1632 John Owen graduates BA from Oxford University. He becomes one of the leading non-conformist preachers of his day and the author of many theological works. A Calvinist, he will strongly oppose Arminian views. 1923 Mildred Cable and the Chinese Trio leave Hwo Chow to set out for Central Asia, uncertain what and where the…
597 Death of Columba of Iona, influential Irish missionary to England. He had founded several monasteries which served as centers of faith and learning. 1790 HT: Dan Graves Robert Robinson, born September 27th, 1735, and died June 9th, 1790, was an English Dissident, prominent Baptist, and thinker who made a lifelong examination of the history…
1891 HT: Dan Graves Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “Prince of Preachers,” preached his last sermon at the Tabernacle in London on this day, June 7, 1891. Years before, his ministry had almost come to an early end. His congregation had grown so large they had to erect this special building to accommodate the crowds who came to hear him.…
1882 HT: Josh Weidmann In 1842 George and Jane Matheson had a child and named him George, obviously and proudly, after his father. His mother was the second cousin to his father, and they both resided in Glasgow, Scotland at the time George, their firstborn child, was birthed. He was the first of eight children, but the only one of his siblings who was…
1831 HT: Dan Graves IN 1824 the London Missionary Society set up schools in Madagascar. Seven years later, in May 1831, they held their first baptismal service for new Christians. The following month, on this day 5 June 1831, the Christian converts celebrated the Lord’s Supper for the first time. Among those who participated in the…
1649 HT: christianity.com The first log cabin of New Haven went up in the fall of 1637. A few men wintered on the bay that year and in the spring more arrived. Among them was the Reverend John Davenport. Strong religious overtones marked the formation of the “colony” as the town called itself. Davenport helped…
339 HT: Dan Graves Suppose you are a survivor of an outlawed organization whose origins go back to around 1700, seventy-six years before America became an independent nation. “Tell the story of your people,” you are urged. The problem is, your people were an illegal group. In fact, the government tried to exterminate them! Their…
1593 HT: Dan Graves John Penry wept for Wales. In Elizabeth’s England, there were far too few pastors assigned to teach the Welsh, and of those, many were absentees from their flocks or little better than rogues. Penry wrote Equity of a Humble Supplication in Behalf of the Country of Wales that Some Order May Be…
1663 HT: Dan Graves When Jospeh Alleine‘s older brother Edward died, Joseph underwent a spiritual crisis, what he would call a “thorough conversion.” Edward had been studying for the ministry and Joseph pleaded with his father to be allowed to take his place. His father agreed and Joseph headed off to school. The young man…
1700 HT: Stagger and Reel Today, we celebrate the birth of Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, born on May 26, 1700. A pivotal figure in the history of the Moravian Church, Zinzendorf’s life was marked by profound devotion to Christ and an unyielding passion for mission work. Known for his famous quote, “I have loved…