Monday, August 3, 2026

It is the 3rd of August 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

Hey everybody- a happy Monday to you- as is our custom here on the almanac, we head to the mailbag. Sometimes an email comes in just as I’m working on shows and a question jumps to the head of the queue… such is the case for my man Zach- Zac writes:

 

“Long time listener, second time emailer here from Leander, Texas, the home of the Leanderthal Lady and the football stadium that was once the home stadium of the Permian Panthers football team that inspired the famous “Friday Night Lights” book, movie and TV show.”

 

Leander- near Austin, named for Leander "Catfish" Brown. The “Leanderthal Lady” isn’t neanderthal… just too good a pun… the remains appear to be from the Ice Age.

 

Zach asks: I’m curious about the history of the practice of “crossing oneself,” AKA the Sign of the Cross. Is there any indication in church history as to how it started? How has it developed over the years? And—the subject I’m most interested in—why did it fall out of practice by Protestants? Were the early reformers opposed to it?

 

And he asked for sources.

 

Ok- so, the sign of the cross. Maybe you’ve seen your favorite athlete make it before an at-bat or a penalty kick… forehead, center of chest, right shoulder, left shoulder… I’ll leave the childhood rhymes for you. Spectacles, wallet, watch… all that….

 

It’s an OLD practice. It belongs to the historic church, but for reasons, became an easy target for claims of superstition and a visual sign for delineating “us” vs. “them”. I’m very comfortable making it, but usually when others are not to stand out… that’s just me. It’s kinda like raising your hands in worship… very common for some, very uncomfortable for others.

 

The standard “earliest text” in church history for this practice is from Tertullian-he writes (around 200) “At every forward step and movement,” he wrote, “at every going in and out, when we put on our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on couch, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign.

 

Later Cyril of Alexandria writes: “Do not be ashamed of the Cross of Christ; but though another hide it, do thou openly seal it upon thy forehead, that the devils may behold the royal sign and flee trembling far away”

 

Ok- that it would have the power to send devils fleeing… I can see how it could become superstitious. At the Reformation we have different approaches- Luther is going to say: yes, of course, always… and by it you will remind yourself of your baptism. Next time there’s a baptism- always done in the name of the Trinity- what does the baptizer do? They often make the sign on the forehead. A very biblical idea- being “marked”- we find it from the patriarchs, to a vision in Ezekiel, all the way to the book of Revelation (where some have interpreted literal forehead signs, like bar codes…but what if it’s the symbolic mark of the Trinity and the signification that you have been baptized into Christ, not the Anti-Christ).

 

The Reformed tradition coming out of Switzerland and beyond is going to de-emphasize anything that seems like a superstition. The basic rule of thumb is that the Lutherans will remove an old practice only if it MUST go, while the Reformed are going to tear everything down to the studs and then say “we’ll do anything explicitly commanded”- making the sign of the cross isn’t- and so it’s often avoided. In the Anglican tradition, it depends where you sit- some wanted to emphasize continuity (these are the high church folks) and those who wanted more of a break and didn’t want to be perceived as “too Catholic”.

 

As far as sources go- if you’re interested in the practice of the early church- I’ll always point you to two: the Didache and the Apostolic Traditions of Hippolytus. Two of the earliest manuals that describe HOW Christians worshipped. They are helpful. They also are not scripture.

 

As for helpful sources- my two go-to’s are always the Oxford History of Christian Worship and James F. White’s “A Brief History of Christian Worship”

 

I absolutely love the questions about church history that come from looking around a worship service and asking “why do we” or “why do they” do that… there’s usually a story, and I love to help uncover them for you.

 

Send me your questions about church history and practice to Danv@1517.org… an end-of-summer mailbag makes sense coming up, so see if you can’t get your questions into me sooner than later….

 

 

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and… amidst some interesting readings… how about the beginning of Psalm 78

My people, hear my teaching;
 listen to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth with a parable;
 I will utter hidden things, things from of old—

3 things we have heard and known,
 things our ancestors have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their descendants;
 we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
 his power, and the wonders he has done.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 3rd of August 2026 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who knows to use the right hand… as the left… well, that’s sinister… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who can get whiplash going from high- to low-church services… gonna lift holy hands and then make the sign of the cross to confuse everyone… 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.