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August August 1 Today is the Feast Day of Alfonso de Ligouri, noted Roman Catholic Church doctor. He is credited with saying, "If anyone asking to obtain grace without Mary's intercession as Mediatrix, attempts to fly without wings." Also "We are struck with wonder when we find that in obedience to the words of His priests, 'THIS IS MY BODY", God himself descends on the altar, that He comes whenever they call Him, and as often as they call Him, and places Himself in their hands, even though they should be His enemies. And after having come He remains, entirely at their disposal……" 1457 - Death of Lorenzo Valla, an Italian philosopher and said by some to be the most brilliant mind of the Renaissance. As a critical and independent thinker, he wrote exposing the Conation of Constantine as a fraudulent document. It claimed that Constantine had given central Italy over to Papal control. Valla demonstrated that it was an 8th century forgery and could not be used to support papal claims to civil power. 1545 - Birth of Andrew Melville, Presbyterian reformer of Scotland. Sought to preserve church independence from state control. Was imprisoned in the Tower of London (1607-11) for preaching against the papacy and superstition. 1635 - Death of George Weissel, German hymn writer and author of hymn, LIFT UP YOUR HEADS, YE MIGHTY GATES. 1714 - Failure of so called "Schism Bill" due to the death of England's Queen Anne. It was a piece of legislation intended to punish and oppress the large and vocal group of dissenters in England. Isaac Watts wrote the hymn, O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST to commemorate the protection afforded the dissenters due to the failure of the "Schism Bill" along with Anne's death. August 2 1703 - birth of Lorenzo Ricci in Florence, Italy. General of the Society of Jesus (1758-73). After the Jesuits were dissolved by Pope Clement 14th in 1773 he was confined to the Castle of St. Angelo for the rest of his life. 1802 - Birth in Seville, Spain of Nicholas Wiseman, who became an English Catholic clergy - Archbishop of Westminster (1850-65), had great influence in the Oxford Movement, which sought renewal of Catholic thought and influence in the Anglican Church. Others involved in the movement were John Newman and Edward Pusey. Part of the movement was to free the Anglican Church from State influence and return to the early church that was said to be "catholic" in the sense of apostolic succession. 1907 - Pope Pius 10th issued a decree (effective in 1908) which declared that no marriage between Catholics is valid unless celebrated before a parish priest of delegated for the ceremony. August 3 1546 - Date of death of Etienne Dolet, a printer and humanist. His writings and printing efforts brought him into conflict with Catholic authorities. He specialized in printing the material of heretics and was arrested and imprisoned by the Inquisition. After escaping, he was recaptured and burned at the stake on this date. 1667 - Death of Jeremy Taylor, British scholar and theologian. He was an important figure among 17th century Anglicans. He was loyal to the King and was able to write several widely distributed books, among them RULES AND EXERCISES FOR HOLY LIVING and RULES AND EXERCISES FOR HOLY DYING. His books influenced John Wesley. 1836 - Birth of Augustus H. Strong, noted Baptist theologian and pastor of 1st Baptist of Haverhill, Massachusetts. and Cleveland, Ohio. He is NOT to be confused with John Strong, author of the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. 1858 - Birth of hymn writer, Maltbie R. R=Babcock, Presbyterian in Syracuse, New York. Wrote THIS IS MY FATHER'S WORLD. 1902 - Birth of Martin Noth, in Dresden, Germany. He was an Old Testament scholar and archaeologist whose main work was on early history of Israel. August 4 1707 - Birth in Germany of Johann Ernesti, a Lutheran theologian. He attempted to reconcile the theological traditions of Lutheranism and the popular historical criticism of religious liberalism. 1792 - All houses of worship were ordered closed by the revolutionaries in France. 1792 - Birth of Edward Irving in Scotland. He was ordained in the Church of Scotland and preached at a church in Regent Square in London drawing great crowds. He was influenced by Thomas Coleridge and by Carlyle and encouraged others to seek the Charismatic gifts of the book of ACTS in about 1832. He gave leadership to the Catholic Apostolic Church and was censured for allegedly teaching heresy and excommunicated by Church of Scotland. 1841 - Birth of James Chalmers in Scotland. He would serve as a Congregational missionary in the Cook Islands, then in New Guinea and was killed by cannibals in 1901. 1874 - The Chautauqua organization was formed by the first Sunday School teachers assembly in Fair Point, New York. 1892 - A medical doctor, William Grenfell, arrived in Newfoundland to begin a 42 yea ministry of the gospel and medical help. August 5 1570 - A group of Spanish Jesuits landed at Chesapeake Bay, Virginia to establish a colony and were martyred by Indians. 