Timothy J. Keller is an American pastor, theologian and Christian apologist. He is the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (RPC) in New York City. He is the chairman and co-founder of Redeemer City to City , which trains pastors for ministry in global cities. He is co-founder of The Gospel Coalition* and founder of Hope for New York. He is also author of some of The New York Times bestselling books. Tim was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He has degrees from;- B.A. Bucknell University (BN) 1972 M.Div Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) 1975 D.Min Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) 1981 Tim became a Christian while studying at BN through IVC Fellowship and became a staff member. He was ordained by the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). He served as a pastor at West Hopewell Presbyterian Church, Hopewell, Virginia for 9 years. At the same time he was director of church planting for PCA and on the faculty at WTS where he and his wife, Kathy, were involved in urban ministry. The church planting involved looking at the needs of New York. Although working at WTS he continued to commute to New York and joined the prayer meetings at RPC. Tim was recruited by PCA to start RPC in 1989. He lacked experience but succeeded after 2 others had turned it down. His congregation of 50 in 1989 grew to over 5,000 each Sunday by 2008. This led to some calling him the most successful Christian Evangelist in the city Over the next 28 years RPB exploded in size and influence! In 1992 RPC founded Hope for New York. its mission was to mobilize volunteer and financial resources to support non-profit organizations serving the poor and marginalized in New York City Tim is co-founder of The Gospel Coalition (2005) a group of reformed leaders from around the USA. He is chairman and co-founder of Redeemer City to City (CTC) which starts new churches in New York and other global cities, and publishes books and resources for ministry in an urban environments. For 28 years he led a diverse congregation of young professionals that grew a weekly attendance of over 5,000. (Read the 5 pages Redeemer History - Redeemer Churches and Ministries) On 1st July 2017 Tim stepped down from his role as senior pastor of RPC to concentrate on CTC . This will enable him to teach and mentor church planters and seminary students full time in a joint venture with Reformed Theological Seminary’s (RTS) , the City Ministry program June 2020 Tim was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Tim will be remembered as a pioneer of the new urban Christians. * Christianity Today* Sources Hope for New York Wikipedia

Edwin Masao Yamauchi is a Japanese-American historian, a Christian apologist, editor and academic. He is Professor Emeritus of History at Miami University where he taught from 1969-2005. He is a former president of the Institute for Biblical Research (IBR) . He is a founding member of the Oxford Bible Fellowship church in Oxford, Ohio. He has written books on Christian History and often contributes articles to Christian periodicals, He was raised as a Buddhist. He was educated at Iolani Episcopal school. He was first exposed to evangelism in 1952 when he was invited by a classmate to attend Kalihi Union church. In his senior high school year he worked on a missionary farm called Christian youth center. He studied languages at the University of Hawaii before transferring to Shelton college, Ringwood, New Jersey to study Biblical languages - earned a B.A… He then went to Brandeis University to earn a M.A. and Ph.D. He immersed himself in 22 different languages including Arabic, Akkadian, Coptic and Hebrew. He taught for a time at Shelton College before becoming an Assistant Professor of History at Rutgers University. He the received his professorial appointment at Miami University in 1969 where he stayed until his retirement in 2005, 36 years. Throughout his career he has been a supporter of the Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, especially on the University campus in Miami. He is a founding member of the Oxford Bible Fellowship (0BF) church in Oxford, Ohio. The dream of OBF is to be a church where every person can experience real change. (Read OBF * Our Culture *) He has given presentations of the Easter Story in various universities including Cornell, Yale and Princeton. He is a member and official of the Institute for Biblical Research (IBR). It an organization of scholars devoted to the research of the Bible. For 6 years he was president of IBR (1983-9) He has written a number Biblical books and essays and contributed material to Christianity Today . He contributed commentaries on the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the * Expositor’'s Bible Commentary and in the NIV Study Bible.* His expertise includes Ancient History, O.T. and N.T., Early Church History, Gnosticism and Biblical Archeology. He has written about the relevance of the discovery of, and the controversial claims, about the Dead Sea Scrolls, for New Testament studies. (See ‘Select Bibliography’) In the 1970’s he was a prominent critic of the late Morton Smith’s interpretation of an Apocryphal text known as the Secret Gospel of Mark. For his work he has been rewarded with 8 fellowships. Edwin has also appeared in various television documentaries concerning the life of Christ. He is a modern day Christian academic of the highest order. Sources used. Amazon Oxford Bible Fellowship Miami University Wikipedia

