May 16: Today in Christian History

 

May 16, 1553

Roman Catholics in Lyons seize five young Frenchmen trained by the reformers Viret and Beza and burn them to death, despite the intercession of Reformed Swiss cantons.

May 16, 1569

Dirk Willem is burned at the stake in his native Netherlands for his Anabaptist faith, captured because he turned to save a pursuer who had fallen through the ice. The very man he rescued had taken him captive.

May 16, 1816

Robert Richford Roberts is consecrated during a Methodist General Conference in Baltimore as the sixth bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

May 16, 1819

Henry Nott baptizes King Pomare II of Tahiti. In a short time the Tahitians pass laws that forbid cruel murders and the islands begin to experience peace. 

May 16, 1835

Death in Dublin, Ireland, of Felicia Hemans, author of two little-known hymns: “He Knelt, the Saviour Knelt and Prayed” and “Father! that in the Olive Shade.”

May 16, 1906

Death in London of Edward Henry Bickersteth, Bishop of Exeter, author of many books, poems, and hymns. The most notable of the latter had been “Peace, Perfect Peace.”

May 16, 1920

George Washington Truett speaks from the Capitol steps in Washington, DC. The Dallas pastor, whose church boasts seven thousand members, takes as his theme “Baptists and Religious Liberty.” He expresses pride that Baptists have never oppressed anyone in the name of religion, saying “God wants free worshipers and no other kind.” He reminds senators, congressmen, and his many other listeners that liberties cannot stand if they become license to do evil. “Selfish ease must be utterly renounced for Christ and his cause and our every gift and grace and power utterly dominated by the dynamic of his Cross.”

May 16, 1920

Joan of Arc is canonized five hundred years after her politically-motivated execution.

16th May, 1945

On this day in Christian History, G. Campbell Morgan died in England. In his lifetime, he was one of the great expositors of the Bible.

16th May, 1962

On this day in Christian History, Daniel Lot died. In his lifetime, he was a zealous evangelist and prayer warrior of the Church of Christ in Nigeria. At his burial, many women defied the tribal tradition at the time and came to the grave site.

16th May, 1971

On this day in Christian History, Cabien Alexis began to preach in Ile Adam, Haiti, and soon had a flourishing church in this formerly gospel-resistant area. Eventually, his work branched out to all of Haiti as the Army of God, with churches, schools, and orphanages.

16th May, 1996

On this day in Christian History, Samuel Onyuku Elenwo becomes the first Anglican bishop of the newly created Niger Delta North Diocese. An aggressive evangelist, he tripled the number of districts and parishes and led many Nigerians to a new or renewed faith in Christ.

16th May, 2025

On this day in Christian History, popular Nigerian Gospel musician, Gaise Baba and Pastor Lawrence Oyor release a unique version of the song "I have decided to follow Jesus, No Turning Back".