Leader’s guide · 13 weeks
Leader’s guide: Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (For Teens)
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This guide takes your group through Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (For Teens) in thirteen weeks, one chapter each week. It’s written for teenagers aged about 13 to 18 and works well for a youth group, a homeschool or a small group. John Foxe collected the true stories of Christians who suffered and died for their faith, and this edition retells some of the best known: Polycarp, Perpetua and Blandina, Wycliffe, Hus, Luther, Tyndale, Lady Jane Grey, Ridley and Latimer, Cranmer, persecuted Quakers and Adoniram and Ann Judson. It is honest, too, that Protestants persecuted others as well.
Each session takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Welcome everyone and say the memory verse together. Read the chapter, either aloud together or at home beforehand. Talk it through using the chapter’s three questions, which come with answers to help you. Do the activity, which takes about 10 minutes. Then close by praying the chapter’s prayer, or one of your own.
To prepare, read the chapter yourself and look over the activity; most weeks need only paper, pens and Bibles. These are stories of martyrdom, and many end in death by fire, hanging or the arena. The edition avoids gory detail, so don’t add it; keep the focus on courage, faith and forgiveness. Some teens will be troubled by the violence, and some may worry about whether they would be brave enough, so remind them that the martyrs were often frightened and found strength by God’s grace. Handle Chapter 11 carefully, with respect for Christians of every tradition, and if anyone in your group has faced bullying or hostility for their faith, follow up with them privately.
Week 1 — A Church That Will Not Be Destroyed
John Foxe fled England in 1554 when Queen Mary began persecuting Protestants, and in exile he gathered letters, trial records and last words of those who died for their faith, publishing them in a huge book. He built it on Jesus’ promise that the gates of hell would not prevail against his church: Christ would have a church, it would be attacked, and it would continue. The chapter also prepares readers for hard stories told honestly, including times Protestants persecuted others. The big idea: the church has been fiercely attacked but never destroyed, because Christ keeps his promise.
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” — Matthew 16:18 (KJV)
Memory verse
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:18
Talk together
How did John Foxe collect the stories in his book?
While in exile, he gathered letters smuggled from prisons, trial records and the last words of those who died for their faith, and published them when he returned to England.
What three things did Foxe see in Jesus’ promise in Matthew 16:18?
That Christ would have a church, that it would be fiercely attacked, and that despite everything it would continue.
Why did Foxe write his book?
He said he wrote it “that the wonderful works of God in His Church might appear to His glory.”
Activity
Stephen’s Story
You will need: Bibles, paper and pens
- Read Acts 7:54–60 aloud together.
- In small groups, have teens note what Stephen saw, what he said, and how he prayed for the people killing him.
- Discuss: how does Stephen’s death fit Foxe’s three points about the church: it exists, it is attacked, and it continues?
- Ask what they expect to find hard about reading true stories that end in death, and what they hope to learn.
- Encourage everyone to read the whole of Acts 6:8–7:60 at home this week.
Week 2 — Eighty-Six Years
Polycarp, the elderly bishop of Smyrna, is tracked down and arrested, gives his captors a meal and asks for an hour to pray, praying so fervently that his guards feel ashamed. Told by the governor to curse Christ and go free, he answers that he has served Christ eighty-six years and never been wronged, so how can he blaspheme his King? He is put to death, but his words outlive the empire. The big idea: courage in hard moments grows out of a long, real friendship with Jesus.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” — Philippians 1:21 (KJV)
Memory verse
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:21
Talk together
What did Polycarp do when the soldiers came to arrest him?
He gave them a meal and asked for an hour to pray, and he prayed so earnestly that his guards were sorry they had arrested him.
What did Polycarp say when the governor told him to curse Christ?
“Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, Who hath saved me?”
What made Polycarp’s answer so powerful?
It was based on a long relationship with Jesus: after eighty-six years of experience, he knew Jesus had never let him down.
Activity
He Never Wronged Me
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read Polycarp’s answer to the governor aloud.
- Ask everyone to write, for themselves, three ways Jesus has been faithful to them so far.
