James Porter Moreland ( born 9th March 1948), better known as J.P. Moreland, is an American philosopher, theologian and Christian apologist - a person concerned with the defence and rational justification of Christianity. He currently serves as a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University in La Mirada, California, He specializes in metaphysics - the system of first principles and assumptions underlying an inquiry or philosophical theory, philosophy of mind and Christian philosophy. Degrees He received a B.S. in physical chemistry from the University of Missouri. M.A. in Philosophy from the University of California, Riverside Th.M in Theology form Dallas Theological Seminary Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Southern California 1985 For 10 years he served with the Campus Crusade. He planted 2 Campus Crusade works and planted 2 churches James has spoken on over 200 college campuses and in 100s of churches. He has authored, edited, or contributed papers to 95 books. ( See ‘Works’ and ‘Amazon’) James has also published close to 90 articles He has had his work published in journals such as *Metaphilosophy and American Philosophically Quarterly. * He regularly contributes articles to Christianity Today, Faith and Philosophy, Philosophia Christi, and Philosophy Phenomenological Research. James has been a frequent guest on the PBS television series Closer to Truth. ( See sheet on ‘Closer to Truth’) He is a member of the Board of Advisers for the Center on Cultural and Civil Society (CCCS) at the Independent Institute. The purpose of CCCS is to bring together top scholars in their various fields to produce books, events and media programs for all to use. ( See notes on CCCS) James has received many awards and honors ( See ‘Awards and honors’} In 2016 J. P. Moreland was recognized by The Best Schools as being one of the 50 most influential living philosophers. A recognition well deserved. Sources Biola University Discovery Institute The Independent Institute TV Episodes/ Closer to Truth Wikipedia

Thomas Clark Oden was an American Methodist theologian and religious author. He is often regarded as the father of the paleo (variant)-orthodox theological movement. He was Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Theology and Ethics at Drew University in New Jersey from 1980 until his retirement in 2004, He remained faculty emeritus until he died. Thomas was born on 21st of October 1931 in Altus, Oklahoma. He was the son of an attorney and a music teacher. As a youth he considered two vocations - lawyer or Methodist minister. Aged 10 the family moved to Oklahoma City, In 1945 they moved back to Atlus. In High school he began his vocation of writing and speaking. Thomas married Edrita Pokorny on 10th August 1952. They had 3 children. Degrees BA from the University of Oklahoma 1953 BD from Southern Methodist University 1956 MA from Yale University 1958 Ph.D. from ‘’ ‘’ 1960 Thomas lectured at a number of universities - Yale, Southern Methodist, Heidelberg, Lomonosov and Pontifical Gregorian in Rome, plus Princeton Theological Seminary. In his writings he became a supporter of paleo-orthodoxy - an approach which relies on the writings of the early church. In the early 1970s he was influenced by his Jewish colleague, Will Herberg, He discovered an ecumenical orthodoxy interpretation of the New Testament which is universal and accepted by most Christian faiths. Thomas suggested that Christians need to *rely upon the wisdom of the historical/early church, rather than on modern scholarship and theology which he thought was tainted by political agendas. * He said his mission was to prepare the third millennium for the *careful study and respectful following of the central tradition of classical Christianity. * Thomas was active in the Confessing Movement in America. He served on the board of the Institute on Religion and Democracy. He had an Arminian theology which means he believes in the Christian Protestant doctrines of Jacobus Arminus (1560-1609)- the Dutch theologian. He wrote *The Transforming Power of Grace * which according to Roger E. Olson ’ is one of the best expositions of Arminian theology '* * He wrote and edited many book, articles ,essays and speeches on a range of topics. He served as the architect and general editor of Ancient Christian Commentary on Scriptures(ACCS) which is a massive 30 volume series. He was general editor of the Ancient Doctrine series and Ancient Christian devotionals. He was consulting editor of the Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity ( See ‘Works’ for list of books and Amazon notes on ACCS). Thomas died , aged 85, on 8th December 2016. He is considered to be one of the most influential theologians of the late 20th/early 21st century. He had* A Life time of Pioneering Theological Scholarship*. Sources used InterVasity press Wikipedia

