Giants of the Faith - A Christian History Podcast

This is Episode 81 and the second in out series of episodes based on the Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals from Inter-Varsity Press. If you remember from the last episode I'm using a random number generator to choose a number from three to 763 and that determines what page to check to find the subject of the episode. It's kind of like a modern casting of the lots. My son Zach chose random number 42 and that has led today's episode to focus on someone wholly unknown to me - early American Evangelical Lyman Beecher. 

This season we're doing something a little different. This season will consist of mostly shorter episodes with inspiration drawn from the Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals by Mark Noll and published by Intervarsity Press. BDE features brief biographies, ordered chronologically, of over 400 evangelicals from John Wycliff to the modern day spread across 816 pages. My plan for each episode is to use a random number generator to select a page and then deliver a brief biography of whomever was randomly selected. This is something of an experiment and we'll have to see how it goes.

This is a special Christmas bonus episode featuring Charles Dickens. Dickens is in many ways responsible for the modern celebration of Christmas - for good or ill. I hope you enjoy this look at this life.

Today's show is about one of the titans of medieval thought - John Duns Scotus. Scotus was one of the most influential scholastics - right behind Thomas Aquinas. In this episode I'm going to go off into the weeds a bit to explain some of the details of the medieval school of thought known as Scholasticism and other topics. Hopefully you find the side-trips helpful.

https://whytheology.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/church-history-minute-john-duns-scotus/

https://iep.utm.edu/john-duns-scotus/

https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05194a.htm

https://www.jstor.org/stable/23801483

Cornelius Van Til is one of the foremost apologists of the 20th Century. He developed the strand of apologetics known as presuppositional apologetics. His influence on modern Christianity is undeniable.

RESOURCES

New Netherlands Institute: https://www.newnetherlandinstitute.org/history-and-heritage/dutch_americans/cornelius-van-til

Banner of Truth: https://banneroftruth.org/us/resources/articles/2001/cornelius-van-til/

Got Questions? https://www.gotquestions.org/presuppositional-apologetics.html

Table Talk Magazine: https://tabletalkmagazine.com/posts/christianity-and-van-tillianism-2019-08/

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

...

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 e...

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://w...

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/b...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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/a...

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...

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...

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...

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%20...

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...

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: Cou...

Today we’re going to talk about Horatio Spafford, the author of the famous hymn “It Is Well With My Soul”. As we'll see, Spafford went off the rails in his later life and, so, he's relegated to a Bonus Episode as we wind down are focus on the great hymn writers. This is probably going to stand as the longest episode in season 4 and I had to trim a lot of crazy stuff from it just to keep the episode to a reasonable length. So if you are interested go check out the source articles, particularly Leben, that I've l...

Today we are going to talk about Augustus Toplady, an Anglican clergyman and hymn writer who is best known for his classic hymn "Rock of Ages".

RESOURCES

Hymnary: https://hymnary.org/person/Toplady_Augustus

Leben: https://leben.us/augustus-toplady/

Challies.com: https://www.challies.com/articles/hymn-stories-rock-of-ages/

Evangelical Movement of Wales: https://www.emw.org.uk/2020/05/rock-of-ages/

This is episode 57 and we're continuing our look at some of the great hymn writers and writers of some of the great hymns of all time. The subject of today's episode is Thomas Obadiah Chisholm, author of the beautiful hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness.


RESOURCES

Hymnology Archive: https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/thomas-chisholm

Blue Letter Bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/hymns/bios/bio_c_h_chisholm_to.cfm

Wordwise Hymns: https://wordwisehymns.com/2010/07/29/today-in-1866-thomas-obediah-chisholm-born/

Wikitree: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Chisholm-1772

Evangelical Movement of W...

This is episode 56 and we're continuing our look at some of the great hymn writers of all time. Today we're looking at the man who wrote one of the most popular hymns of the early 20th century and what is also my mother in-law's third favorite hymn - James Milton Black. Black is best remembered as the man behind When the Roll is Called Up Yonder. There's not a ton of biographical information on him so this will be a little on the shorter side but the song is very famous and the story behind it is a good...

Hello and welcome to another short bonus episode of the Giants of the Faith podcast. Today we're taking at look at that preeminent Christmas hymn from Isaac Watts - the one that you and I have sung hundreds of times during the season of Advent - that is in fact not a Christmas hymn at all. It is, in fact, a song looking at the second advent - the second coming of Christ. I'm speaking, of course, of Joy to the World.

RESOURCES

The Gospel Coalition: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/joy-to-the-world-a-classic-christmas-hymn-reconsidered/

Prince...

