Friday, April 4, 2025

It is the 4th of April 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

A happy Friday to you- we are plugging along with our 2,000-episode special- love the stories, photos, and videos- 1517.org/chacelebrate go there for no other reason than to get the tote bag- sign up for the AMA- next Thursday at Noon here on the Best Coast- and then you can do the math for how many hours your timezone is away from the way God intended it to be.

And I count all of the Pacific Time zone as blessed- Karen, who listens in Vancouver (where my Summer vacation plans were- had to be postponed) wondered why I don’t talk about hockey much… well, check out the where the Ducks are in the standings and have been, but it’s such a good game and I’m hoping you all get that cup back- until my Ducks get it back.

Keeping it in the PST- Judy from Oregon wrote: “I am a fairly new listener to CHA since my pastor introduced me to 1517.org. Although I thoroughly enjoy the history stories due to their variety, and I learn something new each morning, what I have come to appreciate most is the ending. In this era of stormy politics and the animosity that has come my way, I don't feel a need to retaliate because I am assured that because of Christ, "everything is going to be OK." This is my assurance, conviction, and confidence every morning.”

So, going through my favorites, I’m trying not to do what the Oscars do- make up gendered categories where we don’t need them… but I get it. “Favorite Woman” or “Top Women” can seem… you know, I get it. But historically, as women have had different roles or been undervalued in society or silenced or any combination of reasons- I’ll say this: when it comes to the Reformation (something we majored in 1517 and was my first field of historical research) I can’t get enough of Katharina Schütze-Zell, the “mother” of the Reformation. Schütze was her maiden name- born in 1497 in Strasbourg she was a pious young woman but was troubled with the controversies and uncertainty that marked the late Middle Ages. In 1518, Matthias Zell, a local priest, began sharing some of the ideas coming out of Wittenberg and the early Reformers. Katharina and Matthias fell in love with the Reformation and then one another. They were married by the Reformer Martin Bucer in 1525, making Matthias one of the earliest priests to be married. And when controversy came, Katharina’s quill went to work- defending her husband and clerical marriage. She would be one of the most- if not most published women in the 16th century.

While she was committed to the Lutheran Reformation she would ruffle feathers with her broad Reformation sympathies. When the Swiss reformers came to town to debate the Lutherans she helped put the foreigners up. When she perceived Luther’s temper as hindering unity she wrote him a strong letter. When John Calvin came through Strasbourg, the Zell’s put him up.

And even after Matthias died early she kept up her work- at his funeral she gave her own eulogy after Bucer did- raising eyebrows. She noted that while she wasn’t a preacher like Mary Magdalene, was unwittingly made an apostle to proclaim the news of Jesus’ resurrection so too would she say a word about her beloved husband. When a local anabaptist died, and the church wouldn’t perform a funeral, she helped put one together and gave a benediction.

When the preacher took over for her deceased husband and publicly condemned him, she wrote him a private letter. He responded publicly, which elicited her public response, “A Letter to the Entire Citizenry of Strasbourg,” which was a defense of her husband and a call to tolerance amongst Christians in a time when the gospel was at stake. Her only two children died in infancy, but nonetheless, the lady from Strasbourg- Katharina Schuetze-Zell, was the “mother” of the Reformation.  

We will get to as many of the notes as we can on this weekends show- play what we can- and I’ve got a very special “what did we learn” show- not as an “end” of this program (Lord willing, I’ve got years left in me) but as a way to think about where we’ve been and how it might change the way we see church history and the Gospel.

The Last word for today comes from Luke 7, a story of the power and compassion of Jesus:

11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 4th of April 2025 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man in Central time, which is strange- but at least its not Mountain time- Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who just learned there are 24 time zones in the world, 1 for each hour… makes sense… 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.