September 22: Today in Christian History

September 22, 1853

Charles Carter arrived in Ceylon as a missionary of the Baptist Missionary Society. He made such rapid progress in language study that he was able to preach his first sermon in Sinhalese at Biyanwila just four months after his arrival.

September 22, 1566

Johann Agricola, German theologian and reformer, dies. He became a friend of Martin Luther in 1519, though after 1540 the relationship deteriorated over the issue of the authority of Mosaic Law in believers' and nonbelievers' lives.

September 22, 1692

Puritan magistrates hang the last 8 of 20 condemned witches in Salem, Massachusetts.

September 22, 1734

The Confessors of the Glory of Christ, followers of 16th century Polish reformer Caspar Schwenckfeld, settle in the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside. In 1525 Schwenckfeld had traveled to Wittenberg to ask Martin Luther for an appointment, but found they disagreed on many issues. He became part of the Radical Reformation and Catholics and Protestants both persecuted him.

September 22, 1862

Abraham Lincoln issues the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation after the costly Union victory at the battle of Antietam. The final proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863 and the 13th Amendment officially abolishing slavery was ratified by congress two years later on December 18, 1865.