Charles Simeon became a leader among evangelical churchmen and was one of the founders of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in 1799. He also helped found the *London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews * (LSPCAJ) in 1809. He also established what is now the *Charles Simeon Trust. Simeon was born in Reading, Berkshire in 1759 and baptized the same year. He studied at Eton College and was an undergraduate from 1779 at King’s College Cambridge. One Easter, while at King’s, he experienced a Christian conversion In 1782 he became a Fellow of King’s College and was ordained a deacon and graduated B.A. in 1783. He began as a minister as deputy to Christopher Atkinson at St. Edward King and Martyr, Cambridge. He then received the living of Holy Trinity, Cambridge in 1783. Technically it was a curacy. He was appointed, under the age of 23, as a curate-in-charge for the bishop. Initially John Hammond was preferred by the congregation. Services were disrupted and he was insulted in th e streets. But Simeon stayed (1783-1836) there for the rest of his life and eventually had a crowded church. He gained influence among the under graduates of the university. He taught, young priests in training Theology and preaching technique, at discussion parties hosted in his College room in the Gibbs building. They were inspired by his dynamic preaching at St. Edward’s, Great St. Mary’s and Holy Trinity churches. They used his published 100s of sermons ,or skeleton of sermons, when drafting their own- to some an invitation to clerical plagiarism! He became a leading evangelical churchman and was one of the founders of the Church Missionary Society ( now called Church Mission Society -see notes). He also help found LSPCAJ) (now known as the Church Ministry Among Jewish People (CMJ - see notes.) He established the Charles Simeon Trust to encourage perpetuate evangelical clergy in the Church of England parishes. It continues to operate to this day. ( See notes- sorry about poor print). In 1809 the British East India sought his advice of choice of Chaplains for India. His main piece of work was a commentary on the whole Bible -Horae homileticae. Charles died on 13th November 1836, aged 77. He was buried on the 19th in King’s College Chapel, Cambridge. His influence and authority extended to the most remote corners of England. His real sway over the Church was far greater than that of any Primate… Thomas Macaulay- historian *One of the greatest and most persuasive preachers the Church of England has ever known * John Stott- evangelist Sources used King’s College Cambridge Simeon’s Trustees and Hyndman’s Trustees Wikipedia

Charles Frazier Stanley is Pastor Emeritus of First Baptist Church (FBC) in Atlanta, Georgia, having been senior pastor for 50 years. He is the founder and president of In Touch Ministries (ITM) which broadcasts his sermons through television. He has served 2 one year terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) from 1984-6. Charles was born in Dry Fork, Virginia on 25th September 1932 His farher died 9 months after he was born. He grew up in Dry Fork. Aged 12 he became a born again Christian. 2 years later he began his life’s work in Christian ministry. Degrees BA from University of Richmond MD from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Fort Worth MT & DrTh. Luther Rice Seminary in Florida (now in Lithonia) He joined the staff at FBC in 1969 and became senior pastor in 1971. The book Think and Grow Rich served as a motivational book over many years. In 1972 launched a half hour religious television program The Chapel Hour The Christian Broadcasting Network began televising it in 1978. In 1982 he founded In Touch Ministries . It uses tools like radio, television, magazines and digital media to advance the Gospel as quickly as possible. Television *The Breakfast Club 1983-5. In Touch with Dr Charles Stanley 1990-present * 1989 ’ In Touch’ named by NRB as Television Producer of the Year 1999 ‘In Touch’ named radio program of the year In the USA it is broadcast on approximately 500 radio stations, 300 television stations and several satellite networks. He is a an avid photographer and many of his photographs appear in the In Touch magazine, ( Called In Touch becomes it comes from a Living Bible he owned) In 1984-6 he was elected president of the SBC. He has authored more than 60 books and has hit the New York Times Best Seller’s List several times. He developed 30 Life Principles that have guided his life and helped him grow in his knowledge, service and love of God. His grandfather gave him this principle - Obey God and leave all the consequences to him. He was married to Anna J. Stanley for more than 40 years. They had a son, Andy and a daughter Becky. They divorced on 11th May, 2000. Anna died on 10th November 2014. On 13th September 2020 he announced his retirement as senior pastor. He is now pastor emeritus. Charles does not believe in retirement so he continues to work, now aged 88, at In Touch ministries *It is the Word of God and the work of God that changes people’s lives * Dr Charles F. Stanley Sources used Meet Dr. Charles Stanley Wikipedia

