Christian Biographies
John Wycliffe – the Dawn of the Reformation by David Fountain, 1984. Paperback 132 pages
Martin Luther is rightly celebrated for his courageous stand against the false teaching and practices of the Roman Catholic Church at the beginning of the Reformation in the early 16th century. However, John Wycliffe stood for the same ideals 150 years earlier and has been called the Morning Star of the Reformation and the Father of the English Reformation. The Bible was his authority and he opposed everything in the church which was not consistent with its teaching. He organised a band of laymen called Lollards who travelled round the land faithfully preaching the Gospel. He produced the first complete Bible in English translated from the Latin and hand-written, before the introduction of the printing press. For all this he was severely persecuted and, even in death, the church took revenge by digging up his body, publically burning it and throwing his ashes in the river Swift near Lutterworth. This is a stirring, challenging and instructive account of his life and beliefs.
He shall with Giants Fight – a biography of John Bunyan by Anne Arnott, 1985. Paperback 157 pages.
The Pilgrim's Progress is one of the most influential and popular of Christian books and one of the best selling books in the history of English literature, and has been translated into many languages since first published in 1678. This biography of the author, John Bunyan, shows how the events of his own life shaped his spiritual vision, as he learnt what it means to suffer for Christ, as well as to know the loving support of others. He suffered depression and a great sense of unworthiness for two years. He then demonstrates the truth of Luke 7,47 'To whom little is forgiven, the same loves little' that our love for God is in proportion to the realisation of our sinfulness. As soon as he realised that all his sins had been forgiven and such a great burden taken from him, he was relentless in God's service.
A Burning and Shining Light – a biography of David Brainerd by Denise Stubbs, 1997. Paperback 269 pages.
John Wesley was so impressed by the life and witness of David Brainerd that he abridged a biography by Jonathan Edwards and recommended it to all his preachers. And yet this influential missionary to the North American Indians died before the age of 30 in 1747. His commitment to God, his desire for holiness, his desire to live only for the glory of God, his love for the Indians, and his steadfast religious principles fill one with admiration and can still inspire us today. This biography which includes descriptive narrative and engaging dialogue brings to life this hero of our faith. His necessarily simple but effective preaching of the gospel is a good example to us as we struggle to witness in our conversations:
"The Bible tells us that all men are destined to die", he proclaimed. "Where will you go when that day comes? Will you go to heaven or hell? If you do not know Jesus Christ as your saviour, you will go to hell. But if you confess your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ as your only hope for salvation, you will live forever in the presence of God. And no other place is more beautiful, more peaceful, more glorious than the presence of the one, true God."
George Whitfield – a biography by Arnold Dallimore, 1990. Paperback 224 pages.
George Whitfield was a friend of John and Charles Wesley and a member of their Holy Club at Oxford. During his time at Oxford he was greatly influenced by reading a book called The Life of God in the Soul of Man by a Scotsman, Henry Scougal, and came to realise he lacked a living faith and then became burdened by his sin. After struggling for many months in 1735 he came to the end of his tether and then had a wonderful experience as he was born again. He describes this as follows: God was pleased to remove the heavy load, to enable me to lay hold on his dear Son by a living faith, and by giving me the Spirit of adoption, to seal me, even to the day of everlasting redemption. O! with what joy – joy unspeakable – even joy that was full of and big with glory, was my soul filled, when the weight of sin went off, and an abiding sense of the pardoning love of God .... Broke in upon by disconsolate soul!
He was a new person and after ordination became one of the greatest of preachers. His forthright Biblical sermons met opposition by many clergymen and he began preaching in the open air. His oratory was envied by the greatest actor of the time and his voice was so clear that it was estimated that he could be heard by a crowd of 30,000. He ignited the torch of revival in Great Britain and then travelled widely in America where he was instrumental in the Great Awakening. He was welcomed by Jonathan Edwards in Massachusetts and also had a long friendship with Benjamin Franklin who described his preaching as follows: 'He had aloud clear voice, and articulated his words and sentences so perfectly, that he might be heard and understood at a great distance. He also described the effect of his preaching when asking for funds to build an orphanage in Georgia: 'I did not approve of the building. I silently resolved that he should get nothing from me. I had in my pocket a handful of copper, three or four silver dollars and five pistoles in gold. As he proceeded I began to soften and concluded to give the coppers. Another stroke of his oratory made me ashamed of that, and determined me to give the silver; and he finished so admirably that I emptied my pocket wholly into the collector's dish, gold and all'.