1604 - Birth of John Eliot, in England. He would become a missionary to the Pequot Indians of Massachusetts. His translation of the Bible in Pequot was the first book published in America. He is sometimes called the "apostle to the Indians". 1656 - Five Quakers were jailed by the Puritans at the Massachusetts Bay colony. 1876 - Mary Slessor, Scottish born missionary sailed for West Africa aboard the ETHOPIA. Her skills and determination would take her through harrowing incidents and win the allegiance of thousands of Africans, including many native chiefs. She became proficient in native languages and was appointed the first female vice-consul in the British empire. She died in 1915. August 6 1221 - death of Dominic, Spanish founder of the order of Friar Preachers or Dominicans. The order emphasizes the work of Evangelism. In England, the Dominicans were called the Black Friars and worked primarily in the cities. Unfortunately, their order was involved in the cities. Unfortunately, their order was involved in the Spanish Inquisition in torturing so-called heretics. 1504 - Birth of Matthew Parker, appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Queen Elizabeth. He was responsible to bring the Puritans in line and attempted to do so with an order called, ADVERTISEMENTS which regulated licenses to preach and prescribed elements of worship. 1651 - Birth of Francis Fenelon in France, Archbishop and mystic, as well as man of literature. His mysticism emphasized a passivity to the divine will in experience. He was influenced by Madam Guyon, another noted French mystic. He was censured in 1699 by Pope Innocent 12th. 1727 - The first American convent was opened by the Ursulines nuns in New Orleans. 1801 - A week long evangelical meeting in Cane Ridge, Kentucky led by Presbyterian Barton Stone attracted between 10 and 25 thousand people. 1809 - Birth in Somersby, England of Alfred Lord Tennyson, poet and hymn writer. Some may know him through his work called, THE CARGE OF THE LIGHT BIRGADE. 1938 - The Chicago Tribune carried the headline, BIBLE TWISTED TO NAZI CREED. It described how Reich Bishop Muller rewrote the Sermon on the Mount and the Gospel of John eliminating the words "sin" and "grace" and making the Golden Rule only apply to relationships between Nazi comrades. 1945 - World entered the atomic age with the dropping of the first atom bomb on Hiroshima, Japan leading to the surrender of the Japanese, ending WW2. August 7 1316 - Date of the election of Pope John 22nd. He imprisoned William of Occam for asserting that the true apostles of Christ practiced poverty ad did the Savior. He also excommunicated Marsiglius of Padua because of his writings that were more audacious than Luther's earlier material. Marsiglius said that Christ did NOT appoint a Vicar and that the function of "binding and loosing" in Matthew's gospel was declarative, not judicial. He said "to God alone is the power to forgive sins, not man" and that to Peter was committed no power greater than that given to the other apostles. Philip Schaff says that at the death of Pope John his personal fortune was 18 million gold florins with 7 millions worth of jewels and ornaments. He was possibly the richest man in Europe. 1893 - Eleanor Chestnut was appointed a medical mission to south China. Although she had great difficulty with the language, her skills and compassion won many hearts. She established a women's hospital in Lien-chou and lived on only a few dollars a month in order to purchase bricks for the building. She died in 1905 when her missions compound was attacked by a group of anti-foreigners. 1823 - Birth of Rufus C. Burleson, near Decatur, Alabama. a Baptist clergyman and educator. He was president of Baylor University from 1851-61 and founded Waco University in 1861. The two merged in 1886 with Burleson as President. August 8 1471 - death of Thomas Kempis, German theologian and author of well known, IMITATION OF CHRIST. Considered by many to rank as most influential writing of the mystical group. It ranks with Augustine's CONFESSIONS and Bunyan's PILGRIM'S PROGRESS. 1652 - birth of Jacques Basange, Huguenot minister with skills as historian and patristic scholar. Was exiled to Holland after revocation of Edict of Nantes. 1794 - Birth of Jean Henri d'Aubigne in Geneva, Swiss church historian known for his multi-volume histories of the Reformation. 1852 - Gustaf Palmquist baptized 3 persons from Rock Island, Illinois in the Mississippi River to mark the beginning of the Swedish Baptist General Conference in America. 