Richard Longeneck is a prominent New Testament scholar. For many years he taught at Wycliffe College University of Toronto., He was formerly Distinguished Professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, Ontario. He is now retired. He received a B.A. (1953) and M.A. (19560 from Wheaton College He received a Ph.D from new College , University of Edinburgh Wycliffe College honored him with a D.D. He developed an international reputation teaching in several theological colleges for 40 years. He also lectured widely in North America. He is the author of numerous books and published over 50 articles in scholarly and professional journals. (See 'Works for long list of books published over 45 years). in 1994 a Festschrift (a collection of essays and learned papers) were published in his honor. In 2016 his commentary on the epistle to Romans was published by Eerdmans in the *New International Greek Testament Commentary *series. He has given significant contributions to the Institute for Biblical Research (IBR).Established in 1973 its vision is *to foster excellence in the pursuit of Biblical Studies within a faith environment. * (See notes on IBR) Richard has also given outstanding leadership serving as president of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC). Founded in 1964 It publishes *Faith Today which is a major evangelical magazine in Canada ( See notes on EFC) Richard was born on 21st July 1930 which means he is now 90. The Epistle to the Romans was published when he was 86 - what an achievement. I am lost for words. Sources used Theopedia Wikipedia

Mark Dever is the senior pastor of the Capitol Hill Baptist Church (CHBC) in Washington D.C. He is the co-founder and president of 9Mark which was created to build biblically faithful churches in America. He earned a B.A. at Duke University, a M.A. in Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a M.A, in Theology form Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Dr of Philosophy from Cambridge University. Mark grew up in rural Kentucky and was an avid reader, reading sections from encyclopedias by the age of 10. Based on his reading and thoughts he considered himself an agnostic. Later he reread the Gospel and seeing the change in the life of Jesus’ disciples led him to becoming a Christian. In 1994 he became the senior pastor of CHBC. CHBC is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Mark believes that Baptist churches should be led by a plurality of congregational elders as opposed to a single elder. In 1998 Mark founded The Center for Church Reform which eventually became*9Mark The aim of 9Mark is to help Bible believing churches become more healthy by recovering a Biblical view of the church. The 9 marks are:- Expositional preaching Biblical Theology '' understanding of the gospel '' '' '' '' conversion '' '' '' '' evangelism '' '' '' '' membership '' church discipline Promotion of Christian discipleship and growth 9 .Biblical Understanding of church leadership ( See About 9Mark) Mark and CHBC also train church leaders an a small scale. Every year 12 interns pass through the church’s internship program that centers around ecclesiology. (See Notes for definition) He is a member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals (ACE) where he leads the Alliance Forum. The ACE promotes the traditional doctrines of the Protestant Reformation especially Calvinism. (See Notes for more ACE info.) Mark has become more widely recognized among conservative evangelicals as he has appeared at large nationwide conferences. He co-founded the Together for the Gospel conference. Notes on Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals Ecclesiology - definition of Sources Wikipedia

George Beverly Shea (1909-2013) was often called America’s beloved singer He lived to be 104 and spent nearly 60 years of those years singing and working with Bill Graham. He was born on 1st February 1909 in Winchester, Ontario, Canada. His first singing was in the choir of his father’s Wesleyan Methodist Church. He later sang with the Houghton (N.Y.) College Glee Club. He was educated at Annesley College in Ottawa (1926-8). and Houghton College. Houghton, N.Y. (1928-9). For the next 9 years he worked in a minor way in radio broadcasting (singing on WMCA and WHN), while working as a clerk of Mutual of New York insurance(1929-38). From 1938-44 he was an announcer and staff soloist at WMBI radio Chicago.He met Bllly Graham there in 1943. When Billy Graham took over the radio program Songs in the Night he remembered George and enlisted him to help with the broadcast. This was the beginning of a long association. In 1947 George went to sing at Charlotte, N.C., Billy’s hometown, at one of Billy’s first city wide Crusades. I have sometimes said that I would feel lost getting up to preach if Bev were not there to prepare the way through an appropriate song. Billy Graham. The famous 1949 Los Angeles tent meeting catapulted Billy and his associates to national attention. The team went onto share the Gospel on every continent. Bev with Cliff Barrows were the nucleus of the Crusade musical team. He was one of the busiest members of the team and he sung at hundreds of concerts. He was part of the team up until 2013. He was soloist on the Hour of Decision from 1950-2013. Singing weekly on this program for over 60 years his bass-baritone voice is recognised across the world. He used utilized all available media to share the ‘Good News’ of Jesus Christ. He was prolific recording artist and composer for over 50 years (1951-2013)and had 70 albums of hymns and 9 CDs. He was the recipient of 10 Grammy awards. He is on 3 lists of Hall of Fame- Gospel Music Association (1978), Religious Broadcasting (1996) and Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists (2008). He received many other awards and honours over the years. (See list of awards and honors). He never retired - all the dates go up to 2013 - the year he died. He died on Tuesday April 16th 2013 after a brief illness. Every hymn he sang was a testimony to the saving power of Jesus Christ. Source Wikipedia

