William Swinderby (1401)

William was taught and brought up under John Wycliffe.  He was the most ablest among the preachers.  This group was called the Lollard's. Not much is known of William except his preaching days as a Christian and his death. He was not a go with the flow guy. He never surrendered his hope, integrity, or conscience for the sake of temporal relief.  After Wycliffe's death, the catholic church turned up the heat upon his followers to squash this heresy.  An actual board of examiners deemed Williams teachings outrageous and ordered him to stop at once, never speak again, or the dry wood they had carried to his examination be used to reduce his body to ashes!  Sounds like loving Christians to me? These are the perfect example of who Christ is not living through! Religion has a strange way of getting here fast.  Well, this did not stop him.  How do you tell any man to never speak again?  Years later, King Richard II took it upon himself to appease the state church and order Williams silence.  Christian, this must mean William was over the target.  They rejected his teachings on baptism, church policy,  governance, salvation, & sacraments, as well as everything else I'm sure.
He was tortured and sent to die upon a stake in London 1401.  Teaching the Word of God over the church traditions was life and death at this time of church history.  What would you have done in Williams shoes?  Would you not create waves?  Would you be faithful and simply give Gods word simply?  I have never been put in this bind yet, but I have faced ridicule and mocking as an expository teacher.  Isaiah was belittled for his approach of scripture, line upon line, precept upon precept, a systematic teaching through Gods glorious Word!  What this does, is take all power away from religious men and places it upon God.  Trust God, believe God, & glorify God as He powerfully changes us from the inside out.

2 Comments


Sondra - March 18th, 2025 at 8:42am

The sign of a true believer. I imagine if the roles were reversed the religious leaders would have quickly recanted their "beliefs".

Jon - March 18th, 2025 at 10:13am

So very true. Nobody really knows what they would do until tested. Integrity is only discovered under strain and pressure. The Holy Spirit mades us vessels of Integrity.

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