I am formally announcing our upcoming GSB tour which will take place later this summer. This tour has been scheduled before, but the pandemic caused us to cancel the last two years. So, anticipation has reached a fevered pitch.
The destination: Italy. Specifically three cities: Rome, Florence, and Ravenna. As always, we will focus on the the Christian history in each city and the contribution of those events to the advancement of the kingdom of God on earth.
In Rome we will have a day devoted to the Apostle Paul and another to Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, both personal heroes of mine. We will descend into the Christian catacombs and explore the remains of the capital of the empire where the Gates of Hades did not prevail against the Church.
In Florence, we will untangle much of the misinformation about Girolamo Savonarola, and his role as a prophet, preacher, and genuine Kingdom enthusiast who helped transform Florence the way Calvin would later transform Geneva. We will study the Renaissance and the idea of what constitutes Christian art. We will visit places connected to Lorenzo De Medici, Michelangelo, and others.
In Ravenna, an oft-overlooked tourist destination on the eastern coast of Italy, we will study the places and events related to its role as the western capital of the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Justinian. It will form a nice epilogue to our Byzantine Travel Journal from 2010.
So, stay tuned. The traditional pre-tour reading list will follow. GS