- Discuss: what small, everyday versions of Polycarp’s choice do teens face, where saying you follow Jesus costs something?
- Talk about why Polycarp spoke about a relationship rather than giving a speech about doctrine.
- Encourage everyone to keep their list somewhere they will see it and read it when following Jesus feels costly.
Week 3 — Young and Brave
Many martyrs were young: Perpetua, about twenty-two, died in Carthage alongside Felicitas, a pregnant young woman, and Revocatus, a slave, all treated as equals in Christ. In Lyons, frail Blandina encouraged others by her prayers and died with Ponticus, a boy of fifteen. The chapter points out that costly faith is not only for later in life. The big idea: young people can be examples of faith, and even the weak can strengthen others.
“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” — 1 Timothy 4:12 (KJV)
Memory verse
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12
Talk together
Who were Perpetua and her companions?
A group of Christians in Carthage around 202, including Perpetua, a young married woman of about twenty-two, Felicitas, who was expecting a baby, and Revocatus, a slave. They died together rather than give up their faith.
What did Blandina do in the arena, though she was physically weak?
By her earnest prayers she encouraged the other Christians who were suffering with her.
How old was Ponticus, and why does this matter?
He was fifteen. His story shows that young people have always been capable of great faithfulness.
Activity
Be a Blandina
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read 1 Timothy 4:12 together and list the five areas Paul names: speech, conduct, love, faith and purity.
- In pairs, have teens think of one realistic way someone their age could set an example in each area.
- Share a few ideas as a group.
- Discuss: Blandina was physically weak but strengthened others. What does encouragement look like between friends today?
- Ask everyone to think privately of one friend who is finding faith hard, and to send them an encouraging message this week.
Week 4 — The Morning Star
In 1300s England most people could not read the Bible in their own language. John Wycliffe, an Oxford scholar, argued that the Bible should be the final authority, refused to recant when friars came to his sickbed, and set about translating the Bible into English, copied by hand. His followers, the Lollards, were persecuted, and he became known as “the Morning Star of the Reformation.” The big idea: God’s word in our own language is a costly gift, and it gives light.
“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” — Psalm 119:130 (KJV)
Memory verse
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
Psalm 119:130
Talk together
Why couldn’t most people in England read the Bible in the 1300s?
Because it was in Latin, which most people didn’t understand, so only scholars and priests could read it.
What important work did Wycliffe begin after recovering from illness?
The translation of the Bible into English, so that ordinary people could read it.
Why was Wycliffe called “the Morning Star of the Reformation”?
Because, like a morning star that shines before sunrise, he was a light in a dark time pointing to the reform that was coming.
Activity
A Bible Copied by Hand
You will need: Paper, pens and a Bible
- Give everyone a short passage, such as Psalm 23, and ask them to copy it out by hand as neatly as they can.
- After a few minutes, stop and ask how long a whole Gospel or a whole Bible would take at that speed.
- Discuss what it would be like to hear the Bible only in a language you didn’t understand.
- Ask: how easy is it to take the Bible for granted when you can find it on your phone in seconds?
- Challenge everyone to read a chapter every day this week, thanking God first that they can read it in their own language.
Week 5 — A Goose and a Swan
Jan Hus, a pastor in Prague inspired by Wycliffe, preached in the people’s language and spoke against corruption. Promised safe travel to the Council of Constance, he was arrested instead, condemned, and refused to take back his teaching. Before he died he said his Lord had worn a harder chain, and that they were burning a goose but a swan would follow, which later readers linked to Martin Luther. The big idea: you can kill a messenger, but you cannot kill the truth he carries.
“Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul.” — Matthew 10:28 (KJV)
Memory verse
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
Talk together
What was a “safe-conduct,” and what happened to the one given to Hus?
An official promise from the emperor that he could travel to the council and back safely. It was broken: Hus was arrested, imprisoned and condemned.
What did Hus say about the chain used to bind him?
That Jesus had been bound with a harder chain for his sake, so why should he be ashamed of this rusty one?
What did Hus mean by the goose and the swan?
