1520 - German reformer Martin Luther, 36, published "Prelude on the Babylonian Captivity of the Church," his famous writing which attacked the entire sacramental system of the Catholic Church.
1552 - Birth of Matteo Ricci, an Italian Jesuit who was sent as a missionary to China in 1583. His complete adoption of Chinese customs raised the issue of the limits of "accommodation" to other cultures, in the preaching of the gospel.
1683 - A band of religious refugees from Krefield, Germany came ashore at Philadelphia - the first Mennonites to arrive in North America. Their pastor, F. Daniel Pastorius, was considered by many the most learned man in America at the time.
1899 - B.H. Irwin began issuing "Live Coals of Fire," official publication of the Fire Baptized Holiness Association of America. Organized in 1898, the denomination was comprised of former Methodists, Quakers and River Brethren.
1982 - In his daily radio broadcast, American Bible expositor Derek Prince declared: 'God accepts responsibility for the maintenance of his appointed temple - our body.'
© 1987-2008, William D. Blake. Used by permission of the author, from Almanac of the Christian Church
