Frederick Brotherton Meyer was a Baptist pastor and evangelist, born in England. He was involved in ministry and inner city mission work on both sides of the Atlantic. He was the founder of Melbourne Hall in Leicester. He also founded the South London Missionary Training College. He was president of both the National and World Sunday School Unions, and the National Union of Christian Endeavour. He wrote over 75 books and many articles. He was born in London. He attended Brighton College. In 1869 he graduated from the University of London. At Regent’s Park College he studied Theology. He was part of the Higher Life movement, or Keswick movement, and often preached at the Keswick Convention. (Read notes on* Higher Life movement) Frederick was known as a crusader against immorality. He preached against the social ills of drunkness, prostitution, unmarried mothers, and unwanted children. He was involved in the Blue Ribbon movement (prohibition). In 1870 he began his first pastorate in Pembroke Baptist Chapel in Liverpool. In 1872 he pastored at Priory Street Baptist Church in York. It was at this time he began his long life friendship with the American evangelist D.I. Moody. He introduced Moody to English churches. Victoria Road Church Leicester 1874-8 Melbourne Hall in Leicester 1878/80- 1888 And since one main object of our union is to seek to evangelise the great masses of our population which is outside the ordinary Christian agencies, we desire that each member should as far as possible engage in some branch of Christian work. 23rd September 1978 The Hall was built in 1881 under his leadership- a centre of social and evangelistic activity. (Read notes on Melbourne Hall). He spent the next 20 years between 2 churches in London. Regent’s Park Chapel in London 1888-92 and 1909-15 Christ Church CC) in London 1892-1909 and 1915-21 He saw in 2 years the congregation at CC grow from 100 to 2,000. In June 1916, with Hubert Peet, he visited British conscientious objectors in France. 42 resisting men had been forcibly deported there. 35 were to be court-martialled and formally sentenced to death. All were reprieved. His evangelical tours included South Africa and Asia. He also visited the USA and Canada several times. He wrote over 75 books - many are still in print today See’Works’ for a few titles) On his retirement he began to travel and preach at conferences and evangelical services. Aged 80 he went to North America. He died aged 81. The New York Observer described him as a man of *international fame whose services are constantly sought by churches over the wide and increasing empire of Christendom. * Frederick’s obituary in the The Daily Telegraph described him as *The Archbishop of the Free Churches. * Sources Melbourne

Alistair Begg is the senior pastor of Cleveland’s Parkside church,Ohio. It is a position he has held since 1983. He is the voice behind the Truth for Life Christian radio preaching and teaching ministry. He is also the author of several books. Alistair was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 22nd May 1952. His mother died in .1972. More spiritual progress is made through failure and tears than success and laughter He gradated from London School of Theology in 1975 and married his American wife , Susan, in the same year. They now have 3 grown-up children. He served 8 years at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh and Hamilton Baptist church in Lanarkshire in pastoral ministry In 1983 he became the senior pastor at Parkside Church near Cleveland, Ohio. He had be heard daily and weekly on his radio program True For Life. It broadcasts his sermons daily to stations across North America though 1,800 radio outlets. The teaching on Truth For Life stems from the week by week Bible teaching at Patkside Church According to Amazon he has published 69 books. ( See Amazon flier) He is a council member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals which is dedicated to return to the principles of the Protestant Reformation ( See notes on’Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals’) Alistair has been in the USA for 37 years but he apparently still has a distinctive Scottish accent. Sources used Amazon Truth For Life 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