1854 - The LONDON TIMES carried an article describing the journeys and explorations of David Livingstone as "one or the greatest geographical explorations of the age." Livingstone would become famous for his African explorations in attempting to open up central Africa to European trade. August 9 1471 - Sixtus 4th was named Pope and served until 1484. He is described by church historian Philip Schaff in the following words: as "the unblushing promoter of the interests of his relatives, many of them as worthless as they were insolent, the disturber of the peace of Italy, revengeful", Schaff then quotes Infessura, another historian "as calling the day of Sixtus 4th's death as a most happy day, the day on which God liberated Christendom from the hand of an impious and iniquitous ruler, who had before him no fear of God, but was activated by avarice, the love of vain show and given to sodomy." This is the Pope that espoused the Immaculate Conception of Mary. 1603 - Birth of Johann Cocceius, a Dutch theologian who emphasized the covenant of grace and covenant of works with Adam a federal head of the race. He was a serious student of scripture. 1788 - Birth of Adoniram Judson, American born missionary to Burma. Translated scripture into Burmese, wrote a Burmese-English dictionary. Lived a life of suffering, excitement and challenge, buried two wives and several children on the field of service. 1973 - About 500 delegates representing more than 200 Southern Presbyterian Churches met in Asheville, North Carolina and severed ties with the Presbyterian Church in the United States to its increasing liberal drift. August 10 1556 - birth of Philipp Nicholai, Lutheran clergyman and hymn writer. 1841 - Birth of Mary A. Lathbury, author of children's books and hymns in Manchester, New York. Wrote DAY IS DYING IN THE WEST, BREAK THOU THE BREAD OF LIFE. 1855 - Birth of Frederick Jackson, Anglican theologian, born in Ioswich, England. Professor at Union Theological Seminary (1916-34). Author of History of the Christian Church. 1883 - Death of Robert Moffat - born to godly, but poor parents in Scotland. Moved to England where he was led to Christ by Wesleyan Methodists. In 1817, sailed to S. Africa at 21 with the London Missionary Society. He would labor the next 54 years in Africa sharing the gospel and translating scripture. His oldest daughter, Mary, would become the wife of Dr. David Livingstone. Previously, he had buried 3 of his children in Africa. August 11 1492 - Alexander 6th became Roman Catholic Pope. He initiated censorship of books and excommunicated Savonarola for heresy. He also determined the line of demarcation separating Spanish and Portuguese lands in the New World. 1519 - Death of Johann Tetzel, the Dominican priest who was the first public antagonist of Martin Luther in the matter of Tetzel's selling of indulgences. 1778 - Death of August Toplady - Anglican hymn writer, who was a strong defender of Calvinist doctrine. But he is best known for his authorship of the hymn, ROCK OF AGES. 1872 - Death of Lowell Mason, an American composer who exercised considerable influence of the development of American hymnody. Among the hymns for which he wrote music we have O FOR A THOUSAND TONGUES TO SING, JOY TO THE WORLD, WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS, NEARER MY GOD, TO THEE, and many others. 1890 - Death of John Henry Newman, British Anglican clergyman, he was a leading figure in the English Oxford movement, which was intended to oppose liberalism that was encroaching on the Anglican church. Newman wrote a tract calling for a Roman Catholic interpretation of the 39 Articles of Faith in 1841. By 1845 Newman was received into the Catholic church and was made a cardinal by 1879. 1933 - Birth of Dr. Jerry Fallwell, well-known Past or of a large church in Lynchburg, Virginia and one-time head of Moral Majority. August 12 1553 - Pope Julius 3rd ordered copies of the Talmud burned. In Jewish writings, the Talmud is second only to the writings of the Old Testament in authority. 1794 - Birth of William Ellis in London; he served in the South Sea Islands as a missionary. He also worked with discovering and classifying tropical plants and fruits. 1838 - Birth of Joseph Barnby, in York, England. One of the most influential choral conductors of 19th century England. He did much to introduce the works of Bach to England while writing music to over 200 hymns. He is best known for his hymn, "When morning gilds the skies"/ 1895 - Birth of Katherine Lee Bates a poet-educator and professor of English literature at Wellesley College. She also authored the words to the hymn, AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL. 1942 - William Townsend and Rev. R. L. Legters incorporated the SYCLIFF TRANSLATORS. It operates the Summer Institute in Linguistics to train men and women to translate God's word into Native tongues. The work began among native Indian tribes of Mexico, but has spread to many other fields around the globe. August 13 662 - Death of Maximus, a Byzantine Monk and spiritual writer, he was deeply involved in the 7th century Controversy on Monothelitism - a discussion on whether Jesus had one will or two wills, it was part of the christological controversy. 