John Alexander Dowie (1847-1907) was a Scottish-Australian minister known as an evangelist and faith healer. He started his career as a conventional minister in South Australia, After becoming both an evangelist and faith healer he immigrated with his family to the USA in 1888 He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 25th May 1847. In 1860 the family immigrated to Adelaide, Australia. He found work with his paternal uncle, Alexander Dowie in a prosperous bootmaker retail and factory business. In 1868, aged 21, he returned to Scotland to study theology. Back in Australia he was ordained in 1872 as pastor of a Congregational church at Alma, South Australia. 1873 moved to Manly, New South Wales. In 1875 moved to Newton. On 26th May 1876 he married his cousin, Jane Dowie, they had 3 children. About this time he became an independent evangelist. He held meetings in a theatre and claiming powers of healing. He was briefly involved with the Salvation Army. In early 1880s he went to Melbourne and attracted many followers. 1882 invited to Sackville Street Tabernacle, Collingwood. He forceful leadership caused a split in the church. He was fined and jailed briefly for leading unauthorised processions. His church was burnt down - arson suspected. Insurance paid off debts. By this time he had published 3 books based mainly on his lectures. In 1888 John immigrated with his family to the USA. He settled in San Francisco where he built a following by performing faith healings across the state. His ministry- International Divine Healing Association (IDHA), was run largely as a commercial enterprise. All members were expected to tithe (10%) - this made them eligible to request Dowie’s aid to heal their ills. Not all of his business was legal and 2 women sued and won their cases. As a result he moved to Chicago in 1890 to take advantage of the crowds attracted to the 1893 World Fair. At the fair he staged ‘Divine Healings’ -he used audience ‘plants’ and other dubious methods. Numbers continued to grow and in 1894 he established the Zion Tabernacle downtown and many Zion buildings. He held services at Chicago’s Auditorium building ( See notes). He launched Zion publishing and started a weekly newsletter- Leaves of Healing (See notes) In 1896 IDHA, renamed Christian Catholic Apostolic Church in 1903. (See CCC) With a following of 6,000 he secretly bought land 40 miles north of Chicago and founded in July 1901 the city of Zion, Illinois. He personally owned all the land and all the property. Followers forced to to deposit their funds in the Zion ‘bank’-never registered. His family lived in luxury but Zion was continually in debt. His wife and family left him in 1903 because of his questionable practices 1904 visited Australia. Deposed in 1905. He suffered a stroke and recuperated in Mexico. John died on the 9 March 1907 and is buried in Lake Mound Cemetery, Zion, Illinois.

Howell Harris (1714-1773 was a Calvinistic Methodist evangelist. He was one of the main leaders of the Welsh Methodist revival in the 18th century along with Daniel Rowland and William Williams Pantyselyn. Howell was born on the 23rd January 1714 at Trefeca, naer Talgarth, Wales. He underwent religious conversion in May 1735 having heard Rev. Pryce Davies preach on palm Sunday on the necessity to take Holy Communion. After several weeks of self examination it reached a climax on Whit Sunday, May 1735, He felt convinced that he had received mercy through the blood of Christ. He began immediately to tell others. He held meetings in his house to encourage others to seek the same assurance. The Church of England were unwilling to accept him for ordination because of his ‘Methodist’ views so he became an itinerant preacher and travelled far and wide in Wales and England. He was tirelessly determined to spread the Word especially in Wales. His preaching led him into personal danger, persecution and hardship before he gained support. From 1738 Marmaduke Gwynne, a local squire and early convert, supported him. Howell became friends with Daniel Rowlands in about 1737. In 1750 he retreated to Trefeca after becoming the subject of a public scandal for his close friendship with ‘Madam’ Sidney Griffith. In 1752 he founded a religious community known as Teula Trefeca - The Trefeca family with himself as ‘Father’. His friendship with Daniel broke down when Howell became involved with Motavian errors. In 1763, 13 years later, friendship with Daniel renewed after reconciliation. They resumed their former activities. Howell died 10 years later on 21st July 1773. 20,000 are said to have attended his funeral. he was buried close to his birthplace in Talgarth. Howell Harris was effectively the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Wales, also known as the Calvinistic Methodist Church. In 1811 - not without much heart searching- the Welsh Calvinist Methodists broke away from the Church of England. He kept a detailed diary and filed letters sent and received. For years they gathered dust! These papers, some in Latin, offer a first hand account of the Welsh Methodist revival. In 2000 Howell Harris: From Conversion to Separation 1735-50 was published. ( Read ‘The papers of Howell Harris’)

