1668 HT: Dan Graves JOSEPH ALLEINE was like a splendid firework that rises into the sky, illumines observers with a momentary wash of colors, and then vanishes. He flashed upon his century for fourteen brief years of public Christian service. But unlike a firework, he left behind him a lasting legacy of souls won for…
354 HT: Today in Christian History Birth of Augustine of Hippo, one of the greatest Early Church Fathers. Among his many works, Confessions recounts his dramatic conversion to Christianity, while The City of God offers a profound Christian interpretation of Rome’s fall to the Visigoths in 410. 1618 HT: Dan Graves DOCTRINES of God’s sovereignty…
1660 John Bunyan is arrested for unlicensed preaching and sentenced to prison. During his various incarcerations, he will pen Pilgrim’s Progess and Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, the greatest Puritan spiritual autobiography. 1704 Forty-two year old Matthew Henry writes in his journal that he means to prepare a commentary on the entire Scripture. A…
1620 HT: Today in Christian History Aboard the Mayflower, the Pilgrims sign the Mayflower Compact, pledging themselves “solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one another” to “covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic.” This covenant became the foundation for self-government in the New World.
1871 HT: Christianity.com For years, no one had heard from the Scottish missionary explorer, David Livingstone. In l866, he had disappeared into the East African interior, searching for the source of the River Nile. Livingstone’s reports of his earlier explorations in Africa had fascinated multitudes of readers at home. Once asked why he decided to…
1572 John Knox, Scottish Reformer, preaches his final sermon at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, fifteen days before his death. He is helped into the pulpit to deliver a message on Christ’s temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11), urging his hearers to resist the devil and remain steadfast in faith. 1865 HT: Dan Graves IN…
1605 HT: Diana Severance Have you ever heard anyone say, “He’s just an ordinary guy?” Curiously, the word guy has its roots in a l7th century plot to blow up the British Parliament. Religion and politics were inseparable in early England. When Pope Pius V excommunicated Queen Elizabeth in l570, English Catholics did not like obeying…
1836 HT: The One Year Christian History (Kindle Edition) IN 1779 Charles Simeon entered King’s College at Cambridge University as an eager student with no particular allegiance to God. After three days he was appalled to learn that at Cambridge participation in the Lord’s Supper was mandatory. In just three weeks he would have to…
1723 HT: Diana Severance, Dan Graves The masterful sermons of what American preacher profoundly influenced Patrick Henry to become a great orator and patriot? What American minister succeeded Jonathan Edwards as President of Princeton University? The answer to both questions is Samuel Davies. Samuel was born on this day, November 3, l723. Evidently, his Baptist mother…
1533 HT: Diana Severance When the apostle Paul escaped Damascus by being lowered over the wall in a basket it was not the last time a Christian evangelist would dramatically flee from persecution. On this day, November 2, in 1533, John Calvin made a similar thrilling escape from Paris. A devout Catholic, Calvin studied law at the…