Most Christians know of the great
names of church history through mention
of them in sermons, but that is about
as far as it goes. This book is written
to introduce you to some of the great
men of the past. The choice of men to
consider is enormous and the ones
included in this book are simply men
the author has always been interested
in. They are men who had a passionate
love for the Lord and his word and were
willing to take on the world in the
name of Christ.
There are many great
biographies written about the
men of faith who have impacted
the Church throughout her
history. Most of them are
detailed, sometimes laborious
and usually extensive. As a
result some of the most
influential figures in
Christian history remain a
nebulous name without
significant meaning to a vast
majority of believers! On top
of that, the problem arises of
where to start in a study of
the men of faith of the past.
Peter Jeffrey’s little book
(110 pages) offers a glimpse
into the lives of 11 of the
most influential people of
Church History. I’m sure that
Jeffrey had a hard time
choosing which ones to include
in this book, but the ones he
chose are outstanding choices.
They include: Anthanasius,
who stood strong against the
heresy of Arianism; Augustine
of Hippo; John Wycliffe, the
first to translate the entire
Bible into the English of his
day using as his translation
the Latin Vulgate; Martin
Luther, author of the 95
Thesis and father of the
Reformation; William Tyndale,
the first to translate the
Bible into English from the
original Greek and Hebrew
languages; Oliver Cromwell,
the politician turned war hero
turned politician of whom C.H
Firth says, “…no English ruler
did more to shape the future
of the land he
governed”(Charles Firth
Cromwell Putman 1935 p.486).
Also included are: Daniel
Rowland, a little know country
preacher from Wales that J.C.
Ryle describes as one of the
spiritual giants of the 18th
century; Jonathan Edwards,
America’s greatest theologian
and father of the Great
Awakening, and George
Whitfield, the great preacher
of the Great Awakening.
The last chapter interestingly
compares the preaching of two
men: Asahel Nettleton and
Charles Finney. Here is what
someone said about Nettleton:
“to be converted under the
ministry of Nettleton was to
become Calvinistic in
theology. Such ideas as total
depravity, the necessity of
regeneration, justification
through Christ alone, and the
Sovereignty of God in
salvation, were not only
believed but felt.”(J.F.
Thornberry God Sent Revival EP
1977, p.23). And of course,
Charles Finney is the father
of the invitation system and
getting a physical response at
conversion. I’m not really
sure how Finney fits as a
Light shining in the Darkness,
for I believe his methods have
done harm to the Church.
Nevertheless, this book is a
great place to start for those
looking to learn about great
men of faith who have impacted
the Church throughout her 2000
year history. Read ‘em & Reap!
-
Brad
