Church History

List of All Dates in Church History

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1st Century

December 13, 37: Nero, the Roman emperor who was the scourge of early Christians, is born. After his suicide in 68, many believed he would return, and 'false Neros' appeared throughout the eastern provinces. (1973 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

2nd Century

November 23, 101: Clement of Rome dies. According to spurious legend, he was tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea. Considered 'the first apostolic father,' his letter to the church of Corinth was regarded as Scripture by many Christians in the third and fourth centuries. He was also credited with the Apostolic Constitutions, the largest collection of Christian ecclesiastical law (though scholars now consider them to have been written in Syria around 380). (1909 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 17, 108: According to tradition, Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, was martyred on this date. The Apostolic Father closest in thought to the New Testament writers, Ignatius wrote seven letters under armed guard on his way to Romesome asking that the church not interfere with his 'true sacrifice.' (1902 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

3rd Century

December 5, 220: Clement of Alexandria, the first early church theologian to show an extensive knowledge of pagan and Christian writings (in his refutations of pagan criticisms), dies. (1790 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 21, 235: Anterus is elected pope, a position he would hold for only a few weeks. According to the Liber pontificalis, he was martyred for ordering the 'acts of the martyrs' to be written down and put in the church library. (1775 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 10, 236: Fabian is elected pope. He served until 250, when he became the first martyr under Decius, the emperor who initiated Empire wide persecution of Christians. After Fabian's death, Decius is reported to have said, 'I would far rather receive news of a rival to the throne than of another bishop of Rome.' (1774 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 17, 270: Gregory Thaumaturgus ('The Wonder Worker'), a well-loved bishop in Pontus and the author of the first Christian biography (on Origen) dies. A legend, from a generation later, about the Virgin Mary visiting him is the first account of a Marian apparition. (1740 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

4th Century

January 22, 304: Vincent of Saragossa, one of the most famous martyrs of the early church, is killed. Starved, racked, roasted on a gridiron, thrown into prison, and set in stocks, he refused to sacrifice. According toAugustine, his fame extended everywhere in the Roman Empire and 'wherever the name of Christ was known.' (1706 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 13, 304: Lucy, one of the earliest Christian saints to achieve popularity, dies. According to legend, she renounced marriage out of devotion to Christ, but a spurned suitor convinced Roman authorities to force her into a life of prostitution. When this was unsuccessful, they tried to burn her to death, but she wouldn't catch fire. Finally, she was killed by the sword. More realistically, she was probably one of several Christians killed in the Diocletian persecution. But within a century of her death, she had a remarkable following. (1706 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 28, 312: According to tradition, on this date the 32-year-old Roman emperor Constantine defeated Maxentius at Milvian Bridge. Before the battle, Constantine had seen the symbol of Jesus, chi-rho, in a vision, accompanied with the words 'By this sign conquer.' He is considered Rome's first Christian emperor. (1698 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 15, 345: Paul of Thebes, traditionally considered the first Christian hermit and an inspiration for Antony of Egypt and later Christian monasticism, dies. (1665 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 6, 345: Nicholas, bishop of Myra, one of the most popular saints in the Greek and Latin churchesand Santa Claus's namesakedies. (1665 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 16, 345: Eusebius (not to be confused with historian Eusebius of Caesarea) becomes bishop of Vercelli, Italy. After refusing to sign the condemnation of Athanasius at the Council of Milan, he was exiled. But he was pardoned by Julian the Apostate and led the movement to restore the Nicene Creed and thus orthodoxy to the empire. (1665 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 13, 354: Augustine of Hippo, the greatest of the Latin church fathers and author of Confessions and City of God, is born in Thagastemodern Souq Ahras, Algeria. (1656 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 17, 356: Antony of Egypt, regarded as the founder of Christian monasticism, dies at age 105. Committed to a life of solitude and absolute poverty, he took two companions with him into the desert when he knew his death was near. They were ordered to bury him without a marker so that his body would never become an object of reverence. (1654 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 7, 367: Early church father Athanasius, famous for his battles against the Arian heresy, writes a letter containing a list of what he thinks should be considered the canon of Scripture. Over time, his list would be accepted by the church. (1643 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 13, 367: Hilary of Poitiers, the leading orthodox church father during Arianism's heyday, dies. His writings about the Trinity and his organization of anti-Arian allies were influential in fighting the heresy but did not have their full effect until after his death. (1643 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 7, 374: Ambrose is consecrated bishop of Milan, Italy. The first bishop to stand up to the emperor and win (thus creating a church-state precedent that would influence the West for a millennium), he was also an influential theologian, especially regarding the Holy Spirit. His preaching led to the conversion of Augustine. (1636 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 1, 379: Early church father Basil the Great dies. Founder and financial supporter of a monastery in Annessi, which became a complex of hospitals, hostels, and schools, he also succeeded Eusebius as bishop of Caesarea. He is also known for his theological work explaining the Trinity and for healing the Antioch schism in the eastern church. His monastic rule remains the basis of the Rule followed by the Eastern Orthodox religious today.the basis of the Rule followed by the Eastern Orthodox religious today. (1631 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 11, 397: Martin of Tours, a bishop responsible for the evangelization of Gaul, dies. He is France's patron saint. (1613 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

5th Century

December 7, 430: Cyril of Alexandria condemns the Antiochene monk Nestorius, who claimed Christ was two persons (divine and human) rather than one person with two natures. (1580 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 25, 431: The Council of Ephesus replaces Nestorius with a new patriarch of Constantinople. Nestorius was anathematized for holding the belief that two separate persons indwelled the incarnate Christ. (1579 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 1, 451: The Council of Chalcedon (in modern Turkey) adjourns. The fourth and largest of all the ancient councils, attended by between 500 and 600 bishops, it repudiated the Eutychian heresy (that Christ has one nature, not two) and drew up a Christological statement of faith now known as the Definition of Chalcedon. (1559 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 5, 459: Simeon Stylites, who lived at the top of a 60-foot pillar nonstop for 36 years, dies on it 'dripping with vermin.' (1551 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 25, 496: King Clovis, who united Gaul and founded France, is baptized in the Cathedral of Rheims, followed by 3,000 of his soldiers. 'Worship what you once burned, and burn what you worshipped,' the priest instructed him. However, Clovis and his troops showed little change after their 'conversion' and apparently believed Christ was merely a war god who would grant them victory if they prayed for it. (1514 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

6th Century

December 7, 521: Irish monk Columba, missionary to Scotland and founder of Iona and many other monastic communities, is born in Donegal. (1489 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 5, 532: Sabas, a monk since childhood, dies at age 91, five days after returning from a diplomatic mission to Constantinople. Though his primary desire was always for solitude with God, he founded a monastery in Palestine, Mar Saba, that still stands today. (1478 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 6, 548: The Jerusalem church observes Christmas on this date for the last time as the Western church moves to celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25. (1462 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 14, 565: Roman Emperor Justinian dies at 82. During his reign, he reunited the Eastern and Western empires politically and religiously, erected several new basilicas in Constantinople, and created the Justinian Code, which greatly influenced the development of canon law in the Middle Ages. (1445 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

7th Century

November 23, 615: Irish scholar and missionary Columbanus dies in Bobbio, Italy. One of the greatest missionaries of the Middle Ages, he established monasteries in Anegray, Luxeuil, and Fontaines. (1395 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 27, 625: Honorius I begins his reign as pope. His belief in Monothelitism (that Christ had only one will, not two), since condemned as heresy by the Roman Catholic Church, have long been a point of conflict for Catholic discussion of papal infallibility. (1385 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

8th Century

November 7, 739: Willibrord, a missionary monk who was trained in Ireland and traveled over northwestern Europe, dies. Called the 'Apostle of Frisia,' he was highly instrumental in the conversions of Germany and Scandinavia. (1271 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 4, 749: Greek Orthodox theologian and poet John of Damascus dies near Jerusalem. The last great doctor of the Greek church, he wrote comprehensively on the theology of Eastern Christianity and fought against those who wanted to rid the church of icons. (1261 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 20, 751: Pepin the Short, son of Frankish hero Charles Martel and father of Charlemagne, deposes the last of the Merovingian kings and becomes the first king of the Carolingian dynasty. He was crowned by Pope Stephen II, who later asked for his help when threatened by Lombards of northern Italy. Pepin defeated the Lombards, then ceded the territory he captured back to the pope, laying the foundation for the papal states. (1259 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 3, 753: Pirminius, the first Abbot of Reichenau (Germany) dies. His pastoral instruction book, Scarapsus, contains the earliest evidence for the present form of the Apostles' Creed. (1257 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 25, 800: Pope Leo III is crowns Charlemagne, the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. (1210 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

9th Century

November 13, 867: Nicholas I, one of the strongest proponents for Rome's primacy in the church, dies. Though a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, he is not to be confused with the bishop of Myra who is also called St. Nicholas and was popularized as Santa Claus. (1143 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 14, 872: Pope Adrian (or Hadrian) II dies. Adrian twice refused the papacy (in 855 and 858) before reluctantly accepting in 867. Weak and vacillating, he sought support from, of all people, the antipope Anastasius. (1138 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 26, 899: Alfred the Great, ruler of Wessex, England, from 871, dies. His defeat of the Danes ensured Christianity's survival in England, but he is also known for his ecclesiastical reforms and his desire to revive learning in his country. (1111 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