William Grimshaw (1708-1763) is a name frequently missed when the 18th century revival is mentioned. William Romaine described him as the most indefatigable preacher that ever was in England. He was educated in Blackburn before going to Cambridge University as a sizar. (Sizars were given their education and keep free at the university in return for duties as servants to wealthy students, When they graduated they were ordained into the C. of E. and placed in outlying poor parishes.) He began his ministry as a curate in Todmorden, Yorkshire in 1731. There he indulged in very earthly pursuits- card playing, fox hunting, shooting etc. He changed when his young wife died, saw a parishioner suffering from post-natal depression and having a mystical experience. He under went a profound spiritual change and became an ardent evangelical. He had been a curate for 10 years before his converted. After his conversion in 1741 he moved to Haworth in 1742. When he arrived there was barely a dozen regular communicants, a year later there was nearly a 1000. Visiting preachers included the Wesley brothers and John Newton. In 1758 he built a Methodist chapel. 6,000 attended these meetings, William was a very powerful preacher and often used broad dialect. He mixed authority with humour, bluntness with tenderness, condemnation with compassion. Being healthy and strong he preached alternative weeks on 2 circuits. He was also a very good pastor. He regularly visited the housebound, elderly and sick and over seeing the education of the young. On one occasion he was so angry with his congregation’s response to his sermon he put a donkey in the pulpit! He imposed a rigorously imposed Sabbath observance on the whole village. By the time he died, 2i years later, there had been a major transformation in that bleak Yorkshire village.and the surrounding area. Drunkards had become sober, wasters had been changed into industrious family men and the Gospel flame spread far an wide. Faith Cook - William Grimshaw remembered William stayed until 1763 when he caught Typhus from a parishioner he went to visit. Realising he was about to die he asked his friend Henry Venn to preach at his funeral on For me to live is Christ and to die is gain - his personal beacon since his conversion. William, aged 55, died on 7th April 1763. Hie final whispered words were *I have nothing to do but step out of bed into heaven. I have my foot upon the threshold already. William Grimshaw of Haworth was a remarkable character and a leading figure in the evangelical revival of the 18th Century. Sources used William Grimshaw remembered The Revd. Willaim Grimshaw of Haworth (1708-17630 .

Christmas Evans (1766-1838) was born on Christmas day, December 25th 1766. He was Welsh nonconformist minister who has been described as ‘the greatest preacher that the Baptists have ever had in Great Britain’ known by D.M. Lloyd-Jones. Christmas was born near the village of Llandysul, Cardiganshire. His father, a shoemaker, died when his son was 9 years of age. He grew up as an illiterate farm labourer. He stood about 7 feet tall and lost an eye during a youthful brawl. Aged 17 he became the servant of David Davies, a Presbyterian minister, who taught him to read and write in English and Welsh. Visiting Calvinistic Methodist preachers and members of the Baptist church in Llandysul influenced him, so he joined the Baptists. Career In 1789 he settled for 2 years on the remote Llyn Peninsula in Caernarfonshire. He then moved to Llangeful in Anglesey. here on a stipend of £17 a year,he built up a strong Baptist community. Many new chapels were built, the money being collected on preaching tours which he undertook in South Wales. In 1826 he moved to Caerphilly, where he stayed for 2 years. In 1828 he moved to Cardiff. In 1832, responding to an urgent call, He settled in Caernarfon and again took undertook the old work of building and collecting. Style of preaching Christmas was a remarkably powerful preacher. With a natural aptitude for his calling he united a nimble mind and an inquiring spirit. His chief characteristic was a vivid and affluent imagination, which absorbed and controlled his other abilities, he earned the name ‘The Bunyan of Wales’. His sermons enlightened the understanding and warmed the heart. His piety humble and his faith fervently evangelical. His famous ‘The Graveyard Sermon’ was included in Grenville Kleiser’s 1909, 9 volume The World’s Great Sermons. . In 1838 he was taken ill, in the house of Daniel David,while on another tour of South Wales. He died in Swansea on 19th July 1838. His funeral was one of the largest ever attended in the country. He is buried in the grounds of Swansea’s Bethesda Chapel. His works were edited by Owen Davies in 3 volumes and published in Caernarvon between 1895-7. Christmas evans came on the scene in the late 18th century and became one of the greatest preachers in the national history of powerful Gospel preaching in Wales (It is believed to bring good luck to kiss his headstone - making it the Swansea version of the Barney Stone.) Source Wikipedia