John Fullerton Macarthur Jr is an American pastor and author known for his internationally syndicated Christian teaching radio and television program** Grace to You. He has been the pastor/teacher of Grace Community Church (GCC) in Sun Valley, California for 51 Years (1969-2020). He notably edited the MacArthur Study Bible He is also the chancellor emeritus of The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, California and the Master’s Seminary in Los Angeles, California. John was born in Los Angles on 19th June 1939. His grandfather and father were both ministers. degrees and colleges Fundamentalist Bob Jones University (FBJU) 1957 B.A. Los Angeles Pacific College (LAPC) -1959 M. Div Talbot Theological Seminary (TTS) 1963 D.D. Grace Graduate School (GGS) 1976 D.D. Talbot Theological Seminary (TTS) 1977 In 1969 after graduating from TTS he came to Grace Community Church. (GCC). The emphasis of his pulpit ministry is the careful study and verse-by-verse exposition of the Bible with special attention to the historical and grammatical background behind each passage. During the early days of his ministry the church congregation doubled in size every 2 years. In 1971 The Family Center was built. In 1977 a new Worship Center. Today GCC two morning worship services fill the 3,000 auditorium to capacity. In the week several 1000s of members participate in fellowship and training programs. 2008 av. weekly attendance 8,258. In 1969 he founded the Grace to You ministry. He is both th chairman and featured host/teacher It is a nonprofit organization responsible for developing, producing and distributing John’s books, audio resources and the radio and television programs. The radio program is aired 1000 times a day. The television program is a weekly half hour slot on DirecTV in the USA. All of his 3,000 sermons are available for free on their website. ( See adverts for radio and TV) In 1985 John became president of The Master College (2016 The Master’s University) - a distinctly Christian accredited Liberal institution. In 1986 he founded The Master’s Seminary, a graduate school dedicated to training men for full-time pastoral or missionary work. He now serves as chancellor emeritus for both of them He has written 100s of study guides and books. Most notably ‘MacArthur Study Bible’ ( 1 million copies sold). (See 4th par of ‘The Master’s Seminary’ for partial list) Christianity Today acknowledged John as one of the most influential preachers of his time. Sources GCC Wikipedia

Philip Ryken is an American theologian, Presbyterian minister, and academic administrator. He is the eighth and current president of Wheaton College in Wheaton , Illinois. He was born on the 29th September 1966. Degrees B.A. for English literature and Philosophy from Wheaton College 1988 M.D. for Divinity Westminster Theological Seminary 1992 D.Ph. in Historical theology University of Oxford 1995 Philip joined the pastoral staff of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia in 1995 and was promoted to senior pastor in 2000 on the death of James Boice. February 2010 Wheaton College of Board of Trustees announced his selection as their 8th president. He took office on 1st July 2010 and formally inaugurated on 17th September 2010 at Edman chapel. He is on the council of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals which features his preaching on its weekly radio and internet broadcast Every Last Word (See information on ACE and Every last Word Radio). He serves as a board member for the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities, the Gospel Coalition, the Lausanne Movement and the National Association of Evangelicals. He maintains a full schedule of speaking engagements on and off campus. He has written over 50 books on a variety of Christian subjects. He has also co-authored a series of commentaries on individual books of the Bible with R. Kent Hughes. Together with his father Leland and James Wilmoit they wrote Ryken’s Bible Handbook. He met his Lisa while they were students at Wheaton The couple have 5 children. I have included information about Wheaton College. Sources used Amazon Wheaton College Wikipedia

