Christian Milestones This Week Include New Pope and Giant Jesus Statue

Faith Facts

• Damasus was elected pope on October 1, 366, after a turbulent succession following the death of Liberius.
• Charles Finney, the renowned revival preacher, contracted cholera on October 2, 1831, during one of his evangelistic campaigns.
• A 62-foot statue of Jesus called Lux Mundi was dedicated at Solid Rock Church in Ohio on October 5, 2012.

Christian believers around the country are looking back this week at several pivotal moments that shaped the faith and witness of the church in America and beyond.

On October 1, 366, Damasus was chosen as the new bishop of Rome after a contested election that followed the death of Pope Liberius. His leadership helped strengthen the early church’s commitment to biblical doctrine and the authority of Scripture during a time of division and political pressure.

“The Lord has given us a shepherd who will guard the flock with courage,” one contemporary account noted of Damasus’s election.

Exactly 1,465 years later, on October 2, 1831, famed evangelist Charles Finney fell ill with cholera while preaching in the Northeast. Though gravely sick, Finney continued to call people to repentance and faith in Christ, demonstrating the steadfast commitment that marked the Second Great Awakening.

“I was so ill that I could hardly stand,” Finney later recalled, “but the Lord sustained me and the work went on.”

On October 5, 2012, Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, dedicated its towering 62-foot statue of Jesus known as Lux Mundi. The gleaming figure with arms outstretched replaced an earlier statue destroyed by lightning and quickly became a visible reminder of the congregation’s desire to point travelers on Interstate 75 toward the Savior.

“We wanted something that would proclaim Jesus to everyone who passes by,” church leaders said at the dedication.

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