11st Century

November 12, 1035: Canute the Great, Danish king since 1016, dies at age 41. The often ruthless king had restored churches and monasteries throughout his kingdom and built several new ones. (975 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 26, 1065: The first building of Westminster Abbey is dedicated, though legend holds that the abbey was founded as early as 616. (945 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 5, 1066: Edward the Confessor, the only English king ever canonized a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, dies. Builder of Westminster Abbey, he was buried there January 6. (944 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 14, 1066: William the Conqueror leads the Normans to victory over the English Saxons in the Battle of Hastings. William is also considered one of England's most important religious reformers; he spent his last days in intense Christian devotion. (944 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 24, 1076: Germany's Henry IV convenes the Synod of Worms to secure the deposition of Pope Gregory VII. The Synod charged the pope with serious crimes, called upon Rome to depose him, and issued other anti-papal statements. The pope quickly excommunicated Henry. One year later, Henry traveled to Canossa, Italy, and stood three days in the snow in an attempt to gain Gregory's forgiveness. Gregory granted it, but the two men soon fought again; Henry set up an antipope in Gregory's place. (934 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 19, 1086: Canute the Great, the king of Denmark, is killed by his subjects. Though Denmark was already nominally Christian when he became king, he went to great lengths to revitalize the faith. He built and restored churches and monasteries and created laws protecting the clergy. But his "new order," which included higher taxes and mandatory tithes, led to a revolt. Canute was reportedly killed in church while celebrating Mass, and he was declared a martyr and saint in 1101. (924 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 4, 1093: Anselm, called 'the founder of Scholasticism' and the greatest scholar between Augustine and Aquinas, is consecrated archbishop of Canterbury. (917 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 19, 1095: Pope Urban II opens the Council of Clermont to reform the Church and to plan the First Crusade. The 200 bishops attending the council decreed that those traveling to Jerusalem would be granted a plenary indulgence. (915 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 27, 1095: After nine days of sessions among clerics, Pope Urban II addresses the public to proclaim the First Crusade. The goals were to defend Eastern Christians from Muslim aggression, make pilgrimages to Jerusalem safer, and recapture the Holy Sepulcher. 'God wills it! God wills it!' the crowd shouted in response. (915 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

12nd Century

December 21, 1118: Thomas a Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury who clashed with England's King Henry II, is born in London. (892 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 25, 1147: Because of bickering and ineffective leadership, the German armies of the Second Crusade (1147-49) are destroyed by the Saracens at Dorylaeum in modern Turkey. (863 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 2, 1164: Thomas a Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, leaves for France for a six-year exile after being condemned in royal court for 'ingratitude' toward England's Henry II, who had once been his dear friend. (846 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 12, 1167: Aelred, the Anglo-Saxon abbot who became one of the Middle Ages' best-known devotional writers, dies. (843 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 1, 1170: Banished earlier by king Henry II because he sided with the church against the crown, archbishop of Canterbury Thomas a Becket returns, electrifying all of England. Henry orders his former friend's execution, and Becket is slain by four knights while at vespers December 29. (T.S. Eliot's play Murder in the Cathedral is a fascinating exploration of the event.) (840 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 12, 1189: King Richard I 'the Lion Hearted' leaves England on the Third Crusade to retake Jerusalem, which had fallen to Muslim general Saladin in 1187. (821 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 23, 1193: Thorlac Thorhallsson, Iceland's prominent bishop who insisted on clerical discipline and celibacy, abolished lay patronage, and fought simony, dies. (817 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

13rd Century

November 11, 1215: The Fourth Lateran Council opens. It officially confirmed the doctrine of transubstantiationthat the substance of Eucharistic bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, with only the accidents (appearances of bread and wine) remaining. The council also prescribed annual confession for all Christians. (795 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 22, 1216: Pope Honorius III officially approves the Dominican Order, which is dedicated 'to preaching and the good of souls.' Founded earlier that year by Dominic, the order has since been associated with study and scholarship, and with such luminaries as Thomas Aquinas and Albertus Magnus. (794 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 22, 1220: Pope Honorius III crowns Frederick II Holy Roman Emperor in an attempt to reestablish relations between emperor and pope. But Frederick's reign would become increasingly anti-papal, messianic, and eschatological. His supporters hailed him as a messiah; his enemies branded him Antichrist. When he died in 1250, both sides were shocked. (790 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 29, 1223: Pope Honorius III formally confirms the 'Regula bullata,' which organizes the Franciscan Order. The Franciscans are marked by complete poverty and a mission of itinerant preaching. (787 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 24, 1223: Francis of Assisi stages history's first living nativity scene, complete with live animals, in a cave near Greccio, Italy. (787 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 13, 1250: Frederick II, the messianic German Emperor (1212-1250) who fought repeatedly and heatedly with popes, dies suddenly of dysentery at age 55. He called himself 'lord of the world'; others either praised him as 'stupor mundi' (wonder of the world) or damned him as Antichrist. (760 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 7, 1254: Innocent IV, who became pope in the middle of a tremendous controversy with Holy Roman emperor Frederick II, dies. As the controversy continued, both sides called each other the Antichrist. Frederick's supporters noted that the Roman numerals of 'Innocencius papa' (if you count p, the 16th Greek letter as 16), adds up to 666. 'There is no doubt that he is the true Antichrist,' they concluded. (756 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 24, 1260: France's Chartres Cathedral, the purest example of Gothic architecture, is consecrated. (750 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 6, 1273: Following a tremendous mystical experience while conducting Mass, Thomas Aquinas suspends work on his Summa Theologica. 'I can do no more,' he told his servant. 'Such things have been revealed to me that all that I have written seems to me as so much straw. Now I await the end of my life.' (737 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 15, 1280: German theologian Albertus Magnus, teacher of Thomas Aquinas and defender of his theology (as well as a brilliant writer on Aristotelian thought), dies at age 87. Declared a doctor of the church in 1931 by Pope Pius XI, Pope Pius XII proclaimed him the patron of natural scientists in 1941. (730 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 13, 1294: After issuing a constitution giving popes the right to quit, Pope Celestine V shocks the world by resigning. An aged, nearly incoherent hermit when he was chosen to succeed Pope Nicholas IV, Celestine was desperately unsuited for the job and served only 15 weeks before Cardinal Gaetani, masquerading as a voice from heaven, convinced him to step down. Gaetani then became the infamous Pope Boniface VIII, and he imprisoned Celestine until the old man's death. (716 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

14th Century

November 18, 1302: Pope Boniface VIII publishes 'Unam Sanctam,' declaring there is 'One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church' outside of which there is 'neither salvation nor remission of sins.' Emphasizing the pope's position as Supreme Head of the Church, it also demanded that temporal powers subjugate themselves to spiritual ones. (708 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 8, 1308: John Duns Scotus, the hard-to-follow Scottish theologian who first posited Mary's immaculate conception (that she herself was born without original sin), dies in Cologne, Germany. Mary's immaculate conception was declared dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854. (702 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 16, 1311: The Council of Vienne opens to decide if the Templars, a military order sworn to protect Christian pilgrims, are heretical and too wealthy. Pope Clement V decided to suppress the order. Its leader was burned and members' possessions taken by the church. That decision was adamantly derided by the poet Dante and by later historians. (699 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 6, 1315: Poet Dante Alighieri is sentenced to death, in absentia, by the magistrates of Florence. Dante, who was at the time working on his Comedy in Venice, avoided the penalty by never returning to Florence, from which he had been exiled for political reasons. (695 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 20, 1349: Pope Clement VI condemns self-flagellation, speaking out against a veritable flagellation frenzy. The practice, first taught by the Benedictine monk Peter Damian in the mid-eleventh century, gained popularity during the thirteenth-century Black Death scare and continues today in isolated incidents. (661 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 14, 1363: French ecclesiastical statesman and writer Jean Gerson is born. Eager to end the Great Schism of 1378-1414, he was influential in calling the Council of Pisa and the Council of Constance (which eventually ended the dual papacy). In defense of the Council of Pisa, Gerson wrote a tract promoting counciliar theorythe idea that a council can supersede the pope. (647 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 17, 1377: Gregory XI moves the papal see from Avignon (where it had been for 72 years) back to Rome. However, when he died the next year, two men (one in Rome, the other in Avignon) both claimed to succeed him, creating 'The Great Schism.' (The break between eastern and western churches in 1054 is also called 'The Great Schism.') (633 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 31, 1384: John Wycliffe, pre-Reformer who initiated the first complete translation of the Bible into English and influenced Hus, Luther and Calvin, dies at about 64. He was condemned at the council of Constance (1415), and his body was disinterred and burned. (626 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 15, 1397: Thomas Parentuchelli, who would later take the name Nicholas V and is considered the best of the Renaissance popes, is born. As pope he led a blameless personal life, loved the new studies in arts and sciences, restored many ruined churches, and founded the Vatican Library. (613 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 25, 1400: English poet Geoffrey Chaucer dies in London, having abruptly stopped writing his famous Canterbury Tales some time before. Though not a religious writer, his characters aptly illustrate the best and worst of the church in his day. Chaucer was buried in Westminster Abbey, a high honor for a commoner, and became the first of those entombed in what is now called Poets' Corner. (610 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

15th Century

October 18, 1405: Enea Silvio Piccolomini (a.k.a. Pope Pius II) is born at Corsignano, Italy. Though faulted for taking radical and sometimes contradictory positions on issues, he was one of the best popes of his age: he wrote an important study of geography and ethnography, a popular love story, and an autobiography. He died in 1464 while planning a battle against the Turks, who controlled Constantinople. (605 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 6, 1412: Joan of Arc, the French peasant mystic Christian who became a national heroine and her country's patron saint, is born. (598 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 5, 1414: The Council of Constance opens to end the Great Schism. It deposed all three rival popes, but it also executed Bohemian reformers Jan Hus and Jerome of Prague, and anathematized the teachings of John Wycliffe. (596 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 15, 1418: English pre-Reformer John Oldcastle is burned alive for his efforts to preserve and promote the cause of the Lollards (preachers who spread John Wycliffe's views). Shakespeare reportedly based his character Falstaff on Oldcastle. (592 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 8, 1438: In an attempt to forge an alliance that would save Constantinople from the Turks, the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches meet at the Council of Ferrara-Florence. A temporary union was reached, but Constantinople fell anyway in 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire. (572 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 30, 1451: Christopher Columbus, who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean both to spread Christianity and (as his crew members complained) to 'make a great lord of himself,' is born. (559 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 26, 1466: According to some accounts, Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus was born on this date. The first editor of the Greek New Testament, he also wrote In Praise of Folly (a satire of monastic and ecclesiastical corruption) and many other works. (544 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 17, 1480: The Spanish Inquisition is activated. (530 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 10, 1483: German reformer Martin Luther is born in Eisleben, Germany. (527 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 1, 1484: Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli is born at Wildhaus, Switzerland. (526 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 5, 1484: Innocent VIII issues a papal bull giving two German inquisitors jurisdiction over witchcraft. He probably didn't mean for it to be a major change of policy, but the Germans used it to promote their book, Hammer of Witches. Its publication led to the (often-exaggerated) witch-hunting from the 1500s onward. (526 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 24, 1491: Spanish ascetic and theologian Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, is born in Guipuzcoa, Spain. His order quickly became a great power in Roman Catholicism and led the Counter-Reformation. (519 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 12, 1492: Christopher Columbus arrives in the Caribbean. (518 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 6, 1494: The first Roman Catholic mass in America is celebrated on Isabella Island, Haiti. (516 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

