March 18, 1980 – Mr. Edmonds

As the world watches how Christians are being persecuted in modern Middle Eastern counties, it isn’t the first time. On March 18, 1980 a Christian student at the University of Alexandria, Egypt refused to deny his faith to an angry group of students. The students then beat the young man, known only as “Mr. Edmonds”, to unconsciousness and broke his …

March 17, 461 – The Real “Saint” Patrick

Here are a couple of things you may not know about St. Patrick (who was a real guy who died on March 17, 461): 1. There were never any snakes in Ireland so he didn’t really run them out, 2. He has never been officially made a saint, and 3. He’s not Irish. What you should know is he was …

March 16, 1895 – John Albert Broadus

Known as the “Prince of the Pulpit” John Albert Broadus was a solid figure in Southern Baptist circles. A former pastor of the Charlottesville, VA Baptist Church and professor at the University of Virginia, he co-founded the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary when in Greenville, South Carolina (because of the Civil War it was relocated to its present day campus in …

March 15, 1517 – Indulgences

My guess is that if Pope Leo X knew what he would set off by allowing the sales of indulgences on March 15, 1517, he’d re-think that one. The building of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican had gone way over budget (it would be almost 80 years until it would be completed) and the Pope’s financial adviser suggested the …

March 14, 1661 – William Leddra

From the very beginning of the Puritan colony of Massachusetts, Quakers were beaten or branded with an H for being a heretic. When those efforts didn’t stop them from preaching that Jesus could be known intimately without church rituals, some like William Leddra were hanged. On March 14, 1661 Leddra (pictured here) was the last to hang for the crime …

March 13, 1925 – Scopes Monkey Trial

It would be interesting to know if the State of Tennessee knew when it passed “the Butler Bill” on March 13, 1925 that the world would soon be watching. House Bill 185, offered by State Representative John Washington Butler pictured here, prohibited teaching evolution in public schools and a teacher in Dayton, TN named John Scopes decided he’d teach it …

March 12, 2000 – Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II took a bold step on March 12, 2000 when he asked God for forgiveness of the past sins of the Roman Catholic Church. During a Lent mass homily, the Pope said ”We cannot not recognize the betrayal of the Gospel committed by some of our brothers, especially in the second millennium. Recognizing the deviations of the …

March 11, 1559 – Perth churches burned

When my Protestant friends bring up the horrible persecution Bloody Mary inflicted on Protestants during her reign in England, I remind them of situations such as what took place in Perth, Scotland (pictured here). On March 11, 1559 Protestants burned the Catholic churches in Perth (once the capital of Scotland) and told the priests and friars they were not allowed …

March 10, 1748 – John Newton

The author of the most beloved hymn “Amazing Grace” was converted to Christianity on March 10, 1748. John Newton later said of his acceptance of Christ: “That 10th of March is a day much to be remembered by me; and I have never allowed it to pass unnoticed since the year 1748. For on that day the Lord came from …

March 9, 1948 – Civilla Durfee Martin

“His Eye in on the Sparrow” and “God Will Take Care of You” are just two of the hymns written by Civilla Durfee Martin who died on March 9, 1948 in Atlanta, Georgia. She and her husband wrote several hymns but her most famous one (His Eye is on the Sparrow) was the marquee song by jazz great Ethel Waters …