Monday, February 9, 2025

It is the 9th of February 2026. 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- apparently, there was some kind of sports event yesterday- I, of course, being a student of the Bible and history, do not watch sports because… just kidding. Go sports. Imagine rooting for the Clippers and Angels…

This weekend I will be in the weather with the rest of you- Alexandria, Minnesota- the show will be a mailbag, so send in questions, and maybe I’ll answer them. Like Ed in Brandon. Two first names- Ed (as in Edward) is in Manitoba, Canada, in the town of Brandon… I love Manitoba because saying the word itself tricks you into being Canadian. The Wheat City is just north of North Dakota. One time home of Tommy Douglass- fascinating character. “Brandon” was the “Jennifer” of Junior High…

Ed wrote with two questions that were related- the first about the lectionary because his church (he’s Episcopalian) uses it, and he wondered if non-Episcopalians had the same texts read on a Sunday. Yes! The Revised Common Lectionary is what you use, and most any other church that is using a lectionary is going to be using this one (the readings at the end of the show come from it- the Vanderbilt website is my daily link for personal readings and for the show.

So- the second part of this question came from Ed, up there in Brandon, sitting in church a few weeks ago when his pastor read from 1 Corinthians (as did mine!)

For it has been made clear to me by Chloe's people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.

What I mean is that each of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ.”

And as he sat in his pew, proudly “Episcopalian”, he wondered how churches have historically read this text from Corinthians and then divided up into factions and teams.

Ed- you are tapping into the great cycle in church history of progress, crisis, and renewal. We ambitiously create structures, and then they break, and to fix them, we either look to an imagined past or to an unknown future. Ah, yes, the great principles of primitivism and emancipation. Primitivism is that instinct, when things get tricky and hard, you say, “Back to the beginning!” This is seen in any number of “restorationist” groups. Or- things get wonky, and so you say “to heck with the past- let’s make something new”- this is the “emancipation” that is also behind renewal in the church.

It’s also a text about identity.

What I find interesting in the Corinthians text is that Paul is saying all of you are saying who you “belong to”… who is telling Paul about this factionalism? It’s right there: “for it has been made clear to me by Chloe’s People”- oh, those who say “we are of Chloe”?!

For definitional purposes, Paul refers to people by their relationship IN the church. Chloe’s people are not Junia’s people… why not? Maybe they live in different places or speak different languages or had a really big disagreement on an important theological point and decided to divide their ministries for the sake of peace (like the Apostles did in Acts 15!).

We use titles like Episcopal, Lutheran, and Presbyterian, and these can seem embarrassing if we are playing a “who’s got the cooler clique” kind of game. But the point of 1st Corinthians- where Paul condemns factionalism- says that the “clique” we’re a part of is the foolish-looking one- don’t measure your church by the standards of Corinth or wherever you are in the world.

Factionalism can get silly- tribal and brand-name based. But as Adam and Eve named the animals, so too do we have to “name” the things- the churches and traditions based on where they come from, what they emphasize- and from there, hopefully we can have uniting conversations.

In short, I think Paul would say that the American church is divided and that we put too much into our brand names and denominations. On the other hand, the answer isn’t to erase all distinctions- but rather to learn and note them. In the coming weeks, I’m going to be taking some time to do some of this- not to speak down but to talk about who’s who and the names we use for the groups. So- Ed in Brandon, thanks for the thoughts, the email, and the impetus.

 

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and from Psalm 119- the longest Psalm, this from verse 105:

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
 a light on my path.

I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
 that I will follow your righteous laws.

I have suffered much;
 preserve my life, Lord, according to your word.

Accept, Lord, the willing praise of my mouth,
 and teach me your laws.

Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
 I will not forget your law.

The wicked have set a snare for me,
 but I have not strayed from your precepts.

Your statutes are my heritage forever;
 they are the joy of my heart.

My heart is set on keeping your decrees
 to the very end.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 9th of February 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who wonders if there’s a Brandon somewhere in the town of Ed… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who got that Fritos bean dip… once a year- in the little metal tin… 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.