1873 HT: Today in Christian History Horatio Spafford’s four daughters drowned when the French steamer Ville du Havre sank in the Atlantic after colliding with another vessel. His wife, Anna, survived and sent a brief telegram from Wales that read, “Saved alone.” In the deep sorrow that followed, Spafford later wrote the hymn “It Is…
1620 HT: Dan Graves EARLY IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, James I of England’s mistreatment of Puritans and Separatists drove a number to flee their homeland. At first they went to the Netherlands, but later emigrated to America with some non-Puritans whom they called “strangers.” James granted these “Pilgrims” a charter to settle in a vast…
1541 HT: Today in Christian History John Calvin, at age 32, formally returned to Geneva and helped organize a new civic and ecclesiastical structure grounded in Reformed principles. Geneva became a disciplined Christian commonwealth where church and civic leaders worked closely together. From this base, Calvin’s teaching, training, and publications helped shape the spread of…
1738 HT: Christian History Institute James Gardiner was a valiant Scots soldier. After a wild youth, he converted to Christianity in 1719 (he was thirty-one at the time) and showed many evidences of earnest faith. Philip Doddridge, a Puritan pastor, educator, and author, was so impressed he wrote a life of Gardiner. Seven years after…