Post mortems, reviews, roundups, top ten lists—’tis the season to wrap up 2003 with a bow and set it aside for the dreams and plans of the new year. For Christian History magazine’s online newsletter, “Behind the News,” this means reviewing some stories that we probed during 2003 for their Christian-history backgrounds (here’s a complete list of the year’s stories with links to each one).
From Iraq to the Da Vinci Code, the Episcopal crisis to The Lord of the Rings, the year just ended has had its share of dramatic news stories and blockbuster media events crying out for a little historical context. Seeing that no one else online was consistently providing this sort of background, we did our best. You can judge the results for yourself in this year-end roundup of top “Behind the News” stories.
Here they are, in (roughly) reverse-chronological order, with a freebie thrown in at the end:
1. As Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code entered its umpty-umpth week on the New York Times bestseller list and secured the top spot among Amazon.com’s top sellers, a couple of us began to have the experience of relatives and friends coming to us and challenging the integrity of Christian faith based on the “facts” Brown claimed lay behind his novel. We decided it was time to look a little more closely at Mr. Brown’s opus.
Breaking The Da Vinci Code So the divine Jesus and infallible Word emerged out of a fourth-century power-play? Get real. by Collin Hansen Posted November 7, 2003
Thanks, Da Vinci Code … … for sending us back to Christianity’s “founding fathers”—and the Bible we share with them by Chris Armstrong Posted November 14, 2003
2. October brought news on the Catholic front with the fast-tracking of the process to canonize Mother Theresa.
John Paul II’s “Canonization Cannon” Why and how this pope has made over 470 saints. by Steven Gertz Posted October 24, 2003
3. That month, with John Paul’s health continuing to fail visibly, we also heard an increasing buzz that Catholicism may soon have its first black African pope. Having just told the story of the first black African bishop in our Issue 79: The African Apostles, our ears perked up and we decided to investigate.
The Next Pope: An African? Sixty-four years ago, the Roman Catholic Church consecrated its first black African bishop. Is it time now for the next step? by Chris Armstrong Posted October 17, 2003
4. But the top church-related news story in the fall happened on the Anglican front, which really did begin resembling a battle front when the Episcopal Church pushed on with its decision to allow a homosexual to become a bishop. We viewed this one from several angles.
When Denominations Divide The two-century-old “Unitarian controversy” suggests a grim prognosis for the current crisis in the Episcopal Church by Collin Hansen Posted October 10, 2003 Our Brothers and Sisters, the Episcopalians The Episcopal Church needs our help. Here’s why we should give it. by Chris Armstrong Posted October 3, 2003
5. On September 12th, we belatedly observed the second sad anniversary of the terrorist attack on America and remembered the “other 9/11” of the mid-nineteenth century—also a bloody, religiously motivated attack within our borders. There seemed to be a lesson in both cases: words spoken in a religious setting must be very carefully chosen.
Learning From the Other 9/11 Words kill. So teachers, watch what you say. By Chris Armstrong Posted September 12, 2003
6. By the summer, Philip Jenkins’s The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity had garnered a lot of buzz in the media. With the Episcopal crisis already looming and our work on Issue 79: The African Apostles well underway, we paused to consider the impact of African Christianity on the church in the west.
The African Lion Roars in the Western Church Anglican liberals are fretting, conservatives rejoicing, and all are scrambling to their history books: whence this new evangelical force on the world scene? by Chris Armstrong Posted June 27, 2003
7. When during the summer Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore launched his crusade to keep a Ten Commandments monument on display at the Alabama Judicial Building, we reviewed the place of those commandments in Western law and society.
The Ten Commandments, How Deep Our Debt The words of the Decalogue run like a river through not only the church but also English and American history. by Chris Armstrong Posted August 22, 2003
8. Of course anticipation of Peter Jackson’s third movie in The Lord of the Rings series kept J. R. R. Tolkien in the public eye—not least, in our special issue examining the life and work of that great Christian author (#78, Spring 2003). Along the way, we explored in our newsletters two fascinating connections: between Tolkien and C. S. Lewis and between Tolkien and the Gospel.
J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis: A Legendary Friendship A new book reveals how these two famous friends conspired to bring myth and legend—and Truth—to modern readers. by Chris Armstrong Posted August 29, 2003
Saint J. R. R. the Evangelist Tolkien wanted his The Lord of the Rings to echo the “Lord of Lords”—but do we have ears to hear? by Chris Armstrong Posted March 14, 2003
9. 2003 marked the 300th anniversary of the birth of the two grandfathers of modern evangelicalism: Jonathan Edwards and John Wesley. Our Winter 2003 Issue 77: Jonathan Edwards explored the life of the man who has been hailed as America’s greatest philosopher and the pioneer of Christian revivalism in this country (a pair of achievements most folks don’t expect to see in the same man!). We took the time in a newsletter to reflect on what Edwards means to us—and what he could mean to the church again today. John Wesley was born in the same year as Edwards, and has left his mark on American just as surely as has Edwards. In another newsletter, we traced some of that influence to suggest his legacy on this side of the ocean.
300-Year-Old Man Returns to Lead His Church Evangelicals need this grandfather figure more than ever. by Chris Armstrong Posted December 5, 2003
How John Wesley Changed America Why should Wesley’s 300th birthday be a red-letter day on this side of the ocean? by Chris Armstrong Posted June 20, 2003
10. The biggest story of the year—which continues today—was of course “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” As the conflict first seemed inevitable, and then broke into its full fury, we asked: “What about the Christians in Iraq?”
Missionary Tales from the Iraqi Front The modern Anglican mission to Iraq met with initial success, but its story sounds a cautionary note. by Steven Gertz Posted April 25, 2003
Iraqi Christians’ Path of Persecution Not heresy hunters, nor Islamic purges, nor even Mongol hordes could wipe Christianity from Iraq. by Collin Hansen Posted March 7, 2003
Iraq’s Christians Caught in the Middle, Again If the looming war breaks out, 350,000 Iraqi Christians will be caught in a West-East conflict eerily similar to 4th-century events. by Collin Hansen Posted February 7, 2003
(11.) We at Christian History have our own “crusade,” which never ends. We want modern Christians to meet and learn from our forefathers and -mothers in the faith. To open this door to the riches of history, we compiled three “top ten” lists. The first provides ten reasons to read the history of the church; the second, ten fascinating books written by the historical figures themselves; and the third, ten ways to get the most out of the work of historians.
Top Ten Reasons to Read Christian History War reports deluge us every hour. Why should we read the “old news” of Christian history? by Chris Armstrong Posted March 28, 2003 Top Ten Christian History ‘Starter Books’ Get rooted in the Christian past with these riveting reads. by Chris Armstrong Posted April 4, 2003
Top Ten Entry Points to Christian History Some enjoyable ways to get the most out of the work of church historians. by Chris Armstrong Posted April 11, 2003
Thank you for exploring these stories with us—and often writing us with your responses. We look forward to bringing you more in ’04.
Chris Armstrong is managing editor of Christian History magazine.
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