March 22
1208: Bishops of London, Ely, and Worcester pronounce Pope Innocent III’s interdict on England, banning the clergy from conducting any religious service in the country, except child baptism, confession and the anointing of the sick. It was a reaction to King John’s refusal to accept Stephen Langton as archbishop of Canterbury. The King had threatened to mutilate the bishops if they pronounced the ban; the bishops had to flee the country after the pronouncement. The interdict was lifted in 1214.
1556: Consecration of cardinal Reginald Pole as the Archbishop of Canterbury, restoring Catholicism in England for a short period during the time-gap between the protestant rulers Edward VI and Elizabeth I.
1593: Arrest of John Penry, an independent Welsh pastor, who was later hanged for sedition, because he had criticized the leaders of Church of England for their neglect of Wales and for his sharp words to Queen Elizabeth.
1641: The Archbishop of Armagh convenes a provincial synod at Kells, which pronounces the war of the Catholics of Ireland against the English “just and lawful.”
1720: Ordination of John Gill as a Baptist pastor in Horsleydown, where he served for 51 years and gained recognition as a great controversialist, being a huge critic of Wesley’s theology which placed the decision to follow Christ in a person’s own hands.
1758: Demise of Jonathan Edwards, Christian pastor, theologian, scientist, and educator.
1814: Beheading of the Orthodox the monk Euthymius in Constantinople, who had left Christianity for Islam for a short time, but later returned to faith, became a monk on Mt. Athos and practiced great austerities.
1819: Birth of Joseph P. Webster, American sacred music writer, who composed over 1,000 pieces of music, including the popular hymn tune SWEET BY AND BY.
1874: The debut meeting of the newly formed Young Men’s Hebrew Association takes place in New York City. The YMHA is the forerunner of the present-day Jewish Community Centre.
1918: Death of Alexander Merensky, a missionary to the Transvaal, South Africa, and who wrote many books about missions.
1920: Passing away of George S. Fisher, the founder of the Gospel Missionary Union, due to typhoid, in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
1930: Birth of Marion Gordon “Pat” Robertson, religious broadcaster, politician and founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) in 1963.
Edited by: T. Chempilayil MCBS
Courtesy: www.studylight.org