On January 8, 1956, five young missionaries were murdered on the shores of the Curaray River in eastern Ecuador by a group of particularly aggressive natives, known as the Huaorani. Ironically, the missionaries were trying to introduce those natives to the good news of Christ’s love. The story of their sacrifice became legendary within Christian circles and inspired an entire generation of ...
The Five Stages of Grief
In 1926, a set of female triplets was born in Zurich, Switzerland. The firstborn weighted only two pounds. Despite limited technology to care for such small infants, the triplets survived. During their teen years, Europe was in the midst of World War II, and the oldest became interested in relief work. She decided to study medicine, over her father’s vehement protests. Because he refused to help ...
Seeing is Believing?
A few years ago, I was reading an article in Biblical Archeology Review. The article was discussing a pottery shard that had been discovered near the ancient Philistine city of Gath. The shard dated back to the time of King David and was inscribed with the name, “Goliath.” Isn’t that incredible? I was ecstatic! Here was a secular discovery that helped confirm the Biblical account of David and ...
Victory Lap
For nearly eight hundred years by the time of Christ’s crucifixion, Roman generals had been celebrating their foreign victories by having elaborate parades through the streets of Rome. For one day only, a victorious general could ride on a chariot through the heart of the capital to great pomp and fanfare⎯the greater the victory, the greater the celebration. Sometimes there would be games to ...
An Inconvenient Person
On March 15 of 44 BC, Julius Caesar wasn’t feeling well. He had an important meeting with the Senators of Rome, who had bestowed on him his ever-increasing powers of state. Only recently they had made him Dictator for Life, and he owed it to them to join them as they met. His doctors urged him to reschedule once he was feeling better. Likewise, his wife, Calpurnia, begged him to remain at home. ...
A Spiritual Time Capsule
Archaeologists have recently discovered an ancient synagogue on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where they believe Jesus taught. Like most things archaeological, there is a bit of educated guesswork going on. The town is named Magdala, from which Mary Magdalene may have derived her name, and its close proximity to water would have supported a fishing economy, so prevalent in the gospel ...