September

1271 - Birth of Teobaldo Visconti, who was elected as Pope Gregory, the 10th. He is quoted as saying "If the sacred Chair (Peter's papal throne in Rome) is vacant, the empire lacks the dispenser of salvation.."

1785 - Birth in Amherst Co, VA of Peter Cartwright a famous circuit-riding preacher of Methodism. He was converted in the famous Cane Ridge Revival of 1801 in Kentucky. He was a bold preacher who did not hesitate to confront people with their sin and danger of damnation. He was involved in politics and defeated Abraham Lincoln in Illinois in 1846 in a congressional race.

1849 - Birth of Charles Galloway in Mississippi. He served as a bishop of the Methodist Church in the south and was instrumental in the founding of Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.

1904 - Date of the conversion of John R. Rice, a noted Texan and Christian Fundamentalist who founded the publication, THE SWORD OF THE LORD.

1934 - Date of the ordination of Evangelist Lester Roloff, who told of going to Baylor University with a cow in tow. He milked the cow each day and sold the milk to pay for his education. Roloff established numerous homes for the aid of unwed mothers and drug addicts in the early 1970's coming into conflict with Texas state officials over being unlicensed for such homes.

1957 - Evangelist Billy Graham closed a 16-week campaign in Times Square of New York City with over 56 thousand making professions of faith in Christ.

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1192 - Marks date of the end of the 3rd of Five Crusades to recover the Holy Land back from the Moslems. It involved the three kings of Europe - Frederic Barbarossa, the Emperor, Philip, King of France and Richard of England - called the Lionhearted. A treaty of 5-year duration was signed.

1750 - St. Paul's Church in Halifax was opened by Rev. Wm. Tutty. It is considered the oldest Protestant church in Canada.

1790 - Death of Johann Von Hontheim, a German Catholic prelate who advocated a teaching called FEBRONIANISM. This doctrine claimed that Papal authority should be limited and that eh "keys to the kingdom" were not given to Peter, but to the whole church which acts through general councils of all the bishops.

1809 - Birthday of Lydia Baxter in Petersburg, New York and author of the words of the hymn, TAKE THE NAME OF JESUS WITH YOU.

1838 - Birth of Erastus Blakelee in Plymouth, Connecticut. He was a Congregational minister who organized the Bible Study Publication Company in Boston in 1892 and the Bible Study Union that produced about 170 volumes of Bible lessons.

1988 - PTL founder, Jim Bakker submitted a $165 million plan o buy back the ministry from which he had been ousted. He failed to produce the $3 million letter of credit to secure the deal.

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590 - Pope Gregory 1st is consecrated as Pope; he would be among the first to claim to be a successor of Peter. Further, he viewed the Lord's Supper to be a continuation of the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, which he said was available for the living and the dead. He claimed penance to be the proper restoration for sins.

1658 - Death of Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England.

1847 - Birth of James Hannington near Brighton, England. Became an Anglican missionary to Eastern Equatorial Africa and was killed by Ugandan soldiers in 1885.

1864 - Birth in London of Francis Burkitt, English theologian and professor of divinity at Cambridge and author of books on early church history.

1894 - Birth of H. Richard Niebuhr, near Wright City, Missouri. Professor at Yale divinity School (1938-62). Author of CHRIST AND CULTLURE.

1901 - Ellen Stone was kidnapped by Turkish brigands in the Salonika district of Bulgaria. She was a missionary. The ransom of $72,000 was raised by public subscription with Stone being released on February 23, 1902.

1939 - World War 2 began with England and France declaring war upon Germany after the German invasion of Poland on September l. The Encyclopedia Britannica says between 35 and 60 million people died during the conflict.

1965 - Pope Paul 6th issued an encyclical restating the traditional eucharistic teachings - emphasizing the doctrines of the real presence of Christ in the Mass and that of transubstantiation - the bread turns into the body, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ when the Mass is performed.

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1634 - Birth of Robert South in London, England. Was chaplain to King Charles 2nd and supported the divine right of kings. Opposed both Catholicism and Puritanism.

1645 - The first American Lutheran church building was dedicated in Essington, Pennsylvania.

1736 - Birthday of Robert Raikes, in Gloucester, England, the son of a newspaper publisher. Raikes is credited with beginning the modern children's Sunday school in 1870 in Ashbury, England. Within six years over 200,000 British children were enrolled in some Sunday school. Reading and writing was taught along with Bible stories. By 1803 a Sunday school union was established.

1802 - Birth of Marcus Whitman, in Rushville, New York. Served as a missionary to the Northwest and helped obtain Oregon for the United States. He and his wife were killed by Indians in 1847.