You’ve surely heard or read something about the coming AI revolution spurred on by OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google. I thought it’d be interesting to incorporate AI into an experimental podcast episode. I asked Microsoft’s Bing AI to write a biography of Isaac Watts that’s suitable for a podcast and then asked it a follow-up question about Congregationalism. What you’re about to hear is the result. And just for fun it’s read by Microsoft's Immersive Reader. 

Today's episode is focused on, as my good friend Pastor Dave Ungar would say, the big mamma jamma. He's the Father of English Hymnody, the genius of logic and theology, the Master of Metre, the Puritan Poet, the Prince of Praise, the dissenting unrelenting Southampton Singer, Isaac "Wondrous" Watts. Well, silly introductions aside, Isaac Watts was a remarkable man.

RESOURCES

Wholesome Words: https://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/bwatts7.html

Banner of Truth: https://banneroftruth.org/us/about/banner-authors/isaac-watts/

Christian Classics Ethereal Library: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/watts

...

In our regular episodes we're progressing through a season featuring hymnists that have produced some of the greatest hymns in the history of the Church. But it kind of begs the question - what is a hymn? To be honest, that's not something that occurred to me to ask until I was five episodes through profiling hymn writers. To me, hymns just are what they are and you know one when you hear one. But there has to be more to it than that. And while I'm certainly no musical theorist or even a garden-variety musician I'm going to...

We're in the midst of a series profiling hymnists and in this episode I'm bringing you the life of Reginald Heber. Now, that's not a name that jumps off the page as a well known Christian – at least it didn't to me – but he wrote one of the greatest hymns, maybe even THE greatest, of all time – Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. 

RESOURCES

Hymns and Carols of Christmas: https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Biographies/reginald_heber.htm

Hymnology Archive: https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/reginald-heber

Virginia Lucas Poetry Scrapbook: https...

Hello and welcome to episode 53 of the Giants of the Faith podcast. I'm Robert Daniels and I'm the host of this show. This is the podcast where we look at men and women from the age of the Church whose lives have had an impact for the Kingdom of God. Today we're continuing our series of episodes focused on hymn writers by looking at the Queen of Gospel Song Writers, Fanny Crosby.

RESOURCES

Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/poets/fanny-crosby.html

Wholesome Words: https://www.wholesomewords.org...

We're continuing our series of episodes on hymn writers  And since it's almost Christmas at the time I'm publishing this episode we're going to take a look at the life of the writer of that most popular Christmas song, Silent Night  Silent Night was written by Joseph Mohr, an obscure Austrian priest who nearly went unrecognized but who's work has been enjoyed by generations of Christians. 

RESOURCES

Stille Nacht Museum: https://stillenacht-wagrain.com/e_stm_mohr.php

Salzburgerland: https://www.salzburgerland.com/en/joseph-mohr-1792-1848/

In Mozart's Footsteps: http://inmozartsfootsteps.com/836/the...

This is the podcast where we look at men and women from the age of the Church whose lives have had an impact for the Kingdom of God with the ultimate goal of finding inspiration and strengthening our faith. This is the second episode in season four of this podcast where we're exclusively focusing on hymn writers.

The subject of today's episode wrote what is widely considered the most popular English-language hymn of all time - Amazing Grace. I'm speaking, of course, of John Newton. 

RESOURCES

Christian Hist...

t's been a while since I've been able to record an episode so I thought we'd jump right into what I'm calling season four and for the duration of season four the episodes will focus exclusively on folks who have written some of the greatest hymns this side of heaven. We're going to kick off this season by looking at the life and times of Robert Robinson. Robinson wrote the excellent hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, which is sung by churchgoers every Sunday in churches all around the world and every night by me when I'm putting...

In this episode we're taking a look at the life of Jinsey Young - a woman who's dedication to Christ and Christian service transcended her era and circumstances. She is known as a light in a place that was darker than a thousand midnights. And, though you might not have ever heard her name, she is certainly qualified to be called a Giant of the Faith.

RESOURCES

Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne: http://www.ctsfw.net/media/pdfs/GrayFormedforServiceTheWorkofRosaJinseyYoung.pdf

Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church: https://ourredeemers.net/rosa-jinsey-young-mother-of-black-lutheranism/

Encyclopedia of Alabama...

When I started this podcast I had a list of people I might be interested in featuring but Rembrandt was nowhere on the list. I knew who he was, of course, and seen his work in school Humanities and Art classes but I didn't understand or appreciate his work from the perspective of a Christian artist. It was Francis Schaeffer's How Should We Then Live? That put him on my radar and I'm glad he did. Like Roy Rogers and Handel that I've profiled before, Rembrandt serves as a reminder that Christians can serve God in whatever their profession...