Walter Rauschenbusch was an American theologian and Baptist pastor who taught at the Rochester Theological Seminary. He was a key figure in the Social Gospel and single tax movement that flourished during the end of the 19th/early 20th century. He was the son of a Lutheran missionary to German immigrants in the USA. He went through a youthful rebellious period but aged 17 he experienced a personal religious conversion which influenced his soul down to the depths. *I came to my father and I began to pray for help and got it * he compared it to the Prodigal son parable. After high school he went to a prep school in Germany, Gutersloh. Back in the USA he graduated from the University of Rochester in 1884 and Rochester Theological Seminary (RTS) of American Baptist Churches in 1886. 1886 he began his pastorate in the Second German Baptist Church in ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ , New York. Urban poverty and children’s funerals, led him to social activism In August 1892, with some friends, he formed a group of leading pastors, thinkers and advocates of the Social Gospel movement. They were initially called Society of Jesus, later called Brotherhood of the Kingdom. They met annually until 1915. (See notes on ‘Social Gospel’ and ‘Brotherhood of the Kingdom’) In 1897 he began teaching the New Testament at RTS in Rochester, New York. In 1902 he became professor of Church History. In 1907 he published *Christianity and the Social Crisis * which gained him recognition as a major spokesman of the Social Gospel movement in the USA. and which would influence the actions of several pastors of the Social Gospel. ( Read ‘The American Yawp Reader’) In 1917 he published A Theology for the Social Gospel which would rally the cause of the social gospel of many Protestant and evangelical churches. The doctrine of the Kingdom of God was crucial to his proposed theology of the social gospel. Walter died in Rochester on 25th July , 1918, aged 56. He is honored together with Washington Gladdon and Jacob Rus with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on 2nd July. Sources used Brtannica The Ameican Yawp Reader Wikipedia

Elaine Storkey is an English philosopher, theologian and sociologist. She is known for her lecturing, writing, broadcasting and charity work. Elaine, born in 1944, grew up in Ossett, West Yorkshire and was head girl at Ossett grammar School (now Ossett Academy), Elaine studied at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and doing postgraduate work in philosophy at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and York University, England. In 1968 she married Alan Storkey, an economist, writer and lecturer. After research on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s work her first academic post was in philosophy in Oxford University, as a tutor at Manchester College, Oxford. With her husband she then joined the faculty of the University of Stirling. They then did a period of lecturing at Calvin College, Michigan and Covenant College in Tennessee, USA. In 1986 she began broadcasting documentaries, arts, news and current affairs programmes with the BBC. For more than 20 years she was presenter on Radio 4’s Thought for The Day. She currently broadcasts on BBC Radio Ulster Sunday Sequence (See notes on both programme) Elaine has been a member of the General Synod of the Church of England (1987-2016) (See notes) Currently she is president of Fulcrum ( See notes On Fulcrum ‘Anglican think tank’) For many years she spent time teaching and writing with the Open University and presenting radio and television documentaries on gender, race and ethnicity As a result In 1991 she became the Executive Director of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC) (1991-9). ( See notes About LICC) In 1997 Elaine became president of Tearfund, a Christian relief and development charity and as a result has been monitoring aid, relif and advocacy work in countries of the Global South. ( See notes of ‘Tearfund’) In 2010, with her husband Alan, they founded Restored an organization committed to advocating against violence to women. (See notes) She has taught at King’s College, London. She has been a lecturer with the Montgomery Trust since 2001. She has lectured across the world- Haiti, India, Nepal, Turkey and Ethiopia and is a prominent feminist evangelical. She continues to teach on the Christian Mind course at Oxford University. Elaine for many years wrote for The Independent, Dagen and the Church Times. Her writings have brought a biblical perspective to the feminist movement. Scars Across humanity; Understanding and overcoming Violence Against Women (2015) was widely acclaimed. The 2nd edition in 2019 won the Christianity Today Book of the Year award for Politics and public Life in the USA Her work has been recognized by Aberystwyth and Cambridge colleges where she has been given fellowships, From Princeton Theological Seminary in 2016 she was awarded the Abraham Kuyper prize for her work as a scholar, writer and journalist. A faithful servant of Christ

