FIRST PEACE SIGN
Some believe that holding up the index and middle fingers is the peace sign that was originated in the 1960s as a protest to the Viet Nam War. But the symbol is at least 450 years older than this. Michael Sattler, an Anabaptist, was sentenced to be tortured and burned by the Austrian state church for his denominational distinctives that set him in opposition to the Austrian church. Sattler was tied to a wagon, and his tongue was cut out. Red hot irons stripped away pieces of his flesh. He was then tied to a ladder and pushed into the executioner’s fire of the Austrian state church. As the flames burned the ropes of his wrists, he lifted up two flaming forefingers as a testimony to his fellow Anabaptists that the grace of God was sufficient even in a time like this. Adapted from an article by Mark McElroy in Compass, April 1995
To view this resource, log in or sign up for a subscription plan
