131 Christians Everyone Should Know (Holman Reference)

I loved this book. Each essay is short, and can be read in 5-10 minutes. What impressed me about it was the scope of the people represented, They are grouped by their main focus: Theologians, Evangelists and Apologists, Pastors and Preachers, Musicians Artists and Writers, Poets, Denominational Founders, Movers And Shakers, Missionaries, Inner Travelers, Activists, Rulers, Scholars and Scientists, and finally Martyrs.What I found informative was how differently people have viewed God, the Church, and its mission over time. Even significant contemporaries who agreed on many points would still wind up on opposite sides of some arguments. Given how things have developed over the last 2000 years, the thought arises: Who are we to think we've got it all figured out now? Everyone over time has thought they had it all figured out! But that's the beauty of this book is to explore the people and positions they have taken over time and be able then, when thinking about issues, to put them in a historical perspective.So it's not only biography, but Church history and philosophy all in 131 bite size pieces.

The authors had certain interests that made themselves evident: you’ll find fascinating stories, events, the persons theology and what works, movements or lasting effects they made. Basically whatever seemed most important to the person mentioned, what they may be most significantly remembered for will be the thread of their personal biography.I have never been a fan of doing a little devotional or something along those lines but I thought if I did I would make it profitable and there are about 5 or 6 books similar to this that all cover different topics of Christianity, I highly recommend using them as devotional! I’m only halfway through this one. They truly hit home some mornings, plus I’ve found they make to be some of the greatest conversation starters!

I use this book as a devotional, reading one biography a day after reading the Bible. It's been a great way to learn about honorable men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving God and people. It's a great encouragement to live out the faith!

I have 2 books that each offer 50 Christians everyone should know and they have quite a few duplicates of each other. I ordered this one and there are less than a hand full of the same people as in the other 2! I'm so happy! In my search to broaden my knowledge I am reading a variety of Christian subjects and so far am very pleased with the selections offered here on Amazon!

I was told that this book made the characters come alive, but I have not found that to be true. The details are there, but not in the most interesting way. It's not easy reading.

I cannot give enough kudos to this book. As a lifelong Christian, Lutheran to be exact, I have heard of many of the people whose brief biographies are in the book. But here I found a compact history of the Christian church, learning something with every page turned. I liked the grouping of the biographies and the chronological organization.

The stories are nice short biographies that help us identify some of the important people and their accomplishments in the Christian faith.

It is what they say it is, a book of brief bios. All those written about are people who have made a difference. The treatment of each is done well and with a positive slant. No one is made to be a hero but all are treated with respect for what their contribution.Thanks!

Brilliant. Many thanks.

Excellent discussions -- a nice overview of history of Christianity and some of the controversies in it.

This book is basically a simple, compact sound-byte 'who's who' in church history. The chapters are 4-5 pages long and cover the lives of 131 famous Christians in brief. The choice of those included is deliberately intended to cover a broad cross-section. Given the nature of the work, the positive aspects of each life are emphasised, possibly at the expense of objectivity. I liked the timeline, placing the life of each person in the broader back-drop of contemporary events.

interesting