John Frith (1503-1533 was an English protestant priest, writer and martyr. As his ministry progressed he took greater risks with his stance against the Roman Catholic teachings of Purgatory ( a temporary place or condition of suffering or torment) and Transubstantiation ( that bread and wine at Communion change to Christ’s body and blood). John was born in 1503 in Westerham, Kent. The font where he was baptised is still in use today. He went to Sevenoaks Grammar School. He then went to Eton (1520-20and Queen’s College, Cambridge. He received his degree from King’s in 1525. He became proficient in Latin, Greek and mathematics After graduating he was called out of Cambridge to attend Oxford University by Thomas Wolsey who personally gathered young men who excelled in learning and knowledge (1525-8). Met influential William Tyndale. Married in 1528 Oxford was the first place in which John was apprehended and committed to prison under the suspicion of being in favour of Martin Luther’s doctrine and had books in his possession considered ’ heretical’. He was released roughly 6 months later and fled to Antwerp. From Antwerp he travelled to Marburg where he translatedPlaces by Patrick Hamilton. In 1529 he translated other pieces. He also had *A Dispotacion of Purgatoryr, *published. (See ‘Residence in continental Europe’) The second place he was imprisoned was on a visit to Reading. in Berkshire. He went to see the Prior at Reading because he had run out of money. He was imprisoned as a vagabond and rogue, arrested and put in the stocks He was released with the help of Leonard Coxe, a local schoolmaster. On His return to England, Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor, issued warrants for his arrest. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for about 8 months.While there he wrote his final book The Bulwark - his thoughts on the Communion. John was tried before many examiners and bishops. He produced his own writing as evidence for his views but they were deemed as heresy. He was asked whether he believed in purgatory or transubstantiation he answered that neither could be proved by Holy Scripture. 23rd June sentenced to death as a heretic and moved to Newgate Prison. 4th July, 1533 publicly burned at the stake in Smithfield, London Master Frith was a young man noted for his godliness, intelligence and knowledge. In the secular world he could have risen to any height he wished, but he chose, instead, to serve the church and work for the benefit of others and not himself. Harold Chadwick John’s works were posthumously published in 1573 by John Foxe John Frith played an influential role in the Protestant Reformation

Saint Agatha of Sicily (c.231-251 AD) is a Christine saint. She was born in Catania or Palermo in Sicily. According tot the 13th century Golden Legend by Jacbus de Voragine, Agatha, aged 15, from a rich and noble family made a vow of virginity. She rejected the amorous advances and persistent proposals of marriage to the Roman prefect Quintianus. This was during the persecutions of emperor Decius so he reported her to the authorities for being a Christian. In the first place, to force her to change her mind, He imprisoned her in a brothel but Agatha never lost her confidence in God. He tried again. On being rejected he had her imprisoned and tortured - this included cutting off her breasts with pincers. He then sentenced her to be burnt at the stake but an earthquake saved her from that fate. Although her martyrdom is authenticated there is no reliable information concerning her death. She may have died in prison aged just 20. She is buried at the Badia di Sant’Agata, Catania. Her patronage is wide -these are examples. She is the patron saint of breast cancer patients and earthquakes She is the patron saint of Catania, Malta, Molise, San Marino, Gallipoli and Zamarramala. The tradition of making shaped pastry on the feast of St Agatha-5th February, such as Agatha breads or buns Breasts of St. Agatha is found in many countries. Saint Agatha of Sicily is one of the most highly venerated virgin martyrs of Christian history. She is one of several martyrs who are commemorated in the Canon of the Mass.

