1774 - Birth of pioneer environmentalist Jonathan Chapman (Johnny Appleseed). Distributing apple seeds and religious tracts from the Alleghenies to the Ohio Valley, Chapman's theology was strongly reminiscent of Swedenborgianism, which taught an empathy with the natural world.
1814 - With over 1,000 delegates from 17 churches, the Flint River Association was established -- the first official Baptist organization of its kind in the history of Alabama.
1835 - The Suwanee Association was formed, in Florida. Comprised of eight member churches, it was the first official Baptist organization in Florida history.
1897 - Birth of Giovanni Battista Montini. He was ordained in 1920, named a cardinal in 1958, and in June 1963 chosen successor to John XXIII as Pope Paul VI. His 15 years as pontiff saw a widening application of the decisions first made at the Vatican II Ecumenical Council (1962-65).
1990 - In Russia, the Supreme Soviet ended decades of religious repression with a new declaration, forbidding government interference in religious activities and giving citizens the right to study religion in homes and private schools.
© 1987-2008, William D. Blake. Used by permission of the author, from Almanac of the Christian Church
