Who was Charles Finney?
Charles Grandison Finney (1792–1875) was a revivalist preacher in the early 1800s in America. He is credited with being the first preacher to employ the method of altar calls to encourage people to make a decision for Christ. This was, according to Finney, a result of there being so many conversions during his revivals that…
What is a Congregational Church / Congregationalism?
Congregationalism speaks of a form of church government. “Episcopal” church government is rule by bishops, “presbyterian” church government is rule by elders, and “congregational” church government is rule by the congregation. Episcopal government usually includes a hierarchy over the local church, and presbyterian government sometimes does as well. Congregational government nearly always avoids such hierarchy,…
Who was Isaac Watts?
Isaac Watts (1674—1748) was a famous hymn writer, minister, and logician. His parents were Nonconformists, meaning they had separated from the Anglican Church of England. Watts’ father was frequently imprisoned for his beliefs. At an early age, Isaac Watts proved his intelligence. He knew five languages by the time he was 13 years old, and…
Who was Hudson Taylor?
James Hudson Taylor (1832–1905) was a pioneering missionary to China who founded the China Inland Mission (CIM) and adopted missionary techniques that, at the time, were considered controversial. Hudson Taylor was born to pious parents who prayed that he would one day be a missionary to China. As a teenager, he came to faith himself…
Who was John Newton?
John Newton (1725—1807) was a Christian, abolitionist, and hymn writer best known for his song “Amazing Grace.” He was born in east London. At the age of 10, young John Newton began working with his father on ships and attended many voyages with his father. Although he also worked in the navy and on merchant…
What is The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan?
The Pilgrim’s Progress (full title, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come, Delivered Under the Similitude of a Dream) was written by John Bunyan (1628–1688) and since its publication has encouraged countless believers in their walk with God. From a purely literary viewpoint, The Pilgrim’s Progress is without a doubt…
What was the Haystack Prayer Meeting?
On a summer day in 1806, a long-lasting missionary movement was born when five college students seeking shelter from a thunderstorm held a prayer meeting in the lee of a haystack. Samuel J. Mills, James Richards, Francis L. Robbins, Harvey Loomis, and Byram Green had met in a wooded grove near the Hoosack River near…
Who was John Wesley?
John Wesley (1703–1791) was an Anglican evangelist, theologian, and co-founder of Methodism. Wesley was born in the small English town of Epworth and was the fifteenth child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley. John’s father was an Anglican priest. John decided to enter the ministry as well, and he trained at Oxford. There, he began meeting…
Who was Immanuel Kant?
Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) was a highly influential German philosopher whose works centered mostly on the workings of the mind in regard to things like reason, aesthetics, and the nature of reality. For example, Kant asked how we know things are real (that is, where does knowledge come from?). In Kant’s day, there were two schools…
Who was Adoniram Judson?
Adoniram Judson, Jr. (1788—1850) was a pioneering foreign missionary to India and Burma, the first Protestant missionary sent from North America. He was instrumental in launching the Congregationalist Church sending agency known as the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) and the “Triennial Convention” (formally known as the General Missionary Convention of the…