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Doctrines of the Faith

Rev. Jacob Benson- The Story of the Saints

Discover the Witness of the Faithful and the Power of Their Stories

From the martyrs of the early church to the reformers of the sixteenth century, Christians have told and retold the stories of the saints. Some of these accounts are firmly rooted in Scripture and history, others have grown into legend, and many stand somewhere in between. In this course, Rev. Jacob Benson invites you to explore how saints have been remembered through the centuries—how their lives point us to Christ, how their virtues inspire imitation, and how their stories shape the imagination of the Church.

You’ll examine saints as they appear in the Bible, the confessions, medieval legends, Reformation writings, and the Lutheran liturgy today. Along the way, you’ll learn to discern truth from embellishment, appreciate the beauty of Christian memory, and see why the saints remain a living witness for the Church.

Topics Covered in the Course

What it means to be a saint according to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.
How Christian virtue is defined and embodied in the lives of the saints.
The growth of legends surrounding early martyrs and medieval saints.
How the Church year remembers and teaches through the calendar of saints.
Reformation critiques and recoveries of the saints’ stories.
In-depth studies of Mary, the Mother of Our Lord, and George the Dragon-Slayer.
How the saints continue to encourage and strengthen Christians today.

Let’s Get Started

This course contains seven sessions, each featuring a video lecture, downloadable notes, and a quiz. Join fellow learners in the discussion prompts as you read, reflect, and share. You can move at your own pace—learning from the saints of old, discerning their stories, and discovering anew how their witness still shapes our life in Christ.

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Lessons in this course

Defining the Saints

Defining the Saints

Course Materials The opening session begins by asking a foundational question: What is a saint? Jacob Benson explores the biblical meaning of sainthood, distinguishing between the living saints of Scripture and the departed faithful remembered in the Church. Drawing from Acts 2:42, the Augsburg Confession, and the Apology, he clarifies how Lutherans honor saints—through thanksgiving to God, […]

The Shape of Virtue

The Shape of Virtue

Course Materials In this session, Jacob Benson unpacks what Christians mean by virtue. Drawing from classical philosophy, Scripture, and the Lutheran Confessions, he explains how the Church has understood virtues such as faith, hope, love, justice, temperance, and courage. The saints are remembered not only for extraordinary deeds but for embodying these virtues in the ordinary […]

From Martyrs to Myths

From Martyrs to Myths

Course Materials The first generations of Christians remembered martyrs like Stephen, Peter, and Agnes for their faith, courage, and steadfast confession of Christ. Yet as centuries passed, their stories grew and changed—sometimes through simple embellishment, sometimes through outright invention. Jacob Benson traces how true examples of virtue were often overshadowed by miraculous legends, as in […]

The Calendar of Saints

The Calendar of Saints

Course Materials As the Church grew, it began to remember the saints not only in stories but also through the calendar and the rhythm of worship. Jacob Benson explains how feast days developed—often tied to the martyr’s death date—and how saints became woven into the lectionary, liturgy, and the yearly cycle of fasting and feasting. […]

Reformation and Renewal

Reformation and Renewal

Course Materials By the time of the Reformation, the stories of the saints had multiplied into countless legends, often overshadowing Scripture and the Gospel. Jacob Benson examines how Protestant reformers—especially John Fox in his Acts and Monuments (popularly known as Foxe’s Book of Martyrs)—sought to recover the saints by telling their stories faithfully and historically. Fox and others […]

Mary and the Dragon-Slayer

Mary and the Dragon-Slayer

Course Materials In this session, Jacob Benson turns to two of the most famous and influential saints: Mary, the Mother of Our Lord, and George the Dragon-Slayer. Mary has been honored across the centuries as blessed among women, yet her story also became entangled with controversies about virginity, perpetual purity, and intercession. George, meanwhile, became […]

The Saints Among Us

The Saints Among Us

Course Materials The course concludes by bringing the saints into the life of the Church today. Jacob Benson explores how saints are remembered in Lutheran liturgy, hymns, and prayer—not as mediators, but as examples of faith, courage, and love. He highlights the threefold way the Apology commends honoring the saints: thanksgiving to God for their […]