Podcast Episode 6
Quaker John Camm
with Dr. Steve Angell & host Nick Walters
Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple
52+ Episodes a Year.
100% Listener Supported.
We are committed to bringing you fresh historical insights every single Monday, completely ad-free. This work is only possible through the generosity of our listeners. If our weekly episodes have enriched your faith or your understanding of history, consider a gift to help us keep this mission moving forward.
This episode of This Week in Christian History continues the Center for Christian History’s mission to help modern audiences understand the deeper stories of the global Christian past. Each installment is produced by Blue & Gold Media at Mississippi College and begins with a conversation between Nick Walters, founder and director of the Center for Christian History. Every episode includes a Deep Dive segment featuring a leading scholar whose expertise connects with a major topic from the week. These Deep Dive interviews are designed to introduce listeners to the historians, theologians, and researchers whose work shapes today’s understanding of Christian history.
For this episode, the Deep Dive conversation features Dr. Stephen W. Angell, a widely recognized scholar of Quaker history and the Leatherock Professor of Quaker Studies at the Earlham School of Religion. Dr. Angell’s work has helped illuminate the experiences, spiritual commitments, and broader impact of early Friends, including the ministry and influence of early Quaker preacher John Camm, who died in 1657. As with all episodes in the series, the discussion provides historical context without attempting to summarize the full content of the interview, allowing viewers to hear directly from the subject matter expert.
In addition to the interview, each program offers two historical highlights drawn from events that took place in the same week in Christian history. The first highlight marks March 22, 337, the death of Emperor Constantine. Following decades of severe anti-Christian persecution under earlier rulers such as Diocletian, Constantine’s reign dramatically reshaped the relationship between Christianity and imperial power. After becoming emperor in 306, he not only permitted the practice of Christianity but actively encouraged it, elevating the faith to an officially favored status within the Roman Empire. The first major ecumenical gathering of Christian bishops—the Council of Nicaea in 325—was convened under his authority. Constantine’s death in 337 left a complicated legacy, as the imperial government continued to involve itself in church affairs for many years.
The second highlight recalls March 21, 1778, the death of Charles Wesley, one of the most influential hymn writers in Christian history. His body of work includes some of the best-known hymns still sung today, among them Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, Jesus, Lover of My Soul, O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, and Christ the Lord Is Risen Today. His long partnership with his brother John helped shape the evangelical and devotional life of the Methodist movement and left an enduring musical legacy across Protestant traditions. A monument in London commemorates his contributions and lasting influence.
This Week in Christian History is created to bring together scholars, students, and the wider Christian public around the stories, people, and events that have shaped the Christian faith across continents and centuries. With each episode, the series highlights the importance of careful historical study and welcomes listeners into a deeper appreciation of Christian heritage. Produced in partnership with Blue & Gold Media, the program reflects the educational mission of Mississippi College and the Center for Christian History: to cultivate understanding, preserve memory, and engage the next generation of students and scholars in the work of Christian historical reflection.
Photo citation: 17th-century depiction of an early Quaker meeting. Library of Congress. Public domain.
