Friday, August 28, 2026

It is the 28th of August 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Long-time listeners to this show know that from time to time I will revisit a character or topic. It’s part of the fun of not having to be exhaustive- with some characters there’s always more to say. And perhaps this is true especially for the only character that has his own day on the Almanac (and I’ll explain why)- it’s the 28th of August, and that means we remember the great Augustine of Hippo.

 

Now- you might say, “Dan, I’m a little bit intimidated to read Augustine… is there a way to break him down, but by bit for easier consumption?” I’m glad you asked- and if you go to the unofficial transcript at 1517.org you can find a link: https://shop.1517.org/collections/coming-soon/products/9781964419848-a-year-of-confession-with-augustine it is to pre-order a book coming out this October with 1517 Publishing- it is “A Year of Confession with Augustine”- edited by Steve Kruschel it is 365 Daily Devotions “for the restless heart”- the forward is by a certain “Dr. Daniel van Voorhis”- that’s me (and my full baptismal name) I read it and loved it and wrote the forward.

 

So, why does this guy- old Gus of Hippo get his own yearly show? Because I think the Western church as a whole can rally around him- Catholics, Lutherans, Evangelicals, Reformed… there’s something to like (and dislike) for us all. He sets the stage for the church in the Middle Ages, the Reformation, and beyond. His 5 million words in some 100+ books, 500 sermons, and countless letters have helped guide the conversation when it comes to how Christians think about the most important theological issues. Even if you disagree with him, he’s setting the table for the conversation. Years ago I was at a small event in which the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, spent a day explaining Augustine’s significance by laying out Augustine’s Confessions (How to think about the Self) and his City of God (how to think about others).

Let me give you what I think is the main historical takeaway from Augustine- the one thing that has trickled down into so many theological circles. And it’s easy to remember- it’s Augustine’s Pears.

 

It’s a story he tells in book 2 of his confessions:

"There was a pear-tree close to our vineyard, heavily laden with fruit, which was tempting neither for its colour nor its flavour. To shake and rob this some of us wanton young fellows went, late one night... and carried away great loads, not to eat ourselves, but to fling to the very swine, having only eaten some of them; and to do this pleased us all the more because it was not permitted.”

He continued,

“It was foul, and I loved it. I loved my own undoing. I loved my error—not that for which I erred but the error itself.”

It is the sense of the sinful self which begins all theological inquiry and must be remembered when we are making sense of “how to think about the self” and “how to think about others”.

"Things are not as they should be” is the beginning of making sense of anything. Augustine has profound ideas about the nature of evil. His doctrine of evil runs into his doctrine of baptism and the church (something some Protestants get uncomfortable with). His teaching about the fall has implications for the nature of grace and the “bound will”. His doctrine of the fall is that it is VERY bad, and so his doctrine of grace is that it is EVEN better. There are implications for the gospel and teaching about justification- how it is we are saved. And, well… for those that can’t get enough predestination talk… his teaching here will resonate through the centuries. IN fact, in answering a mailbag question on predestination, it got so big it became the topic for this weekend’s show… and so we will meet Augustine there, too… so- preorder the book, get ready for tomorrow’s show and decide whether you are team Augustine or Augusteen (it doesn’t matter) and have a pear… Augustine died on this day in 430 in Hippo, Algeria… born in 354, he was 75 years old.

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and, well, it’s technically 2 Thessalonians 2 on the Man of Lawlessness… I’ll skip to the benediction at the end of that passage:

13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 28th of August 2026 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who insists on calling him Aurelius Augustinus… which is technically the right pronunciation: Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who loves a good pear tart, pear pizza with goat cheese and caramelized onions? 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.