1777 - Birth of Martin Stephan, in Stramberg, Germany. He was a Lutheran clergyman and originator of the congregation which became the nucleus of the Lutheran Missouri Synod. 1818 - Birth of Cornelius Van Dyck in New York, a reformed Dutch medical missionary, serving in Arabia (1840-93). Helped translate the scriptures into Arabic. 1834 - Birth of Philip Phillips, evangelist and singer in New York. Prepared the American Sacred Songster which sold over a million copies, traveled with D. L. Moody. 1838 - Missionary candidate David Livingstone, a Scottish native, was interviewed by the London Missionary Society as to whether he would be accepted on a probationary basis. He was and would go on to become one of the most famous men of the British Empire. He was the first to cross Africa east to west and conducted extensive pioneer explorations. Livingstone did little as an actual missionary, but had great impact on England and Europe thru his explorations. 1908 - Death of Ira Sankey, vocalist who traveled with D. L. Moody known for his powerful ability to touch audiences with messages in song - Sankey functioned as George B. Shea did for evangelist Billy Graham. 1910 - Death of Florence Nightingale, born to well-to-do parents, she responded to the call of God and was trained as a nurse; through here skills and leadership, nursing became a professional skill. She established the Nightingale School of Nursing in London in 1860. August 14 1796 - Death of Benjamin Abbott, Methodist evangelist in area around southern New Jersey. 1810 - Birth of Samuel Wesley in London, England. A distinguished composer wrote THE CHURCH'S ONE FOUNDATION. 1867 - Birth of George H. Jones in Mohawk, New York. Methodist bishop of Korea who helped translate scripture into Korean. 1942 - Date medical missionary Bill Wallace returned to China after having served from 1935-40. He was arrested by Chinese Communist on December 19, 1950 on charges of espionage. He died in their hands afterward. 1945 - The Empire of Japan agreed to unconditional surrender to the Unites States, ending WW2. 2002 - Roman Catholic and Jewish leaders released a joint statement asserting that "campaigns that target Jews for conversion to Christianity are no longer theologically acceptable in the Catholic Church". The document was called REFLECTIONS ON COVENANT AND MISSION and is the work of American Catholic bishops and the National Council of Synagogues. August 15 1195 - Birth of Anthony of Padua in Lisbon, Spain. Member of the Franciscan Order whose work was in northern Italy. He was a skilled and popular preacher. 1601 - Birth of John Campanius in Stockholm, Sweden. He accompanied the first Swedish settlers to the area of Delaware. Served as a missionary to Delaware Indians and translated Luther's cathecism into their dialect. 1652 - Date of baptism of John Wise in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He was a Congregational clergyman and strong advocate of congregational rule over centralized authority. 1771 - Birth of Sir Walter Scott in England. Called the inventor of the historical novel and one of the most popular novelists of all time. He wrote such as WAVERLY, GUY MANNERING but is best know in the United States for IVANHOE. 1846 - Abraham Lincoln made his only public statement on religious conviction, "THAT I AM NOT A MEMBER OF ANY CHRISTIAN CHURCH, IS TRUE; BUT I HAVE NEVER DENIED THE TRUTH OF THE SCRIPTURES." There is record of his trust in the work of the Lord Jesus and of his intent to be baptized, but his assassination prevented that. August 16 1661 - Death of Thomas Fuller, English clergyman and historian, author of CHURCH HISTORY IN BRITIAN. He was a strong advocate of peace between parliament and the king. He was chaplain to King Charles 2nd. 1773 - The Jesuits were expelled from Rome. 1831 - Birth in Honolulu of Hiram Bingham, missionary to the Gilbert Islands. 1852 - Birth of Hermann Soden, A German Biblical scholar. Taught New Testament interpretation at University of Berlin. He proposed a theory of textual criticism that there were three different revision of New Testament manuscripts - one in Jerusalem one in Egypt and one in Antioch. This third he called the K text of Koine (common). It would make up the majority of Greek manuscripts and later be called the Receptus text. It would be the basis of the translation called the King James Bible. 1875 - Death of Charles Finney, noted lawyer turned Presbyterian Evangelist. One time president of Oberlin College, he was a central figure in the religious awakening of the early 1800's. He had great success in the large cities of the northeast and drew criticism from Lyman Beecher. 1877 - Birth of John P. Scott in Norwich, New York. Hymn composer - including THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, COME YE BLESSED. August 17 1723 - Death of Joseph Bingham, British clergyman and author of THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 1761 - Birth of William Carey in England. Served as a missionary to India for all his adult life. He was self-taught in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Dutch and French. When told by his father that his skills were minimal, Carey responded, "I can plod". He published dictionaries, grammars and translations of the New Testament in Bengali. He was largely responsible for the abolition of suttee in 1829. It was the custom of death for the widow at the funeral of her husband. 1780 - Birth of George Croly in Dublin. He was an Anglican hymn writer. 1790
