Day 8 AIDEN

Lindisfarne is known as the Holy Island. In 635, when Aiden of Iona established a monastery at the request of King Oswald of Northumbria, the island became the place where Christianity took root in Northern England.

Aiden believed in relationship evangelism. He walked from village to village, engaging people in conversation and building relationships. He demonstrated the model for evangelism that we use today.

On June 8, 793, Scandinavian invaders landed on the island and violently attacked the monastery, killing monks, looting the treasures, and desecrating holy sites. The Christian world was stunned because, to this point, churches were seen as sacrosanct. But the Vikings did not share that view.

One of the most holy sites in Britain had been violated. The Christians saw the attack as a sign of God’s judgment.