L’ Abri is an evangelical Christian organisation founded by Francis Schaeffer and his wife Edith in Huemoz-sur-Ollon, in Switzerland, on 5th June 1955. Francis August Schaeffer (1912-1984) was an American evangelical theologian, philosopher and Presbyterian pastor. He was the first student to graduate and first to be ordained in the \bible Presbyterian Church (1935). Edith Rachel Merritt Schaeffer (nee Seville) was a Christian author. They married in 1935. When they moved to Huemoz there was no assurance that it would be successful. They opened their alpine home to curious travellers and as a forum to discuss philosophical and religious beliefs. Word of mouth in the summer of 1955 soon led to an increasing stream of visitors, averaging 31 visitors a week. Distribution of Francis’ lectures also helped to raise awareness of their work As is grew the L’Abri organisation began to own and operate several buildings in Huemoz 4 types of people visited - short term guests students who divided their time between study and communal work, workers who participated in discussions and the work of of hospitality, members who were part of the decision making process. The L’Abri day revolves around communal meals, often used as an opportunity for formal open discussion, and students are encouraged to pursue interests in art, music and literature. (Read 'Mode of operation) Francis died in 1984 of hymphoma on 15th May 1984, in Rochester, Minnesota but his wife Edit continued to be associated with the L’Abri organisation. Edith died, at home in Gryon, Switzerland, aged 98 nearly 30 years later, on 30th March 2013. Edith 30 years ago founded The Francis Schaeffer Foundation to receive her husband’s papers and annotated books for scanning and subsequent study. This is run by her son-in-law Udo Middleman - he is also an associate pastor in Hoemoz. The ministry has continued to grow. l’Abri has operations in a number of different countries staffed by workers who encourage visitors to study and consider their religious and philosophical beliefs. Since 2011 l’Abri has residential ‘Study Centres’ in the USA , Canada, South Korea, Australia, the UK, the Netherlanders and Sweden as well as the original centre in Switzerland. It also has non -residential ‘Resource centres’ run by friends of the organisation in Brazil and Germany Today the L’Abri houses are to be found in various parts of the world and continue to offer people a place to stay when they travel. I have included information about both Schauffers and the books they wrote Source Wikipedia

John Herschel Glenn Jr. (18th July 1821-8th December 2016) was the first American to orbit the earth . He orbited the earth 3 times. He named his spacecraft ‘Friendship 7’ it happened on the 20th February because there had been 10 postponements because of bad weather or technical problems. During the flight a warning light came on to say that the capsule’s vital heat shield was loose but entry and splashdown went smoothly. He went on to become a democratic US Senator for Ohio (1974-1998). Aged 77 he flew into space again.

John Charles Ryle was an English evangelical Anglican bishop. He was a writer, pastor and an evangelical preacher. He was the first bishop of Liverpool (1880-1900). He was born in Macclesfield on 10th May 1816. He was the eldest son of John Ryle, a private banker and M.P. for Macclesfield (1833-7). He was educated at Eton and Christ Church college,Oxford. He graduated with an BA in 1838. He excelled at rowing and cricket. In 1937 he was struck down with a serious chest infection. For the first time in 14 years he turned to his Bible and prayer. One Sunday, when he was late for church, he heard these words from Ephesians ch.2 v 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it the gift of God. He was converted through hearing the Word of God, without comment or sermon. He earned a First in Classics at Oxford. He turned down the college fellowship he was offered. He decided he wanted a career in politics and went to study law in London. The smog of London, over a period of 6 months, caused a recurrence of his chest problem. His father’s bank crashed in 1841. He now had no money so he entered the ministry of the Church of England. He took holy orders. 21st December 1941 he was ordained by Charles Sumner , the Bishop of Winchester. He became curate at Exbury, Hampshire (1841/2). In 1843 he was preferred to the rectory of St. Thomas, Winchester. In the following year he exchanged for Helminghan, Suffolk (1843-61). He moved to the Stradbroke where he initiated its restoration ((1861-9). In 1869 he was made rural dean of Hoxne. 1872 he became honorary canon of Norwich. He was then the ‘select’ preacher at Cambridge and Oxford for several years. In 1880 designated dean of Salisbury and on 19 April advanced to the newly created see of Liverpool (1880-1900). John was described as having a commanding presence and being vigorous in advocating his principles, albeit with a warm disposition. It was while he was at All Saints in Stradbroke he became nationally known for his straightforward preaching and firm defence of evangelical principles. He believer in the return of the Jews to their own land. ( See information about the* Balfour Declaration*) He wrote a number of books (see ‘Published works’) He married 3 times, his first 2 died young. John became the first bishop of Liverpool on the recommendation of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. His 20 years there time resulted in churches and mission halls being built to reach the expanding urban areas of the city… He is credited with having strong success evangelizing the blue collar community. He retired in 1900 aged 83. He died on 10th June,1900, a month after his 84 birthday. He is buried at All Saints Church, Chidwall. Liverpool. His successor, Francis Chavasse, described him as a man of granite with the heart of a child. Sources Wikipedia