This great Christian leader deserves to be better known and this book is an excellent and inspiring introduction.
Spurgeon- a new biography by Arnold Dallimore, 1984. Paperback 239 pages.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon is acknowledged to be the greatest of Victorian preachers. He was converted at the age of 15 in a small Methodist village chapel during the simple preaching of a stand-in for the minister who was snowed in. The text was 'Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth'. Spurgeon said that he had been waiting to do fifty things to please God, but when he heard that word 'Look!' it seemed such a charming word and he simply looked at Christ and for the first time put his faith in Him. This was a great turning point in his life and he began effective preaching in Cambridgeshire. He came to the notice of churches in London and he was invited to be the pastor of New Park Street Baptist church at the age of 19. His preaching soon attracted thousands and he had to preach in a public concert and lecture hall which accommodated 5000 and, even then, hundreds were turned away. He disturbed the complacency of the religious life of the day and met much conflict. His preaching was characterised by great earnestness: He spoke out against the kind of minister who before preaching can be a jolly fellow, happily greeting the people, and who after the service can gather jovially with them at the door, having fair words for all. His place at such a time, he declared, is with God, weeping out the failure of his preaching and pleading that the seed sown in hearts might take root and bring forth fruit unto eternal life.
He eventually moved into the new, much larger, Metropolitan Tabernacle at Elephant and Castle. During this flourishing preaching ministry he also opened an orphanage and a college for preachers. He produced and contributed to a monthly periodical, The Sword and Trowel (which is still published four times a year) and he was a prolific author. Throughout these successes he suffered greatly from ill-health and from great opposition to evangelical truth precipitated by the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species which led to the teaching, in direct contradiction of Scripture, that life had not originated by divine inspiration but by blind chance. Simultaneously, the Christian foundations were also undermined by what was called Higher Criticism which led to attempts to explain away the miracles of the Bible and reduce it to the level of a merely human book. These ideas were taught in universities and permeated all the denominations including his Baptist Union. He took a clear stand in favour of Scripture and his church reluctantly left the Baptist Union saying that 'a new religion had been originated which is no more Christianity than chalk is cheese, and this religion, being destitute of moral honesty palms itself off as the old faith with slight improvements, and on this plea usurps pulpits which were erected for gospel preaching.' On writing to Baptists in Canada he explained: 'The inspiration of the Scriptures is the point assailed, and with it all true religion stands or falls. May you be kept from this dread tidal water which is rolling over this country'.
He was thus a beacon for Biblical Christianity throughout his ministry. When he died in 1892, it was estimated that 50,000 paid respects at his coffin and many thousands lined the streets as the funeral carriages made the 5 mile journey to Norwood cemetery. Church bells sounded along the route and even the pubs were closed. Many books by Spurgeon are still in print and it is hoped that reading this biography will encourage further exposure to the inspiring teaching of this courageous and faithful man of God.
The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson, 1963. Paperback 214 pages. A classic which has sold over fifty million copies in 30 languages. The story of a young pastor of a country church in Pennsylvania who had a burden for the youths caught up in crime and drug addiction in New York. By faithfully trusting in the Holy Spirit for all his needs he was able convert gang leaders through his loving concern and the bold preaching of the simple gospel. This led to the founding of the Teen Challenge organization which now has centres in many big cities.
Here is an example of how tough gang members were changed:
Next morning a phone call from the police came. My heart sank. And when I stumbled out to the phone, the words I heard didn't make me feel any better. The lieutenant asked me if I knew the Mau Mau gang, and when I said that I did, he asked if I'd come right down. When I got to Edward Street Precinct, sure enough, there were half-a-dozen boys from the gang. I walked past them briskly and introduced myself at the desk. What happened next I shall never forget.
