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 hen Mao Tse Tung founded the People's Republic
of China in 1949, the Christian church was severely persecuted, with little
information coming to the outside world. In 1972 some Americans received
an unusual message from China--that the "This I know" people
were well! The Chinese authorities thought the message nonsensical, so
they let it through. The Americans clearly understood the reference to
Anna Warner's simple hymn--"Jesus Loves Me."
 out of stock
"Jesus
Loves Me" with its simple, direct message, is one of the first hymns
missionaries teach to new converts. It was the favorite hymn of Francis
Schaeffer, who recognized that ultimately what intellectuals and children
alike need is the simple message of Jesus. Amy Carmichael, the Irish missionary
to India, was converted after hearing this hymn at a children's mission
in Yorkshire, England.
The writer, Anna Bartlett Warner (1820-1915) and her sister Susan were
the daughters of a prominent New York lawyer who bought Constitution Island
on the Hudson River for a retirement home. When Mr. Warner lost much of
his fortune during the 1837 panic (depression), the family's summer home
of Good Crag became the family residence. Anna and Susan began writing
to supplement the family income. Susan wrote several novels which were
quite popular in her day. Her Wide, Wide World was considered a
best seller after Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.
DISTANT DATELINE: The Notorious Peregrinus Goes
Out in a Blaze at Olympics Philosopher-Rogue Lived Well by Defrauding Christians.
OLYMPIA, GREECE, AD 165. It was one of the finest Olympics in this reporter's
memory. The festivities, however, were marred when at the end of the games
Cynic philosopher, one-time Christian leader and long time fugitive, Peregrinus,
built a large pyre, lit it with a torch, threw himself on it and burned
to death before a large crowd.
A fellow Cynic philosopher named Lucian has looked carefully into Peregrinus'
life. He said that this clever and eloquent deceiver, after a morally
corrupt youth, learned of the Christians in Palestine and joined up with
them. He soon attracted a devoted following by his great ability to explain
the Christians' books. He even wrote some himself and became a leader
in a church where he came to be regarded as next to Christ himself.
He was thrown in prison as a Christian. The believers left nothing undone
to rescue him. Christians set up a watch at the prison and brought him
elaborate meals. Even aged widows and young orphans gathered there at
the break of day. A lot of money was given by Christians to Peregrinus
while he was imprisoned. It made him wealthy. As Lucian observed: "The
Christians are not captive to material things and consider them common
property... So if any charlatan and trickster, able to profit by occasions,
comes among them, he quickly acquires sudden wealth by imposing upon simple
folk."
Christians, whose movement was founded only in the last century, are
widely known for their generosity and sharing. "We hold everything
in common except our wives," one of them has said. Thus they are
a convenient target for exploiters. Their founder warned them of "ravenous
wolves" that would invade their flock. One of their earliest writings,
the "Didache," noted the Christian's disposition to welcome
guests and visiting preachers. It cautioned believers to host such guests
three days at the most, and if they started asking for money to throw
them out!
Peregrinus was released from jail by the governor of Syria. He was eventually
disowned by the Christians, however, when they discovered him eating food
(probably meat offered to idols) forbidden to those believers.
Peregrinus left the church a wealthy man and went around the world including
Egypt, Italy and Greece. He was a troublemaker everywhere and sometimes
a political radical. He even counseled the Greeks to take up arms against
the Romans. The man would do anything for attention and craved the adulation
of the crowd. His exit by fire here at Olympia was his last and greatest
plea for recognition.
EDITOR'S POSTSCRIPT: This report is based on The Passing of Peregrinus
in Lucian, Volume V, translated by A.M. Harmon in the Loeb Classical
Library published by Harvard University Press. |