- The Jewish congregation in Newport, Rhode Island issued the
following statement to be delivered to President George Washington:
1823 - Birth of Daniel Bliss in Vermont. Served as a Congregational missionary to Syria, where he founded the Synan Protestant College in Beirut. August 18 849 - Death of Walafrid Strabo - a German monk and theological writer and onetime tutor of Charles The Bald of Germany. His writings include GLOSSA ORDINARIA, which were notes on the Latin Bible and were used for almost 500 years, Peter Lombard quotes it as authoritative. Strabo was an amiable and witty man who achieved some status as a writer in both Ecclesiastical and classical literature. 1732 - The Moravian Brethren of Germany sent Leonard Dober and David Nitschman as missionaries to the slaves of the Western Indies. Over the next 10 years, 70 of the 600 Moravian missionaries were sent to these slaves. 1832 - The Methodist Church of Canada voted to merge with the British Wesleyan church. 1871 - Birth of Francis McConnell in Ohio. He would become a Methodist clergyman and expert in industrial relationships. He became active in bringing to an end the l2 hour days and 7 day work week in the steel industry. August 19 1531 - Death by burning at the stake of Thomas Bilney, a native of Norwich, England. He studied at Cambridge and was ordained in 1519. He was converted after reading I Timothy 1:15 - "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners: of whom I am chief." Bilney would later be instrumental in the conversion of Hugh Latimer. He was ordered to stop preaching and did for a while, but returned to preaching the scriptures. He was arrested, tried and martyred. 1536 - Birth of Kaspar Olevianus, who became a Reformed theologian. His fervent preaching led to his imprisonment in 1559. Later released, he became pastor of St. Peter's church in Heidelberg, Germany and helped write the last draft of the Heidelberg Confession. 1646 - Death of Alexander Hendersen, a leader in the development of the Reformed Church in Scotland. He became a leader in the famous Scottish Covenanters. 1662 - Death of scientist, Blasé`Pascal, one of the great minds of western intellectual history. After his conversion to Christianity in 1654, he wrote An Apology for the Christian Religion, which is a classic of apologetics. His name has been associated with the Jansenist who opposed the Jesuits. The Jansenists desired a return to the Augustinian emphasis on grace alone for salvation. 1831 - Birth of William C. Langdon, who helped found the American Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). 1842 - Birth of Cyrus Ingersoll Scofield in Michigan. He was raised in Tennessee and served under Generl Robert E. Lee during the American Civil War. After starting a law practice, he was converted and began pasturing the Moody Church in Northfield, Massachusetts in 1895. His skill in teaching dispensational premillenialism led to him publishing his study Bible in 1909. August 20 1153 - Death of Bernard of Clairvaux, founder of the Cistercians, exercised considerable influence on spiritual and literary life of Western civilization. Most of his followers were French and much attention was focused on agriculture, rather than preaching or teaching. He assisted in the leadership of the 2nd crusade in 1147 which was considered to be a failure. 1384 - Death of Gerhard Groote, a Dutch founder of the Brethren of the Common Life - a fellowship of believers who shared common goods, but without vows. Groote focused on the reading and learning of the scripture. 1527 - A Lutheran synod met in Augsburg, Germany to deal with the growing influence of the Anabaptists. One leader of this group was a radical named Hans Hut, who saw himself as a prophet. He had proclaimed that following the persecution of the true believers (Anabaptists) there would be the destruction of the Roman empire by the Turks. This was to be followed by the return of Christ. Such ideas upset the general population and prompted the synod. 1745 - Birth of Francis Asbury near Birmingham, England, an early leader among the Methodists. Like John Wesley, Asbury was an itinerant preacher covering up to 300 thousand miles over his lifetime and preaching more than 17,000 sermons. 1884 - Birth of Rudolf Bultmann in Germany. A conrroversial liberal theologian who sought to view the Old Testament as filled with myths and folklore. See II Peter 1:16. 1912 - William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, died at age of 83. August 21 Today
is recognized as the Feast Day of the Immaculae Heart of Mary.