Nicholas Paul Wolterstorff, born 21st January 1932, is an American philosopher and theologian. He is currently Noah Porter Professor Emeritus Philosophical Theology (NPPEPT) at Yale University. In his career he has been an instructor, assistant/associate/ professor, or visiting professor, at many of the most prestigious universities in the world -from Yale to Cambridge. He is a prolific writer with wide ranging philosophical and theological interests. He helped establish the Society of Christian Philosophers and their journal Faith and Philosophy,. With Alvin Plantings and William Alston he developed Reformed Epistemology - the theory of knowledge, especially the critical study of the validity, methods and scope as it applies in religious beliefs… Degrees B.A Philosophy Calvin College, Michigan 1953 M.A. Philosophy Harvard University 1954 Ph.D. Philosophy ‘’ ‘’ 1957 He then spent a year at Cambridge University, England He has been involved in teaching/lecturing for nearly 50 years. He retired in 2002. He is now Noah Porter Emeritus professor of P&T at Yale. (See ‘Encyclopedia.com’ notes for the many universities he worked in) He has written a ‘library’ of books. ( see Bibliography) Faith an Rationality was co-authored with Plantings and Alston -this is where they expanded on Reformed epistemology. (See note) In 1987 he wroteLament of a son which recounts how he drew on his Christian faith when his 25 year old son Eric died in a mountain accident. He helped to establish the Society of Christian Philosophers (SCP) which was founded in 1978. The society is open to anyone who is interested in philosophy who considers themselves to be a Christian. The committee voted in 1982 to launch Faith and Philosophy; it appeared for the first time in January 1984. The aim of the journal is to foster the philosophical examination of religion and the Christian faith. It is supported by contributions from patrons both within and outside the society. ( See notes on ‘Faith and Philosophy’) He is a former president of the American Philosophical Association (Central District) and serves on its publication and executive committees. During his lifetime he earned a number of of Professional distinctions ( 7) and Endowed lectureships (8). (See both lists) Nicholas Wolterstorff lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife Claire. Sources used Amazon Dictionary Wikipedia Yale University

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

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

Stephen Howe Webb was a theologian and philosopher of religion best known for his work on animal rights… He is recognized for being a leader of the animal theological movement and in the field of religious rhetoric in the late20th/early 21st century. He was born on the 13th March 1961 in Indianapolis, Indiana. His local church was Eaglewood Christian Church, an evangelical church in the Restoration Movement. He wrote about his experiences there in Taking Religion to Schooland an essay *Recalling: A Theologian Remembers his Church. He changed churches several times. At college he joined the Disciples of Christ. Foe a brief time he was a Lutherian. On Easter Sunday 2007 he officially came into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Stephen graduated form Wabash College in 1983 and earned his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. He taught at Wabash College as Professor of Religion and Philosophy from 1988 to 2012 ( 24 years). Besides theology he also taught on Bob dylan, men and masculinity and existentialism. He also delivered lectures all over the USA (See ‘Lectures’). He was on leave from the college 2012/13 and retired early to pursue writing opportunities full-time. He was known for his scholarship and journalism on animals, vegetarianism and diet. He wrote the book On God and Dogs; A Christian Theology of compassion for Animals(1998) and has been listed as one of the leaders of the animal theological movement. (See ‘Oh God and Dog’) He co-founded the Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA) in 1999 with Nathan Braun. (See notes on CVA). Stephen also contributed to The Other Journal founded in 2003 which was to provide space for Christian graduate students to share their work in a spirit of dialogue and mutual criticism. (See notes ‘The Other Journal’) He was also known for what he called theo-acoustics or theology of sound. The Divine Voice: Christian proclamation and the Theology of Sound (2004) was named Christianity Today Top 10 Book for 2004, and the Religious Communication Association’s Book of the Year 2005. Stephen wrote about C.S. Lewis in The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy (2005). Dylan Redeemed: From Highwat 61 to Saved (2006) focused on Dylan’s mid-life conversion to Christianity. He also wrote many essay on the intersection of rhetoric and religion. In 2008 Andrea Lunsford lists him as a leader in the field of religious rhetoric ( the study of using language effectively). ( See ‘Bibliography’ for a list books) After a long struggle with depression Stephen committed suicide on 5th March 2016 just before his 55th birthday. He left behind the love of his life, Diane Timmerman, who he had married on 16th July 1988 and their five children. A very sad lose to his family and the Christian community. Sources used Amazon Google knygos The Indianapolis Star The Other Journal Wikipedia