The desk sergeant called the lieutenant, and the lieutenant assembled the whole force. The lieutenant stuck out his hand. 'Reverend', he said, I want to shake your hand'. I took his offer, and he pumped me firmly. 'How did you do it?' he asked. 'These boys declared war on us a few months ago. They've given us nothing but trouble for years. Then this morning they all troop in here and you know what they want?' I shook my head. 'They want us to autograph their Bibles!'
I looked at Nicky and Israel and the boys who were with them. They grinned at me.
Run Baby Run – the story of Nicky Cruz, 1971. Paperback 240 pages
Those who enjoyed reading David Wilkerson's The Cross and the Switchblade will find this equally inspiring and exciting. It's the story told by Nicky Cruz (a key subject of The Cross and the Switchblade) of his amazing transformation from New York gang leader to evangelist after David Wilkerson sought him out. Although the events took place 50 years ago in New York, they have a great relevance to London (and other UK towns) today with teenagers finding 'family' life in gangs and committing horrific knife crimes. We need Christians who, like David Wilkerson, are prepared to minister to the gangs and risk all that that entails, and a church willing to support and encourage them.
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, 1971. Paperback 221 pages
The exciting story (made into a feature film) of a Dutch Christian who helped hide Jews from the Nazis and was subsequently imprisoned with her sister, Betsie, in the notorious Ravensbrook concentration camp. It demonstrates the expression of Christian love and forgiveness, and the sustaining power of Scripture in a remarkable and unforgettable way:
The blacker the night round us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the word of God. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us". I would look about us as Betsie read, watching the light leap from face to face. More than conquerors .... it was not a wish. It was a fact. We knew it, we experienced it minute by minute – poor, hated, hungry. We are more than conquerors. Not "we shall be". We are! Life in Ravensbrook took place on two separate levels, mutually impossible. One, the observable, external life, grew every day more horrible. The other, the life lived with God, grew daily better, truth upon truth, glory upon glory.
Tramp for the Lord by Corrie ten Boom, 1974. Paperback 191 pages
Those who enjoyed Corrie ten Boom's first book, The Hiding Place, will want to read this sequel. It is an equally gripping true story of this concentration camp survivor's mission to share with the world her experience of God's love and power in the most appalling of situations. As well as addressing large meetings around the world, this 80 year old used every opportunity to share her faith and experiences with those individuals she met, and accounts of many of these encounters are given. The book is written with an honesty which admits her weaknesses and demonstrates her reliance on God. This inspiring book is easy to read, with 35 short chapters of 2-8 pages.
Chasing the Dragon by Jackie Pullinger, 1980. Paperback 236 pages.
It is 40 years since Jackie Pullinger, an English musician in her twenties, arrived in Hong Kong with ideas of being a missionary but having been unable to get support from any missionary society. This is her amazing story of trusting God and relying on the Holy Spirit in her successful work among the drug addicts and gangsters in the Walled City. Through her boldly speaking of Jesus Christ, even brutal Triad gangsters were converted.
Here is an encounter with a young Chinese boy called Christopher who had attended her youth club in the Walled City and had embarked on a life of gambling and crime and was about to be initiated into one of the Triad gangs in the Walled City:
"Christopher, who do you think Jesus came into the world for?" He didn't reply. "Was it for the rich or the poor?" I continued. "That's easy – I know that one. He came for poorer people" he said. "But does he love good people or bad people?" I probed. "Jesus loves good people, Miss Pullinger". "You're wrong" I said. "Do you know, if Jesus was alive today, he'd be here in the Walled City sitting on the orange boxes talking to the pimps and prostitutes down here in the mud. That's where he spent a lot of his time. In the streets with well-known criminals – not waiting in a neat clean church for the nice guys to turn up". "Why did he do that?" Christopher asked incredulously. "Because", I said slowly, "that is why he came – not to save the good people, but to save the bad ones – the lost ones – those who have done wrong". Christopher stopped suddenly – he was clearly overwhelmed by what he had heard. He asked to hear some more and I told him the story of Naaman who was washed clean from leprosy. I then finished up by saying, "It's so simple – all you have to do is come to Jesus to be washed clean". Christopher had his eyes shut and he seemed to be talking quietly, not to me but to Jesus, admitting how he had failed in his life and asking Him to make him clean. Sitting by that dusty, noisy roadside, he became a Christian.