1835 - Birth of Edwin Harch, in Derby, England. Educator and theologian, author of the Anglican hymn, BREATHE ON ME, BREATH OF GOD.

1841 - Dr. McWilliams, chief medical officer of the NIGER EXPEDITION recorded that a fever of the most malignant kind had stricken the group that had left England in early 1841 dedicated to missionary advance, humanitarian resolve and abolition of slavery. Eventually, 130 of the 145 Europeans on the three ships died of malaria.

1932 - Conversion of Evangelist J. Harold Smith, a Southern Baptist minister who has held revival meetings in thousands of churches in the United States and overseas. Began a radio ministry in 1935. One time pastor of First Baptist Church of Fort Smith, Arkansas.

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1569 - Death of Edmun Bonner at about the age of 69. He was the last Catholic Bishop of London. Once chaplain to King Henry 8th, Bonner was imprisoned during Edward 6th rule, but was restored when Mary, Queen of Scots came to the British throne. During her reign Bonner persecuted reformers in England. Upon the ascendancy of Elizabeth I as queen, he was again imprisoned for the remainder of his life.

1823 - Birth of Willibald Beyschlag in Frankfurt, Germany. He was founder and leader of the Evangelical Union form 1886-1900.

1950 - The founding of the Baptist Bible College of Springfield, Missouri by independent Baptist that previously were aligned with J. Frank Norris of Texas. The college became principle training school for those who were affiliated with the Baptist Bible Fellowship. One of its better-known graduates is Jerry Falwell.

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1620 - The MAYFLOWER sailed from Southhampton, England with the Pilgrims aboard. They were a group of religious dissenters seeking freedom to follow their conscience, among their leaders were William Bradford and Miles Standish. The voyage would take 66 days with about a hundred pilgrims aboard.

1711 - Birth of Henry Muhlenberg, in Einbeck, Germany, 'father of Lutheranism' in America. He was a missionary to the colonies in 1742.

1809 - Birth of F. C. Bauer, in Halle, Germany. Part of the Tubingen School of theology that rejected the miracles of the scripture and rejected the authenticity of many New Testament books.

1812 - Birth of John D. Lee in Illinois. Became a Mormon elder who was notorious for his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre of United States troops in 1857. Was later found guilty of his involvement and sentenced to death. He was executed in 1887.

1813 - Date of the baptism by immersion of Adoniram Judson, who had left New England as a Congregational missionary and met Baptists in Calcutta. Becoming convinced that immersion was scriptural, Judson was baptized by Rev. William Ward. Judson would go on not only to be a famous Baptist Missionary, but a leader of enormous impact for foreign missions in general.

1849 - Birth of Archibald McClean, a Disciples of Christ missionary to Prince Edward Island and later president of the Foreign Christian Missionary Society.

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1524 - Birth of Thomas Erastus, near Zurich, Switzerland. He was embroiled in a controversy related to church-state relations. He is erroneously credited with teaching that the state should have supremacy over ecclesiastical affairs. Later this would be called "Erastianism". He was charged with teaching error concerning the Trinity and was excommunicated.

1697 - Death of Samuel Jones the founder of Welsh nonconformity. He established the first Welsh nonconformist college which now exists as Carmarthen Presbyterian College.

1785 - Society for the Support & Encouragement of Sunday Schools in England was formed. More popularly known as the Sunday School Society.

1805 - Birth of Samuel Wilberforce in London, the son of William Wilberforce. He was Bishop of London from 1845-69.

1960 - A group of Protestant ministers, including Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, issued a statement expressing fear that a Roman Catholic president would be under the control of the Church hierarchy - this was in view of John F. Kennedy as the Democratic candidate for the Unites States Presidency.

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1380 - Birth of Bernard of Siena, in Italy. He served in a strict Franciscan order. He was an earnest man and gifted speaker often addressing crowds of several thousands.

1624 - Death of Marco De Dominis, a scholar and a man of controversy. He was spiritual leader of what is called Dalmatia until 1616 and professor of mathematics at Padua where he offered a scientific explanation of the rainbow. He traveled to England in 1616 where he was appointed dean of Windsor and attacked the papacy concerning national churches. He died in the hands of the Inquisition.

1783 - Birth of Nicholai Grundtvig in Denmark. He served as a Danish bishop but experienced religious crisis in his life as he rejected the authority of the Bible due to the influence of higher criticism. He later argued that the living Word of God is not the scripture, but Christ living in the congregation when it gathers around the sacraments. After visiting England, he became a strong advocate of religious and civil liberty. He wrote a number of hymns.