Nicholaus Ludwig, Reichsgraf von Zinzendor und Pottendorf was a German religious and social reformer, bishop o the Moravian Church, founder of the Herrnhuter Bridergemeine, Christian mission pioneer and a major figure of 18th century protestantism. Aged 6 he wrote love letters to Jesus. Once written he would climb to the castle tower and toss them out of the window where they scattered around around the courtyard like innocent prayers. His school days were spent at Franke Foundations at Halle. In 1716 he went to the University of Wittenberg to study law to be ready for a diplomatic career. 1719 he travelled in the Netherlands, France and parts of Germany During a visit to an art Museum he experienced the Holy Spirit upon viewing Ecce Homo by Domencia Feti. He was convicted. I have loved him for a long time, but have never actually done anything for him. from now on I will do whatever he leads me to do. In 1721, at the wedding of Count Henry XXiX Ruess he met Erdmuthe Dorothea, He married her in 1722. He decided to become a landowner and bought Berthelsdorf from his grandmother, Baroness von Gersdorf. His intention was not to found a religious organization but a Christian association. In 1722 he had the opportunity to offer asylum to a number of persecuted wanderers from Moravia and Bohemia to build the village of Herrnhut on a corner of his estate. As the village grew it became known as a place of religious freedom and attracted individuals from a variety of persecuted groups. But conflict broke out so Nicolaus took indefinite leave from his court commission in Dresden and moved back to his estate to devote himself full time to reconciliation of the conflict. On 12 May 1727 The Manorial Injunctions were signed by the community ( now *The Moravian Covenant for Christian Living) . ( See notes for TMCCL) The leadership of these people consumed his considerable energies for the rest of his life. Hermhut, with its unique communal organization and economic self sufficiency became the center for the developing Moravian church, as it became known in the late 1740s. In 1735 his desire to receive Lutheran ordination finally happened. With the revival of the Brethren;s clerical orders In 1737 he became a Moravian bishop. The emergence of a new denomination saw him being banished from Saxony from 1736-47. He used this time to visit Moravian settlement and missions in Europe, England, West Indies and the USA The Moravians were granted religious freedom in Saxony in 1749. He returned in 1755 to spend his last days in Hernhut. His wife died in 1756. He married Anna Caritas Nitschmann, a friend, spiritual leader but a commoner Nicolaus write a number of books ( See Bibliography) Three years later, Nicolaus overcome with labours, fell ill and died. He died on 9th May 1760. Anna died 12 days after her husband. Sources used Enclopedia.com Wikipedia

Ben Witherington III is an American New Testament scholar and writer. He is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, (1995- present), He is an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church. Ben was born on 30th December 1951 in High Point, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1974 with a B.A. in English. He holds an M.D. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-1977. He has a Ph.D. from Durham University in England -1981. 1982 ordained as a Methodist elder 1982/3 he was a faculty member of the Duke Divinity School and the High Point College. 1984-1995 he was Professor of New Testament at Ashland Theological Seminary. 1992 research fellow and member (1996) at the Robinson College, Cambridge University 1995- present Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary. Ben has presented seminars for churches, colleges and biblical meetings in 8 different countries and led tours in the Holy Lands, Italy, Greece and Turkey. He has appeared on the television channels including the History and Discovery channels. he was featured in the BBC and PBS special entitledThe Story of Jesus.** He has written over 60 books. His books *The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest were selected as top biblical studies by Christianity Today. (See ‘Selected Books’) He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, Institute for Biblical Research and the Society for the Study of the New Testament. ( See notes) In his book Biblical Theology he shows a large coherent Biblical world view, one that progressively reveals the character and action of God. - Amazon Ben Witherington III is a prominent, current, evangelical Biblical scholar of the late20th/early 21st century. Sources Amazon Wikipedia

Richard Charles Sproul was an American Reformed theologian and ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA). He was the founding pastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel. He was the founder and chairman of the Ligonier Ministries ( named after a valley just outside Pittsburgh). He was the first president of the Reformation Bible College. He was the executive editor of the magazine Tabletalk. He could also heard daily on the Renewing Your Mind radio broadcast across the USA and internationally. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a youth he was a keen supporter of both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates. Aged 15 he had to drop out of High school to support his family. In 1960 he married Vesta Voorhis -they had 2 children. BA from Westminster College, Pennsylvania 1961 M.Div from Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary 1964 Drs from Free University of Amsterdam 1969 PhD from Whitefield Theological Seminary 2001 He taught at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando Jackson, Mississippi Knox Theological Seminary in Ft. Lauderdale He was ordained as an elder in the United Presbyterian Church of the USA in 1965. Around 1975 he left the denomination and joined the P C A. Robert was co-pastor at Saint Andrew’s Chapel, a congregation in Sanford, Florida. He will be remembered by the church for the many ways he served the church. He was a gifted communicator, and his ability to make complex topics easy to understand was evident through his preaching of the Word of God, teaching and writings. He could he heard daily on his radio program* Renewing Your Mind.* The Ligonier Ministries (LM) began in 1971. Robert was one of the primary speakers. It has become an international Christian education ministry now located near Orlando. Tabletalk is the devotional magazine of LM. The LM would produce the statement on Biblical Inerrancy which would eventually grow into the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. ( See information on both) He wrote over 100 books. He was a council member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals (ACE). ( See Notes on Ace) He suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. On 18th April, 2015 Robert suffered a stroke. On 2nd December 2017 his respiratory difficulties were exacerbated by flu. He died on the 14th December, 2017 aged 78. the greatest and most influential proponent of the recovery of Reformed theology in the last century Sources used History & Identity Ligonier Ministries Tabletalk Why reformation Bible College Exists Wikipedia

