The history of Christianity is full of tales of inspirational
and sacrificial faithfulness. Sometimes it's hard to imagine
making the choices that were forced upon early Protestants. As
there are claims that nearly 30 percent of the North American
population may have Huguenot blood in their veins, these stories
seem even The Cross and the Crown, the first story in the
collection, describes life in France after the Revocation of the
Edict of Nantes in 1685, which made practicing anything but
Roman Catholicism illegal. The main character, Gabriel Vaur,
tells of his noble and Christian upbringing: "My claim to honour
is not the result of noble birth, it is one they share with me -
that to us it was given, not only to believe in Christ, but also
to suffer for His name." His life was challenged by political
and religious upheaval, including a pivotal time when he was
sent to help another family without knowing if he'd ever see his
father, sister, and brother again. The true story of the Baron
and Baroness de Salga