Historical Writings

During the siege of Antioch the ground shakes, the heavens glow red, and the crusaders spot a great light in the form of a cross.

English revivalist George Whitefield wrote in a letter: 'O how little do I for Jesus, who has done so much for me!'

Hanover College was chartered by the Presbyterian General Assembly of Indiana. The school had been founded as a seminary "in the wilderness" for training ministers.

Death in Glasgow of Andrew Bonar, who had been moderator of the Scottish Free Church and authored many books, including a biography of Robert Murray McCheyne.

Execution of José Rizal, a Filipino patriot and doctor, who had sometimes espoused Christianity, and who had urged his followers to act as Christ taught, not as the Spanish conquerors behaved. He was author of the novel Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not), a social protest, and had formed revolutionary organizations.

Death of Josephine Butler in Northumberland, England. Having witnessed her beloved daughter plunge to death before her eyes, Butler had sought a task assisting those even more broken-hearted than herself. As a consequence, she had championed downtrodden women and brought assistance and the gospel to prostitutes.

The Bolshevik government exiles Orthodox thinkers Sergius Bulgakov and Nicholas Berdyaevis among one hundred and sixty prominent intellectuals.

The silent film Ben Hur, based on Lew Wallace's novel of the time of Christ, opens at the George M. Cohan Theater in New York City and receives rave reviews.

The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel was incorporated in Los Angeles, CA. Founded in 1923 by evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, the denomination recognizes the significant role that women in ministry. Today, over 40% of its ministers are women.

Death in Chicago of Frances Joseph Gaudet, an African-American / Native-American educator and prison reformer, organizer of prison prayer meetings, founder of the Gaudet Normal and Industrial School in Louisiana, and a delegate to the Women’s Christian Temperance Union’s international convention in 1900.

Birth of Noel Paul Stookey, American folk singer. Stookey was "Paul" of the 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary. Converted in the late 1960s, Stookey is now a Christian recording artist, and prefers using his "born-again" name, Noel.

The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission announced that an agreement had been made between the two Christian traditions on the essential teachings about the Eucharist.

The Vatican and Israel sign the Fundamental Agreement Beween the Holy See and the State of Israel which protects church property and traditional sacred spots in Israel, the rights of Christians, and the freedom to teach and train Christians. Both parties promise to uphold human freedom and the right to worship. Both deplore anti-Semitism. Diplomatic ties between the two parties commence as soon as the agreement is signed.

Death in Indiana of Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder, who had argued for pacifism in his influential book The Politics of Jesus. His theological stature was undercut by widespread accusations of sexual harrassment against women.

An Islamic militant shoots and kills three US Christian missionaries working at a Baptist-run hospital in Yemen. William Koehn, the administrator of Jibla Baptist hospital, Kathleen Gariety, a supplies purchaser, and medical doctor Martha Myers all die instantly from bullets to the head. Pharmacist Donald Caswell is left in critical condition with abdominal wounds, but will recover.

Pastor Nguyen Trung Ton, head of the Full Gospel Church in Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa Province, is sentenced to two years’ house arrest for collecting documents and writing articles that “tarnish” the Communist regime’s reputation.