16th Century

January 13, 1501: Christianity's first vernacular hymnal is printed in Prague, containing 89 hymns in Czech. (509 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 21, 1511: In Hispaniola, preacher Antonio des Montesinos counters the conquistador sentiment 'Gunpowder against Indians is incense to the Lord' with a fiery sermon denouncing Spain's atrocities in the new world. (499 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 19, 1512: Martin Luther receives his Doctor of Theology degree from the University of Wittenberg. (498 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 1, 1512: After four years of work, Michelangelo Buonarroti unveils his 5,800-square-foot painting on the ceiling of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. (498 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 31, 1517: Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses in Wittenberg. (493 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 12, 1518: German reformer Martin Luther undergoes an excruciating interview about his 95 Theses (posted one year earlier) with Cardinal Thomas Cajetan inAugsburg. It was so painful, Luther later recalled, that he could not even ride a horse because his bowels ran freely from morning to night. (492 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 11, 1518: Swiss Reformer Ulrich Zwingli becomes 'people's priest' at the Old Minster Church in Zurich, a position he held for the remaining 13 years of his life. After nearly dying from the plague, he began his reforming program almost immediately, persuading the city council to judge religious issues by Scripture alone. (492 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 10, 1520: German reformer Martin Luther publicly burns Pope Leo X's bull 'Exsurge Domine,' which had demanded that Luther recant his heresiesincluding justification by faith alone. (490 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 3, 1521: Pope Leo X creates a bull of excommunication for Martin Luther that would have deprived him of civil rights and protection, but before its execution, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V allows Luther the opportunity to recant his beliefs at the Diet of Worms. When Luther instead affirms his beliefs, the bull is carried out. (489 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 11, 1521: Leo X conferred the title 'Fidei Defensor' (Defender of the Faith) upon England's Henry VIII for his tract 'The Assertion of the Seven Sacraments,' written against Martin Luther. Three popes and 13 years later, Henry severed all ties with Rome, making the Church of England a separate church body. (489 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 1, 1521: Pope Leo X, enemy of Martin Luther (whom he excommunicated in 1520), dies. Though sincere in his faith and morally stronger than some other medieval popes, Leo squandered much of the papal fortune for his own pleasure. (489 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 17, 1525: The Zurich City Council arranges a public debate on the subject of infant baptism, which Ulrich Zwingli mandated but Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz (among others) opposed on the grounds that baptism symbolizes a believer's commitment to Christ. Grebel and Manz were defeated and eventually killed for their views. (485 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 21, 1525: Conrad Grebel (Ulrich Zwingli's former protege) rebaptizes George Blaurock, a former monk, in a secret, illegal meeting of six men in Zurich. This meeting is now considered the birth of the Anabaptist movement. (485 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 5, 1527: Swiss Anabaptist reformer Felix Manz is drowned in punishment for preaching adult baptism, becoming the first Protestant martyred by other Protestants. (483 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 14, 1529: Spanish diplomat and writer Juan de Valdes publishes his 'Dialogue on Christian Doctrine,' which paved the way for Protestant ideas in Spain. (481 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

October 26, 1529: Thomas More becomes Lord Chancellor of England. Though he defended religious freedom in his book Utopia, he strongly opposed the Reformation and wrote against Luther, Tyndale, and others. Because he also opposed Henry VIII's claim to be the supreme head of the English church, as well as the king's divorce, he was executed. (481 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 29, 1530: Thomas Wolsey, cardinal and Lord Chancellor to England's King Henry VIII, dies. Known as 'a statesman rather than a churchman,' Wolsey dismantled monasteries to fund Oxford University and devoted his life to king and country. (480 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 11, 1531: Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli dies in the Battle of Kappel. (479 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 24, 1531: Johannes Oecolampadius, a leader in the Swiss Reformation, dies at 49. He sided with Ulrich Zwingli in disputing Martin Luther on the Lord's Supper and also helped Erasmus edit the New Testament in Greek. (479 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 2, 1533: Harried by Catholic authorities, John Calvin flees Paris by lowering himself out a window with a bedsheet rope and disguising himself as a farmer, complete with a hoe over his shoulder. He spent three years as a fugitive before settling in Geneva. (477 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 3, 1534: The British Parliament passes the Supremacy Act, officially making England Protestant and putting the English monarch at the head of the nation's church. (476 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 15, 1535: Henry VIII declares himself head of English Church. (475 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 7, 1536: Catherine of Aragon, whose divorce from Henry VIII was the catalyst for the English Reformation, dies. (474 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 20, 1541: A town meeting in Geneva ratifies John Calvin's plan to set up a church court that would meet weekly to judge offenders and maintain discipline. (469 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 20, 1541: In Switzerland, French reformer John Calvin, 32, established a theocratic government at Geneva, thereby creating a home base for emergent Protestantism throughout Europe. (469 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 16, 1543: British Parliament prohibits any 'women or artificer's prentices, journeymen, servingmen of the degree of yeoman, or under, husbandmen or labourers to read the New Testament in English.' (467 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 16, 1545: George Spalatin, Martin Luther's close friend and go-between with Frederick The Wise, is born. (465 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 13, 1545: The first session of the Counter- Reformation Council of Trent opens. Responding to the spread of Protestantism and the drastic need for moral and administrative reforms within the Roman Catholic church, it met on and off for 18 years. Ultimately the reforms were not comprehensive enough to satisfy the Protestants or even many Catholics, but it created a basis for a renewal of discipline and spiritual life within the church. (465 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 21, 1549: In the first of four Acts of Uniformity, the British Parliament requires all Anglican public services to exclusively use of The Book of Common Prayer. (461 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

October 11, 1551: The 13th Session of the Council of Trent opens to discuss the Eucharist. The Counter-Reformation Council affirmed the doctrine of transubstantiation and repudiated Lutheran, Calvinist, and Zwinglian eucharistic doctrines. (459 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 3, 1552: Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier, one of the founding members of his order and one of the greatest missionaries ever, dies awaiting admission to China. Before that, he had converted 700,000 people in Portugal, India, Indonesia, Japan, and elsewhere. (458 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 20, 1552: Former nun Katherine von Bora, Martin Luther's wife from 1525 to Luther's death in 1546, dies. (458 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 27, 1553: Michael Servetus is burned at the stake in Geneva for his heretical beliefs regarding the Trinity. (457 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 30, 1554: Recently crowned Queen of England, Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII, restores Roman Catholicism to the country. Nearly 300 Protestants would be burned at the stake by 'Bloody Mary,' including Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, and Nicholas Ridley. Nearly 400 more died by imprisonment and starvation. (456 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 16, 1555: English reformers Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley are burned at the stake at the order of Roman Catholic Queen Mary Tudor. (455 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

October 21, 1555: Finding that the recent martyrdom of bishops Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer had intensified Protestant zeal, Queen Mary launches a series of fierce persecutions in which more than 200 men, women, and children were killed. (455 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 17, 1558: Elizabeth I's accession to the English throne leads to the re-establishment of the Church of England. (452 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 20, 1560: The Scottish Reformed Church, organized with the help of John Knox, holds its first assmbly. (450 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 10, 1561: German theologian Caspar Schwenkfeld, a reformer who fell out of favor with the 'mainstream' Reformation movement because of his Christology (he believed Christ's humanity was deified), dies. (449 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 18, 1562: The counter-reformation Council of Trent reconvenes after a 10-year break caused by the revolt of Protestant princes against Emperor Charles V. During the break, all hope of reconciliation between Catholics and Protestants had vanished. (448 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

October 29, 1562: George Abbot, translator of the Gospels, Acts and Revelation for the King James Bible, is born. He became head of the Church of England in 1611, but his popularity (and his health) declined sharply after he killed a man in a hunting accident in 1621. (448 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 19, 1563: The Heidelberg Catechism, soon accepted by nearly all European Reformed churchess, is first published in Germany. (447 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 9, 1569: Philip of Moscow, primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, is murdered by Czar Ivan IV, also called Ivan the Terrible. (441 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 20, 1569: Miles Coverdale, publisher of the first printed English Bible and the man who completed William Tyndale's translation of the Old Testament, dies at 81. (441 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 23, 1569: Russian czar Ivan IV ('the Terrible') has Philip, bishop of Moscow, killed in his prison cell after the bishop criticized Ivan's policies and mass executions. (441 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 20, 1572: The first Presbyterian meeting house in England is established at Wandsworth, Surrey. (438 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 24, 1572: Scottish reformer John Knox dies in Edinburgh. (438 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 24, 1573: English poet and preacher John Donne, dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, is born. One of the most prominent preachers of his day and one of the greatest English poets, he is known for such famous lines as 'No man is an island,' 'For whom does the bell toll? It tolls for thee,' and 'Death be not proud. (437 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 20, 1576: Edmund Grindal, Archbishop of Canterbury, sends a letter to Queen Elizabeth protesting her order that he tell preachers throughout England to stop speaking so often. She felt three or four sermons per year were sufficient. Grindal's refusal to enforce her wishes earned him house arrest. (434 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 4, 1581: James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh, Ireland, is born. Famous for a chronology of the Bible that was repeatedly printed in King James Versions, he was so highly esteemed that Oliver Cromwell gave him a state funeral and had him buried in Westminster Abbey. (429 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 12, 1582: Spanish General Fernando Alvarez de Toledo (also known as the Duke of Alva) dies. The duke had been sent, along with 10,000 troops, by King Philip II of Spain to quell the Reformation in Holland. The duke's 'Council of Blood' was responsible for some 18,000 deaths. (428 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 4, 1584: Colonial American preacher John Cotton is born in Derby, England. Sometimes called 'the father of New England Congregationalism,' he was colonial Massachusetts's most eminent minister. People regarded him so highly they 'could hardly believe that God would suffer Mr. Cotton to err.' (426 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 12, 1588: John Winthrop, a lawyer who became the first governor of the Puritans in Massachusetts, is born in Suffolk, England. (422 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 14, 1591: Spanish poet John of the Cross, one of the greatest Christian mystics, dies. His 'Dark Night of the Soul' is one of the era's best known religious poems, and his treatises have profoundly influenced both Catholic and Protestant thought. (419 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 7, 1598: Sculptor and architect Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, best known for 'The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa,' is born in Naples. (412 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 3, 1600: Richard Hooker, an Anglican rector whose book Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity is a classic on the relationship between church and state, dies in England. (410 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