1817 - Birth of John M. Brown, an educator and editor. He served as principal of Union Seminary as well as serving at Wilberforce University and bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church from 1868-93. He is not to be confused with the militant abolitionist by the same name..

1845 - John Henry Newman converts to Roman Catholicism. Newman had been raised in an evangelical tradition, but influenced by Robert Whateley, Newman chose the Anglican Church for service.

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1530 - The first cathedral in Mexico City was founded by King Charles 5th.

1747 - Birthday of Thomas Coke in Brecom, Wales. He would be the first Methodist superintendent for the United States, appointed by John Wesley. He was a staunch opponent of slavery and sought to promote missions in newly discovered lands foreign to Europe.

1785 - Birthday of Peter Cartwright, born in Virginia and raised in Kentucky where he was converted in 1801 as part of the Cane Ridge Revival. He served as a circuit riding Methodist preacher in Kentucky until he requested to be appointed to work in Illinois. Cartwright was rough, uneducated and eccentric---yet his style of direct preaching along with a serious heart o serve God drew many to hear him. He was defeated in 1846 for the office of Congressman from Illinois---the man who defeated him was Abraham Lincoln.

1828 - Birthday of Leo Tolstoy in Russia. He was to become a noted author (he wrote WAR & PEACE). He renounced the Russian Orthodox Church and followed a faith of non-resistance to evil. His writings reflected analysis, character development and moral insights.

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1224 - Agnellus of Pisa arrived in England with 8 other friars to found the English Franciscan Province.

1604 - Death of William Morgan at age 59. Translated the Bible into Welsh.

1724 - Bienville established the "black code" here in New Orleans, regulating how slaves were to be governed and ordering all Jews to leave the colony.

1791 - Birth of James Edmeston, an English architect who wrote many Anglican hymns, including LEAD US HEAVENLY FATHER.

1834 - birth of Sir John Seeley in London. He was a historian and writer who caused a controversy with his book, NATURAL RELIGION that argued that supernaturalism is not essential to religion.

1839 - Birth of Isaac Funk, a Lutheran clergyman and publisher, born near Clifton, Ohio. Became associated with Adam Wagnalls in publishing.

1867 - Birth of Robert Speer in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania A Presbyterian clergyman and secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions (1891-1937).

1960 - John Kennedy, the Democratic candidate for President of the United States reaffirmed his belief in the separation of church & state.

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1637 - Jan Bogerman, a Dutch theologian, died at 6l. He helped translate the scriptures into Dutch.

1673 - Isaac Watts, Sr. married Sarah Tauton. Watts was jailed several times as a dissenter. His son, Isaac Watts, Jr. was a frail child with a gift for words. He would become a renown hymn writer.

1880 - Birth of Luther Weigle in Littlestown, Pennsylvania. He was a scholar of Greek and Hebrew, and was chairman of the committee which produced the Revised Standard Version. The Revised Standard Version came under great criticism here in the Unites States because of its translation of Isaiah 7:14, the Revised Standard Version reads, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel." Critics observed "young woman" was used instead of "virgin" as in the AV. This seemed to alter the connection of the prophecy with Matthew 1 where it was fulfilled in Christ's birth of the virgin Mary.

2001 - Date of the infamous plane crash by terrorist into the Twin Towers of New York City with thousand killed. It was a day of great sadness as well as heroism. Tragedy is always difficult to accept, whether we be believers in Christ or not, We affirm that God is in control, but He allows evil to express itself as part of the testing of mankind. We often forget that there are men and women in our world that hate that which is good and just and will seek to destroy instead of build. Their arrogance before God will manifest itself in violence and bloodshed. The answer is that men and women find peace with God through Jesus Christ who died for them - from that, they may find peace with one another.

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1494 - Birth of Francis 1, King of France. He was a vain man, notorious for his immorality, but applauded for his Renaissance thinking. He was an oppressor of the French Protestants (called Huguenots) on occasions when he wished to curry favor with the Vatican.

1729 - Birth of John William Fletcher in Switzerland. He was an associate of John and Charles Wesley and authored several theological works including one defending Arminianism.

1788 - Birth of Alexander Campbell in Antrim County, Ireland. He with his father, Thomas, organized in 1809 what would become the Disciples of Christ denomination, or the Church of Christ. They split off from the Baptists on issues related to how water baptism and forgiveness of sins were related.

1805 - Birth of Johann Herzog, a German Protestant who became editor of the Encyclopedia for Protestant Theology.