Charles Monroe Sheldon (1857-1946) was an American Congregationalist minister and leader of the Social Gospel movement. His novelIn His Steps he introduces the principle of*What would Jesus do? ** (WWJD) This put into writing an approach to Christian theology that became popular at the beginning of the 20th century. Charles was born on 26 th February, 1857 in Wellsville, New York. His father, a Congregational minister moved 5 times before they settled in South Dakota. Charles was a graduate of Phillips Academy (1879)in Andover, Massachusetts. He then went to college at Brown University (1880-3) followed by Andover Theological Seminary (1883-6). His pastorship was at the Congregational Church in Waterbury, Vermont (1886).He quickly earned a reputation for his liberal views and his innovative and unorthodox pastoral style. While there he met Mary ‘May’ Merriam. Mary’s parents were founding members of Central Congregational Church (CCC) and he was called to preach there in 1888. He married Mary in 1891. In 189O’s developed evening sermon stories *In his Steps or What Would Jesus Do? He read it as a weekly series from the pulpit of C.C. Church, Topeka, Kansas. The stories reflected the growing social gospel movement in the USA. In 1896 he published* In His Steps** and it quickly became an international best seller but unfortunately, because of improper copyright protection, the publishers published their own version paying no royalties! (Read ’ Abtract’ and see Amazon flier) Charles was also famous for his community work. In the 1890s, during the economic depression, he spent several months, on a weekly basis, with railroad workers, labours and merchants. He decided the area was impoverished due to lack of employment and helped find jobs for many of its residents. His church also sponsored the first black kindergarten west of the Mississippi River in 1893. He was well known prohibitionist. He travelled to - England (1900), Australia and New Zealand (1914). In 1920, after 32 years he retired from CCC. From 1920-4 he was editor of the *Christian Herald an illustrated news weekly for the home - a religious periodical. He continued to write articles after his final retirement in 1924. He went to the Holy Land in 1926 on a Christian Herald sponsored tour. In the 1930s and 40s he continued to write. and was an active peace advocate. Charles died of a stroke on 17th February 1946, just two says before his 88th birthday. Before he died memorials had already been constructed - a community house was added and his outdoor study was saved There is also a Sheldon Memorial Room at CCC.

Loren Duane Cunningham (b. 1935) is the founder of the international Christian movement Youth with a Mission (YSAM)and the University of the nations. Loren founded YWAM in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1960 with his wife, Darlene, at the age of 24. They reside in on Kona, Hawaii and are members of the YWAM Biblical Leadership team. Loren’s ‘Early life’ shows he came from a family of pastors- he is the third generation. He received his own missionary call at the age of 13, He attended high school in West Los Angeles at University Highland and graduated in December 1952 While travelling in the Bahamas in 1956 Loren claims he had a vision. he describes waves on the shore lines of the continents on a world map, eventually growing bigger and bigger, covering the land mass. He then says the waves changed into young people covering the continents. This would inspire the beginnings of YSAM 4 years later. It was founded in 1960. The group’s original focus was to get youth involved in missions .Today, 60 years later, it has expanded its membership to those of older ages as well. Loren married Darlene Scratch in 1963. The history of YWAM is clearly set out on the YWAM sheet from 1960 up to 2011. In 1978 Loren co-founded the University of the Nations in Kaiua-Kona, hawaii with Howard Maimstadt. Loren was president until 2010 By the year 2000 they had 11,000 staff from over 130 countries and had become almost 50% non-Western. YWAM train upward of 25,000 short term mission ‘volunteers’ annually The Cunninghams continue to have influence on the leadership of YSAM International, holding the title of Founders of the Mission.