Jupiter Hammon is known as the founder of African - American literature. His poem An Evening Thought;Salvation by Christ, with Penitential Cries (EVSCPC), published in 1761, was the first by an African-American in North America. (Read copy of poem) Born into slavery he became a devoted Christian evangelist preacher. He was also a commercial clerk on long island. New York. He was a slave of the Lloyd family. He was born at the Lloyd Manor (now Lloyd Harbor). He served 4 generations of the Lloyd family for his entire life Like the Lloyds family Jupiter was a fervent Christian. Aged 22 he bought a bible from his master for 7 shillings and 6 pence. His writings reflected his spirituality. I Jupiter received rudimentary education through the Anglican Church’s Society of the Gospel in Foreign parts system. His ability to read and write aided the Lloyds in their commercial businesses and helped him exhibit a level of intellectual awareness through literature. EVSCPC was his first published poem. Composed on 25th December, Christmas day 1760 it appeared as a 'broadside in 1761. An Address to Miss Phillis Wheatley, 18 years later, was his second work to appear in print. The dedicated poem, to a fellow black slave, contained 21 rhyming quatrains (4 lines) , each accompanied by a Biblical verse -thinking it would help her Christian journey. On 24th September 1786, aged 76, and still a slave, Jupiter said this famous quote during his speech at the inaugural meeting of the African Society in New York City , If we should get to heaven, we shall find nobody to reproach us for being black, or for being slaves. He knew that slavery was deeply entrenched in American society and that immediate emancipation of all slaves would be difficult to achieve, The exact year of Jupiter Hammon’s death is unknown but it is believed he died in 1806. He ranked 327 in the top 500 poets. Sources All poetry Wikipedia

Harriet Jacobs was convinced, by friends, to write an autobiography of her life as a slave. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl(1861) was the book and it is one of the first open discussions about the sexual harassment and abuse endured by a slave woman - a topic that even made abolitionists feel uncomfortable. The story tells of how, eventually after many years as a slave, Harriet was able to escape the continual sexual harassment of her slave owner and become a free woman. In her autobiography Harriet’s says her childhood was a happy one. Though we were slaves, I was fondly shielded that I never dreamed that I was a piece of merchandise. But on the death of her benevolent mistress, when she was 12, everything changed. Her ownership transfered to her mistress’s niece who was only 3 years old. Harriet’s actual new master was the niece’s father - Dr James Norcom. He would cause her a great deal of pain. When she was 15 Norcom began his relentless efforts to bend the slave girl’s will. He would whisper ‘foul words’ in her ear. His wife became suspicious so he built Harriet a cottage 4 miles from town. She asked if she could marry a free black man, Norcom violently refused. She had a plan. She became friendly with a caring white, unmarried lawyer. They had a child, She expected the infuriated Norcom to sell her and her child.- he didn’t. She bore the lawyer a second child. She heard Norcom was preparing to get the children to work as plantation slaves. In June 1835, after 7 rears of mistreatment, she ’ escaped’ and stayed with neighbours, black and white. The lawyer had bought her grandmother and uncle’s house. She found a tiny crawl space above the porch just big enough to hid in (9x7x3 feet). This tiny hiding place is where she stayed for the next 7 years- she could see her children through a peep hole. At night she would briefly exercise. In 1842 she escaped to freedom. She sailed to Philadelphia and then to New York by train. She was reunited with her children Joseph and Louisa Matilda and eventually her brother, John J. Jacobs… She fled to Massachusetts to again escape from Norcom. She found work as a nanny for the Children of Nathaniel Parker Willis. Harriet eventually became legally free when Mrs Willis, arranged her purchase. She made contact with abolitionists and feminist reformers. She was actively involved with the abolition movement before the launch of the Civil War. During the war she helped raise money for black refugees. After the war she worked to improve the conditions of th e recently freed slaves. She went with her daughter to the Union occupied parts of the South to help organize and found 2 schools for fugitives and freed slaves. She died in 7th March 1897, aged 84, a free woman. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is now considered an ‘American classic’ Sources Africans in America Amazon National Archives Penquin Classics

