60 People Who Shaped the Church

The keys to the present can only be found in the past...How did the church of centuries past become the church we know today? Who were those people who came before us and delivered to us the faith we now practice? Were they staid and dour scholars laboring in attics? Were they movers and shakers dominating ballrooms and boardrooms? How do their contributions to history affect us even now?From a consummate storyteller comes this collection of inspiring biographical sketches of people who played pivotal roles in advancing the kingdom of God on earth. In rich prose spanning twenty centuries of church history, these engaging narratives range from the well-known to the obscure, highlighting personalities such as Josephus, Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas, Galileo, John Calvin, Blaise Pascal, Jonathan Edwards, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, William Wilberforce, G. K. Chesterton, and many others. With each storied personality, you'll feel the past come alive, encouraging you to live your own faith courageously in the present--and make your own contribution to the shape of the church of the future.Alton Gansky is the author of twenty-four novels and eight nonfiction books. He is a Carol Award winner and an Angel Award winner and has been a Christy Award finalist. He holds a BA and an MA in biblical studies and has been awarded a Doctor of Literature degree. Director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, Gansky also serves as an editor and collaborative writer for top tier authors. He lives in California.