The Heavenly Man – Brother Yun, 2002. Paperback 347 pages.
An inspirational and heroic story of a radical Christian in the house churches of China. Although now only 48 years, Brother Yun has suffered prolonged torture and imprisonment for his faith. Despite this he has been able to praise and thank God in every situation. He reveals that, had he not been imprisoned, he wouldn't have been able to witness to and convert so many prisoners and the warders. He also had a vision for evangelising the countries on the old silk routes from China and moreover, he is now fearless in his proclamation of the gospel because there is nothing that he hasn't already suffered:
We are not ignorant of the fact that these nations don't welcome the Gospel. We have come to understand that the past 30 years of suffering, persecution and torture for the house churches were all part of God's training for us. The Lord has perfectly fitted us to go as missionaries. There is little that any of the Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu countries can do to us that we haven't already experienced in China. The worst they can do is kill us, but all that means is that we will be promoted into the glorious presence of our Lord for all eternity.
Also, he sees the Chinese government in a different light to what we would expect:
We never pray against our government or call down curses on it. Instead we have learned that God is in control of both our lives and the government we live under. God has used China's government for his own purposes, moulding and shaping his children as he sees fit.
Heroes of the Reformation by Gideon and Hilda Hagstotz, 1996. Paperback 307 pages.
There is a growing tendency to forget the importance of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century and what it stood for. This book contains a brief summary of the life of 43 Christians who felt impelled to make a heroic stand against the corrupt Roman Catholic Church and suffered greatly so that salvation through faith alone by grace might be widely taught. Of the English Reformers, William Tyndale stands out:
His translation of the Bible was the fulcrum on which balanced the entire English Reformation. He was the kingpin, as it were, that held together the framework of spiritual advancement in England during the 16th century. And with his translation, furnishing the chief source material for the Authorised Version of 1611, Tyndale's influence upon English literature likewise became greater than that of any other man.
For daring to translate the Bible he was hounded through Europe and eventually hanged and burnt.
This book is one for dipping into to be inspired, encouraged and informed.
Men of Purpose by Peter Masters, 1989. Paperback 167 pages.
When Christianity is under constant attack and derision by such as Richard Dawkins as well as the media, it is reassuring and comforting to be reminded of the Christian faith of many universal heroes who achieved fame in science, the arts, and industry. This book has a short biography (approximately 15 pages) of eleven such men. They include Michael Faraday, the pioneer of electricity, Henry Heinz, the founder of the food empire, Felix Mendelssohn, the brilliant composer, Philip Bliss, the hymnwriter, Fred Charrington of the brewery family, Lord Kelvin, the great physicist, Sir John Fleming, the father of modern electronics, and Daniel Defoe, the author of Robinson Crusoe. These biographies will be a source of encouragement and inspiration.
Amy Carmichael – Beauty for Ashes. A biography by Iain Murray, 2015. Paperback 156 pages
In Isaiah chapter 61 we read the prophesied mission of Christ which includes the promise that He would 'give them beauty for ashes' (verse 3). This indicates that, through faith in Christ, our lives can be transformed from ashes to something beautiful. This message has been given to the Church and was well taken up by the subject of this new biography – the missionary and author Amy Carmichael. She was born in Northern Ireland in 1867, schooled in England and then spent over 50 years of her life, without returning home, serving mainly low caste girls and boys in South India. She died there in 1951.
This is (in the words of John MacArthur) 'a love story of the noblest kind. It is an enriching consideration of a woman's relentless love for her Saviour, her Bible, her friends, and most uniquely, her love for lost, suffering and desperate sinners – to whom she gave her life'. How appropriate is the subtitle of this inspiring biography because through her ministry many lives were transformed from ashes to beauty.
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