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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

James Blair (1656-1743) was a C.of E. . He was a missionary and an educator.He was the founder and president of the College of William and Maryin Williansburg, Viginia.USA. (1693-1743)

Leland Ryken ( born 1942) has been a professor of English emeritus at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois for nearly 50 years. He edited the comprehensive Christian writing on literatureThe Christian Imagination He was the literary stylist for the English Standard Version of the Bible (2001) published by Crossway Bibles. He wrote How to Read the Bible as Literature *Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible *** He co-edited *Ryken’s Bible Handbook ESV Literary Study Bible with his son Philip Leland was the literary content contributor to the ESV Study Bible released in 2008. Leland Ryken is now 80 years of age. (See also extensive ‘Bibliography’)

David was a Moravian clergyman and missionary among the native American tribes who resided in the 13 colonies. He established communities of Munsee converts to Christianity in the valley of the Muskingum River of Ohio. He spent 62 years, except for a few short intervals, as a missionary to the Indians. In 1781 he was arrested and detained by the British. While he was detained 96 of his native converts were murdered by the Pennsylvania militiamen - an event known as the Gnadenhutten Massacre. In 1782 he returned close to Goshen to live with the remaining native converts. He died in 1808 at the age of 87 and is buried in Goshen.