17th Century

January 16, 1604: Puritan John Rainolds suggests ' . . . that there might bee a newe translation of the Bible, as consonant as can be to the original Hebrew and Greek.' England's King James I granted his approval the following day, leading to the 1611 publication of the Authorized (King James) version of the Bible. (406 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

October 13, 1605: Theodore Beza, Calvin's successor as leader of the Swiss Reformation, dies. (405 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 9, 1608: English poet John Milton is born in London. Though most famous for his epic Paradise Lost, he also penned an exposition of Christian doctrine, a plan for Christian education, and various political writings. (402 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 19, 1609: Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius, founder of an anti-Calvinist Reformed theology, dies at age 49 in Leiden, Netherlands. (401 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 13, 1616: Flemish mystic Antoinette Bourignon is born. A mystical writer whose works were included by John Wesley in his Christian Library, she soon found herself estranged from mainstream Christianity, especially when she declared herself the 'woman clothed with the sun' of Revelation 12. Still, her ideas were so influential that, for 178 years, ministers of the Church of Scotland had to make an explicit denial of Bouringnonism before they could be ordained. (394 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 13, 1618: The Dutch Reformed Church convenes the Synod of Dort to 'discuss' the Arminian controversy. Of course, the synod's condemnation of Arminianism was a forgone conclusionArminians weren't even invited for another month. By April, 200 Arminian ministers (known as Remonstrants) were deposed by the Calvinist Synod, 15 were arrested, and one was beheaded for high treason. (392 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 11, 1620: Forty-one Puritan separatists arrive in Plymouth, Massachusetts. They had hoped to settle further south, but as William Bradford wrote in his journal on December 19, 'We could not now take much time for further search . . . our victuals being much spent, especially our beer.' (390 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 20, 1620: Peregrine White, son of William and Susanna White, is the first child born on the Mayflower. (390 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 21, 1620: Pilgrims sign the Mayflower Compact, a typical church covenant of the time. (390 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 21, 1620: English separatists known as the Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts. (390 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 21, 1621: Piligrims leave the Mayflower and gather on shore at Plymouth, Massachusetts, for their first religious service in America. (389 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 16, 1621: The Papal Chancery adopts January as the beginning of the calendar year, instead of March. (389 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 23, 1621: Poet and cleric John Donne is elected Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. (389 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 1, 1622: The Roman Catholic church adopts January 1 as the beginning of the year, rather than March 25. (388 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 27, 1628: English preacher John Bunyan, author of more than 60 books, including the famous Pilgrim's Progress, is born in Elston, England. (382 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 15, 1630: German mathematician and astronomer Johann Kepler, famous for his laws of planetary motion, dies at 58. As a Christian, he believed the universe to be an expression of God's being rather than God's creation. (380 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 14, 1633: James II of England, whose conversion to Catholicism in 1670 created a constitutional crisis in Anglican Britain, is born. (377 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

October 26, 1633: The Puritan congregation at Newton (now Cambridge), Massachusetts, chooses Thomas Hooker as its pastor. Hooker, like many Dissenters, had earlier fled persecution in England by traveling to Holland. He then sailed to America with preachers John Cotton and Samuel Stone, leading grateful Puritans in Boston to quip that they now had 'Cotton for their clothing, Hooker for their fishing, and Stone for their building.' (377 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 13, 1635: Philip Jacob Spener, founder of German pietism, is born in Rappolstein. His emphasis on new birth and holy living revitalized the German Lutheran Church and many later movements, including American evangelicalism. (375 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 7, 1637: Anne Hutchinson is convicted of spreading heresy and banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her idea that believers are so united with the Holy Spirit that human categories (like moral law) are irrelevant, and her claim of direct revelation from the Holy Spirit rather than Scripture, caused many of her supporters (including influential minister John Cotton) to back off. Hutchinson was later killed in New York in an American Indian raid. (373 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 21, 1638: A General Assembly at Glasgow abolishes the episcopal form of church government and establishes presbyterianism, creating the Church of Scotland . (372 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 11, 1640: English Puritans introduced a petition with 15,000 signatures to Parliament, seeking to abolish the church episcopacy, 'with all its dependencies, roots and branches.' The House of Commons accepted what has become known as the 'Roots and Branch Petition,' but the House of Lords (many of whom were bishops) rejected it, and the episcopal organization of the Church of England remained. (370 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 1, 1643: English mathematician and physicist Sir Isaac Newton is baptized at St. John's Church in Colsterworth, England. Deeply interested in religion throughout his life, Newton (known especially for formulating the laws of gravitation) acknowledged Jesus as Savior of the world, but not God incarnate. (367 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 14, 1644: William Penn, the Quaker founder of Pennsylvania and one of the most engaging religious figures of his age, is born in London. (366 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 10, 1645: The controversial archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the Church of England, William Laud, is beheaded. An enemy and persecutor of the Puritans and a staunch defender of the 'divine right of kings', he found himself on the wrong side of history when the Puritan revolution began in the 1640s. (365 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

October 28, 1646: At Nonantum, Massachusetts, missionary John Eliot preaches the first worship service for Native Americans in their native language. (364 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 4, 1646: The Massachusetts Bay Colony makes it a capital offense to deny that the Bible is the Word of God. (364 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 24, 1648: The Peace of Westphalia ends central Europe's Thirty Years War. Extending equal political rights to Catholics and Protestants (including religious minorities), the peace treaties also marked the first use of the term 'secularization' (in discussing some church property that was to be distributed among the warring parties). (362 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 23, 1648: Robert Barclay, the most prominent theologian in the early Quaker church, is born in Gordonstoun, Scotland. His Apology for the True Christian Religion (1676) is considered the classic exposition of Quaker principles. (362 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 19, 1649: England's King Charles I, a devout Anglican with Catholic sympathies who staunchly defended the "divine right of kings" while oppressing the Puritans, is executed after being convicted of treason under a Puritan-influenced Parliament. (361 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 23, 1652: John Cotton, the most eminent minister in colonial Massachusetts and considered 'the father of New England Congregationalism,' dies. When he fell ill earlier that year, his followers observed a comet (or 'attendant to the stars'), which 'continued all that while and until his buryal . . . then disappeared.' (358 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 23, 1654: French scientist and mathematician Blaise Pascal experiences a mystical vision and converts to Christianity. The creator of the first wristwatch, the first bus route, the first workable calculating machine, and other inventions then turned his life to theology. (356 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 12, 1660: John Bunyan is arrested for unlicensed preaching and sentenced to prison. While incarcerated, he penned Pilgrim's Progess and Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, the greatest Puritan spiritual autobiography. (350 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 21, 1663: Virginia colonist John Harlow is fined 50 pounds of tobacco for missing church. (347 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 12, 1667: The Council of Moscow deposes Russian Orthodox Patriarch Nikon. A 'man of great ability and sincerity but of autocratic temper,' according to one historian, his calls for liturgical reform grew into a fight over the relationship between church and state. Though deposed at the council, banished, and imprisoned for 14 years, his liturgical reforms were sanctioned. In 1681, he was recalled to Moscow by the new tsar, but he died on the way. He was buried with patriarchal honors and all decrees against him were revoked. (343 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 13, 1670: Virginia bans slavery for Negroes who arrive in the American colonies as Christians. The colony repealed the law 12 years later. (340 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 8, 1674: English poet John Milton, author of Paradise Lost (1667), Paradise Regained (1671), and many other works, dies at age 65. (336 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 4, 1674: French Jesuit missionary Jacques Marquette erects a mission on Lake Michiganthe first building in what would become the city of Chicago. (336 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 18, 1685: French King Louis XIV issues the Edict of Fontainebleu, which revokes the Edict of Nantes and once again forbids Huguenots (French Protestants) from worshipping. (325 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 13, 1691: George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends (Quakers), dies. Fox left the Anglican church to rely on the 'Inner Light of the Living Christ.' (319 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 8, 1691: English Puritan minister Richard Baxter dies in London. One of England's most renowned preachers and author of nearly 200 works (including several hymns), he was known as a peacemaker who sought unity among Protestants. (319 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 21, 1692: William Penn is deposed as governor of Pennsylvania. His grateful overtures to James II for permitting religious freedom for Dissenters from the Church of England led William and Mary to charge Penn with being a papist. They were also troubled by his pacifism. (318 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 15, 1697: Massachusetts citizens observe a day of fasting and repentance for the Salem witch trials of 1692, in which 19 suspected witches were hanged and more than 150 imprisoned. The day was declared 'That so all of God's people may offer up fervent supplications unto him, that all iniquity may be put away, which hath stirred God's holy jealousy against this land; that he would show us what we know not, and help us, wherein we have done amiss, to do so no more.' (313 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 2, 1697: St Paul's Cathedral in London, designed by Christopher Wren, is dedicated. It replaced a medieval cathedral at the site that had burned in the Great Fire of 1666. (313 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