1818 - Birth of George Duffield in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Wrote several hymns including STAND UP, STAND UP FOR JESUS.

1871 - Birth of George Huston in Fayette Co., Indiana. He was a gifted musician and studied under instructors at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. In 1909 while serving at Providence Christian Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania that he wrote the music and words to the song, IT PAYS TO SERVE JESUS.

1880 - Birth of Henry Menchen, editor of the AMERICAN MERCURY magazine. Menchen attacked Wm. Jennings Bryan and focused on fundamentalism and mocked its beliefs.

1922 - The American Episcopal Church voted to remove the words, 'OBEY' from the marriage ceremony.

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407 - Death of John Chrysostom - called the "Golden Mouth". He was a patriarch of Constantinople and a gifted expositor of scripture. Some have his death of September 14.

1541 - John Calvin returned to Geneva after a three year absence. After arriving he prepared the Ecclesiastical Ordinances which presented a system of order of preaching, worship, and instruction with deacons and pastors.

1565 - Death of Guillame Farel at age 76. He was a French Reformation leader who persuaded Calvin to work in Geneva.

1814 - Date that Francis Scot Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner overnight of the 13-14 while the battle raged outside. It would be 1931 before it was adopted as the national anthem.

1843 - Birth of Louis O. Duchesne in France. He sought to bring the disciples of archaology, geography, theology and social studies to early church history.

1888 - Jonathan Goforth and Dr. J.F. Smith began their tour of missionary ministry in north Honan, China. It is described in a biography of Goforth - p. 789-79.

1919 - Date that 12,000 people attended church at First Baptist of Fort Worth under the leadership of the controversial, Dr. J. Frank Norris. Out of his leadership would come conflict and characters - Norris had been charged with arson when the church had burned in 1913 but was declared innocent. Later he would be involved in the shooting death of a Fort Worth businessman, but acquitted.

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1452 - Birthday of Girolamo Savonarola. He joined the Dominican order and lived in a monestary for 7 years. He began preaching in Florence, Italy in 1481. By 10 years later, he was experienced and bold in his denunciations of the sins and immorality of Lorenzo the Magnificent in Florence. His preaching of the word of God brought great change to the people of Florence, even in their dress and attitude. Pope Alexander 6th offered Savonarola a cardinals position if he would stop preaching against the sins of the Vatican. He refused the "red hat" of the cardinal and said that his red hat would be his blood as a martyr. He was excommunicated, toruted and burned alive at the stake.

1607 - Birth of John Harvard in London, England. He was a Congregational clergyman who left 260 books and 800 pounds in English money to a proposed school, which was named for him in 1639.

1735 - Birth of Robert Raikes in Glouchester, England. He was a publisher and philanthropist, but is best known as a leader in establishing the Sunday School for poor children in England.

1740 - George Whitfield arrived in Newport, Rhode Island to begin a series of meetings that brought spiritual revival. He traveled for 6 weeks concluding his meeting in Boston.

1799 - Birth of David O. Allen in Barre, Massachusetts. He was a missionary to India and translated scripture into Marathi.

1927 - Bob Jones College opened its doors at the campus in Greenville, South Carolina. As a college if focused its attention on the fundamentals of the faith and on godly living while opposing modernism and liberalism. Though criticized for its segregationist practices, it has remained a major school for the training of pastors, educators and missionaries that are faithful to God's word.

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1648 - Birth of Titus Oakes (or Oates) in England. He was ordained into the Anglican church, but had a checkered reputation for the truth. He claimed to have converted to Catholicism and reported an attempt to assassinate King Charles 2nd of England. This would be called the "popish Plot" of 1678. Later it was shown to be false and Oakes was tried and convicted of perjury in 1685.

1733 - Birth of Samuel Horsley in London. He was an Anglican who carried on a controversy with Joseph Priestly in the 1780's over the incarnation and the trinity, where Horsley strongly defended the historic teaching on the Trinity. Although a friend to the poor, Horsley opposed Sunday Schools. Later in life, he suffered from being mentally unbalanced.

1813 - Birth of James Mosley in England. He is known for his tracts on the issue of baptism in 1862. He also defended miracles in the famous Bampton Lectures in 1865.

1857 - Brigham Young, the Utah territorial governor, ordered his troops to repel the so-called "invasion" of Unites States federal troops sent in to establish the new territory.

1963 - An African-American Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed by racists with 4 young girls killed and 20 injured. It was a despicable act of cowardice and terror by Klansmen. The act provoked considerable support for the southern Civil Rights movement.

