Giants of the Faith - A Christian History Podcast

Hello and welcome to episode 77 of the Giants of the Faith podcast. My name is Robert Daniels and I am the host of this show where we look back at Christians from the past that have made an impact for the kingdom of God. Today we're looking at the life of Scottish missionary John Paton. RESOURCES Ligonier: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/missionary-john-paton All Nations Interational: https://allnations.international/blog/the-story-of-john-paton-whose-god-made-rain-come-from-the-earth Wholesome Words: https://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/biopaton2.html

In today's episode we're looking at influential modern theologian Karl Barth. This is my third try at writing this episode because I've struggled to be able to present Barth in a way that both appreciates his impact on the 20th century church while dealing with the problems in his personal life. So, to avoid rubber-stamping Barth's status as a Giant of the Faith but to also cover such an influential figure, I'm bumping him to bonus episode status. This might limit the reach of this episode but it will at least assuage my conscience. RESOURCES The Gospel Coalition: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/theologians-karl-barth-adultery/ Rod Lampard: https://rodlampard.com/2018/09/06/three-criticisms-of-karl-barth/ The Torrey Gazette: https://torreygazette.com/blog/2017/6/27/all-the-barth-questions Evangelical Orphan: https://evangelicalorphan.wordpress.com/2015/09/05/meet-karl-barth/ Athanasian Reformed: https://growrag.wordpress.com/2016/04/08/some-of-what-i-know-of-karl-barth-off-the-top-a-self-promoted-test-of-sorts/ Princeton Theological Seminary: https://barth.ptsem.edu/charlotte-von-kirschbaum-and-karl-barth/

Hello, and welcome to episode 76 of the Giants of the Faith podcast. This is the podcast where we look at the lives of Christians from history and examine the impact that they have had for the Kingdom of Christ. I'm your host, Robert Daniels, and in today's episode we're focused on one of the Church Fathers, John Chrysostom. RESOURCES Orthodox Christianity: https://orthochristian.com/43102.html Got Questions: https://www.gotquestions.org/John-Chrysostom.html Christian History Institute: https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/john-chrysostom-did-you-know

This is the podcast where we profile Christians from throughout the age of the church and look at their impact on the world and our shared faith. In this episode we're profiling the Anglican Bishop J.C. Ryle, who's commentaries and works are still in print and in wide use today.

Dionysius Exiguus, whose name would be translated today as "Dennis the Humble," was a 6th-century monk, scholar, and mathematician. While he may not be as well-known as some other figures from antiquity, his contributions to the world are profound and enduring.

Welcome to Giants of the Faith, a podcast where we explore some of the great figures in Christian history. I'm your host, Robert Daniels, and today we're going to talk about Mark Buntain, a Canadian evangelist and missionary who founded a hospital and a feeding program in Calcutta, India. This episode is for Tim Svoboda, who won the graphic novel contest from a few months ago by suggesting Buntain.

Today, we will focus on the life and work of John Mason Neale, an Anglican priest, scholar, and hymnwriter who translated and adapted many ancient and medieval hymns into English. My initial thought was to relegate Neale to a bonus episode hitched to Episode 71 and Wenceslaus. But when I saw that he was also responsible for the popular English translations of "Good Christian Men, Rejoice" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" I had to give him the full episode treatment. Those two songs, along with "Good King Wenceslas" are some of my favorite classic Christmas songs so I really enjoyed learning about Neale. RESOURCES Hymnology Archive. https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/john-mason-neale. The Feast Days: https://thefeastdays.com/0807

Merry Christmas! I'm recording this episode in December 2023 and Christmas is fast approaching. So, in honor of this festive season, today's episode will focus on the history and stories surrounding two men that have become part of our Christmas traditions in the West. One, Boniface, is most famous as the bringer of the Christmas tree. The other, Wenceslaus, for his noble act of kindness. RESOURCES BONIFACE SOURCES Franciscan Media: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-boniface/ Fordham University: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/willibald-boniface.asp Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/martyrs/boniface.html Christianapostles.com: https://christianapostles.com/st-boniface/ Catholic Answers: https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/st-boniface-and-the-christmas-tree WENCESLAUS SOURCES Franciscan Media: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-wenceslaus/ Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wenceslas-I-prince-of-Bohemia St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church: https://stwenc-ic.com/about-us/history-of-the-saint/3-history-of-st-wenceslaus St. Wenceslaus Parish: http://www.stwenc.org/St_Wenceslaus/St-wencelsaus-story.html Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQVUMG6LZGM