John Warwick Montgomery is a lawyer, professor, Lutherian theologian and author. He is chiefly noted for his major contributions as a writer, lecturer and public debater in the field of Christian apologetics -the branch of theology concerned with the defence and rational justification of Christianity. He is director of the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism & Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. He is also editor of the online *Journal Global Journal of Classical Theology. * He was born in Warsaw, New York, USA on 18th October 1931. John became a Christian in 1949 as an undergraduate majoring in the classics and philosophy at Cornell University. He earned 10 degrees in multiple disciplines including philosophy, librarianship , theology and law. Ph.D, Th.D and LLD,. ( See ‘Education’ for detail) In 1959/60 he served as principle librarian in the Divinity school’s library at the University of Chicago He then served as Chairman of the Department of History at Wifrid Laurier University in Canada In 1964 having completed his Th.D. he became Professor of church history at Trinity Evangelical School in Deerfield, Illinois ( 1964-74). While there he became a regular columnist with *Christianity Today * (1965-83). He became involved within theological controversies with his denomination, the Lutheran church concerning Biblical inerrancy and higher criticism. He wrote 3 books opposing Liberal Christianity and radical theologies. Since 1965 he has been an ordained minister in the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod His role as an apologist for Christianity extended to debates with atheists, ethicists and humanists. In th e 1970s he began training in law with the twin aims of reintegrating Christian foundations into jurisprudence and to integrate insights from legal theory and doctrines of proof relevant to furthering Christian evidential apologetics In 1970, after 2 years research, he wrote The Quest for Noah’s Ark In 1980 he established the Simon Greenleaf School of Law in California (now Trinity Law School. He was dean and professor there from 1980-89. He resigned under a cloud of controversy In 1991 became a Barrister-at- law in London. In 2009 passed the French bar examinations. From 1995 to 2007 he was Professor in Law and Humanities at the University of Bedfordshire, . From 2007 to 2014 he was Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought at Patrick Henry College in Virginia USA. He remains Emeritus professor at the University of Bedfordshire. He now lives in France, England and the USA with his second wife Lanalee de Kant, a professional harpist. He is considered to be one of the foremost living apologists for classical biblical Christianity. Prof. J, W. Montgomery Apologetics

Miroslav Volf is a Croatian Protestant theologian and Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale University. He is the founder and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture at Yale Divinity School (YCFC) (2003-2020). He previously taught at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in his native Osijek, Croatia (1979-80), (1983-90) where he served as Professor of Systematic Theology. At Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California (1990-1998) he was an Associate Professor of Systematic Theology. He had an outstanding university education. He received 2 advanced degrees under the German theologian Jurgen Moltmann. (Read Early influences and education) Family and early life (read notes) Miroslave began preaching before he was 18. While living in Croatia he taught in church and for a short time was an interim pastor of a church in Zagreb. In the USA he continued to preach and teach in churches as well as appearing on Christian radio and TV programs. While in Croatia he worked for the Christian monthlyIvori He was the magazine’s co-editor (1979-84) and editor (1984-89). He re-designed/branded the magazine his father published. He regularly wrote editorials and feature articles. In the USA he also wrote for church audiences. He has been described as a ‘theological bridge builder’. The main thrust of the theology of this incredibly learned/decorated man ( See list of honors) is to bring Christian theology to bear on various realms of public life, such as culture, politics and economics. He often explores the dialogues between groups in the world. The systematic contours of his theology are most clearly noticeable in his book Free of Charge. The immediate themes are giving and forgiving as 2 chief modes of grace Miroslav is probably best known for Exclusion and Embrace(1996). His task was to reflect theologically about the Yugoslav Wars, marked by ethnic cleansing that was raging in his home country of Croatia at the time. It won the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for religion in 2002 Christianity Today included it in the top 100 most influential books of the 20th century. In 2003 he founded YCFC at Yale Divinity School. The goal of the center, which he still directs, is to promote the practice of faith in all spheres through theological research and leadership development. He has served as an advisor for the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. He is a frequent commentator on the media talking about religious and cultural issues. In his teens he had a quiet conversion. In high school in Croatia he was the only openly Christian student. He had to explain why and how the Christian faith makes sense intellectually and is a salutary way of life. This was the beginning of his journey as a theologian. Miroslav Volf has to be one of the most outstanding Christian theologians of the late 20th/early 21st century. Sources Wikipedia -only some of the notes

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

Moises Siva is a Cuban born American biblical scholar, minister, author, translator and editor. He is an ordained minister of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. He has served as a translator of several Bibles. He is also a past president of the Evangelical Theological Society (1997) Moises was born in Havana, Cuba on 4th September 1925 and has lived in the USA since 1960. He earned the following degrees BA Bob Jones University 1966 BD Westminster Theological Seminary 1969 ThM ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ 1971 Phd University of Manchester 1972 He taught Biblical Studies at Westminster College (1972-1981), Westminster Theological Seminary (1981-1996), and Godon Conewll Theological Seminary (1996-2000) where he was Mary French Rockerfeller Distinguished Professor of New Testament until he retired. He has been involved as a translator in the New American Standard Bible the *New Living Translation and the recent English Standard Version. He has also been consultant for Eugene Peterson’s The Message . Moises is the editor of the New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis . He was also editor of both the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, and the Westminster Journal. Moises’ Biblical Words and Their Meaning (1983, 2nd ed.1994) challenged many common linguistic fallacies in biblical interpretation. He has also found time to author or co-author several books and articles. His commentary on Philippians was highly acclalmed. (See list of ‘Works’) Moises Siva currently lives in Litchfield, Michigan where he continues to work as an author and editor. Sources Wikipedia