As an evangelical who sees the Holy Scripture as authoritative
and our correct guide to know God and to live for him, I find
the pre-occupation that so many Roman Catholics have with Mary
to be amazing. 1)
HER DIVINE MATERNITY - Roman Catholic theology says that Mary
may be called the Mother of God. However, the last reference
to Mary in scripture is Acts 1:14 where she is called, Mary,
the mother of Jesus. No scripture refers to her in such a title. 2) HER PERPETUAL VIRGINITY - Roman Catholic theology claims that Mary remained a virgin and never had other children. However, when we look to Gospel of Mark 6:3 we find mention of both brothers and sisters of Jesus. There is no reason to make them into cousins as is often said by priests. In that same verse, Mary is called the mother of Jesus- why would we read "mother" as "mother", but read "brother & sister" as cousin? 3) Mary was born without the stain of original sin from Adam. However, in Romans 5:12 we are told that sin and death was passed from Adam to all! (no exceptions). Further, in Hebrew 4:15 and 7:26, Jesus is said to have lived a sinless life. That is not said of Mary - also note Luke 1:47 where she makes reference to "God my Savior" - if she was without original sin, why did she need a Savior? 4) HER BODILY ASSUMPTION IN HEAVEN - Roman Catholic theology says that Mary did NOT die, physically - but was received up into heaven as was Christ. However, we find NO scripture for such a claim. All of these 4 claims are done to attempt to elevate Mary into an unscriptural and non-Christian manner. They serve to place Mary as a Mediatrix in conflict with I Timothy 2:5. August 22 1741 - George F. Handel, having been given a script by Charles Jennens made up almost entirely of quotations from the Bible, Handel began composing what would be one of the most amazing and powerful pieces of music ever created. For 23 days Handel worked in his room without distraction and produced THE MESSIAH. It was first presented in London to King George 2nd and has moved and blessed millions since. It has become a standard portion of music for the Christmas holidays in many western countries. 1792 - Birth of Charles Finney, a lawyer turned evangelist, Presbyterian in doctrine, he was skilled at presenting the "case" for the Lord Jesus Christ in large cities of the northeastern United States. 1798 - Bir;th of William G. Shauffler in Stuttgart, Germany. He became a Congregational missionary to Turkey and Armenia, translating the Old Testament into Shephardi and the New Testament into Turkish. 1800 - Birth of Edward Pusey, a leader in the "Oxford" movement which involved a return to Roman Catholicism by a number of leading Britons. 1822 - Death of William Herschel, noted Jewish astronomer. He was converted to Christ somewhere between 1855 when he went to England and 1860 when he was a church organist at Bath, England. 1952 - Death of Lewis S. Chafer, one of the founders in 1924 and early Presidents of Dallas Theological Seminary, a foremost leader in preparing men for ministry from a dispensational perspective. He authored an 8 volume study of systematic theology from a dispensational and pre-millenial viewpoint. He also pastured the Schofield Memorial Church in Dallas. August 23 1761 - Birth of Jedidiah Morse, in Woodstock, Connecticut. A Congregational clergyman and one of America's leading geographers. He is sometimes called the Father of American Geography. He initiated a controversy of forcing the Unitarians out of the Congregational church. He pastured a Charlestown, Massachusetts Church (1789-1819). The inventor Samuel Morse was his eldest son. 1814 - Birth of James R. Baylely, in Rye, New York. He was nephew of Elizabeth Ann Seton and Archbishop of Baltimore from 1872-77. 1857 - Birth of William Candler in Carroll County, Georgia. He was a Methodist editor and clergyman. Once was president of Emory College. 1948 - The World Council of Churches was chartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands with 144 members. The WCC is part of the great ecumenical movement to unite all religions under one great tent. The ecumenical movement is unscriptural for the following reasons: 1. It's leadership has been consistently identified with the social gospel instead of the gospel of the Grace of God found in Jesus Christ. The social gospel attempts to improve men and women's earthly life without consideration to their eternity. 2. It treats believers in Christ and unbelievers as the same. The ecumenical movement claims all people are the children of God. This is not what the Word of God says. 3. Ecumenicy violates the principles of ecclesiastical separation that are clearly taught in God's word. We are not to be companions of idolators and Christ-deniers - rather we are to preach the truth to them. August 24 1456 - The second volume of the Gutenberg Bible is bound in Mainz, Germany and becomes the first printed, bound Bible in Europe. 