Sermons & Devotionals by Short Bios

(1628-1688) English Puritan writer and preacher, born near Bedford England. Bunyan received very little education and followed the trade of his father, becoming a tinker (repairing pots and pans). He was converted through the witness of his wife and became a Baptist by profession. Bunyan was arreste... Read More

(1509-1564) French reformer, pastor and theologian. John Calvin (Jean Cauvin) was born in Noyon, France to an aristocratic, Roman Catholic family. He studied law in Orleans and was attracted to humanism before his conversion to Christ in 1533. He is best known for his fidelity to Scripture, his exho... Read More

(1630-1691) English Presbyterian. Flavel was the son of Richard Flavel, a minister. John was born in Worcestershire. It was said that, while a small child, a nightingale made her nest outside his window, "where she used to sing most sweetly" and this affected him with "a poetical nature." He was edu... Read More

(1514-1572) Knox was the best known of the Scottish Reformers. He was ordained as a Catholic priest between 1530 and 1540, but converted to Christ after he met two Bible-believing Christians, Wishart and Beacon. Wishart was burned at the stake in 1546, and shortly afterwards Knox was arrested by the... Read More

(1616 - 1683) John Owen entered Oxford at age twelve and received a B.A. and M.A. by the age of nineteen. His first publication in 1642, A Display of Arminianism, gained him the church at Fordham in Essex and therre he was married, and had eleven children. He was a proponent of independent, congrega... Read More

John Piper was born in Chattanooga TN on January 11, 1946 and grew up in South Carolina. He majored in literature and minored in philosophy at Wheaton College, then went on to receive a Bachelor of Divinity degree at Fuller Seminary. John did his doctoral work in New Testament Studies at the Univers... Read More

An Anglican churchman, he serves as the rector of All Soul's church in London. Stott is a popular evangelical writer, known for his books Baptism and Fullness and Basic Christianity. He has also written many articles.... Read More

(1703-1791) Well known English preacher and evangelist, Wesley was the founder of Methodism. Originally ordained in the Anglican church, he joined his brother Charles' Holy Club and quickly became its leader. The Holy Club was the forerunner of the Methodist Movement. Wesley preached to thousands in... Read More

(1703-1758) American Puritan pastor and theologian, converted to Christ at age seventeen. Edwards entered Yale college at age thirteen and graduated with honors before age seventeen. He was a popular preacher during the Great Awakening, served as missionary to the Housatonic Indians and was elected ... Read More

(1886-1968) Neo-orthodox Swiss theologian and pastor from 1909-1921. Study of the Bible and the writings of Calvin, coupled with the destruction of World War I caused Barth to question his liberal training and optimistic ideas. Beginning with his commentary on Romans, he became a prominent figure in... Read More

(1953 - 1982) Keith Green came from a Jewish background in Sheepshead Bay NY. At the age of eleven, Green became the youngest person ever to sign with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) when he published, recorded and released the song "The Way I Used to Be". He ran aw... Read More

(1884-1968) American Baptist teacher and historian. From William Pitt's biography: "Latourette (1884-1968) grew up in Oregon City, Oregon. In his autobiography, Beyond the Ranges, he described his religious background as 'the conversion experience combined with daffy Scripture reading and memorizati... Read More

(1483-1546) Although the reformation had begun before Luther's time, he stands out as the central figure for his challenge to Roman Catholic scholars. On October 31, 1517 he nailed his Ninety-five Theses denouncing the sale of indulgences, to the door of the chapel at Wittenberg. Luther served as an... Read More

(1662-1714) Humble Welsh-born English pastor and scholar. Henry was the son of a well known Nonconformist minister and was ordained a Presbyterian in 1687. Matthew was Philip Henryís second son. Born prematurely, he was sickly during his childhood. He could read portions of the Bible when he was onl... Read More

English biblical scholar whose Commentary on the Holy Bible, first published in the 17th century, remains a very readable and popular aid to understanding the Bible today.... Read More

English evangelist and author, Michael Green is currently Advisor on Evangelism to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. He was previously Principal of St John's College, Nottingham; Rector of St. Aldate's, Oxford; then Professor of Evangelism and New Testament at Regent College, Vancouver, Canada... Read More

(185-284) Early Christian philosopher, writer and apologist. Origen wanted to be martyred along with his father, but he was restrained by his mother. She hid his clothes and the shame of running naked down the street prevented him from following his father. Origen's most outstanding work was the Hex... Read More

(69-155) Early church father who was a disciple of John the apostle and contemporary of Ignatius of Antioch. Polycarp's letter to the Philippians, containing many references to various New Testament epistles, survives to this day. When asked to recant before his martyrdom about 155, he replied, "Eig... Read More

(1615-1691) A Puritan, Baxter was ordained in 1638 by passing his examination, in spite of the fact that he had little formal education. He sought to moderate many of the controversies raging during his lifetime and was ousted from the Church of England by the Act of Uniformity. He was convicted of ... Read More

(1803-1902) Pastor, teacher and evangelist known throughout England as the "apostle of love." Referred to as "the saintliest man I ever knew" by Charles Spurgeon, Chapman was an obedient and humble Christian who determined as a young man to "live Christ." Robert C. Chapman was born on January 4, 180... Read More