Welcome to Apologetics with Carl Kerby!
Today, we’re talking about the Salem Witch Trials.
The Puritans of yesterday get a bad rap today, being caricatured as strict, harsh, and drab. Most notably, they’re blamed for the Salem Witch Trials, in which nineteen colonists were executed for witchcraft. Although this tragic event was certainly a dark period in history, the witch trials came at a time when later generations of Puritans had grown spiritually apathetic – religious but without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ – a far cry from early Puritans, like the Pilgrims of Plymouth, who loved God and wanted their new homeland to be “a city set on a hill” for Christ.
The lesson of the Salem Witch Trials is that when the Church grows spiritually cold, its judgment becomes distorted, and it can act wrongly. When the Church is vibrantly walking with Christ, it’s a shining light to the world. And how is the Church a positive influence on society? We’ll discuss that another time.
For additional resources, go to www.hopetools.net. Stay bold!
Carl Kerby is the founder of Reasons for Hope and co-creator of the DeBunked apologetic video series. His radio feature, Fast Facts, is heard weekly on VCY America, Saturdays at 9:25 AM Central.