1560 - The Scottish Parliament abolished the jurisdiction of the Pope in Scotland. 1572 - The massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day began in Paris during the night. Gaspar De Coligny and other Huguenot leaders were murdered. This was followed with the murder of over 10,000 other Protestant Huguenots. Some estimates put the death of the Huguenots at 3 times that. The massacre was instigated by Catherine de Medici. It was this horror that would create a spirit of distrust by Protestants in Scotland, Ireland and England for many years. The massacre is memorialized in John Foxe's of martyrs. 1662 - The return of Charles 2nd to England resulted in the enforcement of the 39 Articles of Uniformity in religion. Over 1000 non-conformist preachers were removed from their pulpit ministries. It was known as Black Bartholomew Day to the dissenters and non-conformist preachers. 1683 - Death of John Owen, gifted Puritan clergyman and chaplain to Oliver Cromwell. 1759 - Birth of William Wilberforce, English Legislator and philanthropist. Chiefly responsible for the legislation that ended slavery in Britain in 1807. He was a devout evangelical. August 25 776 - death of Gregory of Utrecht, in the Netherlands. He had been a follower of Boniface and directed the Fisian mission for 20 years after Boniface died. 1556 - Death of Jan David Joris, born in Flanders and died in Basal, Switzerland. Initially a Lutheran in opposition to Roman Catholicism, he became involved with the Anabaptists. He then declared himself the third "David" and to be the Messiah that would redeem the world. Later, he took the name Jan Bruges and published the WONDER BOOK. After his death, he was tried as a heretic and his body exhumed and burned. 1560 - The Scottish Parliament met and under the leadersiip of John Knox, ended the rule of the Pope over the Scottish Church, declared Mass to be illegal and repealed all statutes against heretics. 1824 - The first major conference of the Methodist Church was held in Canada. August 26 1832 - Death of Adam Clarke, born in Londonderry, he became a Methodist in 1778, becoming a circuit preacher in 1782. His scholarship was impressive, encompassing the classics, oriental languages and literature as well as history, geology and the natural sciences. His great accomplishment was an 8 volume Bible commentary written between 1810-26. 1877 - Birth of Henry Atkinson in California whose work helped establish the Word Council of Churches in 1948. 1901 - The first publication of the American Standard Version translation of the Bible by Thomas Nelson and Sons. Its underlying text for the New Testament was that found in Nestle' Greek New Testament and followed the trend began in 1881 with the Revised Version by using the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus Manuscripts as the foundation. The ASV was not popular and its sales never became widespread. A revision of it was issued in 1960 bye the Lockman Foundation now called the New American Standard Version or NASV. August 27 1660 - The date that Charles II was restored as king of England after 11 years since the execution of his father, Charles I. Encyclopedia Britannica says, "The restoraton of Charles II brought to an end the 20 years in which the separated churches had enjoyed freedom of worship and exercised some influence on government policy." John Bunyan was imprisioned during this time and worked on PARADISE LOST. 1727 - The leader of the Moravian community of believers in Germany Nicholas Von Zinzindorf called for an around-the-clock prayer time where at least one person was praying each minute of the day. 1737 - Death of John Hutchinson, an English theological writer, who believed the Bible contains the key to all knowledge. Wrote "Moses' Principia" - he taught that the Old Testament scriptures contain a system of natural science and theology. 1749 - Birth of James Madison in Staunton, Virginia (not to be confused with the Madison that was President of the United States). First Episcopalian bishop of Virginia and one time president of College of William and Mary. 1772 - Birth of Gideon Blackburn in Augusta County, Virginia, Presbyterian missionary to the Cherokee Indians. 1859 - Birth of Adrain Morice. A Canadian missionary to the Indians of British Columbia (1880-1938). Compiled several Indian dictionaries and grammars. 1870 - A group of professors, led by Johann Dollinger, met in Nurenburg, Germany to voice opposition to the decree of papal infallibility, giving rise to the creation of the Old Catholic Church. 1877 - Birth of Lloyd C. Douglas in Columbia City, Indiana. Pastored United States and Canadian churches, authored books such as THE ROBE, MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION. August 28 430 - Death of Augustine, noted thinker and man of great impact on the western Christian church. 1774 - Birth of Elizabeth Ann Seton in New York City, founder of the American Sisters of Charity (1809). 