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1226 - Death of Pandulf, a Roman Catholic envoy of Pope Innocent 3rd to England. Pandulf led in the excommunication of British King John in 1211 over John's refusal to negotiate the selection of archbishops. But later Pandulf took King John's side in the matter of the Magna Charta which attempted to limit royal power.

1394 - Death of Cardinal Robert of Geneva, called Pope Clement 7th. He served as anti-pope to Urban 6th in what is called the Great Schism of the church.

1498 - Death of Tomas de Torquemada, the Spanish Dominican monk that was leader in the infamous Spanish inquisition.

1519 - Death of John Colet, English educator and reformer. He was dean of St. Paul's Cathedral (1504-1510).

1589 - Death of Michael Bajus, Flemish Catholic theologian. He sought to base his teachings on the Bible and quotes from Augustine. He opposed the immaculate conception and papal infallibility. He was condemned by Pope Pius 5th.

1620 - Date of the sailing of the MAYFLOWER, from Plymouth, England with 101 passengers and crew of 48. They established the first Puritan settlement in Massachusetts.

1840 - Scottish minister, Robert M. McCheyne wrote a letter to his friend, George Shaw in Ireland supporting the re-establishment of the Jews back in the land of Israel. It would be 1948 before the State of Israel would be founded. Throughout the centuries there have been small numbers of evangelical Christians that have supported this important effort.

1953 - The movie, THE ROBE, was released, starring Richard Burton in the title role. It was a fictional account of a soldier who takes possession of the robe of Jesus following the crucifixion.

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1621 - Death of Robert Bellarmine, a Jesuit cardinal and theologian who wrote DISPUTES AND CONTROVERSIES OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH, which is recognized as one of the best statements of Roman Catholic Theology as defined by the Council of Trent. The Encyclopedia Britannica, under the article on the Roman Catholic church, attributes the definition of the church to Bellermine as follows: "the society of Christian believers united in the profession of the one Christian faith and the participation in the one sacramental system under the Government of the Roman Pontiff."

1656 - The Massachusetts colony enacted severe laws against Quakers, who were to be committed to the house of correction and kept at hard labor until transported out of the colony.

1721 - Birth of Samuel Hopkins in Waterbury, Connecticut, one of the most important disciples of Jonathan Edwards, he introduced systematic doctrine.

1787 - The United States Constitution was ratified by the colonies.

1829 - Birth of Robert Hargrove in Pickens County, Georgia who became a significant leader in education in the Methodist Church.

1843 - Birth of William Griffis in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Author of MIKADO'S EMPIRE, AND RELIGIONS OF JAPAN. He was a minister and educator.

Rosh Hasanah begins at sundown today-it is the celebration of the Jewish new year.

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1831 - Birth of Aaron Adolph Saphir to a progressive Jewish family in Hungary. He came to Christ at about 12 years of age through the searching of his father, Israel Saphir who was influenced by a Dr. Duncan of the Scottish mission to the Jews in Budapest. Aaron became involved with the Free Church of Scotland and after graduating in theology, he became pastor of St. Mark's Presbyterian Church in Greenwich, near London. During his ministry in Notting Hill, many came to hear his lectures on the Book of Hebrews. Health concerns kept him out of the pastorate for several years with his death coming in 1891.

1643 - Birth of Gilbert Burnet in Edinburgh and author of a book on the English Reformation. He preached the coronation of William & Mary of England and tried to develop a plan to incorporate the nonconformists into the Church of England.

1841 - Birth of Thomas Cheyne in London. He was a Biblical scholar who introduced German critical studies into England.

1884 - The funeral of Evangelist Jerry McAuley was held at the Broadway Tabernacle in New York City. McAuley was born in Ireland and became a criminal upon arriving at New York City. He went to SingSing prison in 1857. While there he heard the testimony of a converted professional boxer, named Orville Gardner and McAuley became a believer and his life was changed. He established the Water Street Mission to reach the unloved bums of the New York Bowery district.

1976 - A rally was held in Washington, DC led by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon and was attended by approximately 50 thousand. Moon's unscriptural teachings has brought him criticism from may evangelicals.

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Today is the feast day of St. Januarius, Bishop of Benevento and the patron saint of Naples, Italy. Alledgely there are 2 vials of his blood preserved that turns to liquid and are displayed each year.

1) How unsanitary and repulsive.
2) How it lends to superstition and away from faith and trust in the Words of the Holy Scripture.

1804 - Birth of Elling Eielsen in Voss, Norway. He was a lay preacher who helped found the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church of North America (1846).

