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Christian History

Today in Christian History

December 21

December 21, 1118: Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury who clashed with England's King Henry II, is born in London.

December 21, 1511: In Hispaniola, preacher Antonio des Montesinos counters the conquistador sentiment "Gunpowder against Indians is incense to the Lord" with a fiery sermon denouncing Spain's atrocities in the new world (see issue 35: Columbus Christianity).

December 21, 1620: English separatists known as the Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts (see issue 41: American Puritans).

December 21, 1807: Anglican clergyman and hymnwriter John Newton, author of "Amazing Grace," dies (see 31: The Golden Age of Hymns).

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March 28, 1515: Spanish mystic Teresa of Avila, founder of a reformed Carmelite order, is born. Though her contemporaries noted her practicality and administrative skills, her legacy stems from her mysticism, evidenced in her Autobiography, Way of Perfection, Book of Foundations, and Interior Castle.

March 28, 1592: Czech theologian Jan Comenius, educator of the Bohemian (or Moravian) Brethren, is born in Nivnice, Czechoslovakia. As today, the region was tormented by warfare, and Comenius believed ...

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