18th Century

October 16, 1701: Unhappy with growing liberalism at Harvard, Congregationalists found Collegiate School, later known as Yale. (309 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 18, 1707: Charles Wesley, who founded Methodism with his brother John, is born in England. A celebrated and prolific hymnwriter, his 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing' and 'Lo, He Comes' are widely sung this time of year. (303 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 12, 1712: The colony of South Carolina requires 'all persons whatsoever' to attend church each Sunday and refrain from skilled labor and travel. Violators of the 'Sunday Law' could be fined 10 shillings or locked in the stocks for two hours. (298 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 24, 1713: Junipero Serra, 'the Apostle of California,' is born. The Spanish missionary established nine of the first 21 Franciscan missions in 'New Spain,' baptizing about 6,000 American Indians. (297 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 16, 1714: Revivalist and evangelist George Whitefield, the best-known figure of the American Great Awakening, is born in Gloucester, England. (296 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 28, 1714: George Whitefield, called 'the marvel of his age' for the way his preaching could move an audience, is born in Gloucester, England. His message kicked off America's first 'Great Awakening.' (296 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 19, 1720: Quaker minister John Woolman is born in Roncocas, New Jersey. He was known for his concerns to live a simple life exemplifying 'the right use of things,' and to end war, slavery, and injustice toward the poor and to Native Americans. His journal, written from 1756-72, influenced nineteenth-century abolitionists and demonstrated his concern for both the oppressors and the oppressed. (290 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 30, 1725: Martin Boehm is born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. A Mennonite bishop, he was excluded from the Mennonite communion because of his liberal views and association with persons of other sects. He later joined with Philip W. Otterbein and others to form the United Brethren in Christ Church. (285 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 19, 1734: Count Nicholaus von Zinzendorf, founder of the modern Moravian church and a pioneer in ecumenism and missions, is recognized as a minister by the theology faculty of Tubigen, Germany. (276 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 14, 1735: John and Charles Wesley, cofounders of Methodism, set sail for ministry in America. (275 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 10, 1739: George Whitefield, the preacher who sparked America's first Great Awakening, is ordained to the Anglican ministry. Whitefield took to open-air preaching after jealous ministers denied him the use of their pulpits, and he was perfectly suited to ithis booming voice, it was reported, could be heard a mile away. (271 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 4, 1740: English clergyman Augustus Toplady, author of the hymn 'Rock of Ages,' is born. (270 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 14, 1741: English revivalist George Whitefield marries Elizabeth Burnell. (269 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 25, 1742: The Scottish Society for the Propagating of Christian Knowledge approves David Brainerd as a missionary to the New England Indians. (268 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 19, 1744: English revivalist George Whitefield arrives in Maine for his third (of seven) evangelistic visit to America. (266 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 27, 1746: Scottish Presbyterian pastor and theologian William Tennant obtains a charter for the College of New Jersey, which is now Princeton. He had founded the school in 1726 as a seminary to train his sons and others for ministry. Presidents of the college later included Aaron Burr, Jonathan Edwards, and Reverend John Witherspoon, who led the school to national prominence. (264 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 28, 1757: English Christian mystic William Blake is born in London. A poet, sculptor, and engraver, he was unschooled but fascinated with Milton, Shakespeare, Dante, and the Bible. He experienced visions all his life, beginning at age 4 when he saw God looking in his window. (253 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 11, 1759: The first American life insurance company is incorporated in Philadelphiathe 'Corporation of Poor and Distressed Presbyterian Ministers and of the Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers.' (251 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 21, 1768: Friedrich E.D. Schleiermacher, a hugely influential, liberal, German theologian and philosopher, is born in Breslau. The author of On Religion and The Christian Faith, he placed a strong emphasis on feeling as the basis of religion. (242 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 10, 1770: French anti-Christian philosopher Francois Voltaire utters his famous remark, 'If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him. (240 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 27, 1771: Francis Asbury, sent from England by John Wesley to oversee America's 600 (or so) Methodists, lands in Philadelphia. During his 45-year ministry in America, he traveled on horseback or in carriage an estimated 300,000 miles, delivering some 16,500 sermons. By his death, there were 200,000 Methodists in America. (239 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 24, 1771: Methodist Francis Asbury begins preaching in America. For the next 45 years, he was the main figure in establishing the Methodist church here. (239 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 1, 1776: Spanish Franciscan missionaries found San Juan Capistrano Mission in California, one of 21 missions founded in the region between 1769 and 1823. (234 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 19, 1779: English poet William Cowper and curate John Newton publish Olney Hymns, a classic collection of evangelical and Reformed hymns. (231 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 29, 1780: The Congregational Church of Connecticut licenses Lemuel Hayes to preach, making him the first black minister certified by a predominantly white denomination. Hayes later became the first black minister to pastor a white church. (230 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 27, 1784: Francis Asbury is ordained superintendent of the Methodist Church in America. He later took the title 'bishop,' against the wishes of John Wesley. (226 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 3, 1785: The Methodist 'Christmas Conference' concludes at Baltimore, Maryland, having created the Methodist Episcopal Church in America and elected Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke its two first 'general superintendents.' (225 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 23, 1786: John Carroll, who would become America's first Roman Catholic bishop, founds the Catholic academy that is now Georgetown University. (224 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 20, 1787: The Shakers, a millenarian communal society in New Lebanon, Indiana, experience a revival. The religious fervor continued throughout the frontier, crossing denominational barriers. (223 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 11, 1792: Jacob Mohr, author of the poem 'Silent Night,' is born. (218 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 11, 1793: English missionary William Carey arrives in Calcutta, India. (217 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 28, 1797: American theologian Charles Hodge, whose three-volume Systematic Theology has influenced seminarians for over 100 years, is born. (213 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 9, 1799: Asa Mahan, Congregational clergyman and first president of Oberlin College, is born in Verona, New York. (211 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

19th Century

January 1, 1802: In a letter to the Danbury (Connecticut) Baptist Association, Thomas Jefferson coins the famous metaphor, 'a wall of separation between Church and State.' A recent exhibit at the Library of Congress has sparked argument over whether Jefferson used the term merely for political reasons or whether he meant it to explain the First Amendment. (208 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 20, 1806: Baptist preacher Isaac Backus, an influential voice in arguing for religious liberty in Massachusetts and later the United States, dies. (204 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 21, 1807: Anglican clergyman and hymnwriter John Newton, author of 'Amazing Grace,' dies. (203 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 29, 1809: William Gladstone, four-time British prime minister, is born in Liverpool, England. One scholar has called him 'the epitome of all that the evangelicals and the English public asked for in their politicians. (201 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 22, 1811: Pianist Franz Liszt, known for his Romantic orchestras and songs, but also the author of more than 60 religious works (including the song known today as 'Fairest Lord Jesus'), is born in Raiding, Hungary. (199 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 25, 1814: First Protestant sermon on New Zealand soil preached by Rev. Samuel Marsden, colonial chaplain of New South Wales. Spearhead of the CMS mission to the Maoris, who were baptised in droves in the 1830's. (196 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 15, 1815: Konstantin von Tischendorf, the biblical critic known for discovering and deciphering the "Codex Sinaiticus" (a fifth-century manuscript of Paul's epistles), is born in Germany. (195 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 24, 1818: Franz Gruber composes 'Silent Night' in the St. Nicholas Church of Oberndorf, Austria. (192 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 30, 1821: Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevski, whose works (including Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamozov, and Notes from the Underground) reflect his deep Russian Orthodox faith, is born. (189 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 30, 1823: Charles G. Finney, the most effective evangelist America had ever seen, is licensed to preach. (187 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 10, 1824: Scottish writer and poet George MacDonald, whose fairy tales and mythopoetic novels inspired C.S. Lewis, is born. (186 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 31, 1825: George Muller, who founded orphanages that would house more than 10,000 orphans by his death in 1898, converts to Christianity at a Moravian mission. (185 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 18, 1830: Baptism of Tauta'ahau Tupou. King of Tonga by a western missionary. Beginning of a strongly missionary Christian Kingdom. (180 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 6, 1832: French artist Gustave Dore, known for his drawings and lithographs for the Bible, Dante's Inferno, and other works, is born in Strasbourg, France. (178 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 3, 1833: Ohio's Oberlin College, the first coeducational college in the United States and one of the first to offer education to blacks, opens. Its unique character was formed as a result of the revival movement of Charles Finney, who later served as president of the school. (177 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 13, 1835: Phillips Brooks, Episcopal prelate and author of 'O Little Town of Bethlehem,' is born in Boston. (175 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 18, 1835: Lyman Abbott, a Congregational clergyman who was a leading proponent of the social gospel, is born in Massachusetts. Prompted by his admiration of Henry Ward Beecher to enter the ministry, he succeeded Beecher as pastor at Brooklyn's Plymouth Congregational Church. (175 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 12, 1836: Charles Simeon, the Church of England's most famous evangelical clergyman, dies. (174 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 29, 1837: Dutch theologian and politician Abraham Kuyper is born in Rotterdam, Holland. He became so popular and famous that on October 29, 1907, the whole nation celebrated his 70th birthday, declaring, 'the history of the Netherlands, in Church, in State, in Society, in Press, in School, and in the Sciences the last forty years, cannot be written without the mention of his name on almost every page. (173 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 7, 1837: Presbyterian minister and abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy is murdered in Alton, Illinois. A newspaper editor whose press was destroyed by vandals three times, he was accused of inciting slaves to revolt when he defended a black man burned at the stake by a mob. When another mob tried to burn down his warehouse, Lovejoy was shot trying to save it. His death helped to galvanize the abolitionist movement. (173 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 3, 1840: Joseph de Veuster, who, as Roman Catholic Missionary Father Damien gave his life ministering to lepers in Hawaii, is born in Tremelo, Belgium. (170 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 9, 1840: Unable to go to China, David Livingstone sets sail from London as a missionary to southern Africa. (170 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 9, 1843: The first Christmas cardsactually more like postcardsare created and sold for a shilling. (167 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 7, 1844: Bernadette Soubirous, whose visions of Mary led to the establishment of the Shrine of Lourdes, is born. (166 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 15, 1844: The University of Notre Dame, America's premiere Roman Catholic institution of higher learning, is chartered in South Bend, Indiana. (166 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