This is part two of two of a look at the life of famed evangelist Billy Graham. In part one we looked at Graham's early life through his first major evangelistic campaign in Los Angeles. Today we'll look at the rest of his life. I feel like I should say that I'm not covering everything that Graham did in his life. He was a busy guy. There are plenty of biographies out there if you are interested in learning more about him. RESOURCES The Billy Graham Library: https://billygrahamlibrary.org/blog-billy-graham-and-the-florida-bible-institute/ iDisciple: https://www.idisciple.org/post/the-impact-of-one Christian History Institute: https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/issue/billy-graham Billygraham.org: https://billygraham.org/about/biographies/billy-graham/ The Billy Graham Library: https://billygrahamlibrary.org/billy-graham/ Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/evangelistsandapologists/billy-graham.html My Hero: https://myhero.com/billy-graham The Gospel Coalition: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/interview-billy-grahams-best-biographer/ Inspirational Christians: https://www.inspirationalchristians.org/evangelists/reverend-billy-graham-ordinary-man-extraordinary-call/ Christianity.com: https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1801-1900/mordecai-ham-outspoken-evangelist-11630588.html Aunty Faith: https://auntyfaith.com/2020/09/01/the-biography-of-mordecai-ham-the-southern-revivalist/ Florida Backroads Travel: https://www.florida-backroads-travel.com/temple-terrace-florida.html WUSF: https://www.wusf.org/news/2018-02-21/rev-billy-graham-found-evangelical-voice-in-temple-terrace-tampa Christian History Institute: https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/the-modesto-manifesto

We've been following the chain of faith from Edward Kimball to DL Moody, then from Moody to Wilbur Chapman and on through Billy Sunday and Mordecai Ham until we've finally reach the man himself, William Franklin Graham. Graham needs little introduction so we'll just jump right into the story. RESOURCES The Billy Graham Library: https://billygrahamlibrary.org/blog-billy-graham-and-the-florida-bible-institute/ iDisciple: https://www.idisciple.org/post/the-impact-of-one Christian History Institute: https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/issue/billy-graham Billygraham.org: https://billygraham.org/about/biographies/billy-graham/ The Billy Graham Library: https://billygrahamlibrary.org/billy-graham/ Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/evangelistsandapologists/billy-graham.html My Hero: https://myhero.com/billy-graham The Gospel Coalition: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/interview-billy-grahams-best-biographer/ Inspirational Christians: https://www.inspirationalchristians.org/evangelists/reverend-billy-graham-ordinary-man-extraordinary-call/ Christianity.com: https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1801-1900/mordecai-ham-outspoken-evangelist-11630588.html Aunty Faith: https://auntyfaith.com/2020/09/01/the-biography-of-mordecai-ham-the-southern-revivalist/ Florida Backroads Travel: https://www.florida-backroads-travel.com/temple-terrace-florida.html WUSF: https://www.wusf.org/news/2018-02-21/rev-billy-graham-found-evangelical-voice-in-temple-terrace-tampa

