When I was a boy, I would cross my fingers behind my back to relieve my responsibility fo saying something I didn’t really mean – to keep me from telling a fib, when I made a promise I did not intend to keep. Later, I learned to cross my fingers in front of me in hope it would bring good luck. Imagine my surprise, when I learned in seminary that members of the early Church being persecuted by the Roman Empire would cross their fingers as a sign to other believers of their trust in the God revealed to them through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
with grateful appreciation to:
Mosser, David N., ed., The Abingdon Preaching Annual, 2003 Edition, Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002.