History
Today in Christian History

January 13

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
<>

January 13, 367 (traditional date): Hilary of Poitiers, the leading orthodox church father during Arianism's heyday, dies. His writings about the Trinity and his organization of anti-Arian allies were influential in fighting the heresy but did not have their full effect until after his death (see issue 51: Heresy in the Early Church).

January 13, 1501: Christianity's first vernacular hymnal is printed in Prague, containing 89 hymns in Czech.

January 13, 1616: Flemish mystic Antoinette Bourignon is born. A mystical writer whose works were included by John Wesley in his Christian Library, she soon found herself estranged from mainstream Christianity, especially when she declared herself the "woman clothed with the sun" of Revelation 12. Still, her ideas were so influential that, for 178 years, ministers of the Church of Scotland had to make an explicit denial of Bouringnonism before they could be ordained.

January 13, 1635: Philip Jacob Spener, founder of German pietism, is born in Rappolstein. His emphasis on new birth and holy living revitalized the German Lutheran Church and many later movements, including American evangelicalism (see issue 10: Pietism).

January 13, 1691: George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends (Quakers), dies. Fox left the Anglican church to rely on the "Inner Light of the Living Christ."

Our Latest

News

Influential Chinese House Church Faces New Crackdown

Joy Ren

Leaders of Early Rain Covenant Church had prepared for the roundup, which saw 9 leaders and staff detained.

We Are Risking the Legacy of the Civil Rights Generation

All is not lost. But Christians must regain our distinctiveness and reclaim our moral clarity.

The Bulletin

Iranians Speak Up, Jerome Powell Stands Strong, and Grok Under Scrutiny

Mike Cosper, Clarissa Moll, Russell Moore

Iranians’ courage amidst deadly protests, the Federal Reserve’s independence in question, and explicit images in Elon Musk’s AI.

Through a Storm of Violence

In 1968, CT grappled with the Vietnam War and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.

Authority Is Good. But Whose Authority?

Three books on theology to read this month.

News

The Christian Curriculum Teaching Civil Rights to a New Generation

We Have Not Read MLK Enough

Americans have strong opinions about the civil rights leader but often simplistic notions of who he was.

News

Texas Law Aims to Stop Abortion Drugs at the State Line

Neighbors can now sue each other over mail-order drugs. Pro-life advocates are divided on the tactic.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube