On April 13, 1742 Handel's Messiah was performed for the first time. It happened in Dublin. This oratorio was criticized as blasphemous because it treated the life and teaching of Jesus Christ as theater. When it was performed at Westminster Abbey, however, the same work was called sacrilege because it was a theatrical work performed in a church. Sometimes you can't win. Handel eventually arranged to perform the Messiah as a fund-raiser for the London Foundling Hospital. This was well received and it became an annual event. The lyrics of the Messiah are lifted straight from the King James Bible .  Handel was born in Germany in 1685. In 1727, he became a naturalized British citizen. That same year he accepted a commission to compose a coronation anthem for King George II. Again Handel took inspiration from the Bible - this time from the coronation of Solomon. Nathan the prophet and Zadok the high priest officiated at Solomon's coronation. Hence Handel called his anthem Za...

  When world history teachers introduce the Christian religion to students, it is often as a cultural factor in the transition from the ancient era to the Enlightenment. Rarely do the textbooks present Christianity as a religion that, from the beginning, has had a global aspiration because of Jesus’ instruction to His disciples to go into all the world, teaching, making disciples and baptizing. Perhaps it is assumed that the students already understand this missional objective. Much of Western history, from the Crusades to the colonialization of the Americas and the exploration of Africa can be contextualized as an expansion and defense of Christianity. This has often included actions and dogmas that are inconsistent with the core tenets of the faith even though, in many cases, the words of the Bible have been extracted to strengthen the resolve of the religious activists. Andrew Walls wrote that “Christian history may be seen as a succession of cross-cultural movements” [1] sta...