Christians Who Changed the World
Throughout the ages, many Christian men and women have changed the course of history and extended God’s Kingdom on earth through their faith and work. Immediately, people like St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Joan of Arc, Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, John Calvin, and others, may come to mind. Whether we fully agree or not with their testimony and doctrine, few believers would disagree that their fruitful lives were most likely the result of God’s Spirit working in them and through them. The questions that remain are; what is it about the lives of these remarkable men and women that allowed God to work so freely through them? Why were they so effective at changing not only the course of human history, but the way we think about and act out our faith?
One of the challenges of studying the lives of these thousand-year-old Christians is the availability and reliability of accurate historical records. Sometimes historical accounts can be clouded by time, perception, and the particular bias of the historian. The best accounts are autobiographical. For example, because of the incredible accuracy of the biblical record, we have a very good portrait of the apostle Paul, his character and ministry, because he writes in his own words. How do we then evaluate the key elements in the lives of more recent believers, especially the ones that have had a profound impact on the church? How do they compare to what we know about the life of the apostle Paul, whose life and ministry we know so well? What are the key characteristics of more modern heroes of the faith that made them so effective for the Kingdom?
On this website, we attempt to identify and analyze the life and ministry of three 18th, 19th, and 20th century saints of God for the purpose of discovering common denominators to the success and impact of their Christian walks. This is done with a view to the goal of learning from the character of these men, and applying the lessons learned to our own lives so that God will also be glorified in and through us. Tags in square brackets throughout the text are placed to identify common characteristics, which are then summarized at the end of the paper. The reader is first directed to the TAG KEY for an explanation of the meaning of the tags, which will enhance understanding on the first read-through.
