I REMEMBER: THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DATES

article by PAUL LIPE
opinion expressed is that of the writer

I remember some of the most significant dates in the history of the world, dates that mark events which impacted the way earthlings thought and behaved.  If we all were to select our “top ten major events,” I suspect that there would be a great deal of similarity in our choices.  One of my top choices is celebrated during this month and remembers how, on October 31, 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther sparked the Protestant Reformation when he nailed his “95 Theses” on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg prompting a debate relative to the doctrine and practice of the church, an action that changed the course of Western Civilization.  If this does not register on your list of the most significant events of world history, I heartily encourage you to spend some time reading about the Reformation.  I’ll make a few additional comments about Luther and the Reformation later in this article, but you would be benefited by doing some research on your own.

Some other choices that come to mind as I contemplate major happenings in man’s story would include July 4th and Independence Day, which marks the birth of the nation that would become the premiere economic and military force in the world.  The colonists’ victory over the formidable British Empire is certainly noteworthy and was unexpected.

An additional area that some might consider worthy of consideration would be the advancements that have been made in how we share and communicate ideas and information.  What I have in mind are inventions of things like the printing press, the telephone, radio and television, the computer and the internet.  Just think of how the impact of such developments has radically changed the way we live.  

A few other things that I believe are worthy of consideration as having made major differences in the life and history of our world would include the following: Columbus and his discovery of America, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Civil War and the end of slavery, the 1215 signing of the Magna Carta by the British monarch, the dynamic advances that have been made in the field of medicine,  the Atomic Bomb and the end of World War II and the subsequent development of nuclear power, and events like Pearl Harbor and “9-11.”  There are more things that came  to  my mind but which I have left off my list, and I am confident that many of you have suggestions that would have enhanced our thinking.  My hope is that we can learn from our history so that we can repeat those things that are beneficial and avoid those mistakes that were detrimental to that which is good.

Given the fact that I have spent the vast majority of my life teaching the Bible, it will not surprise anyone that at the top of my list of world-changing incidents would be the incarnation of Jesus, the Christ – the birth, death, and resurrection of the One who gives eternal life to those who trust Him.  I am convinced that the good that has come from this One – the hospitals, schools, churches, mercy ministries, etc. – is unmatched by anything else that has happened in our long history as a human race.  I doubt that anyone could, or would question the difference that this man from Nazareth has made in the lives of countless millions of those who have been His followers.

Jesus gave His life to provide life to all who would put their faith in Him, and Martin Luther risked his life to bring reformation to the Church that was established by Christ’s disciples.  Each Sunday, people all around the world celebrate what Jesus has accomplished.  On October 31st, I plan to celebrate the contribution Martin Luther made in helping to reform the church.  I invite you to join in that remembrance.