“Hus” means goose; he said they could burn a goose, but in a century there would be a swan they could not destroy. People later saw this fulfilled in Martin Luther.
Activity
Saying It Kindly
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read Hus’s words about the “rusty” chain aloud.
- Ask everyone to write down privately one true thing about Jesus that they find hard to say around certain people.
- In pairs, have teens practise saying a true, simple sentence about their faith in a kind and natural way, using a made-up everyday situation.
- Discuss what made Hus unafraid, and what Jesus means about not fearing those who can only kill the body.
- Challenge everyone to look for one natural opportunity this week to say something true about Jesus, kindly and honestly.
Week 6 — Here I Stand
Martin Luther came to believe from the Bible that we are made right with God by faith as a free gift, and spoke against selling forgiveness. Summoned before the emperor at Worms in 1521 and told to take back his books, he said he would change his mind if shown wrong from Scripture, but his conscience was bound by God’s word. Declared an outlaw, he was hidden by friends and translated the New Testament into German. The big idea: stand firm where God’s word stands, and be humble enough to be corrected by it.
“We ought to obey God rather than men.” — Acts 5:29 (KJV)
Memory verse
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
Acts 5:29
Talk together
What did Luther say to friends who warned him not to go to Worms?
That he would go in the name of Jesus Christ even if there were as many devils as there were roof tiles in Worms.
What did Luther say when asked to take back his writings?
That unless he was convinced by Scripture, his conscience was bound by God’s word and he would not take anything back, because it is not right to act against conscience: “Hereupon I stand and rest.”
What two lessons does this chapter draw about conscience?
That we should not give way on what we are sure God’s word says just because powerful people disagree, and that our conscience must be tied to Scripture, not just to our feelings.
Activity
Conscience or Feelings?
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read Luther’s answer at Worms aloud.
- Write two headings on a board: “Tied by the Scriptures” and “Just my feelings.”
- Read out several made-up situations where someone takes a stand, and sort them together under the two headings.
- Discuss why Luther said he would change his mind if shown wrong from the Bible, and why that makes his stand stronger, not weaker.
- Ask everyone to think privately of one area where they feel pressure to go along with something wrong, and to look up what the Bible says about it this week.
Week 7 — The Ploughboy’s Bible
William Tyndale vowed to make a ploughboy know more Scripture than a churchman who preferred the pope’s laws to God’s. Working in hiding abroad, he translated the New Testament from Greek into clear English, and copies were smuggled into England. Betrayed and imprisoned, he impressed even his guards, and he died praying, “Lord! open the king of England’s eyes.” Within a few years an English Bible, much of it his, was placed in every church. The big idea: the Bible in our hands was costly, and the best way to honour that is to read it.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” — Psalm 119:105 (KJV)
Memory verse
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105
Talk together
What did Tyndale say he would do if God spared his life?
He would cause a boy who drives the plough to know more of the Scripture than the learned churchman did.
What were Tyndale’s last words?
“Lord! open the king of England’s eyes.”, a prayer for the king who had opposed him.
What did his guards say about Tyndale while he was in prison?
That if he were not a good Christian man, they did not know whom they could call one.
Activity
The Ploughboy Challenge
You will need: Bibles
- Read Tyndale’s vow about the boy who drives the plough aloud.
- As a group, list short books of the Bible that could be read in a week, such as Mark, James, Philippians or 1 John.
- Ask everyone to choose one book they have never read all the way through.
- Discuss: Tyndale’s last words were a prayer for the king who opposed him. What does that show about him?
- Challenge everyone to read their chosen book through this week, a little each day.
Week 8 — Nine Days a Queen
Lady Jane Grey, about sixteen, was pushed onto the throne for nine days and then condemned when Mary became queen. Offered her life if she gave up her faith, she refused, and on the scaffold she said she looked to be saved only by God’s mercy in the blood of Jesus, honestly confessed her own failings, prayed Psalm 51 and willingly forgave her executioner. The big idea: our only hope is God’s mercy in Christ, and his mercy makes us able to forgive.
