"OF WHOM THE WORLD WAS NOT WORTHY"

 -158-

JUNE

28, 1532 --Germany. At Muenster, the newly-elected Bishop Franz Waldeck demands the removal of Evangelical preachers and the restoration of Roman Catholic worship, but the citizens will form a league for the protection of their Protestant pastor, Bernhard Rothmann. They will elect a committee of thirty-six men for the purpose of obtaining not only permission to preach the Gospel freely, but also for obtaining sole recognition of it in the city.
      The city council requests the Roman clergy to dispute Mr. Rothmann from the Bible, and as they steadfastly refuse to do so, all the churches in the city, excepting the cathedral, are filled with evangelical preachers by August 10th.

28, 1539 --England. By the Act of the Six Articles, the English Parliament today departs from Protestant principles by imposing upon the English people the doctrine of Transubstantiation upon penalty of death by burning and confiscation of goods; and the depravation of the Sacrament which results in the same penalty. The celebration of Communion in both kinds and the breaking of the vows of celibacy are punishable by death. Marriages among the clergy are dissolved. Special commissions are to be sent quarterly to enforce the act.

28, 1577 --Germany. Peter Paul Rubens is born. His family has been exiled to Germany because the name of his father has appeared on a list of Calvinists. They have fled the wrath of the Spanish rulers in their native Flanders. Mr. Rubens will become well known for his contribution to the field of Religious art, and his paintings will become prized by the Christian world.

28, 1631 --Italy. Pope Urban VIII issues a brief in which he rejoices over the destruction of the Protestant forces at Magdeburg by Tilly.

28, 1804 --Kentucky. The Springfield Presbytery dissolves to “sink into union with the Body of Christ at large.” Taking the name “Christian”, the group, which is lead by Richard McNemar and Mr. Barton Stone, adopts the Bible as their only guide and to follow a strict congregational form of government.
      Within a year, Mr. McNemar, an influential preacher in the Kentucky Revival, will become a Shaker. Mr. Stone, who has also played a leading role in the Kentucky Revival, will emerge as leader of the “Christian” movement, which will merge with the Campbellites in 1832 to form the “Disciples of Christ.”

29, 1906 --Washington, D. C. The Cruelty to Animals Act is passed by Congress.

29, 1911 --Greece. Michael Demetrius Kalupothakes dies. Be has opened the first Sunday School in Greece. After eight weeks the school was so crowded he allowed to attend only the few Greek Protestants then in Athens. He has witnessed the constitutional guarantee of freedom of worship for Greek Protestants, which has aroused the Orthodox Church to renewed activity to counteract the influences of Protestantism.
     He was one of the founders of the Greek Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

29, 1931 --Italy. Pope Pius XI issues the encyclical, “Non Abbiamo Bisogno” to defend Catholic Action in Italy against Fascism. As the purpose of Catholic Action is “to have the laity participate in some measure in the apostolate of the hierarchy” through groups devoted to social activities, the Fascist government has sought to discredit and to destroy such organizations as being incompatible with the allegiance owed the State. The Pope protests against such attacks denouncing the interference of Fascist police with the rights of Catholic groups and reaffirms the spiritual nature and aims of Catholic Action. He expresses concern over the monopoly claimed by the State for the spiritual formation of the Italian youth, forcibly enrolled in the schools and the other organizations of the party. The Oath extracted from the members of the Fascist groups is branded unlawful, while persons unable to avoid taking it are advised to use mental reservations such as “saving the laws of God and of the Church.”
      The encyclical closes calling for Prayer and Unity.
 

 

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