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Historical Writings

Today in Christian History

Sunday, August 19

1099
The armies of the First Crusade defeated the Saracens at the Battle of Ascalon (an historic Palestinian city on the Mediterranean), one month after they had captured Jerusalem.
1531
Martyrdom of Thomas Bilney, who is burned at the stake for holding mildly Protestant views. He dies exclaiming "Jesus," and "I believe!"
1662
Death of Blaise Pascal, French scientist and Christian apologist, famous for his apologetics and his argument that it makes more sense to wager on the existence of God than against him.
1680
Death at Caen, France, of John Eudes, priest, founder of a work to reclaim fallen women and founder of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary to train priests and conduct missionary work.
1775
Anglican clergyman and hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: 'We are never more safe, never have more reason to expect the Lord's help, than when we are most sensible that we can donothing without Him.'
1846
One thousand delegates from fifty different evangelical sects throughout the world meet in London. Among the questions that this Evangelical Alliance takes up are whether or not fellowship should be held with slaveholders. Americans insist that it should, and their views prevail.
1849
Death of Gotthold Heinrich Loeber, Lutheran pioneer, who helped form the Missouri Synod.
1883
W. J. David leads a revival program in Lagos, Nigeria, that runs until October 7, 1883. In it Adeline Adeotan Sikuade Agbebi and her husband Vincent David Omojola will be converted. Vincent will become a pastor and Adeline will become an educator and a founder the Women Missionary Union of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, serving as its first head.
1886
The Christian Union was founded by Baptist clergyman Richard G. Spurling (1858-1935) in Monroe County, Tennessee. In 1923, this pentecostal denomination changed its name to the Church of God. Headquartered today in Cleveland, Tennessee, its current membership is nearly 500,000.
1929
Death of Arthur Samuel Peake, English Bible scholar, who had been the first Rylands professor of biblical exegesis at Manchester University and the first dean of its theological faculty.
1934
English Bible expositor Arthur W. Pink wrote in a letter: 'It is not words which God pays attention to, but heart-groans and tears!'
1953
Israel's parliament conferred Israeli citizenship posthumously on all Jews killed by the Nazis during the years of the Holocaust (1933-45) in Europe.
 
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