Oct. 19 in Christian History

Oct 19, 2009 03:56 PM EDT

1562 - Birth of George Abbot, archbishop of Canterbury. A recognized leader of the English Calvinists, Abbot also demonstrated Puritan sympathies, and took a leading part in translating the 1611 King James Version of the Bible.


1609 - Death of Jacob Arminius, 49, the Dutch theologian who lent his name to the beliefs (known today at Arminianism) which oppose the major tenets of Protestant Reformed (Calvinist) theology.


1720 - Birth of John Woolman, American Quaker reformer. His "Journal," written from 1756-72, greatly influenced 19th century abolitionists.


1744 - English revivalist George Whitefield, 29, arrived in Maine at the start of his second visit to America. Whitefield struggled to adapt the beliefs of Calvinism to the Arminian teachings of proto-Methodists John and Charles Wesley.


1921 - Birth of Bill Bright, American youth evangelist. Bill and his wife Vonette founded Campus Crusade for Christ in 1951, incorporating this evangelical Christian student organization in California in 1953.

© 1987-2009, William D. Blake. Used by permission of the author, from

Almanac of the Christian Church