13 Christian Martyrs, Their Stories, And Their Faith

Reformation: 1500 AD–1700 AD

By the 1400s, the church and state had become extensively intermingled, and abuses by the clergy of the time – including financial failures and political corruption – eventually led to a highly uneducated laity. Seeking to restore the understanding of forgiveness received from God, several different movements emerged from Jan Hus in modern day Czechoslovakia to Martin Luther in Germany and John Calvin in France and Switzerland. Even as the Catholic church reformed, the wars and social unrest claimed many faithful Christians…

Thomas Cranmer

Supporting Henry VIII in establishing a national Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury was passionate in bringing a theology and service to the English people in their common language. In partnership with several reformers who fled Europe, he developed rules of the church in English, including the Book of Common Prayer, which is still used in the Anglican communion today albeit in a modified form. When Roman Catholic Mary I took the throne, she tried to bring the English church back into communion with Rome, which involved suppressing much of Cranmer’s reforms and doctrines. The Archbishop was put on trial for treason and heresy, and eventually put to death.

Anne Askew

Born to a wealthy landowner and lawyer in the court of King Henry VIII, Anne Askew was an avid Bible student. At the time of the Reformation, as the Scriptures became more readily available in common languages, Anne entered into small group studies and memorized verses and even performed street sermons. However, she was forced to marry a Roman Catholic, and their conflicting religious views ended in Anne being turned out of her home and away from her children. Eventually arrested when Mary I came to power, Anne was tortured in the Tower of London, where she refused to recant her beliefs. She was burned at the stake, listening attentively to and openly agreeing and disagreeing with a sermon preached by the local bishop according to the Bible.

Juan de Padilla

One of three Franciscan priests traveling with Coronado into the American Southwest, Juan de Padilla was one of the first Europeans to see the Grand Canyon as the imperial troupe explored the “New World.” Eventually traveling to what is now Kansas, the Coronado party never found the legendary land of gold and wealth for which they were searching, and returned to northwest Mexico. Padilla, however, returned to Kansas, anxious to share the Gospel and establish a Church among the Wichita tribe there. In so doing, he created the first Christian mission in the modern day United States. His witnessing efforts were in vain, as he was killed by a native tribe.