January 5: Today in Christian History

January 5, 1527

Felix Manz becomes the first Anabaptist martyr, drowned in the Limmat River (Switzerland) for rebaptizing Christians as adults.

January 5, 1547

Death in Wroclaw, Poland, of Johann Hess, the Lutheran reformer of Silesia.

January 5, 1743

George Whitefield and Welsh Calvinists Methodists form the first Methodist association at Wadford, Wales.

January 5, 1793

Death of John Howie, author of The Scots Worthies (1775), biographies of the Covenanters. He had written it to counteract a growing tendency among his contemporaries to disparage their Christian ancestors, and he sought to inflame love of Christ by giving notable examples.

January 5, 1874

Kate Youngman and Mary Park open Graham Seminary in Tokyo (named for Julia Graham, head of the Presbyterian’s foreign missionary office). They will form networks to evangelize among the Japanese and Youngman will move on to work with victims of leprosy.

January 5, 1921

Wang Ming-Dao and his companions break the ice on a frozen river near Baoding, China, and are baptized as adult believers. Consequently Ming-Dao loses a steady income with the Presbyterian mission which teaches infant baptism.

January 5, 1943

Death of George Washington Carver, after falling downstairs at his Tuskugee, Alabama, home. He had overcome the adversity of being born a slave to become a leading American educator and chemurgist. He had been noted for his deep faith, humility, and lively Bible lessons.

January 5, 1971

The Jewish organization Yad Vashem recognizes the Reverend André Trocmé of the Reformed Church as Righteous among the Nations because of his efforts to rescue Jews in France during Nazi occupation. He and his wife Magda will be remembered with other Righteous Gentiles in the Episcopal Church calendar on July 19. In May 1984, Yad Vashem will recognize Magda for her role. André's second cousin Daniel will also be recognized as Righteous among the Nations, having died in a concentration camp for his role protecting Jews.