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” — Psalm 51:1 (KJV)
Memory verse
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Psalm 51:1
Talk together
How did Lady Jane Grey become queen, and for how long?
Powerful men pushed her onto the throne when King Edward VI died in 1553, to keep Mary from becoming queen. She was queen for only nine days.
What did Jane say on the scaffold about how she hoped to be saved?
That she looked to be saved “by no other mean, but only by the mercy of God in the blood of His only Son Jesus Christ.”
How did Jane respond when the executioner asked her forgiveness?
She forgave him “most willingly.”
Activity
Only by Mercy
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read Jane’s words on the scaffold aloud.
- Ask the group to list things people today might rely on to feel right with God, such as family, learning, being good or going to church.
- Compare that list with Jane’s hope: “only by the mercy of God in the blood of His only Son Jesus Christ.”
- Discuss why forgiving someone who hurts you is so hard, and how Jesus’ forgiveness makes it possible.
- Ask everyone to write down privately the name of someone they need to forgive, and to ask God for help with it this week.
Week 9 — Light Such a Candle
Under Queen Mary hundreds were burned for their faith, among them Nicholas Ridley and the elderly preacher Hugh Latimer, who died together in Oxford in 1555. As the fire was lit, Latimer encouraged his nervous friend to be brave, trusting that by God’s grace they would light a candle in England that would never be put out. Ridley, at the end, pleaded for some poor tenants. The big idea: Christians are lights in dark times, and they hold each other up by God’s grace.
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” — Matthew 5:14 (KJV)
Memory verse
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matthew 5:14
Talk together
What did Latimer say to Ridley as they were about to die?
“Be of good cheer, Ridley; and play the man. We shall this day, by God’s grace, light up such a candle in England, as I trust, will never be put out.”
How did Latimer’s prediction come true?
Their deaths and those of many others did not stamp out the faith in England; instead, the faith they died for continued and spread.
What did Ridley do just before he died?
He asked an official to plead with the queen on behalf of some poor tenants he was worried about.
Activity
Be Someone’s Latimer
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read Latimer’s words to Ridley aloud.
- Discuss the two things the chapter notices: Latimer encouraged his friend, and he relied on God’s grace rather than his own bravery.
- In pairs, have teens write a short, sincere message of encouragement they could send to a Christian friend going through a hard time.
- Talk about the small ways teens can be light at school or online.
- Encourage everyone to send a message like that to a real friend this week.
Week 10 — This Unworthy Right Hand
Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, was imprisoned and, frightened, was pressured step by step into signing papers denying everything he had taught. Brought to read his denial in public, he instead took it all back, and at the stake held his right hand into the fire first, crying, “This unworthy right hand,” before dying with Stephen’s prayer. The big idea: failure is not the end; God forgives those who turn back to him.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:9 (KJV)
Memory verse
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
Talk together
How did Cranmer’s enemies get him to deny his faith?
They kept him in prison and offered him his life and position, getting him to sign one statement after another, each going further, until he had signed a full denial.
What did Cranmer do on the day of his execution, instead of confirming his denial?
He publicly took back all the papers he had signed out of fear and declared that the hand that had signed them would be punished first.
What does Cranmer’s story teach about failure?
That even after a serious failure it is not too late to turn back to God, confess, receive forgiveness, and stand again.
Activity
Step by Step
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read the description of how Cranmer was pressured to sign one paper after another.
- Discuss how pressure often works in small steps, and list some everyday examples together without anyone sharing their own story.
- Talk about Peter, who denied Jesus and was restored, and how Cranmer’s story ends.
- Ask everyone to write down privately one time they gave in to pressure, then to bring it to God in silence and receive his forgiveness.
- Close by reading 1 John 1:9 together.
Week 11 — When Protestants Did It Too
The chapter shows that Protestants persecuted others too: Puritans in Boston, who had themselves fled persecution, passed harsh laws against Quakers and hanged William Robinson, Marmaduke Stevenson and Mary Dyer. Foxe himself begged Queen Elizabeth to spare two Anabaptists. The lessons are humility, the Golden Rule, and love for Christians of other traditions. The big idea: no group of Christians has a perfect record, and we must never use power to force anyone’s faith.