Nancey Murphy (born 12th June 1951) is an American philosopher and theologian who is Senior Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary (FTS), Pasadena, CA . She is a member( and former chair) of the Board of Directors of the Center for Theology and National Science (CTNS) . She is also a member of the American Philosophical Association (APA) and the Society of Christian Philosophers (SCP). She was an advisor to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and serves on the planning committee of the Vatican Observatory. (See notes on all 5) Nancey is an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren. Her first book *Theology in the Age of Scientific Reasoning * (1990) won the American Academy of Religion award for excellence. Degrees B.A. Philosophy and Psychology from Creighton University (CU) in 1973 Ph.D. Philosophy and Science from University of California in 1980 Th.D. Theology from Graduate Theology Union (GTU) in 1987 Recognition 1998 Alumnus of the year for C U 1999 J.K. Russel Fellow at the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences 2006 Alumnus of the year for GTU Nancey joined the faculty at FTS in 1989. She is still there over 30 years later. ( See notes on FTS) Nancey’s research interests focus on the role of modern and postmodern philosophy in shaping Christian Theology on relations between theology and science, and relations among neuroscience, philosophy of mind and Christian anthropology. She is a prolific writer. She has written 10 books and co-authored 11 volumes. She has written chapters for books and articles for Journals and magazines. ( See ‘Among her many publication are’, ‘Bio’, ‘Career’ and ‘Books’ plus Amazon) Nancey also serves as an editorial advisor for numerous publishers and journals. Nancey is highly sought after as a speaker at inter/national conferences on philosophy and the relationship between theology and science. In 2007 the * Los Angeles Magazine* include her in the list of *100 most influential people. Sources AAAS Amazon Center for Theology and the natural Science Fuller seminary Wikipedia

William Wells Brown was a prominent African- American abolitionist lecturer, novelist, playwright and historian. His novel Clotel; or the President’s Daughter (1853) considered to be the first novel written by an African- American - published in London, England. In 1867 he published the first history by an African- American *The Negro in the American Revolution . * George Higgins,his father, was a white plantation owner; his mother was a black slave named Elizabeth. She had 7 children all by different men. His father treated him like a house slave: his mother was a field slave. Together they were hired out to Major Freeland- a drunkard who kept a public house. William complained back to his father who was only interested in the money he was paid for his slaves - so after 6 months he escaped only to be caught. He was whipped and smoked (twice) and sent back to work. ( Read first set of notes ) He was also hired out to work on steamboats on the Missouri River. His work allowed to him to travel to see many new places. In 1833 he and his mother escaped across the river but were captured in Illinois. In 1834 they successfully slipped away from a steamboat when it docked in Cincinnati, Ohio They escaped to Dayton. The elderly Quaker, Wells Brown, helped him recover from a fever. When asked if he had another name than William he decided to adopt this kind gentleman’s name - William Wells Brown. He learned to read and write and eagerly sought more education. In 1834 he married Elizabeth Schooner. They had 2 daughters Clarissa and Josephine. ( Later they became estranged she died in 1851) He was hired by Elijah P. Lovejoy, the famed abolitionist and publisher of the St. Louis Times. He enjoyed working for him. From 1836- 1845? he made his home in Buffalo new York. He became a conductor on the Underground Railroad and worked on a Lake Erie steamer ferrying slaves to freedom in Canada. He became active in the abolitionist movement by joining several anti-slavery societies which included public speaking and music. He traveled with a slavery -themed traveling panorama He also organized a Temperance society. In 1947 published his memoir. -The Narrative of WWB , a Fugitive Slave, Written by Himself. ( See ‘Literary Works’) In 1949 he traveled to the U.K. to lecture on slavery. Represents US at the International Peace Congress in Paris. 1950 Fugitive Slave Act in the US - decided to stay in Europe. 1853Clotel published in London 1854 Richardson family buy his freedom. Returns to US to rejoin the anti-slavery lecture circuit. 1861-5 American Civil War- recruits blacks for the Union. 1880 last book published 6th November, 1884 William dies , aged 70, in Chelsea, Massachusetts . In 2013 he was among the first writers inducted to the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame He was the first African- American novelist & historian.