1943 - Evangelist Cecil Simmons, a converted alcoholic, began a three-week revival in Gadsden, Alabama. Using a tent, he drew large crowds-in that group that came was C.C. McPherson, a farmer's son recently discharged from the U.S. Navy. Carmon, as he was called, responded to the gospel and became a believer. That was my father and it is principally through his influence that I am in the ministry.

1966 - Pope Paul 6th issued an encyclical appealing to world leaders to end the war in Viet Nam.

1971 - Death of William Albright, a gifted archeologist and author of books on Biblical archeology.

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1858 - Birth of William R. Huntington in Lowell, Massachusetts. He was a noted Episcopalian minister and author. He was active in the building of The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. He authored a major document on ecumenicy. The ecumenical movement endeavors to unite religions under the virtue of "Love"; but it plays into the compromise of Biblical doctrine, which violates scripture and dilutes the gospel of the Centrality of Christ for eternal life.

1883 - Birth of Albrecht G. Alt in Bavaria. He was a Biblical scholar who work on the Old Testament influenced studies all over the world.

1921 - Ordination of Dr. John R. Rice, Texas born evangelist of the 1930's-50's. He was a strict fundamentalist and separatist and editor of THE SWORD OF THE LORD, published in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He was a strong proponent of personal evangelism - called soul winning.

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1452 - Birth of Girolamo Savonarola in Florence, Italy. He was a pre-reformation spokesman and critic of the Vatican. He died a martyr for his opposition to the corruption in Rome.

1695 - Birth of John Glass in Scotland. He was an independent clergyman and identified with Presbyterian doctrine. His conflicts over church order caused him to be put out of the Presbyterian church.

1823 - Date that Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism claims he had a vision of an angel named Moroni who directed him to the location of golden plates upon which the Book of Mormon was written.

1871 - Date of the martyrdom of missionary John Patteson who labored in the South Sea Islands preaching the gospel.

1933 - Martin Niemoller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer met with other Protestant pastors in Germany to form the Pastor's Emergency League in reaction against the rise of Nazism and the promotion of Aryan supremacy. For this opposition, Niemoller would suffer in a concentration camp for seven years until WW 2 ended. Bonhoeffer would be executed by the Nazis April 9, 1945.

1935 - Death of Dr. James Gray, the capable President of Moody Bible Institute and on the editorial board of the Scofield Study Bible.

1966 - A proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would have permitted voluntary prayers in public schools failed 49 to 37 to win the necessary 2/3 majority in the Senate.

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1158 - Death of Otto of Freising, who served as a bishop and historian. Leopold of Austria was his father. He studied under Abelard in Paris and joined the Cistercians later writing a medieval history and participating the disastrous 2nd Crusade to seize the Holy Land.

1662 - Death in prison of John Biddle, sometimes called the Father of English Unitarianism. During the 1640's he wrote a tract called Twelve Arguments against the Deity of the Holy Spirit. His opposition to orthodox Christianity often brought him to prison.

1812 - Birth of Samuel Williams, who served as a Congregational missionary to China. His two volume book MIDDLE KINGDOM was for years the standard work on China. He also learned Japanese and served as interpreter of Admiral Perry's expedition to Japan in 1853-54. He later served as 9th President of American Bible Society.

1827 - The date claimed by Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, as when he found the gold plates in upstate New York. Allegedly these plates are written in what he called "reformed Egyptian".

1871 - Date of death of Charlotte Elliot, hymn writer who gave us the beautiful invitational hymn, JUST AS I AM.

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1152 - Date of the signing of the Concordat of Worms, in Germany. It concerned a conflict between Emperor Henry 5th and the papacy over who would appoint certain office holders within the church. It was a compromise giving the papacy power to appoint spiritual leaders and possess properties while giving to the Emperor power to settle disputes over rival candidates. This concordat evidences the confusion when the church loses sight of its scriptural calling and seeks power that is not given by God.

1786 - Birth of John England, Catholic prelate in Cork, Ireland. First bishop of Charleston, South Carolina and founder of US CATHOLIC MISCELLANY, the first Catholic newspaper in the United States.

1837 - Birth of Joseph Rabinowitz, born to Orthodox Jewish parents in southern Russia. At age of 18, he was given a Hebrew translation of the New Testament, supplied by the London Society for the Promoting of Christianity among the Jews. In the 1880's he visited Jerusalem and while there recalled the words of Isaiah 53 concerning the Suffering Prophet and at that time came to believe that Jesus of Nazareth had fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy in His death on Calvary. He was baptized in 1885 and served Christ witnessing to Jews in Russia.

