John Hus: 1369-1415
John Hus of Prague was burned at the stake at age 46. His crime was an uncompromising preaching of the gospel and calling for church reform in pre-reformation Europe.
His Sunday pulpit was the Bethlehem Chapel adjacent to the University of Prague. Czech nobles had built the chapel and supported the preaching ministry of Hus - a highly trained scholar-preacher. However, the corrupt and politically motivated Archbishop saw him as a threat. The truth & power struggle led to riots. In a move to regain control of the city, Cardinal Colonna excommunicated Hus from the Roman Catholic Church and ordered the city be deprived of all church related ministry. (A matter of extreme consequence in the Middle Ages).
Meanwhile church indulgences continued to be sold to fund the war against Naples. Hus was now a wanted man and had to be sequestered away in the castles of noblemen.
In 1414 Hus was manipulated to attend a church council and defend his beliefs. False accusations led to criminal conviction. Hus was imprisoned and tortured. Before being burned at the stake his dying words were: “In the truth of the gospel, of which I have written, taught, and preached, I will die today with gladness.”
Can we learn from history? The story of John Hus provides us with courage and commitment to the gospel in the face of modern-day pressure to secede to culture & power.