Andrew Purves is a Scottish theologian in the Reform tradition through the church of Scotland and later the Presbyterian Church USA. He is the Jean and Nancy Davis Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology at Pittsburgh Seminary Andrew was born in 1946 in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1978 he moved to the USA and ordained by the Philadelphia Presbytery in 1979. Degrees Philosophy and Divinity at University of Edinburgh Master of Theology form Duke Divinity School Doctor of Philosophy from University of Edinburgh He served as pastor at the Hebron Presbyterian Church in Clinton, Pennsylvania until 1983 when he began teaching at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS). He retired from PTS after 32 years (2015). In addition to his academic work he has served the church and wider community though his work with the PC(USA) and lectureships around the world. He has written a number of publications, both books and articles, academic and popular. His primary concerns surround Christology - the branch of Theology concerned with the person, attributes and deeds of Jesus Christ. Recontructing pastoral Theology; A Christogical Foundation and Exploring Christology and Atonement:Conversations are two of his books. ( See Amazon sheet and ‘Purves has along list of publications’) He has become a leader of evangelical renewal in the Presbyterian Church of the USA (PC(USA) and is known for his conservative Christian views concerning the person and work of Jesus, ( See notes on PC(USA) ) He agrees with the withholding of ordination of self-avowed, practicing, unrepentant gays and lesbians. Andrew is married to Catherine (Cathy) Purves. They had 3 children.

Andreas Johannes Kostenberger is an evangelical scholar, author and founder of Biblical Foundations. He is the Research Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS). He is founding director of the Center for Biblical Studies (CBS) . He is also the editor of Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. (JETS) Andreas was born in Vienna, Austria on 2nd November 1957. He has the following degrees:- M.A. and Dr, from the Vienna University of Economics and Business 1980, 1982 M.D. at Columbia International University 1988 Dr. at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School 1993 On completion of his doctorate he became Professor of Biblical studies and Theology at Briercrest College and Seminary (1993-5). In 1996 he took a teaching post at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) as Senior Research Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology. Stayed at SBTS to served as director of Ph.D. studies for next 12 years . In 2007 elected to a 5 year term as Visiting Fellow at St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge. April 2018 MBTS elected him to faculty as Research Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology (2018-present. Since 2000 he has been editor of JETS a refereed theological journal published by the Evangelical Theological Society. (See notes on JETS). He has also edited other Christian commentaries and guides. Together wife his wife,Dr. Margaret, they founded in 2006 *Biblical Foundations. The mission is to help restore the biblical foundations for the family, the church and society. ( See notes for 'Biblical Foundations In 2006 he joined a round table to discuss Dan Brown’s book* The Da Vinci Code.* He has appeared on numerous radio and television programs 2010 he lectured across Europe presenting scholarly papers on various themes concerning the theology of John the apostle. He has worked as a consultant on John’s Gospel for 4 English Bible translations. He has also be consulted on the epistle John 1-3 and Revelation for* Today’s English Version* (TEV) He has authored, edited or translated close to 50 books. He has 93 works in 310 publications translated into 5 languages such as German. Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian. He is founding director of the Center for Biblical Studies at MBTS. The center *exists to engage in biblical scholarship for the church * ( See notes for CBS). Andreas met his wife Margaret in 1988 when finishing his M.A. at Columbia University. They married in December 1989. They have 4 children and currently live in Kansas City. May Andreas continue to deliver Holy Spirit inspired plenary addresses at the annual meetings of the Evangelical Theological Society and regional meetings for many years to come. Sources used Biblical foundations MBTS The Center for Biblical Studies Wikipedia