1858 - Birth of William Hyde in Massachusetts, a Congregational clergyman and educator - authored the hymn, CREATION'S LORD, WE GIVE THANKS.

1892 - The Christian Science church was organized in Boston by Mary Baker Eddy Patterson - some give the day as August 23, 1879. It is asserted that the Bible is the authority for Christian Science, yet the writings of Mrs. Patterson are regarded by her followers as divine. It claims that matter is not real, only spiritual things are real and that there is no evil and sin in an illusion or disillusion. Jesus is said to be a human man who presented and demonstrated Christ who was a divine idea or concept. She would also teach that God's fullness could not be represented by a single man. One can see from that teaching that Christian Science is like Grape Nut Flakes - neither grapes nor nuts. It is not Christian, nor science.

2001 - Death of Dr. Alden Gannett, who serves as President of Southeastern Bible College in Birmingham, Alabama for many years. He was an excellent expositor of scripture ever sharing the Word of God from a dispensational perspective.

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787 - The second Nicean council met to discuss images or icons used in worship. Emperor Leo's wife, Irene, was a supporter of images and icons. The council would nullify previous bans on images in churches and give limited approval to having images.

1757 - Jonathan Edwards, the famed preacher, became President of New Jersey College (later named Princeton).

1759 - Birth of Charles Simeon, a leader in the evangelical branch of the Anglican church.

1785 - Thomas Coke, who had left the Anglican church to work with J. Wesley sailed from England, headed toward ministry in Nova Scotia. But storms and other difficulties routed the ship to St. John's harbor in Antiqua in the lesser Antilles. He went on to have a successful ministry in the islands. Coke died in 1814.

1889 - The Declaration of Utrecht was drawn up by an assembly of the Old Catholic bishops setting a doctrinal basis for the Old Catholic Church rejecting papal infallibility and the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

1988 - The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts elected the first female bishop in the 450-year history of the Anglican church. Here name was Barbara Harris of Philadelphia.

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1555 - The Peace of Augsburg was declared which was the first permanent legal basis for the existence of Lutheranism and Catholicism in Germany. Unfortunately, it did not include the Calvinist in Switzerland and Germany and this would lead to more trouble later.

1758 - Death of Chritopher Sower, a German-born religious printer at age of 65. Published the Bible in German.

1836 - Death of Luther Rice, noted Baptist who labored to raise consciousness of foreign missions and funds for missionaries to be able to go and labor with the gospel.

1872 - Death of Methodist preacher and evangelist, Peter Cartwright. He was a man of great gifts and courage who carried the gospel to the people of the developing American Frontier. He defeated Abe Lincoln in election to Congress in 1832 and then was defeated by Lincoln in 1846.

1926 - Birth in Texas of Jack Hyles, who would become a highly influential independent Baptist with churches in Dallas and in Hammond, Indiana. Hyles' focus was on soulwinning, first and last. His large church in Hammond conducted "ho to" seminars on outreach each year. He founded Hyles-Anderson College in Indiana. He was a colorful preacher with enormous passion for lost soles. He died in February, 2001 following a hear attack.

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1626 - Death of Lancelot Andrews at 71years old. He was Bishop of Winchester, England and one of the distinguished translators of the Authorized Version of the Bible. He was a gifted preacher and excellent Hebraist. He was a friend of Edmund Spenser and Francis Bacon. His funeral eulogy was written by John Milton.

1729 - Birth of Moses Medelssohn in Germany. He was a brilliant Jewish philosopher who gave strong impetus to 19th century Reform Judaism.

1794 - Birth of Frederick Packard in Marlborough, Massachusetts. He became a religious editor of the American Sunday School Union.

1862 - Roman Catholicism was made the sole religion of Ecuador by concordat signed in Rome.

1981 - Date of the release of the movie, CHARIOTS OF FIRE, which told a story on part of the life of Scottish runner, Eric Liddell, hero of the 1924 Olympics in Paris. He went on to serve in China as a missionary and died of illness there in a British internment camp at the hands of the Japanese. The Movie received an Academy Award for Best musical score.

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1627 - Birth of Jacques B. Bossuet, near Paris, France. He was a gifted author and developed a great reputation as a preacher. He tutored the son of Louis 14th.

1660 - Death of Vincent de Paul, founder of the society named for him.

1696 - Birth of Alfonso de Liqouri in Naples. He would become a leading spokesman of Roman Catholic moral theology. Founder of the Redemptorist Order.

1715 - Death of Thomas Burnet, English clergyman and author of THE SACRED THERORY OF THE EARTH which was an attempt to reconcile the creation account, paradise and the flood of Noah with scientific principles.

