Walk on a Breakpoint, a daily look, and an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

Well, Valentine's Day was on Friday, so if this commentary is only now sparking a reminder to buy something for the one you love,

hate to tell you, but you're too late.

However, it's not too late to tell the story behind the holiday.

Before it devolved into the corporate creation of greeting card companies, Valentine's Day

was set aside to remember third-century Christian martyr Valentinus of Rome. As a video in the

What Would You Say series describes, there are more than a few historical uncertainties about the facts

and the myths of this man's life. However, the most

widely accepted version of his death is martyrdom, how he ran afoul of Emperor Claudius II,

who had prohibited marriage in Rome. As the History Channel describes it, the Emperor believed that,

and I quote here, Roman men were unwilling to join the army because of their strong attachment to

their wives and families.

Valentinus defied the emperor and married couples in secret, for which he was caught and condemned to die.

And that happened on or about February the 14th.

According to legend, he left a deathbed note for the daughter of a Roman judge,

girl who was healed from blindness after the saint prayed for

her. He signed the note from your Valentine. Now, even if the story did not happen exactly this way,

every ancient reference to Valentinus associates him and this date of February the 14th with martyrdom

and sacrifice. Now, that stands in sharp contrast to most of the references to love and sex and

romance and our cultural moment, especially on that day, that are so twisted and self-centered

and dangerous that it can seem even inappropriate to celebrate them. The Bible describes

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