J. C. Ryle

JOHN CHARLES RYLE (1816-1900) was born in Cheshire County, England. He attended Eton and then went on to Oxford, finishing his Oxford studies in 1837. In 1841 Ryle was ordained as a minister in the Anglican Church, and in 1880 he was named the first Bishop of Liverpool. Throughout his ministry he became known and beloved as a defender of the evangelical reformed faith.

Rachel Booth Smith

RACHEL BOOTH SMITH has a contagious love for God’s Word. Her passion to teach accessible theology has led her to develop curriculum and leadership summits, write Bible studies, and teach. Rachel has a Master of Divinity degree from Pillar Seminary, where she learned to study the Bible in its original languages while being trained in ancient Near East context for both the Old and New Testament.

Dan White Jr.

DAN WHITE JR. coplanted Axiom, an Intentional Christian Community in Syracuse, New York. He is also a strategist with the V3 Movement, coaching cohorts from around the country through a 9-month missional system. Dan is the author of Subterranean and coauthor of the award-winning The Church as Movement. He is married to Tonya, dad to Daniel and Ari, and can be found enjoying conversations at Salt City Coffee. Connect at danwhitejr.com.

Henry W. Coray

HENRY W. CORAY was born and reared in West Pittston, PA, in the heart of the anthracite region. He attended Wheaton College, and Princeton and Westminster Theological Seminaries. Following his three years in the pastorate in West Pittston, he spent one term as a missionary in Manchuria. The First Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Long Beach, CA, has also been one of Coray’s places of service.

Mary Frances Bowley

MARY FRANCES BOWLEY is the Founder of Wellspring Living, an organization fighting childhood sexual abuse and exploitation since 2001. She has been a leader in bringing the fight against child sex-trafficking to Atlanta and is a founding member of the Georgia Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force. Mary Frances is the author of The White Umbrella and A League of Dangerous Women. She resides in Peachtree City with her husband, Dick.

Eric C. Barrett

ERIC BARRETT is the dean of the Slavic Gospel Association's Radio Academy of Science and former director of Remote Sensing at the University of Bristol in England. He is co-author of Remote Sensing for Hazard Monitoring and Disaster Assessment, Scientists Who Believe as well as a number of other books and papers on environmental science. Eric resides in the United Kingdom.

Tony Evans

DR. TONY EVANS is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, and former chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks. He is the first African American to earn a doctoral degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, and the first to publish a study Bible and whole-Bible commentary. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on over 2,000 US radio outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. For more information, visit: www.TonyEvans.org.

Andrew Murray

ANDREW MURRAY (1828-1917) was a church leader, evangelist, and missionary statesman. As a young man, Murray wanted to be a minister, but it was a career choice rather than an act of faith. Not until he had finished his general studies and begun his theological training in the Netherlands, did he experience a conversion of heart. Sixty years of ministry in the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa, more than 200 books and tracts on Christian spirituality and ministry, extensive social work, and the founding of educational institutions were some of the outward signs of the inward grace that Murray experienced by continually casting himself on Christ. A few of his books include The True Vine, Absolute Surrender, The School of Obedience, Waiting on God, and The Prayer Life.

Moody Publishers

John Townsend

DR. JOHN TOWNSEND is a psychologist, relational expert, business consultant, and leadership coach. He has written or co-written over 20 books, selling 5 million copies, including the 2 million best-seller Boundaries; Leadership Beyond Reason; and Handling Difficult People.For more than twenty years Dr. Townsend has engaged with audiences, organizations and leaders around the world, providing practical solutions to their problems. He is a co-host of the nationally-syndicated talk show New Life Live John is a visiting professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, and is Clinical Director of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is active on the Board of Directors of Mustard Seed Ranch www.mustardseedranchtn.org, a residential program for abused children. He, his wife, and their children reside in Newport Beach, CA. John’s passion is playing in a band which performs at southern California lounges and venues.

Charles Dickens

CHARLES DICKENS (1812–1870) is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works include Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations. He wrote works infused with spiritual themes, pointing to Christian ideas with Scripture allusions and metaphors.

Cheryl Dunlop

CHERYL J. DUNLOP is a freelance writer and editor. She received her B.A. in Communications from Moody Bible Institute. She is author of Follow Me as I Follow Christ and co-author of Complete Idiot’s Guide to the World of Narnia. Cheryl lives on the West Side of Chicago.