Gone Girl: Disappearing Women from “The Easter Hymn”
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Gone Girl: Disappearing Women from “The Easter Hymn”

ByBeth Allison Barr

I bet that, for those of you attending church on Easter Sunday, at least half of you will sing “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.” Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!Vain the stone,…

A Reasonable Reading List for Medieval Christianity: Part 2
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A Reasonable Reading List for Medieval Christianity: Part 2

ByBeth Allison Barr

If you ever have the chance, visit the church of St. Bartholomew the Great in London St. Bart’s, as it is affectionately known, stands in Smithfield, just outside the old London wall. I recommend a Sunday morning walk to it from St. Paul’s Cathedral. Go about 9:45 a.m. to hear the Cathedral bells; you can…

A Reasonable Reading List for Medieval Christianity: Part 1
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A Reasonable Reading List for Medieval Christianity: Part 1

ByBeth Allison Barr

If, after my last post “Did Medieval Christians Know Jesus?,” you realized you had no framework for understanding the Investiture Controversy, Fourth Lateran Council, or even transubstantiation; or, while eating a stack of pancakes for dinner last Tuesday (Fat Tuesday), you realized you had no idea why you were doing so; or, maybe, as one…

Did Medieval Christians Know Jesus?
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Did Medieval Christians Know Jesus?

ByBeth Allison Barr

Recently I was made aware of an online church history curriculum. At first glance, it seemed promising (at least from my perspective as a medievalist). It dedicated two weeks to the Medieval Church (five if you include the three weeks of Reformation), and it began the lesson for the High Middle Ages with this disclaimer:…

A Tale of Two Pastors: Mark Driscoll and A (Medieval) New Year’s Proposal for the 2017 Church
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A Tale of Two Pastors: Mark Driscoll and A (Medieval) New Year’s Proposal for the 2017 Church

ByBeth Allison Barr

This is a story of two pastors. The first was a vicar in the deanery of Salisbury, England, in 1412. His name was Alexander Champion. He was accused of abusing his ecclesiastical authority by sexually exploiting the women in his care. His parishioners claimed he had slept with five of their wives, that he fathered…

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Because Xmas really is Xpian…

ByBeth Allison Barr

I literally stumbled across St. Bride’s church in London this summer. Walking down Fleet Street toward St. Paul’s Cathedral, I was considering eating at Ye Olde Chesire Cheese when I looked up and saw the wedding cake spire designed by Christopher Wren. It wasn’t until I saw the sign “The Printer’s Church” on the gate,…