October 22, 1844: Between 50,000 and 100,000 followers of Baptist lay preacher William Miller prepared for 'The Day of Atonement'the day Jesus would return. Jesus didn't, and though Miller retained his faith in Christ's imminent return until his death, he blamed human mistakes in Bible chronologies for 'The Great Disappointment.' Several groups arose from Miller's following, including the Seventh-Day Adventists. (166 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 29, 1847: Missionary physician Marcus Whitman, his wife, and 12 others are killed by American Indians in Washington's Walla Walla valley. Whitman had recently returned from a 3,000-mile journey to convince the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions not to close down one of his three mission stations. He was successful, and returned with a fresh group of immigrantsand the measles virus. Many Indians died of the disease, some of them because Whitman gave them vaccinations. The Indians accused Whitman and other missionaries of black magic and murdered them. (163 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 29, 1849: The carol 'It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,' by pastor Edmund H. Sears, appears for the first time in The Christian Register. (161 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 6, 1850: Charles Spurgeon, who would become one of the greatest preachers of all time, converts to Christianity after receiving a vision, 'not a vision to my eyes, but to my heart. I saw what a Savior Christ was,' he wrote, 'I can never tell you how it was, but I no sooner saw Whom I was to believe than I also understood what it was to believe, and I did believe in one moment' (160 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 29, 1851: The first Y.M.C.A. in the United States is organized in Boston. (159 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 30, 1852: Future U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes marries 'Lemonade 'Lucy,' so called because, as first lady, she forbade alcohol in the Executive Mansion. The Hayeses were both devout Methodists who began each day with prayer and organized Sunday evening worship services at the White House. (158 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 14, 1853: Illinois Institute is begun by Wesleyan abolitionists. The school became Wheaton College after its president, Jonathan Blanchard, asked local landowner Warren Wheaton for a large property donation, offering to name the school after him and 'save [his] heirs the expense of a good monument. (157 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 11, 1855: Danish Christian philosopher Sfren Kierkegaard, regarded as the founder of existentialism, dies at age 42. Trying to 'reintroduce Christianity to Christendom,' he believed that Christianity was far more radical and difficult than did his Danish contemporaries. (155 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 16, 1855: Scottish missionary-explorer David Livingstone first sees and names Victoria Falls (in modern Zimbabwe) during his first missionary journey though Africa. (155 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 19, 1856: A Sunday evening service led by Charles Haddon Spurgeon turns tragic when someone shouts 'Fire!' in London's enormous Surrey Hall. There was no fire, but the stampede left 7 people dead and 28 more hospitalized. Though the episode plunged Spurgeon into weeks of depression, it also catapulted him to overnight fame. (154 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

September 24, 1858: Seven Mennonite men separate from the Pennsylvania Conference to form the Evangelische Mennoniten Gemeinschaft (Evangelical Mennonite Society) which is today the Bible Fellowship Church (152 years ago) (from BFC Historical Society)

October 7, 1858: The Council of the East Pennsylvania Confernece of the Mennonite Society removes bishop William Shelley, Elder William Gehman, and five others from the society for failure to attend the Council. The seven had formed their new society a week earlier. (152 years ago) (from BFC Historical Society)

October 16, 1859: Militant messianic abolitionist John Brown leads a group of about 20 men in a raid on the federal armory at Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). Brown believed that only violent action would end slavery and that a massive slave uprising would bring God's judgment upon unrepentant American Southerners. Furthermore, he believed that God had anointed him as the cleansing agent for his country's sin. But when the slaves around Harper's Ferry failed to rally to Brown's cause, he was overpowered. He was arrested, tried, and hanged. (151 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 2, 1859: At their first annual conference, the BFC pastors agreed to emphasize revival by saying 'Each child of the Lord, having proved himself such by his walk and conversation, shall have entire freedom to express himself according to the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.' (151 years ago) (from BFC Historical Society)

December 2, 1859: Militant messianic abolitionist John Brown is hanged at Charles Town, (West) Virginia, for his attack on Harper's Ferry. He was convinced that only violent action could end the horrors of slavery. (151 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 19, 1861: At the suggestion of her minister, abolitionist Julia Ward Howe wrote 'some good words to that tune' of the popular song 'John Brown's Body.' InFebruary, 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic' was published in the Atlantic Monthly and became very popular, especially after the Civil War. (149 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 19, 1862: Baseball player-turned-revivalist William (Billy) Sunday is born in Iowa. An estimated 100 million people attended his 300 revivals, and he claimed that at least one million of them 'hit the sawdust trail' to come forward and profess their conversion to Christ as a result of his preaching. (148 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 26, 1862: President Abraham Lincoln meets Harriet Beecher Stowe, the abolitionist author of Uncle Tom's Cabin and daughter of prominent minister Lyman Beecher. 'So,' Lincoln said upon meeting her, 'you're the little woman that wrote the book that made this great war!' (148 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 5, 1862: C.T. Studd, pioneer missionary, is born in England. Originally famous as a cricket star, he converted at age 21 under the preaching of D.L. Moody, and he dedicated his life and considerable inherited wealth to Christ. In 1885 he and six others, the 'Cambridge Seven,' sailed to Asia to serve with the China Inland Mission. He later ministered in India and Africa as well. (148 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 1, 1863: American President Abraham Lincoln frees all slaves in Confederate states by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. Churches throughout the North held candlelight vigils commemorating the event. (147 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 28, 1863: The the first annual national Thanksgiving Day is celebrated. Back in October, President Lincoln had proclaimed the fourth Thursday of each November from that time forward as a national day of thanks. (147 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 18, 1865: Slavery is abolished in the United States as the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified. Many of the abolitionists who pushed for its passage were Christians seeking to make America more like the Kingdom of God. (145 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 25, 1865: Evangeline Booth is born, the last of the Booth children. (145 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 18, 1867: The United States purchases Alaska for $7.2 million, or about 2 cents an acre. Ten years later, after lax military administration had only worsened the territory's moral condition, an army private stationed in Alaska begged, 'Send out a shepherd who may reclaim a mighty flock from the error of their ways, and gather them into the true fold.' Presbyterian missionary Sheldon Jackson answered the call and spent decades raising funds, building schools and churches, and crusading for better laws. (143 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 10, 1871: After seven months of searching, American journalist Henry Stanley finally finds Scottish missionary David Livingstone in Ujiji, Central Africa, and utters his famous introduction, 'Dr. Livingstone, I presume.' The relationship between the two men led to Stanley's conversion and decision to become a missionary. (139 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 22, 1873: The French ship Ville du Havre sinks in the north Atlantic, killing all four daughters of Chicago lawyer Horatio G. Spafford. His wife survived, and Spafford immediately booked passage to join her in England. While passing over the spot where his daughters died, he began writing what would become the famous hymn 'It Is Well with My Soul.' (137 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 18, 1874: The Women's Christian Temperance Union is founded in Cleveland. Claiming the power of the Holy Spirit, Protestant members would march into saloons and demand they be closed. It was the largest temperance organization and the largest women's organization in the U.S. before 1900. (136 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 11, 1875: The 'Scandal of the Century' goes public as journalist Theodore Tilton sues prominent liberal pastor Henry Ward Beecher for alienating his wife's affections (i.e. having an affair with her). The trial, which became a national sensation, finally ended with a hung jury. (135 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 14, 1875: Theologian, medical missionary, organist, musical historian, and winner of the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize Albert Schweitzer is born. His Quest of the Historical Jesus (1906) is considered a foundational work on that subject. (135 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 29, 1876: Hymnwriter Philip P. Bliss and his family fall to their deaths when a bridge collapses under the train they were riding. Bliss's compositions include 'Man of SorrowsWhat a Name!'; 'Jesus Loves Even Me'; 'Almost Persuaded'; the music to 'It Is Well with My Soul'; and one hymn discovered in his trunk, which was on a different train that night: 'I Will Sing of My Redeemer. (134 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 15, 1880: Germany's Cologne cathedral is completed, 633 years after construction began. (130 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 25, 1881: Angelo Roncalli is born in Sotto il Monte, Italy. In 1958 he would become one of the most popular popes of all time, John XXIII. (129 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 30, 1883: Bob Jones, Sr., one of Fundamentalism's most renowned evangelists and founder of Bob Jones University, is born. (127 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 26, 1883: Evangelist and abolitionist Sojourner Truth (whose real name was Isabella Van Wagener), dies in Battle Creek, Michigan. Born a slave, Truth experienced visions and voices, which she attributed to God, and was one of the most charismatic abolitionists and suffragists of her day. (127 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 6, 1884: Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel, founder of the science of genetics, dies. (126 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 15, 1885: Mwanga, ruler of Buganda (now part of Uganda), beheads recent Anglican convert and royal family member Joseph Mukasa. Mukasa opposed the massacring of Anglican missionary bishop James Hannington and his colleagues in October. The bloodbath continued through January 1887 as the ruler killed Mukasa's Christian pages and other Anglican and Catholic leaders. Collectively, the martyrs of Uganda were canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1964. (125 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 16, 1890: Moody Bible Institute in Chicago is dedicated, 17 years after evangelist D.L. Moody and college administrator Emma Dryer first discussed the idea. (120 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 1, 1890: Eusebius Hershey sets sails to Liberia, Africa from New York City to become a missionary there. Hershey was one of the first foreign missionaries from the Evangelical Mennonites (now BFC) (120 years ago) (from BFC Historical Society)

May 24, 1891: Eusebius Hershey, after six months of ministry among the people of Monrovia, Liberia took sick and died. Hershey had been a traveling preacher for the Evangelical Mennonites (now BFC) for many years until being called by God in his seventies to become a missionary to Liberia. (119 years ago) (from BFC Historical Society)

January 3, 1892: Literature professor J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and a devout Catholic, is born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. (118 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 15, 1892: Lutheran pastor and political activist Martin Niemoller, who was imprisoned by Hitler for his leadership role in the Confessing Church, is born. (118 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

February 3, 1892: W.B. Musselman, is elected the second presiding elder of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ (now BFC) at the age of thirty-two. At that time, he had only been ordained for five years. His major achievements were the bolstering of the denomination's Gospel Worker Society and Union Gospel Press. (118 years ago) (from BFC Historical Society)

January 23, 1893: Episcopal minister Phillips Brooks, bishop of Massachusetts, staunch abolitionist, substitute evangelist for D.L. Moody, and author of 'O Little Town of Bethlehem,' dies. He was considered the most 'considerable American preacher of his generation.' (117 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 29, 1898: Christian writer and scholar C.S. Lewis, one of modern Christianity's best-loved writers, is born in Belfast, Ireland. (112 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 22, 1899: Pope Leo XIII warns James Cardinal Gibbons, senior hierarch of the Catholic church in America, against the 'phantom heresy' of Americanismthe attempt to adapt the traditional doctrines and practices of the church to a more independent modern world. (111 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 22, 1899: Evangelist Dwight L. Moody, the chief spokesman for the revivalist wing of American evangelicalism, dies. (111 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 27, 1899: American temperance leader Carry Nation wrecks her first saloon in Medicine Lodge, Kansas. (111 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 15, 1900: Charles Fox Parham opens Bethel Bible Institute in Topeka, Kansas, where Agnes Ozman and other students would speak in tongues and begin the Pentecostal movement. (110 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

