Saints & Reformers

It's not just that we need godly role models—we need to see the hand of God at work throughout history. As G.K. Chesterton once said, the striking thing about the human characters in the Old Testament is how the same they are; the important thing is that God uses man's propensity for weakness and sin to bring His own ends and His own glory to fruition.

Having men and women to look up to is good, too. Past saints wouldn't want us worshipping them (not that anyone intends to, but again, the human capacity for sin can lead us into some strange behavior at times), and the Bible itself strictly warns against undue honor to any but the Lord of Hosts, yet a healthy respect for the faithfulness and piety of Christians throughout history is good for encouraging and fostering our own righteousness.

But (to return to Chesterton) there is also no one who does good. The holiness evidenced by even the kindest and most pure of Christ's servants is only the holiness given him or her by the Spirit which indwells them. It's not human history or greatness we're after when we read about John Hus or Augustine of Hippo or Dietrich Bonhoeffer, it's the working of the Trinitarian God among His people and throughout the world.

Another caution: don't suppose biographies of people like these are somehow addendums to Scripture. The Bible is canonical and complete as it stands, each book within it God-inspired and ordained by Him to communicate truths about Himself. His story, however, is far from over, and we read about His faithful ones with all the gratitude and awe children ought to show their Father.

We've excluded no one based on denomination or sect (unless, of course, that denomination or sect is unorthodox or cultic). As long as the subject held to the basic tenets of the Apostles' Creed, we count them brother or sister, and welcome their activities in the name of Christ as advancements of His Kingdom. Enjoy these biographies, be uplifted, and attribute to God alone all glory, praise and honor.

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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Against the World
by Henry Coray
from Inheritance Publications
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Amazing Grace
by Eric Metaxas
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Apologia Pro Vita Sua
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Augustine Came to Kent
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by Barbara Willard
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Beyond the Myth
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Calvin and the Calvinists
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Church History ABCs
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Cost of Discipleship
by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Foreword by Eric Metaxas
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For God and His People
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God's Troubadour
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Here I Stand
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John Calvin, Genius of Geneva
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John Knox
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John Knox: Stalwart Courage
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Kitty, My Rib
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Life of John Calvin
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Life of John Knox
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Live Like a Jesus Freak
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Lives of Thomas Becket
by Michael Staunton
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Luther
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Luther by Those Who Knew Him
Reformation Trail Series #20
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Luther the Leader
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Man Who Laid the Egg
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Martin Luther
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Martin Luther: Selections from His Writings
by Martin Luther
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$20.00
Martin Luther: The Man and His Work
Reformation Trail Series #19
by Arthur C. McGiffert
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Mighty Weakness of John Knox
Long Line of Godly Men Profiles
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Morning Star of the Reformation
by Andy Thomson
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Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland
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Heroes of the Faith
by Sinclair B. Ferguson
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by James Jordan
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Prince of Orange Nassau Volume 1
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by Joyce McPherson
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Saint Patrick
by Jonathan Rogers
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Saints and Heroes Since the Middle Ages
by George Hodges
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Salt in His Blood
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Scots Worthies
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Seven Men
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Seven Women
by Eric Metaxas
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Lives of Faith
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Christian Encounters
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St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Francis of Assisi
by G. K. Chesterton
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Stories of the Saints
by Carey Wallace, Illustrated by Nick Thornborrow
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The Thunder
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This Was John Calvin
by Thea Van Halsema
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This Was John Calvin
by Thea Van Halsema
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Three Men Came to Heidelberg
by Thea Van Halsema
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Through Gates of Splendor
by Elisabeth Elliot
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Through Gates of Splendor
by Elisabeth Elliot
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Thunderstorm in Church
by Louise Vernon
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Trial and Triumph
by Richard Hannula
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Triumph of Truth
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from Bob Jones University Press
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When Lightning Struck!
by Danika Cooley
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Who in the World Was the Secretive Printer?
by Robert Beckham & Jed Mickle
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William, by the Grace of God
Prince of Orange Nassau Volume 2
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