January 30: Today in Christian History

January 30, 1536

Menno Simons, a Roman Catholic priest in the Netherlands, publicly renounces Catholicism. Baptized by the moderate Anabaptist leader Obbe Philips, he will become the successful leader of the Mennonites.

January 30, 1607

Philip III, King of Spain, issues a Cedula Real (Royal Ordinance) that says Indians who are converted and become Christians cannot be made serfs, and are to be exempt from taxation for a period of ten years. Under this and other decrees, Jesuits will attempt to protect and train Indians, especially in Paraguay.

January 30, 1630

John Brebeuf pronounces his final vows as a Jesuit. He will go on to labor in Canada where he will be tortured to death by the Iroquois.

January 30, 1669

(probable date) Death in Tiflis, Georgia, of Paul of Aleppo, an Archdeacon in the Syrian Melkite Church. He had written a chronicle The Travels of Macarius, Patriarch of Antioch, an important source of information for events of his time. He had also written a History of the Patriarchs of Antioch.

January 30, 1814

John Williams is converted while listening to a sermon by Timothy East. This Englishman will become a famous missionary to the New Hebrides islands.

January 30, 1867

Members of the newly organized Evangelical Alliance elect William E. Dodge, a leading merchant, industrialist, and philanthropist to be their president. In their charter they affirm their belief in “the divine-human person and atoning work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as the only and sufficient source of salvation, as the heart and soul of Christianity, and as the center of all true Christian union and fellowship.” The alliance will organize prayer gatherings and conferences, and issue appeals in behalf of persecuted Christians.

January 30, 1878

The Church of God (Winebrennarian) expels Daniel Warner for preaching holiness. He becomes a founder of the Church of God (Anderson) and will also be known for hymns such as “His Yoke Is Easy.”

January 30, 1891

Death in Highland Park, New Jersey, of Methodist evangelist James Caughey, who converted large numbers to Christianity in Canada, preaching revival and holiness.

January 30, 1956

Chinese authorities in Shanghai force more than twenty-two thousand members of the “Little Flock” to attend a mass denunciation because of their faith.

January 30, 1977

Festo Kivengere, an Anglican Bishop in Uganda, challenges Idi Amin’s mass killings in a sermon titled “The Preciousness of Life.” Afterward he and his family will have to flee for their lives to Kenya.