Prologue: The Guillotine Is Gone, but the Revolution Continues On January 21, 1793, the head of Louis XVI fell from the guillotine. The crowd roared. The king was dead. But what the revolutionaries truly wanted to kill was not a single king. What they aimed at was authority itself. Royal power. Church authority. Tradition. God.… Continue reading The French Revolution That Rejected All Authority, and the World Its Descendants Inhabit
Author: Christopher
The Theology of the Ghetto — Set Apart, Yet Sent Into the World
1. What Is a Ghetto? The word “ghetto” is used today mainly to refer to impoverished or marginalized neighborhoods, but its historical roots run far deeper. The term originated from spaces created in medieval Europe to forcibly segregate Jewish populations into designated districts within cities. Venice, Prague, Warsaw, Frankfurt — ghettos existed across countless European… Continue reading The Theology of the Ghetto — Set Apart, Yet Sent Into the World
A Thousand Years of the Forbidden Book — Why Did the Church Hide the Bible?
1. The Core Issue: Not a “Ban” but “Control” To be precise, the medieval Catholic Church did not completely forbid the Bible. On the contrary, Scripture was the Church’s most sacred text. However, the Church strictly controlled who could read it, in what language, and with what interpretation. Understanding the structure of that control is… Continue reading A Thousand Years of the Forbidden Book — Why Did the Church Hide the Bible?
The Stolen Sons — The Devşirme, A Forgotten Tragedy in Christian History
It was a spring morning. In a small mountain village in the Balkans, a Serbian farming family was starting their day. The father had gone to the fields before dawn. The mother was preparing breakfast for her son. Twelve-year-old Danilo was playing with a young goat in the yard. It was an ordinary morning. Then… Continue reading The Stolen Sons — The Devşirme, A Forgotten Tragedy in Christian History
Jan Hus: The Flame of Reformation, One Hundred Years Ahead
Introduction On July 6, 1415, a Bohemian theologian was led to a stake in the square of Constance. His name was Jan Hus. Before the fire was lit, he cried out: “Truth prevails (Pravda vítězí).” Exactly one hundred and two years later, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle… Continue reading Jan Hus: The Flame of Reformation, One Hundred Years Ahead
Chains Broken, History Changed — John Knox and the Scottish Reformation
1. Scotland: The Land Where Reform Blazed When we trace the deep roots of the Reformation, our journey naturally leads us to Scotland. While Luther proclaimed in Germany and Calvin taught in Switzerland, it was John Knox (c. 1514–1572) who blazed like fire in Scotland. He was no mere theorist. Even chained as a slave… Continue reading Chains Broken, History Changed — John Knox and the Scottish Reformation
The Flame Was Never Extinguished — South Korea, the Lone Protestant Nation to Survive in Asia
Sometimes I find myself wondering: “Why Korea, of all places?” Looking across Asia, there is only one Catholic nation — the Philippines — and only one Protestant nation — South Korea. On a vast continent of billions, it is this one small peninsula that carries the Christian faith as part of its national identity. It… Continue reading The Flame Was Never Extinguished — South Korea, the Lone Protestant Nation to Survive in Asia
The Same Love, Different Languages: Jesus’ Parables and Paul’s Theology
Introduction Scripture contains two great passages that speak of God’s love. One is the three parables in Luke 15, told by Jesus himself. The other is the “Love Chapter” — 1 Corinthians 13 — written by Paul to the church at Corinth. Both speak of the same love, yet their language and approach are strikingly… Continue reading The Same Love, Different Languages: Jesus’ Parables and Paul’s Theology
What Celsus’s Mockery Proved: How Revolutionary Was the Bible?
Introduction — A Testimony Left in Ridicule In the mid-second century, the Roman philosopher Celsus wrote a polemic attacking Christianity. In it, he described the faith this way: “A religion of women, children, and slaves.” He wrote it as a sneer. Yet ironically, this mockery became one of the most accurate testimonies to how radical… Continue reading What Celsus’s Mockery Proved: How Revolutionary Was the Bible?
When the Bread Is Broken — The Moment the Risen Lord Is Seen
1. Why They Could Not See They had eyes. Cleopas and the unnamed disciple—these were people who had been with Jesus. They had heard His voice, seen His hands touch the sick, and eaten with Him. Yet now, as He walked right beside them, they did not recognize Him. Why? It was not a problem… Continue reading When the Bread Is Broken — The Moment the Risen Lord Is Seen