20th Century

November 10, 1908: Ten years after Samuel Hill and John Nicholson met in Boscobel, Wisconsin, to begin what would become Gideons International, the organization places its first Bible in a room at the Superior Hotel in Iron Mountains, Montana. (102 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 2, 1909: Aimee Semple and her husband, Robert, are ordained by Chicago evangelist William H. Durham. Aimee, who married Harold McPherson after Robert died, would become the founder of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel and one of America's most popular preachers of the twentieth century. (101 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 17, 1912: Yale-educated Chicago native Bill Borden, heir to a fortune in real estate and milk production, boards a ship to China via Egypt. Converted to Christ as a young man, Borden had given his inheritance and his life to the cause of world evangelism. Only a month after arriving in Egypt, he contracted spinal meningitis and died. However, publication of his story prompted many young people to enter the mission field. (98 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 13, 1917: Three shepherd children near Fatima, Portugal, report visions of the Virgin Mary. (93 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

November 7, 1917: Evangelist William ('Billy') Franklin Graham, Jr., is born in Charlotte, North Carolina. (93 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 15, 1917: Oswald Chambers dies while serving as chaplain to British troops in Egypt during World War I. His widow, Gertrude, spent the rest of her life compiling his notes, lectures, and sermons into books, including the bestselling My Utmost for His Highest. (93 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 1, 1917: Father Ed Flanagan founds Boys Town, a home for orphaned or delinquent children, in Omaha, Nebraska. (93 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 11, 1917: Russian author Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, an Orthodox believer whose works include One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and The Gulag Archipelago, is born. His books are credited by many scholars with 'helping to bring down the last empire on earth.' (93 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 17, 1917: Bolsheviks confiscate all property of the Russian Orthodox Church and abolish religious instruction in the schools. Within two decades, at least 45,000 priests were reportedly martyred in the country. (93 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 22, 1917: Francesca Xavier Cabrini, founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, dies in Chicago's Columbus Hospital. In 1946 she was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, becoming the first American citizen declared a saint. (93 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 20, 1918: Following the Bolshevik Revolution, all church property in Russia is confiscated and all religious instruction in schools abolished. (92 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

April 12, 1918: 'Daddy' Gehman, after sixty years of ministry to the BFC, dies at the age of ninety-one. Gehman was one of the original seven men to begin the denomination. Also, he was our first presiding elder, serving in that role for twelve years. (92 years ago) (from BFC Historical Society)

October 29, 1919: A.B. Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance and Nyack College, dies. (91 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 16, 1920: Largely the result of Christian activists, the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution goes into effect, prohibiting the sale of alcohol. Thirteen years later, Congress repeals the prohibition. (90 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 2, 1921: Pittsburgh radio station KDKA broadcasts the first religious program over the airwaves: a vesper service of Calvary Episcopal Church. The senior pastor, unimpressed by the landmark broadcast, didn't even participate in the service, leaving his junior associate to conduct it. The two KDKA engineers (one Jewish, the other Catholic), were asked to dress in choir robes to be less obtrusive. Today religious broadcasting is a multi-billion dollar industry. (89 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 16, 1925: The Texas State Text Book Board bans evolutionary theory from all its textbooks. (85 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 15, 1929: Baptist minister Martin Luther King, Jr., America's most visible civil rights leader from 1955 until his assassination in 1968, is born in Atlanta. (81 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 4, 1930: In response to the Anglican Lambeth Conference, which cautiously approved birth control, Pope Pius XI issues the encyclical 'Casti connubii.' Though the document condemned any human effort depriving sex of 'its natural power of procreating life,' it tacitly legitimated the 'rhythm method. (80 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 25, 1931: Missionary radio station HCJB, run by World Radio Missionary Fellowship, Inc., begins broadcasting the Gospel from Quito, Ecuador, to eastern Asia. (79 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 15, 1932: A small party of supporters gathers in Liverpool, England, to send Gladys Aylward, a 28-year-old parlormaid, off on a dangerous missionary journey to China. Though she'd been turned down by the missions agency she applied to, she went on to become one of the most amazing single woman missionaries of modern history. Her dramatic rescue of a hundred orphans is told in the movie The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, starring Ingrid Bergman. (78 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

December 5, 1933: Prohibition comes to an end as the twenty- first amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified. The ban on the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages had been fervently sought by fundamentalist Christians in the social reform movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s. (77 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 4, 1934: The 'Confessing Church,' led by Karl Barth, Martin Niemoeller, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer in opposition to the Nazi 'German Christian' church, officially organizes in Barmen, Germany. (76 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 8, 1934: American missionaries John and Betty Stam are beheaded by Chinese communists. The couple had met while attending Moody Bible Institute and married just the year before their death. Publication of their biography prompted hundreds to volunteer for missionary service. (76 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 6, 1935: American revivalist Billy Sunday, a baseball player who became one of America's most famous evangelists before Billy Graham, dies at age 73. More than 100 million people heard him speak at his evangelistic crusades, and about 300,000 of them became Christians. (75 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 1, 1937: Presbyterian scholar J. Gresham Machen, fundamentalism's most gifted theologian, dies. (73 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 13, 1938: The Roman Catholic church makes Francis Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the first American saint. (72 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 15, 1949: Billy Graham skyrockets to national prominence with an evangelistic crusade in Los Angeles. (61 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

October 28, 1949: Jim Elliot, missionary to Ecuador's Auca Indians, writes in his journal the most famous of his sayings: 'He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. (61 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

September 9, 1950: The Mennonite Brethen in Christ (now BFC) establishes Berean Bible School in order to train its young adults for ministry. In its first year, the school taught 24 students. (60 years ago) (from BFC Historical Society)

October 26, 1950: Mother Teresa founds the first Mission of Charity in Calcutta, India. (60 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 1, 1950: Pope Pius XII releases his 'Munificentissimus Deus,' proclaiming the 'Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.' The doctrine teaches that Mary was taken in body and soul into heaven at the end of her life. The belief was first propounded in Christian circles by Gregory of Tours in the late 500s. (60 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 29, 1950: The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States is founded in Cleveland, Ohio, by 27 Protestant and seven Eastern Orthodox denominations. It has been one of America's strongest religious voices for social justice. (60 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 8, 1956: Missionaries Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, and Pete Fleming are killed by Ecuadorean Indians they sought to evangelize. The story of the missionaries and their deaths along the Curaray River was publicized by Elliot's widow, Elizabeth, in Through Gates of Splendor, published the following year. (54 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 18, 1957: English author Dorothy Sayers, a Christian apologist who was also the most popular mystery writer in England, dies. (53 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 28, 1958: The Roman Catholic patriarch of Venice, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, is unexpectedly elected pope, taking the name John XXIII. Expected to be a mere caretaker in office, he became one of the Catholic church's most activist popes, convening the Second Vatican Council in 1962. (52 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 4, 1958: Angelo Roncalli becomes Pope John XXIII. Though his papacy was expected to be uneventful, his convening of the Second Vatican Council and his changing of the church's attitudes toward non-Catholics were milestones for Roman Catholics. (52 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

February 22, 1959: The members of Mennonite Brethren in Christ Churches vote to change the denomination's name to Bible Fellowship Church. (51 years ago) (from BFC Historical Society)

April 11, 1959: The Annual Conference of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ meet in adjourned session to ratify the decision of the church members in a February 22nd vote to change the denomination's name to Bible Fellowship Church (51 years ago) (from BFC Historical Society)

November 17, 1961: Charles H. Mason, founder of the Church of God in Christ, dies. His was the first major denomination to emerge from the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, where Mason received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (49 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 22, 1963: British scholar and author C.S. Lewis dies, the very same day as Aldous Huxley and John F. Kennedy. (47 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 5, 1964: Roman Catholic Pope Paul VI and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras meet in Jerusalem, the first meeting of the two offices since 1439, more than half a millennium before. (46 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 21, 1964: The third session of Vatican II closes with the approval of three documents. One of these, the 'Decree on Ecumenism,' declared both Catholics and Protestants to blame for past divisions and called for dialogue, not derision, in the future. (46 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

January 4, 1965: T.S. Eliot, the most influential English writer in the twentieth century and a devout Christian who wove his religious convictions into his work, dies. (45 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 7, 1965: Pope Paul VI and Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras I simultaneously lift mutual excommunications in place since the Great Schism of 1054. (45 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 26, 1966: The first World Congress on Evangelism opens in West Berlin, attracting approximately 600 delegates from about 100 countries. (44 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 3, 1966: John Lennon tells reporters that his band, the Beatles, is 'more popular than Jesus,' touching off a firestorm of controversy. (44 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 21, 1970: John T. Scopes, the Tennessee teacher convicted for teaching evolution, dies at age 70. (40 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 27, 1970: On a trip to the Philippines, Pope Paul VI is attacked by a dagger-wielding Bolivian painter disguised as a priest. Though the Vatican announced the pontiff was unhurt, he suffered a chest wound in the assault. (40 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 12, 1971: The rock musical 'Jesus Christ Superstar' debuts on Broadway. (39 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

January 22, 1973: The United States Supreme court legalizes abortion in its Roe v. Wade decision. (37 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography Magazine)

February 18, 1976: Camden BFC holds its first service in the home of one of its church families. (34 years ago) (from Our History)

April 9, 1976: Camden BFC is accepted as a mission of the Bible Fellowship Church (34 years ago) (from Our History)

August 31, 1976: Camden BFC purchases its current building (34 years ago) (from Our History)

September 12, 1976: Camden BFC holds its first service in a permanent location. They had purchased the property only two weeks earlier. (34 years ago) (from Our History)

October 2, 1976: Camden BFC purchases a baby grand piano for $380. (34 years ago) (from Our History)