James the Less is a figure of early Christianity,possibly one of the 12 chosen by Jesus. According to translation he is called ’ the minor’, the little’, ‘the lesser’ or ‘the younger’ Jesus chose his 12 apostles Matthew ch10 v 3-10, Mark ch 4 v 13-19 Luke ch 6 v 12-16 *first Simon (also called Peter) then Andrew (Peter’s brother) James (son of Zebedee) John (Jame’s brother) Philip Bartholomew Matthew ( the tax collector) James (son of Alphaeus) Simon ( the zealot) Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him) * We have the ‘sons of Zebedee’ - John and James- he is not that James. This James is recognised as James the Great ( although that designation does not appear in the New Testament) The other James in the 12 is James the son of Alphaeus James is mentioned 3 other times In the Gospels along with the phrase Mary the mother of James. Matthew ch 27 v 56 * Mary (the mother of James and Joseph) Mark ch 15 v 40, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph) Luke ch 24 v 10 Mary the mother of James At no point is this Mary actually referred to being the mother of Jesus. In Matthew ch 13 v 55 and Mark ch 6 v 3 *he’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary his mother and his brother’s - James, Joseph, Simon and Judas This James is clearly a brother of Jesus. The experts are divided as to whether James the Less was James, son of Alphaeus OR James the brother of Jesus. Jerome concludes that James the Less, James, son of Alphaeus and James the brother of Jesus are one and the same person. Read the thoughts of Jerome, Jacobus de Varagine and Papias of Hierapolis. Modern scholars are divided, Reach your own conclusion

William Flororunso Kumuyi ( born 6th June 1941) is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry situated at Kilometre 42 on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria. He is the author of 10 Christian books and devotionals ( See books published). William was brought up in a Christian family in Orunwa, Ogun State, western part of Nigeria. As a young child he read the Bible and sang songs and attended church regularly. In secondary school the principal taught atheism but he eventually started to go to various churches in town. William began teaching mathematics in 1962 at Mayflower School. He became a born again Christian on 5th April 1964. In 1967 he graduated from the University of Ibadanand as the best overall best graduating student in his year, with a first class degree in Mathematics. he also took a post graduate course in Education at the University of Lagos. In the 1970s he became a lecturer of Mathematics at the University of Lagos. In 1973 he started a Bible study group with 15 Lagos university students. By the early 1980’s that small group had grown to several 1000. This training became the foundation of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry. Deeper Life Bible Church was formerly established in 1982. By 1988 the congregation had grown to 50,000 By 2005 the Christian ministry is said to have over 800, 000 affiliates September 2016 William addressed over 50,000 youths *to inculcate in them the highest virtues in youths and stay away from antisocial and push-pull tendencies. On 24th of April 2018 the auditorium, holding 30,000 worshippers, at the church in Gbagade, Lagos was inaugurated. Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria, attended the . In 2013 the Foreign Policy magazine listed William *among the 500 most powerful people on the planet. Source use Wikipedia *

Geoffrey Cyril Bingham (1919-2009) was an Australian author and cleric in the Anglican Church of Australia. He was founding principal of the Pakistan Bible Training Institute in Hyderabad, Pakistan (1957-67). He was also one of the founding members of the Austri-Asian Christian Church (AACC). From 1967-73 he was principal of the Bible College of South Australia after which he formed New Creation Publications. He was a gifted writer and NTCM published close to 300 of his books- they were mostly theological.

Samuel Lyde (1825-1860) was an English writer and C. of E. missionary who worked in Syria in the 1850s. He wrote a 2 books on the Alawite sect-a secretive mountain sect also known as Nusaytis. In 1856, while riding on his horse, he shot dead a beggar. It may have been an accident but it resulted in anti- Christian riots which went on for months. The testimonies of 3 women witnesses was inadmissible in Ottoman courts. He was acquitted of murder but ordered to pay compensation to the man’s family.