This is a bit of a bonus because I didn't intend to give today's subject the full episode treatment. But after a last-minute change of mind here we are with a short episode focusing on Mordecai Ham, the Kentuckian evangelist who will be the penultimate link in our chain of faith leading up to Billy Graham. Ham was a fundamentalist Baptist - not the kind of guy I would normally want to feature. He was, perhaps, anti-Semitic, certainly racist, anti-Catholic, and prone to all of the worst leanings you can imagine of an IFB leader. But he played a part in this chain of faith so here we are. I present to you this biography of Ham not because of who he was but more because of the impact he had. RESOURCES Christianity.com: https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1801-1900/mordecai-ham-outspoken-evangelist-11630588.html SBC Evangelist: https://www.sbcevangelist.org/mordecai-ham/ Garland Landmark Society: https://www.garlandhistorical.org/online-resources/46-articles/satellite-business/100-revivalist-s-fiery-preaching-recalled Truth in History (these guys are nuts): http://truthinhistory.org/the-need-of-the-anglo-israel-truth.html Sword of the Lord (nuts, as well): https://web.archive.org/web/20160429094255/http://www.swordofthelord.com/biographies/HamMordecai.htm

Over the last few episodes we've been building up the chain of faith that leads to Billy Graham. We've seen how the devotion and life of Sunday school teacher Edward Kimball led to the conversion of a young DL Moody. Then how Moody inspired Wilbur Chapman to go into full-time evangelism which led to Chapman giving Billy Sunday his start as an evangelist. And that's where we pick up the chain today as we take a deeper dive into the life of Billy Sunday. RESOURCES Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/evangelistsandapologists/billy-sunday.html Got Questions?: https://www.gotquestions.org/Billy-Sunday.html Romans1015: https://romans1015.com/billysunday/ Wholesome Words: https://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/bsunday3.html Travis Agnew: https://www.travisagnew.org/2013/07/22/the-chain-of-events-for-billy-grahams-conversion/

In today's episode we're continuing the faith march toward Billy Graham. We started this journey by profiling the travelling salesman Edward Kimball, then the world renowned evangelist DL Moody. Today it's the lesser-known John Wilbur Chapman, a Presbyterian evangelist and pastor who was one of the most influential leaders of the revival movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. RESOURCES Wholesome Words: https://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/bchapman4.html Canton Baptist Temple: https://christianhof.org/chapman/ Leben: https://leben.us/j-wilbur-chapman-hymnwriter-and-evangelist/ American Profile: https://americanprofile.com/articles/wilbur-chapman-evangelist/ Ancient-Modern Study Bible: https://www.christianbook.com/nkjv-comfort-ancient-modern-cloth-board/9780785215974/pd/215977?event=ESRCG

In today's episode we're continuing the faith march toward Billy Graham. In the last episode we looked at Edward Kimball, the humble Sunday School teacher who led DL Moody to the Lord, and today we're focused on Moody himself. Moody was an American evangelist and publisher who founded the Moody Bible Institute, the Moody Church, and several other ministries that still impact millions of people today. RESOURCES Inspirational Christians: https://www.inspirationalchristians.org/evangelists/dwight-l-moody-biography/ Wholesome Words: https://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biomoody4.html Christian History Institute: https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/life-and-times-of-moody Moody Bible Institute: https://www.moody.edu/about/our-bold-legacy/d-l-moody/ Curiosmith: https://curiosmith.com/pages/bible-institute-colportage-association

Over the next five episodes we're going to be tracing the chain of faith from a little-known Sunday school teacher, Edward Kimball, to the most impactful Christian evangelist of the 20th century, Billy Graham. I hope you enjoy. RESOURCES New Life Christian Fellowship: https://www.newlife-ct.org/the-newlife-blog/post/who-is-edward-kimball Travis Agnew: https://www.travisagnew.org/2013/07/22/the-chain-of-events-for-billy-grahams-conversion/ Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Kimball_(teacher) Newspapers.com: https://www.newspapers.com/article/121082799/noted-helper-of-churches-is-dead-edward/ Newspapers.com: https://www.newspapers.com/article/120476386/a-modern-moses-edward-kimball-detailed/ Google Books: https://books.google.com/books?id=NCpWAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22edward+kimball%22+moody&pg=PA284#v=onepage&q=%22edward%20kimball%22%20moody&f=false

