1533 – Pope Clement VII excommunicated England’s King Henry VIII.
1739 – The English founder of Methodism John Wesley wrote in his journal: “I look upon all the world as my parish.”
1767 – John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. Adams once said, “So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year.” One of my favorite movie scenes is Adam’s fictionalized speech before the Supreme Court in “Amistad.” You can read the speech or listen to an MP3 of Anthony Hopkin’s rendition of it here.
1846 – The author of one of my favorite quotes about Christianity, Leon Bloy, was born. The quote? “Any Christian who is not a hero is a pig.” To say Bloy was an Eeyore of his age is an understatement. He once said, “My existence is a sad country where it is always raining….” I think I know a little about what he feels. Bloy, however, was also an outspoken critic of hypocrisy wherever he saw it, and he ruffled more than a few feathers in his day. You can read more of his quotes, as well as some quotes about him, here.