1805 - Birth of George Mueller, in Prussia. He began a life of wickedness and crime, but was converted at a home prayer meeting. He moved to England and sought to become a missionary to the Orient, but in 1835 he opened a home for orphan girls. By 1870 he had five orphanages feeding 2100 children daily. He never solicited financial support but believed God could and would supply the needs each day. Later his work expanded to missions and printing Bibles. It has been estimated that he raised $7 ½ million dollars in 63 years of service. At his death at age of 93, his personal estate was less than $1000.

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1394 - Pedro de Luna, was elected Pope Benedict 13 by the cardinals at Avignon. At that same time Gregory 12 was also claiming Papal power. To further add to confusion the Emperor Sigismund appointed John 23 as Pope - now three men were wearing the title of Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Later Gregory 12 resigned and both Benedict and John 23 were deposed, with Martin 5th elected by the Council of Constance, which claimed its supreme right in the Roman Catholic Church.

1582 - Death of George Buchanan, a Scottish humanist who believed that political power was ordained by God, but that power was vested not in kings or in nobles or even in the clergy, but in the people of a country. He wrote THE LAW OF GOVERNMENT AMONG THE SCOTS IN 1579.

1927 - Birth of Thomas Altizer, a theology professor at Emory University in Atlanta. He is best known for his remarks in the 1960's concerning the death of God. He said, "We must recognize the death of God is a historical event: God has died in our time, in our history, in our existence."

1934 - Dr. John R. Rice, a Texas evangelist with Independent Baptist identity began a publication called THE SOWRD OF THE LORD. It reproduced sermons of famous historical preachers and current well-known evangelist/pastors. It promoted soulwinning and evangelism and opposed modernism and religious liberalism. It would be a major Voice of Fundamentalism for many years.

1978 - Date of he death of Albino Luciani, who was known as Pope John Paul 1st. His reign as Pope was only 33 days in length. His unexpected death is attributed to sinister causes in a book by David Yallop, titled IN GOD'S NAME.

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440 - Date of the consecrated of Pope Leo I, called Leo the Great due to his extensive work from the papal office. He was thoroughly committed to the power of the Papal office as expressed through Peter. Philip Schaff says the following of Leo in Vol. 3, p.318 "Leo thus made out of a primacy of grace and of personal fitness (as seen in Peter, the apostle) a primacy of right and of succession. Of his person, indeed, he speaks in his sermons with great humility, but only thereby the more to exalt his official character. He tells the Romans, to recognize, honor, and obey, (in Leo)..Peter himself…."

1179 - Date than Innocent 3rd was elected Pope. He might be remembered for many things but we might listen to his views on the Magna Charta, the great document of freedom signed by English King John in 1215. Innocent said of this marvelous document that it was "utterly reprobated and condemned" and that it was "truly wicked". Can this be the voice of the Vicar of Christ? To condemn a great declaration of liberty and a forerunner of our own Declaration of Independence?

1636 - Birth of Thomas Tenison near Cambridge, England. He would be ordained to the Church of England and serve as Archbishop of Canterbury. He also established the first public library in London in 1684 and vigorously supported the SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL.

1691 - Birth of Richard Challoner, although born to Protestant parents he embraced Roman Catholicism as a youth. Served as bishop of Hammersmith, England and wrote tracts that were anti-Protestant. He revised the Douai translation of the Bible in 1749-50.

1867 - Birth of Dr. W. E. Biederwolf, in Indiana. He was a Presbyterian Evangelist who studied at Princeton. He served as chaplain during the Spanish American war and later directed the Winona Lake Bible School of Theology. He produced what was called the MILLENIUM BIBLE OF THE SECOND COMING BIBLE which had the complete text of every scripture passage concerning the second coming of Christ with commentary.

1987 - Rev. Pat Robertson announced he would resign his Southern Baptist Ordination and leadership of Christian Broadcasting Network to pursue his campaign for the United States presidency.

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420 - Death of Jerome, considered one of the learned doctors of the Western church; perhaps best known for his translation of the Bible into Latin.

1770 - Death of Clavinist preacher, George Whitfield, born in Gloucester, England. Because of his bold preaching against sins of that era, he was refused use of church pulpits, therefore he began an extensive ministry in the "open air". His influence was widespread as part of the Great Awakening. Due to his strong Calvinist convictions, he broke with John Wesley.

1801 - Birth of Zacharias Frankel, a German rabbi and theologian, in Prague. He influenced Conservative Judaism in the United States.

1970 - The New American Bible was published in its entirety for the first time; this is a Catholic-sponsored translation in English.