Today we're going to the Dark Continent to talk about Jove Ejovi Aganbi, a Nigerian pastor, evangelist and educator who played a key role in the growth of Christianity in his country. As is sometimes the case with this podcast I have to warn you that I will struggle with some pronunciations here. I did reach out to an Urhobo group on Facebook for help with pronunciations but as of recording time I have not heard back from them. So if I mangle words badly, forgive me. RESOURCES Dictionary of African Christian Biography: https://dacb.org/stories/nigeria/aganbi-jove/ Dictionary of African Christian Biography: https://dacb.org/stories/nigeria/ejovi-oboberhie/ Walking in Love Ministries of MKP, Inc..: https://walkinginloveministries.org/8-early-eku-history/ SIM International: https://www.sim.org/ Pew Research: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/04/19/sub-saharan-africa-will-be-home-to-growing-shares-of-the-worlds-christians-and-muslims/

Hello and welcome to Giants of the Faith, the podcast where we explore some of the great figures in Christian history. This is episode 62. I'm your host, Robert Daniels, and today we're going way back to look at the life of Clement of Alexandria, one of the first Christian philosophers and teachers of the church. As with many early fathers, details of Clement's life are scarce but I will do the best I can with what we have. RESOURCES Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/evangelistsandapologists/clement-of-alexandria.html Dictionary of African Christian Biography: https://dacb.org/stories/egypt/clement-of-alex/ Got Questions: https://www.gotquestions.org/Clement-of-Alexandria.html Christian History Institute: https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/clement-of-alexandria-rich-person Early Christian Writings: https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/

Today we're going to talk about Watchman Nee, a Chinese church leader and Christian teacher who worked in China during the 20th century and whose impact is still being felt there today in the rapidly expanding Christian church. Nee was a Chinese Christian who wrote about the normal Christian life, which he believed involved four steps: knowledge of the cross of Christ, reckoning, presenting to God, and walking after the Spirit. RESOURCES Thirdmill: https://thirdmill.org/magazine/article.asp/link/hue_mountfort%5ECH.Mountfort.watchman.nee.bio.html/at/Watchman%20Nee%20%281903-1972%29:%20A%20Biographical%20Study Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1975/may-9/footnotes-sharper-focus-on-watchman-nee.html ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297301999_The_Theological_Anthropology_of_Watchman_Nee_In_the_Context_of_Taoist_Tradition Reformed Perspectives: http://reformedperspectives.org/articles/hue_mountfort/CH.Mountfort.watchman.nee.bio.html. Dwell Community Church: https://dwellcc.org/learning/essays/watchman-nee-and-house-church-movement-china

We've finished our 10 episode series on hymn writers and today we are going to talk about Matthew Henry, a British Nonconformist minister and author who wrote one of the most famous and influential biblical commentaries of all time. If you don't know him from his commentaries, you might know him from this famous quote: The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved. That's a beautiful sentiment and does much to demonstrate the character of this godly man. RESOURCES Banner of Truth: https://banneroftruth.org/us/about/banner-authors/matthew-henry/#:~:text=He%20began%20work%20on%20his,Henry's%20own%20notes%20and%20writings. Bible Study Tools: https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/ Bible Portal: https://bibleportal.com/commentary/mhc MatthewHenry.org https://www.matthewhenry.org/about/who-is-matthew-henry/ Quaker.org: https://quaker.org/the-inner-light/ Challies: https://www.challies.com/articles/the-puritans-matthew-henry/ Intro Music: Country Strumstick Mountain Hop, by Andy Slater

This is episode 59, the final episode of our focus on the hymnists. Today we’re going to talk about Charlotte Elliott, a hymn writer who wrote one of the most beloved hymns of all time: Just As I Am. RESOURCES Christian Study Library: https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/article/just-i-am-%E2%80%A6-life-charlotte-elliott Conservapedia: https://www.conservapedia.com/Charlotte_Elliott Women of Christianity: https://womenofchristianity.com/biographical-sketch-of-charlotte-elliot/ Spurgeon.org: https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/blog-entries/strength-amidst-suffering-lessons-from-the-life-of-charlotte-elliott/ The Bright Forever: http://thebrightforever.com Intro Music: Country Strumstick Mountain Hop, by Andy Slater