Sarah Jane Woodson Early, nee Sarah Jane Woodson, was an American educator, black nationalist, temperance activist and author. In 1858 she became the first black woman college instructor. She was also the first black African- American (A-A) to teach at a university-Historically Black College or University (HBCU) before the Civil War (1861-5) Sarah was the fifth and youngest daughter of 11. Her parents were Thomas Woodson and Jemima (nee Riddle) . She was born FREE in Chillicothe, Ohio on 15th November 1825 (In 1820 her father had paid $900 for the family’s freedom whilst living in Greenbrier County, Virginia. There were only 1 of 2 free black families in the entire county so they moved to the free state of Ohio. ) The Woodsons founded the first black methodist church west of the Alleghenies mountain range. In 1830 they were among the founders of a separate black farming community called Berlin Crossroad which became a prominent spot on the ’ Underground Rail Road’- an escape route for slaves. By 1840 nearly 2 dozen families had established a school, stores and churches. Her father and some of her brothers became black nationalists. Sarah showed an interest in education at a very early age. By the age of 3 should memorize hymns sung by her family. By the age of 5 she was able to memorize lengthy passages of the Bible. In 1839 she joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) where 2 of her brothers were ministers. In 1852 along with her sister, Hannah, she enrolled at the Oberin College. In 1856 she was one of the first African-American (A-A) women to graduate with a degree in Classical Studies. After graduation she taught in the black community schools in Ohio for several years. She was the first principal at a public school in Xenia, Ohio. In 1858 she joined Wilberforce University and became the first A-A woman college instructor She taught at HBCU where her brother Rev. Lewis Woodson was the founder and a trustee . HBCU closed during the war. In 1863 bought by AME and re-opened as first A-A college to be owned and operated. In 1868 she began teaching in a new school for black girls established by the Freedmen’s Bureau in Hillsboro. North Carolina. On 24th September, aged 42, she married Rev. Jordan Winston Early - an AME minister and former slave. They moved to Tennessee where she became principal of schools in 4 cities. From 1868-88) - 20 years, she helped her husband with his ministries until he retired. She taught school for nearly 40 years. She believed education was critical for the advancement of the race. 1888-92 she was national superintendent of the black division of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and gave 100 lectures across 5 states. Sarah wrote her husband’s biography and his rise from slavery - it is included among postwar narratives. Sarah’s career ended with her death. She died on 15th August 1907, aged 82. Sources PRO WCofRW WCTU Wikipedia

Cathay Williams was an African-American (A-A) soldier who enlisted in the US Army under the pseudonym William Cathay. She was the first black woman to enlist, and the only documented woman to serve in the US Army posing as a man. Despite the fact that it was prohibited for a woman to join the army she managed to enlist under the name William Cathay. Only her cousin and a friend, who were fellow soldiers in her regiment, knew the truth about the deception… She, some how, managed to pass a medical examination - very cursory- and she was registered to the 38th United States Infantry Regiment. Cathay was the child of a free man and a woman in slavery which made her legal status to be a slave. Shortly after her enlistment she caught smallpox and was hospitalized. She rejoined her unit which was posted to new Mexico. After years of marching and the after effects of smallpox she was often hospitalized. The post surgeon discovered she was a woman. Her commanding officer, Captain Charles E. Clarke discharged her on 14th the October 1868. 20 plus years later (1889) she applied for a disability pension based on her military service . Following a medical examination in September 1893 her application was rejected although she suffered from neuralgia and diabetes, all her toes had been amputated and she walked with a crutch. The actual date of her death -probably late 1893 and her place of burial, are unknown. In 2016 a small bust of Cathay Williams, with a small rose garden, was unveiled outside the Richard Allen Cultural Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. in 2018 a Private Cathay Williams monument bench was unveiled on the Walk of Honor at the National Infantry Museum. Sources Remembering Remarkable Firsts During Black History Month Wikipedia