Colonial evangelist Gilbert Tennent preaches his famous sermon 'The Danger of An Unconverted Ministry' in 1740

Along with Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, he became one of the leaders of the evangelical revival known as the First Great Awakening.

1551 – Genevan authorities admonish Hierosme Hermes Bolsec for meddling in theology. Still, Bolsec now and later argues that men are not saved because they are elected but are elected because they have faith. Eventually, he is expelled from Geneva and writes unflattering biographies of Reformation leaders Calvin and Beza. In 1555 he was also driven from Thonon, in the Bernese territory, where he had retired. He went to Paris and sought admission into the ministry of the Reformed Church. However, his opinions were not deemed sufficiently orthodox from a reformed perspective. He was asked for a declaration of faith but refused. He went to Lausanne (c. 1563), but as the signing of the Confession of Bern was made a condition of his residence there, he preferred to return to France. Shortly after, he recanted his Protestant beliefs and was reconciled with the Catholic Church.

1740 - In Nottingham, Pennsylvania, colonial evangelist Gilbert Tennent preaches his famous sermon, “The Danger of An Unconverted Ministry.” His message deplores placing men in pulpits who are not themselves converted to new life in Christ. “Is a dead man fit to bring others to life?” Born into a Scotch-Irish family in County Armagh, Ireland, he migrated to America with his parents, studied theology, and along with Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, became one of the leaders of the evangelical revival known as the First Great Awakening.

1782 - For two days a group of Pennsylvania militiamen under the command of Captain David Williamson attacked peaceable Indians of the Moravian mission at Gnadenhütten in retaliation for the deaths and kidnappings of several Pennsylvanians by other Indians, murdering 28 men, 29 women, and 39 children.

1948 - In McCollum v. Board of Education, Justice Hugo Black hands down a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States that religious education in public schools is a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution. The court rules that allowing children “release time,” even with parental consent, to receive religious instruction during school hours on school property violates the separation of church and state.

– Source: Christian History Institute. Read more at https://christianhistoryinstitute.org