George Keller

Congregationalist minister Harvey Newcomb wrote countless volumes of spiritual advice for adults and children alike. He compiled this guide for young people seeking to develop a deeper understanding of the Bible. His advice spans general guidelines...

President Woodrow Wilson delivered this address on January 22, 1917, a few months before he asked Congress to vote to enter World War I. This speech reveals that he planned for the US to participate in the peace-making agreements long before he...

In 1520, Martin Luther debated Catholic theologian Johann Eck in Leipzig—and lost. After the debate, the pope threatened Luther with excommunication. He responded by writing this address to the German nobility, urging them to consider his reforms for...

After criticizing US involvement in WWI, Eugene Debs found himself testifying in court for violation of the Sedition Act of 1918. Debs, an outspoken socialist and advocate, stated that he saw this law “as a despotic enactment in flagrant conflict with...

President Woodrow Wilson delivered this address to the 1914 graduates of the US Naval Academy. While he congratulated them, he also said: “Do not suppose that your education is over because you have received your diplomas from the academy. Your...

When an American sea captain sees a Spanish slave ship in distress, he reaches out with an offer to help. Once on board, however, the odd behavior of the captain, crew, and slaves leave him with an uneasy feeling that something is not as it seems....

On June 16, 1918, union leader Eugene Debs delivered this speech at the Ohio State Socialist Party Convention. In it, he famously criticized the USA’s involvement in World War I. Four days later, the federal grand jury condemned his speech by way of...

With this 1990 speech, American politician William Jennings Bryan presents a compelling argument against imperialism. He outlines how maintaining military force over other nations goes against core American values. The speech highlights specific...

In the middle of a church service, a man is struck by a sense of dread. As impassioned organ music fills the building, the man senses that the source of his anxiety is coming from a hostile organist. What is the root of the musician’s animosity? Is it...

Woodrow Wilson became the 28th president of the United States when he beat out President Taft and Theodore Roosevelt in the 1912 election. His election completed a shift to Democratic power across the executive and legislative branches. In his...

“Jabberwocky” is one of the most well-known nonsense poems in the English language. Though full of playful made-up words like “brillig,” “mimsy,” and frumious,” the poem still tells a story. A young warrior faces up against the fearsome Jabberwock,...

With this 1914 address, President Woodrow Wilson declared his intentions for the US to remain neutral in World War I. “Every man who really loves America will act and speak in the true spirit of neutrality,” he said, “which is the spirit of...

On November 20, 1820, a sperm whale struck and sunk the whaling ship Essex, stranding the 21 crew members who escaped on three whale-boats in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 2000 miles from land. Up against rough storms, vicious sharks, and...

John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion is over 1000 pages long. “Of Prayer” is a manageable excerpt from this monumental work highlighting the theologian’s views on the nature and benefits of prayer. Calvin describes why praying to an...

D.L. Moody dedicated his life to revival preaching and famously established the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. In this sermon, he teaches that being “born again” in the Christian tradition is not about going to church, being baptized, being...

In 1517, the great reformer Martin Luther wrote to the Archbishop of Mainz objecting to the sale of indulgences. With humble reverence, Luther explains his opposition to this practice. People bought indulgences on the premise that they were purchasing...

“On the Christian Life” is an excerpt from John Calvin’s monumental work, Institutes of the Christian Religion. This section focuses on how being a Christian influences a person’s day-to-day life. Calvin describes how a Christian must deny himself...

The period known as the Avignon Papacy began in 1309, when Pope Clement V relocated the seat of papal power to Avignon, France. The French monarchy slowly gained control over the papacy during this time, and as they did, corruption and greed grew in...

This tale follows a group of art students roaming around the Latin Quarter of Paris. Bohemians with womanizing tendencies, they go through as many working-class girls as they can find. One girl, a pianist, stands out from the rest, but she will not be...

President Woodrow Wilson entered World War I reluctantly, and he aimed to be strategic and fair when arranging peace terms to leave it.He delivered his 14-point treaty to Congress in January 1918. In it, he emphasized the importance of establishing...

With this famous speech, Daniel Webster joined the nineteenth-century debate over slavery in the US. While personally opposed to the practice, Webster argued that allowing the South to continue using slave labor was essential to maintaining unity of...

A stranger, lost while hunting in the moors of Brittany, meets the mysterious Demoiselle D'Ys. She invites him back to her castle, and the two grow closer. After a while, however, the stranger begins to suspect that the other inhabitants of the castle...

In this sermon, Reverend Hiram Mattison discusses the argument for Christian opposition to theater. He states, “the theater has been one unmitigated moral pest through the whole twenty-five centuries of its existence.” Mattison presents supporting...

In this story, the narrator is recovering from an illness in the company of Lucy Latimer, a local lady who loves to help the ailing. When he notes a look of sadness in her eyes, she tells him of the “one great sorrow” of her life. Her brush with...