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” — Matthew 7:12 (KJV)
Memory verse
So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:12
Talk together
Who persecuted the Quakers in Boston, and what happened?
Protestant Puritan authorities passed harsh laws against them; Quakers were fined, whipped, imprisoned and banished, and four, including Mary Dyer, were executed.
What did John Foxe himself say when two Anabaptists were sentenced to death in 1575?
“I have no favour for heretics, but I am a man and would spare the life of a man.”
What three lessons does this chapter draw?
Humility, because no group of Christians has a perfect record; the Golden Rule, defending others from injustice; and love between Christians of different traditions, never using power to force anyone’s faith.
Activity
Listening Across Traditions
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read Foxe’s words: “I have no favour for heretics, but I am a man and would spare the life of a man.”
- Discuss why people who suffered persecution sometimes became persecutors once they had power.
- As a group, list Christian traditions the teens know of, such as Catholic, Orthodox and different Protestant churches.
- In pairs, write three respectful questions they could ask a Christian from a different tradition about their faith.
- Encourage everyone to pray this week for a Christian from another tradition by name, and if possible ask them one of those questions and listen.
Week 12 — A Pillow in Prison
From a haystack prayer meeting of students in 1806 came the first American missionary society, and Adoniram and Ann Judson went to Burma, where they began translating the Bible. When war broke out Judson was imprisoned as a suspected spy, and Ann kept him alive, pleading with officials and caring for their baby while seriously ill herself. His Burmese New Testament survived, hidden in a hard pillow. The big idea: remember those imprisoned for their faith, and pray and help as if we were with them.
“Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them.” — Hebrews 13:3 (KJV)
Memory verse
Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.
Hebrews 13:3
Talk together
What was the “haystack prayer meeting”?
In 1806, students at Williams College sheltered from a storm by a haystack and prayed for the world, deciding to go as missionaries themselves. It led to the first American missionary society.
How did Ann Judson help her husband while he was in prison?
She walked to the prison again and again, bringing food, pleading with officials and caring for him, while also caring for their baby, and she became seriously ill herself.
How was Judson’s Burmese New Testament kept safe?
It was put in a bag and made into a hard pillow for him in prison, and with the help of a faithful Burmese Christian, it survived.
Activity
Remember Them
You will need: Paper and pens, and if possible a phone or laptop
- Read the description of Judson’s translation being hidden in a hard pillow.
- Ask the group to name countries where they think Christians face persecution today, and if you have a device, look up one together using a reliable Christian charity’s website.
- Write down three specific things to pray for the Christians in that country.
- Spend a few minutes praying together for them.
- Discuss how your group or church might support those who help persecuted Christians, and pick one idea to follow up.
Week 13 — A Great Cloud of Witnesses
The final chapter gathers the whole book: an old bishop, young believers, translators, a teenage queen, friends at the stake, an archbishop who fell and stood again, persecuted Quakers and missionaries in prison. Hebrews calls them a great cloud of witnesses cheering on the runners who follow. Their lessons: courage comes from relationship, God’s word is worth everything, failure is not the end, be honest about our own side, and above all Jesus is worth it. The big idea: we run our own race with our eyes on Jesus, surrounded by those who went before.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” — Hebrews 12:1 (KJV)
Memory verse
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Hebrews 12:1
Talk together
What does “cloud of witnesses” mean in Hebrews 12:1?
The faithful people who have gone before us, pictured like a crowd in a stadium cheering on the runners who come after them.
Where does the word “martyr” come from?
From the Greek word for “witness.”
What is the most important thing all the martyrs in this book believed?
That Jesus was worth more than safety, comfort, reputation or even life, because he is who he said he is and what he promised is real.
Activity
My Witness
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read the five lessons from the chapter aloud.
- Ask everyone to choose the one story from the whole book that moved them most.
- Go round the group and let each person who wishes name their story and say in a sentence why.
- Give everyone a few minutes to write a short prayer asking God for the same faith.
- Encourage them to pray it every day this week.