Biographies

"Did they tell you stories about the saints of old,
stories about their faith?
Stories like that make a boy grow bold,
stories like that make a man walk straight..."

Rich Mullins, Boy Like Me, Man Like You

Stories about people have a way of affecting us in ways other stories can't. The Bible is primarily stories about people, and it is through these multiple biographies that we understand human nature, the history of redemption, and even to a great extent God Himself. The purpose behind any other biography is largely the same—to help us understand what it means to be human from the examples (sometimes even the bad examples) of those who have preceded us.

The biographies we have chosen for this section represent those of great leaders in history, social and military heroes, and Christian saints past and present who struggled to conform their lives to Christ's perfect example. We have avoided for the most part biographies of history's villains and chronic immoralists, not because they aren't interesting but because they don't represent lives worthy of imitation. We've also decided not to focus on athletes, actors, and celebrities, unless they've made important contributions outside their fields. That's not to say everyone found here was above reproach or even a Christian, but they all demonstrated real human virtues for which they are remembered.

Biographies are also useful for better understanding of a given historical period. While history books can provide good overviews of a period or events, the intimate detail of a good biography can better illustrate a time period and what it was like to be alive then. This also serves to demonstrate the universality of human nature, that people will behave basically the same during any given period and in any given place. Sometimes we get the impression that people of the past, especially people like missionaries and ministers, were somehow more pious than we are—the personal view offered by a good biography dispels this myth and offers encouragement that not even the best men and women are any closer to perfection than we are.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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71 Items found Print
Active Filters: Church History, 5th grade (Ages 10-11), Trade Paperback
And the Word Came With Power
by Joanne Shetler, Patricia Purvis
from Wycliffe Bible Translators
for 2nd-12th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.50 (2 in stock)
Artist of the Reformation
by Joyce McPherson
from Greenleaf Press
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.95
Bible Smuggler
by Louise Vernon
from Herald Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.99
Billy Sunday
Sowers Series
by Robert Allen
from Mott Media
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW)
$8.99
Charles Mulli
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
Chimney Sweep's Ransom
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Chimney Sweep's Ransom
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Count Zinzendorf
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-7th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
Cup of Cold Water
by Christine Farenhorst
from P&R Publishing
for 4th-6th grades
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
D. L. Moody
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
David Livingstone
Heroes of the Faith Series
by Basil Mathews
from A Beka Books
for 5th-9th grade
in A Beka Book Report books (Location: REA-ABK)
$9.50 (2 in stock)
David Livingstone
Sowers Series
by John Hudson Tiner
from Mott Media
Biography for 5th-7th grade
in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
by Geoff Benge, Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
Elisabeth Elliot
by Geoff Benge, Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
Father to Nobody's Children
by David E. Fessenden
from CLC Publications
for 4th-7th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
For God and Country
by John Riddle
from Barbour Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Francis Asbury
by Geoff Benge, Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biographies for 4th-7th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
George Muller
by Rebecca Davis
from Bob Jones University Press
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
George Washington Carver: The Peanut Wizard
by Laura Driscoll
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Gladys Aylward
Heroes of the Faith
by Sam Wellman
from Barbour Publishing
Missionary Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
God's Adventurer
by Phyllis Thompson
from OMF
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
God's Adventurer
by Phyllis Thompson
from OMF
for 4th-7th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Good News Must Go Out
Hidden Heroes #2
by Rebecca Davis
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Hallelujah Lass
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
New Edition from Moody Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Daughters of the Faith (Location: SER-DAU)
$7.99
Heart Strangely Warmed
by Louise A. Vernon
from Herald Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Helen Roseveare
by Janet and Geoff Benge
from YWAM Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
Henry VIII
by Richard Brassey
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.95
Hero Tales Volume I
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$14.99 $9.00 (4 in stock)
Hero Tales Volume II
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Hero Tales Volume III
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Hero Tales Volume IV
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
Biography Anthology for 3rd-6th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Isobel Kuhn
by Geoff Benge, Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
James Chalmers
Torchbearers
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in TorchBearers & TrailBlazers (Location: BIO-TRAIL)
John Calvin: A Children's Story w/CD
by Kerry L. Tittle, illustrated by Larry Waggoner, audiobook narrated by Jim Hodges
from ReformationKidz Publishing
for 3rd-5th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
John Flynn
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
John Newton
by Janet & Geoff Benge
from YWAM Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
Johnny Appleseed
Sowers Series
by David Collins
from Mott Media
for 5th-7th grade
in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW)
$8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Kidnapped by River Rats
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Lights in the Northwest
by Richard M. Hannula
from Sound Summit Books
Biographies for 4th-8th grade
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$17.95
Lights in the Northwest - Teacher's Supplement CD-ROM
by Richard M. Hannula
from Sound Summit Books
Biographies for 4th-8th grade
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$15.95
Listen for the Whippoorwill
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Listen for the Whippoorwill
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Luther the Leader
by Virgil Robinson
from A. B. Publishing, Inc.
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.95 $4.00 (4 in stock)
Man Who Laid the Egg
by Louise Vernon
from Herald Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.99
Martin Luther
by Frederick Nohl
from Concordia Publishing House
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Mask of the Wolf Boy
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Mask of the Wolf Boy
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Michael Faraday
by Charles Ludwig
from Herald Press
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$11.99 $8.00 (2 in stock)
Mildred Cable
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
Morning Star of the Reformation
by Andy Thomson
from Bob Jones University Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Morning Star of the Reformation
by Andy Thomson
from CreateSpace
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$12.99
My Escape from the Auto De Fe at Valladolid
by Don Fernando de la Mina
from A. B. Publishing, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Norman Grubb
by Janet & Geoff Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
Richard Wurmbrand
by Janet and Geoff Benge
from YWAM Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
River of Grace
by Joyce McPherson
2nd edition from Greenleaf Press
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.95 $7.00 (2 in stock)
Roundup of the Street Rovers
by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Roundup of the Street Rovers
by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
South Sea Island Rescue
CF4Kids Trail Blazers
by Kay Walsh
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in TorchBearers & TrailBlazers (Location: BIO-TRAIL)
$4.50 (3 in stock)
Starry Messenger
by Peter Sis
from Square Fish Publishing
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1997 Caldecott Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
Story of George Washington Carver
by Eva Moore
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Tales of Persia
by William Miller
from P&R Publishing
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in History of Missions (Location: XCH-MIS)
$11.99 $7.00 (2 in stock)
Teresa of Calcutta
Sowers Series
by D. Jeanene Watson, illustrated by Robert E. Lawson
from Mott Media
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW)
$8.99 $5.00 (3 in stock)
They Shall Be Mine
by John Tallach
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History Overviews (Location: XCH-OVE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Thunderstorm in Church
by Louise Vernon
from Herald Press
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Trial and Triumph
by Richard Hannula
from Canon Press
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$21.99
William Bradford
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
William Bradford, Pilgrim Boy
by Bradford Smith
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$10.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
William of Orange
by W. G. Van de Hulst
from Inheritance Publications
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$11.95
William Penn
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$11.99
With Daring Faith
by Rebecca Davis
from Bob Jones University Press
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.99
World of William Penn
by Genevieve Foster
from Beautiful Feet Books
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$14.95