1840 - Birth of Ira D. Sankey in Edinburg, Pennsylvania, noted evangelist-singer. After serving in the Civil War, he attended a YMCA convention in Indianapolis in 1870 and met D. L. Moody, the noted evangelist. Sankey teamed up with Moody to travel and sing at his revival and evangelistic meetings. 1906 - Death of George Matheson, a blind hymnwriter. Wrote the hymn O LOVE THAT WILL NOT LET ME GO. 1928 - Ordination of W. A. Criswell, gifted pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas for many years. A skilled pulpiteer, he drew thousands to hear him teach the scriptures. He pastured First Baptist from 1944 until just a few years ago. August 29 70 AD - The Romans, after an extended siege of Jerusalem, burn the gates and the Temple with Jewish resistance ended in a month. This would mark the end of Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem and national identity as Israel, until 1948 when the State of Israel was established. 1484 - Giovanni Gibo was elected Pope, with the name Pope Innocent the 8th. His leadership was marked by corruption, the sale of religious offices and his ferocious opposition to heresy. He appointed Torquemada as grand inquistor in Spain and targeted witches in a papal bull in Germany. 1523 - Death of Ulrich von Hutten, humanist scholar and German reformer known for his attacks upon the Papacy. He principally sought German liberty from Rome, rather than spiritual reformation. 1632 - Birth of John Locke in Bristol, England a noted philosopher and father of empiricism. He was a friend to chemist, Robert Boyle, and to Isaac Newton. Locke himself received a degree in medicine although he rarely practiced it. In 1689 he anonymously published a paper titled, A LETTER CONCERNING TOLERATION that called for the state to not interfere with the free exercise of religion. This paper along with his TWO TREATISES OF GOVERNMENT would influence the founding fathers of the United States. 1809 - Birth of Oliver Wendell Holmes in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was an author and educator and wrote several hymns. Best known for his publication of OLD IRONSIDES a poem that aroused public sentiment against the destruction of the Unites States Constitution. He is not to be confused with a Supreme Court justice with the identical name. 1883 - The first Canadian Salvation Army services were held in Ontario. 1882 - Death of Freidrich Philippi, a German Jew whose conversion to Christ came thru the influence of one of his instructors in high school named Herri Jacobi, a Hebrew Christian. Freidrich Philippi made a public profession of faith in Christ at Christmas, 1829. As a Lutheran, he championed the true cause of Christ against the rise of German rationalism. August 30 1181 - Death of Pope Innocent 3rd - a man who led the papacy to new power in Europe. He refused to allow the Waldenses and the Humilati to preach and later excommunicated and persecuted them. They were pre-reformation Catholics seeking to restore spiritual vitality to the church. In a conflict with King John of England, Innocent put all of England under an interdict and excommunicated King John. After John agreed to submit to papal authority, Innocent supported John in opposition to what we now call the Magna Charta. 1526 - Date of death of King Louis 2nd of Hungary. He died in battle with Suleian the Turk. Louis had 25,000 troops fighting 100,000 Turks. 1817 - Birth of John Williams, in Deerfield, Massachusetts, a theologian and educator. He was an Episcopalian bishop from 1865-99. 1900 - Birth of Franklin C. Fry, in Bethelem, Pennsylvania. He was president of the Lutheran World Federation from 1957-63. 1933 - German pastor Julius Leutherser said, "Christ has come to us through Hitler through his honesty, faith and his idealism, the redeemer has found us. We know today that the Savior has come we have only one task, be German, not Christian." August 31 1688 - Death of John Bunyan, gifted writer of PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, a fascinating look at the Christian experience, one of the all time best sellers. He served in the military during the English Civil War and became a dissenter following his conversion. He was imprisoned 12 years for his illegal preaching, during which time he wrote PILGRIM'S PROGRESS. He would later write GRACE ABOUNDING and THE HOLY WAR. 1740 - birth of Johann Frederic Oberlin in Strassburg, Germany. He became a French clergyman and industrialist. Labored for poor parishioners and initiated orphanages. Oberlin College in Ohio is named for him. 1750 - St. Paul's Church in Halifax, the oldest Protestant Church in Canada, was opened by Rev. William Tutty. 1838 - Birth of Erastus Blakelee in Plymouth, Connecticut. He was a Congregational clergyman who organized Bible Study Publishing Company of Boston and later Bible Study Union which published study material. 1988 - PTL founder, Jim Bakker, submitted a $165 million plan to buy back the TV evangelistic movement from which he had been ousted after a scandal. |