This week in Christian history: Oswald Chambers born; Methodist bishop testifies before Congress
Christmas Evans dies – July 19, 1838
This week marks the anniversary of when Christmas Evans, a prominent Welsh preacher known for having only one eye, died at the age of 71 following a sudden illness.
Fittingly born on Christmas Day 1766 in Ysgaerwen, Wales, Evans had reportedly lost sight in one eye in his youth during an intense brawl that was started by another party.
After having a born-again experience, Evans was ordained in 1789 and soon became known for preaching to gatherings all over Wales, as well as building multiple chapels in Great Britain.
“Crowds flocked to hear his sermons,” noted Wholesome Words. “His humor sometimes threw a congregation into roars of laughter, often changed in a moment by his pathos into tears, and his startling power of declamation exercised extraordinary influence on all who heard him, whom his brethren called the ‘Bunyan of Wales.’”
In an op-ed republished by The Christian Post in 2022, the Rev. Mark H. Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc, labeled Evans “one of Great Britain’s most renowned Baptist ministers.”
