1888 HT: Christian History Institute Andrew Bonar was a minister in the Free Church of Scotland and a leader of Christian revival in Scotland. Among his friends was revivalist Robert Murray McCheyne, whose biography he wrote. He wrote other books, including Christ and His Church in the Book of Psalms and The Gospel Pointing to the Person of…
1862 HT: Dan Graves Adelaide Pollard, a devoted missionary and hymn writer, found solace in her faith after being discouraged from pursuing her dreams of serving Africa. Her iconic hymn “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” reflects her surrender to God’s will, as she wrote it during a pivotal moment of spiritual introspection. Adelaide Pollard was…
1731 HT: Christianity.com God… …moves in a mysterious wayHis wonders to perform;He plants His footsteps in the seaAnd rides upon the storm. William Cowper, who wrote that hymn, was born in England on this day, November 26, l73l. His life was full of personal anguish. At five, his mother died, and Cowper, a timid and sensitive…
1742 HT: Today in Christian History David Brainerd, age 24, was approved as a missionary to the Native peoples of New England by the Scottish Society for the Propagating of Christian Knowledge (SPCK). From 1743 to 1746, despite fragile health, he ministered among the Delaware (Lenape), with the most notable revival occurring at Crossweeksung, New…
John Knox was the fiery reformer of Scotland. His last day of life on earth was on this day Monday, 24 November, 1572, dying peacefully near midnight. Three close friends sat by his bed. Knox entrusted the care of his wife to one of them. Later that day he asked another one to read the fifteenth chapter…
1873 HT: Christian History Institute During a revival in Newark, New Jersey, Etta Campbell wrote a hymn of warning and appeal for lost souls titled “Jesus of Nazareth Passeth By.” It became a favorite in Great Britain, thanks to Dwight L. Moody’s songleader Ira Sankey who sang it there. The evangelistic team began a series…
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…