William Miller was an American baptist preacher who is credited with beginning the mid 19th century religious movement called Millerism. William was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts on 15th February 1792. in 1796 the family t moved to Low Hampton. New York.His mother educated him at home until he was 9. He then attended East Poultney District school. He is not known to have further education after he was 18, but he continued to read widely. He had access to several private libraries In 1803 he married Lucy Smith and moved to Poultney where he took up farming. In1809 he was elected to the office of deputy sheriff and later elected to be the Justice of the Peace Shortly after arriving he rejected his Baptist heritage and became a Deist ( a belief in the existence of God based solely on natural reason, without reference to revelation). At the outbreak of war in 1812 he raised a company of local men and acted as a recruiter. In 1814 promoted of captain. He had a miraculous escape when a bomb exploded killing one soldier. injuring 3 others and he survived without a scratch. On discharge from the army in 1815 he moved his family back to Low Hampton. He took tentative steps to regain his Baptist faith. With the minister away he was asked to read the sermon. (Read his conversion comment in Religious Life.) His Diest friends challenged him to justify his new faith. He started at Genesis 1 v1 - not moving until he felt the meaning was clear. He became convinced that post-millennialism ( the doctrine or belief that the second coming of Christ would be preceded by the millennium) was unbiblical and that Christ’s Second Coming was revealed in Bible prophecy. He based his calculations on Daniel 8 v 14 Unto twp thousand and three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed starting date 457 BC the year Artaxerxes I of Persia allowed the rebuilding of Jerusalem A day represented a year. 2,300 Year of Second Coming 2300 - 457 = 1843 on/before (See charts) October 22, 1844 became known as *The Great Disappointment * William apparently never personally set an exact date for the Second Coming. Millerism from 1840 was transformed from an 'obscure, regional movement into a national campaign. A key figure was Joshua Vaughan Himes, an able and experienced published who printed the 24 issues of*Signs of the Times from March 1840. (See sheet) William died on 20th December 1849 convinced the Second Coming was imminent, Christians await the day 09/12/2020 Legacy William Miller’s Home is a registered a National Historic Landmark and preserved as museum Estimate number of followers 50,000- 500,000 After his death new heirs to his message emerged Advent Christian Church 61,000 Seventh-day Adventists Church 19,000,000 Sources used Logos Bible Software Wikipedia

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.

Thomas Ball Barratt (1862-1949) was a British born Norwegian pastor and one of the founding figures of the Pentecostal movement in Europe. Thomas was born in Cornwall but his parents emigrated to Norway when he was only 4 - he was bilingual. He began to preach at the age of 17. He pastored several churches in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) in Norway. In 1905 he travelled to the USA with the aim of raising funds to build a new premises in Kristiania. The Azasa Street Revival had happened in Los Angles on 9th April that year which resulted in the forming of the Pentecostal movement. Several ministers who were baptized in the Spirit at the Azusa Street Mission and who were passionate about helping others encounter God in this way, intersected with Barratt in New York when he was on his way home. He asked for prayer to receive the same blessing they had received. He was baptised in the Spirit on 15th November 1906 ( or 7th October if dif. source used) and thereafter spoke and even sang in tongues ( Read ‘T.B. Barratt and Revival in Norway’ which includes his personal, powerful, inspiring testimony, by Jan Miskov - her testimony - which follows, can be found on Wikipedia, is also worth reading!) He returned to Norway in December without funds or support. Instead in 1907 he held revival meetings in Oslo at his newly formed Filadelfia assembly. This attracted international attention and he became one of the prime movers of the Pentecostal movement in Europe. Thomas went to Kristiania in December 1906. On 23rd he told of his spiritual baptism, he stood and wept. Although he did not utter a word, it was of great importance, the spirit was present. On the 2nd Christmas Day more people experienced similar things. By New Year 1907 ten people had been baptised spiritually. This is considered the beginning of the Pentecostal movement in Norway. Alexander Boddy went to Norway and invited Thomas to visit his All Saints Church in Monkwearmouth in Sunderland. On 13th September 1907 Thomas wrote the eyes of the religious millions in Great Britain are now fixed on Sunderland. Alexander went onto become one of the founders of Pentecostalism in Britain. Thomas continued to travel abroad visiting Sweden, Finland, Poland Estonia, Iceland and Denmark. 1909 the M E C terminated his membership. He travelled to the UK to preach in Sion College, London and then to Sunderland for what became an annual Pentecostal celebration known as Whitsuntide Convention. He then went to Bournemouth to stay with Stanley Frodsham - another Pentecostal pioneer. Thomas emigrated to the USA . He continued to travel overseas to Palestine and India. 1939 he was elected, unanimously, to be President of the Great European Pentecostal Conference in Stockholm. On 29th January 1940 , aged 77, he died and was buried in Oslo. Up to 20,000 people lined the streets for his funeral. Oslo Christina 1624 Kristiania 1877 Oslo 1925

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’)