1871 HT: Dan Graves The Swiss evangelist and hymn writer Cesar Malan always liked to speak a word for Jesus. One day, while visiting England, he spoke to a young women at his table, saying that he hoped she was a Christian. Charlotte Elliott bristled. She would rather not discuss that question, she said. Malan…
1816 HT: Christian History Institute David Nasmith is famous as the founder of the first Protestant city missions. Here is the first extant letter in which he indicated his desire to be of use for God’s kingdom. It was written on this day 21 September 1816 when he was seventeen years old. “May He who has the hearts…
1565 HT: Dan Graves The Huguenots were converted out of Catholic France when preachers brought Bibles and the Calvinist doctrines of predestination and justification by faith from Switzerland. Growth of this Reform church was rapid in Gallic lands. Within a hundred years it had won a million and a half converts. Some French leaders saw…
1853 HT: Dan Graves ON THIS DAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 1853, the Dumfries, a small sailing ship, left Liverpool. Aboard was one passenger—James Hudson Taylor, bound for China. His mother came to see him off, knowing it would be years before she would see him again—if ever. Never shall I forget the cry of anguish wrung from…
1851 HT: Dan Graves On this day, August 9, 1851, Karl Gutzlaff died in disgrace. In large measure, he had himself to blame, which was a pity, because he had applied genuinely original methods to the problem of evangelizing China. He was one of the first Protestant missionaries to dress like a Chinese. Wherever he…
Here’s this week’s inspirational delve into the past by Paul James-Griffiths of Christian Heritage Edinburgh. Paul writes, “This week’s focus is about an extraordinary missionary called Alexander Duff, whose model for higher education had a huge impact on shaping India, and whose work inspired many other missionaries to go and do likewise in many parts of the…
1737 Twenty-year-old Benjamin Beddome hears a visiting preacher speak on the text “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent,” and is deeply moved. Within two years he will be studying for…
1708 HT: Dan Graves WE KNOW that Francis Makemie came to the American colonies in 1682 or after—the year Laggan Presbytery in Ireland ordained him to evangelize in America. Where or when he landed, we do not know. Yet he would become a notable Presbyterian founder, preaching in Barbadoes, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York.…
1872 HT: Dan Graves Although the son of an earl, Ashley Cooper was neglected and abused. His father bullied him. Bringing him to one of the boarding schools which he would attend, his father knocked down the sensitive boy at the door and advised the tutor to do the same. Ashley carried scars of depression…
1555 HT: Dan Graves James Abbes stripped off his clothes and shoes. Where he was going in a few minutes, he would not need them–new and glorious garments would be his. But here on earth, some poor folk might find his old garments helpful. The crowd had come to see one of the burnings that…