October 23, 1976: Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter responds to a public outcry over comments he made in an interview with Playboy magazine. 'Christ said, 'I tell you that anyone who looks on a woman with lust has in his heart already committed adultery,'' Carter said in the interview. 'I've looked on a lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times. (34 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 13, 1976: Camden BFC places its first advertisement in a local newspaper. (34 years ago) (from Our History)

November 14, 1976: The Plains (Ga.) Baptist Church, where then-presidential candidate Jimmy Carter was a member, votes to permit blacks to attend. (34 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

December 5, 1976: Camden BFC holds a church dedication service. (34 years ago) (from Our History)

February 6, 1977: Camden BFC forms a charter membership with 13 new and 2 transfer members. (33 years ago) (from Our History)

February 13, 1977: Rev. James G. Koch candidates for the pastorate at Camden BFC. Two months later, Koch begins his pastorate in Camden. (33 years ago) (from Our History)

April 10, 1977: Pastor Koch officially begins his pastorate at Camden BFC. The church called him a year after the church began as a mission and eight months after the purchase of its first permanent location. (33 years ago) (from Our History)

March 19, 1978: The Greiner family holds Camden BFC's first concert. (32 years ago) (from Our History)

June 26, 1978: The first Vacation Bible School of Camden BFC begins. The VBS ran until June 30th. (32 years ago) (from Our History)

July 23, 1978: Camden BFC holds its first baptism. (32 years ago) (from Our History)

October 16, 1978: The Roman Catholic College of Cardinals chooses Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla to be the new pope. Taking the name John Paul II, he became the first non-Italian pope in 456 years. (32 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 27, 1978: The complete New International Version (NIV) of the Bible is published. (32 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 7, 1979: Camden BFC holds its first congregational meeting to elect its first board of elders. (31 years ago) (from Our History)

October 8, 1979: The Annual Conference of the Bible Fellowship Church recognizes Camden BFC as a fully organized BFC church. (31 years ago) (from Our History)

October 17, 1979: Mother Teresa is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. (31 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

November 25, 1979: The first board of elders of the Camden BFC is installed. (31 years ago) (from Our History)

November 30, 1979: John Paul II attends an Eastern Orthodox service, the first pope in 1,000 years to do so. (31 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

June 14, 1980: The first wedding performed in the Camden Bible Fellowship Church is held on this day. (30 years ago) (from Our History)

October 5, 1980: The first board of deacons of the Camden BFC is installed on this day. (30 years ago) (from Our History)

December 2, 1980: Three American nuns and a lay churchwoman are killed by death squads in El Salvador. Some 70,000 Salvadorans are estimated to have died because of terrorists or civil war during the 1980s, including many Catholic clergy. (30 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

February 1, 1981: Camden BFC receives a gift from Grace BFC in Reading, PA of a set of hymnals. On this day, Camden BFC dedicates the hymn books. (29 years ago) (from Our History)

August 9, 1981: Camden BFC dedicates a new Rodgers 32-pedal organ. (29 years ago) (from Our History)

September 11, 1982: Twenty-two pews are purchased by Camden BFC and moved from a Pennsylvania church. Months of work started to refinish, cut, and reassemble the pews in the sanctuary. The twenty-two cost a total of $1000. (28 years ago) (from Our History)

October 24, 1982: A baby grand piano is moved to Camden BFC from the BFC Church in Easton, PA. (28 years ago) (from Our History)

January 2, 1983: Karen White, a missionary to Spain and daughter of Camden BFC members Glenn and Betty White, spoke in evening worship. (27 years ago) (from Our History)

September 18, 1983: Camden BFC dedicates its newly installed pews. (27 years ago) (from Our History)

November 25, 1984: A commissioning service is held at Camden BFC for Dr. and Mrs. Glenn White, church members, as short-term missionaries to Columbia, South America. (26 years ago) (from Our History)

December 11, 1984: The White House displays a nativity scene for the first time since courts ordered its removal in 1973. (26 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

February 16, 1985: Camden BFC begins it monthly Men's Prayer Breakfast as a great ministry and fellowship time. (25 years ago) (from Our History)

September 1, 1985: Camden BFC became financially self-supporting, no longer requiring Church Extension's financial assistance. (25 years ago) (from Our History)

October 13, 1985: Camden BFc receives a special offering for the installation of a heating/air-conditioning system that was donated by a church family. (25 years ago) (from Our History)

August 31, 1986: The first of three Sunday Celebrations to recognize Camden BFC's Tenth Anniversary. (24 years ago) (from Our History)

September 5, 1986: The second of three Sunday Celebrations to recognize Camden BFC's Tenth Anniversary. (24 years ago) (from Our History)

September 12, 1986: The third of three Sunday Celebrations to recognize Camden BFC's Tenth Anniversary. (24 years ago) (from Our History)

June 28, 1987: Camden BFC members, Dr. Glenn and Betty White, having completed missionary service in Columbia, South America, left for further service with Wycliffe Bible Translators in California. (23 years ago) (from Our History)

December 6, 1987: Newark Bible Fellowship Church in New Castle Coutny, Delaware dedicates its new building. The Camden BFC church family was with them to celebrate. (23 years ago) (from Our History)

December 19, 1987: Camden BFC celebrated their annual Christmas Banuet in the form og a progressive dinner. (23 years ago) (from Our History)

February 14, 1988: Camden BFC participates in their first 5-Day Spiritual Adventure, ending on Easter Sunday. (22 years ago) (from Our History)

February 17, 1988: Camden BFC holds a day of fasting and prayer, a practice which would become an annual observance on Ash Wednesday. (22 years ago) (from Our History)

June 26, 1988: Camden BFC throws a surprise 40th wedding anniversary celebration for Pastor and Mrs. Koch. (22 years ago) (from Our History)

September 10, 1988: Camden BFC holds a Bible Car Rally and picnic. (22 years ago) (from Our History)

May 6, 1989: This day and the next, Camden BFC's church building is opened to the public as part of Old Dover Days historic building tour. The church was built as an Episcopal Church in the late 1800's. (21 years ago) (from Our History)

June 23, 1989: Camden BFc former members, Wesley and Mary Bell return for a worship service prior to leaving for missionary service in Mexico with Food for the Hungry. (21 years ago) (from Our History)

October 29, 1989: Camden BFC participates with five other BFC churches in a service held at Wallingford, PA with the theme, 'Decade 14: Looking Good.' (21 years ago) (from Our History)

December 1, 1989: Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Pope John Paul II meet at the Vatican, announcing an agreement to reestablish diplomatic ties. Gorbachev also denounced 70 years of religious oppression in his country. (21 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

February 4, 1990: Dennis and Rena Metzger and children ministered at Camden BFC in the morning service for the last Sunday before leaving as missionaries to Argentina. (20 years ago) (from Our History)

May 20, 1990: Camden BFC presents a video series in evening worship entitled "Seven Laws of the Teacher" by Howard Hendricks. (20 years ago) (from Our History)

November 14, 1990: British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge dies at 87. After editorial stints at the Manchester Guardian and Punch and years as a BBC commentator, the cynical and licentious Muggeridge quietly converted to Christianity. It was his reporting on Mother Teresa that first brought her to the public's attention. (20 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

July 29, 1991: Camden BFC's "Camp Can Do" opens for VBS participants. (19 years ago) (from Our History)

September 15, 1991: Two special services commemorate Camden BFC's Fifteenth Anniversary. (19 years ago) (from Our History)

October 14, 1991: Camden BFC holds its week of prayer. (19 years ago) (from Our History)

June 14, 1992: 'Cans for Victory Valley' becomes an ongoing church project at Camden BFC. (18 years ago) (from Our History)

August 16, 1992: Horace and Betty Short are honored for their 50 years of marriage in a special evening service at Camden BFC. (18 years ago) (from Our History)

October 28, 1992: The Korean Hyoo-go (Korean for 'rapture') movement, led by prophet Lee Jang Rim, predicts that this is the day of the rapture. (18 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

October 31, 1992: Pope John Paul II formally admits the Roman Catholic Church's error in condemning Galileo Galilei in 1633 for believing the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe. (18 years ago) (from Christian History & Biography)

February 7, 1993: Missionaries Jose and Karen Olivera and their children minister at Camden BFC in all services. (17 years ago) (from Our History)

February 14, 1993: Lenny Seidel presents a special concert of sacred music at Camden BFC. (17 years ago) (from Our History)

October 16, 1993: The Fabulous Fall Family Fling at Felton (Killen's Pond) provided by Camden BFC for fun, food, and fellowship. (17 years ago) (from Our History)

February 4, 1994: At Camden BFC, an English Speed Pub opened for a one-night event. The Noyes family leads the event. (16 years ago) (from Our History)

August 1, 1994: Renovations begin in the fellowship area of Camden BFC. (16 years ago) (from Our History)

September 18, 1994: A four-week Worship Celebration begins at Camden BFC. (16 years ago) (from Our History)

September 21, 1994: A new roof is installed on the front of the church building. (16 years ago) (from Our History)

October 12, 1994: An Agape celebration is held at Camden BFC. (16 years ago) (from Our History)

January 29, 1995: Two workshops are conducted at Camden BFC by the BFC Board of Christian Education. (15 years ago) (from Our History)

April 30, 1995: Casas por Cristo coin cards are presented to Wesley and Mary Bell by Camden BFC. (15 years ago) (from Our History)

September 1, 1995: Replastering and repainting of the church sanctuary begins. (15 years ago) (from Our History)

November 28, 1995: A 50-Day Spiritual Adventure Training conference is held at Camden BFC. (15 years ago) (from Our History)

February 2, 1996: One of Camden BFC's earliest Sunday School children is married in our sanctuary. (14 years ago) (from Our History)

March 31, 1996: Festival of Freedom, a Christian Commemoration of the Lord's Passover, was presented Palm Sunday evening. (14 years ago) (from Our History)

June 4, 1996: Camden BFC installs a new sewer system. (14 years ago) (from Our History)

August 1, 1996: Improvements to the Camdne BFC church building began, including painting the fellowship area and major renovation of kitchen and men's bathroom. (14 years ago) (from Our History)

September 8, 1996: Camden BFC celebrates the church's Twentieth Anniversary. (14 years ago) (from Our History)

September 15, 1996: Camden BFC holds a anniversary service and mortgage burning service. (14 years ago) (from Our History)

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