In recent days, the Ukrainian peninsula has been at the heart of what some have described as the greatest international crisis of the 21st century.
But this is not the first time the region has been so critical to international affairs.
Many educated people have at least heard of the great struggle known as the Crimean War (1853-56), although its causes and events remain mysterious to most non-specialists.
If the conflict is remembered today, it resonates through the heroic charitable efforts of Florence Nightingale and the foundation of modern nursing.
Actually, that earlier war deserves to be far better known as a pivotal moment in European religious affairs.
Without knowing that religious element, moreover—without a sense of its Christian background—we will miss major themes in modern global affairs, in the Middle East and beyond. Continue reading.
Source: Christianity Today
Image: Officers of the 42nd Highlanders regiment, known as the ‘Black Watch’, during the Crimean War. Roger Fenton/Getty Image