Myers

What podcast do you listen to? Who’s your go-to person when you want to find information?

These two questions are pretty common for people today in the modern podcast era. There are all sorts of podcasts that are out there, ranging from historical podcasts to political podcasts

to aspiring writers’ podcasts…you name it and there’s a podcast.

But, when I was a kid growing up, there was only one program that caught my attention to listen to, and that was Paul Harvey’s, “The Rest of the Story”. I can’t say that I listened all the

time, but if I was flipping through the radio and heard his voice, it would be an automatic stopping point. You see, Paul Harvey sounded like everyone’s trusted grandpa. He had a

soothing voice that didn’t get too high or low. His voice was steady, both in his volume and in his pacing as he told his stories. His listeners weren’t drawn to a charismatic personality or

someone who had the latest greatest breaking news.

As a matter of fact, it was quite the opposite. The focus on Paul’s program was often taking a look back at a historical event or story that most people would already know something about.

But, his key to success was him being able to tell the story behind the story.

Oftentimes, we only see the result of something that’s been in the making for weeks, months,or years, and people then think they know all about it.

Paul Harvey’s stories behind the stories always revealed information that most people would rarely know about, and it put what everyone already did know into a very different perspective.

The details that he would share often gave a greater context to the situation being presented and showed relational aspects between people that outsiders wouldn’t have otherwise known

about.

It was his sharing of this context that people were unaware of that brought the stories to life and captured the interest of his listeners.

Was it that he was reading fresh articles written by other modern day broadcasters to suddenly brought these historical events into new light?

No. It was actually by reading and learning from original documents and stories that surrounded each situation. He researched and read pieces from people who were there on the

scene and actually a part of the story in making. It was through these first person testimonies that Paul was able to show the larger context.

In pursuing the Christian faith, there are different periods that you go through in your own personal walk. Each one has its place and hopefully leads you to a more mature understanding

of the gospel of Christ.

Recently, it hit me though that I actually have very little knowledge of the history of Christianity, itself. I’ve been so focused on reading the Bible and trying to understand various

aspects of it that somehow it slipped my mind to also learn about the people who were responsible for forwarding the Christian Church – Wycliffe, Luther, Tyndale, and CS Lewis to

name a few.

As I started to think this through, I thought back to my educational upbringing, wondering how this could be that I didn’t know anything about these people. And then I realized that most

aspects of Christianity were left out of the historical textbooks that I was taught from. I had learned a secularized version of time periods of other parts of the world and our own country.

The next question that came to me then was, “How complete was the history I had learned if Christianity were left out of each of the different eras I had previously been taught about?”

Obviously, my perspective on history has been incomplete at best.

To not understand how a historical leader’s Christian faith influenced decisions they made in a public realm seems weak at best. To know how God was divinely working in their personal

lives behind the scenes and then to see their actions carried out in policy or decision making provides a much more reliable context to work from. So with this said, if you find yourself contemplating what God is up to in our current era, I would suggest that you look to the past and see how God moved in his people – both through

the Bible and with the founders of our faith.

I would never put a historical biography on the same footing as the Bible, since the Bible is God’s inspired word, but knowing how God used faithful Christian people of past generations to

advance the gospel is nothing short of inspiring. The sacrifices these people made – even to the point of martyrdom, reveal a faith that has moved people to do incredible acts of service on

behalf of Jesus Christ for generations.

You might be of the mindset that Christian history isn’t really your cup of tea, and that’s fine.

Read the Bible over and over again, and let Jesus’ message of salvation saturate your soul. But, if like me, you recognize that your understanding of history has been taught without

much reference to your Christian faith, I would encourage you to dig in and go back to original documents from the founders of the faith and see if maybe – just maybe – it solidifies your faith

even further, watching God move from one generation to another.

As Paul Harvey reminded us in closing out his shows, I think you’ll find there’s more to this story as well.