G Christian Weiss

Thomas A'Kempis

THOMAS A’KEMPIS (1380-1471) was a Dutch priest, monk, and writer born in Kempen, Germany. He attended a school near Deventer in Holland. Thomas of Kempen, as he was known at school, was so impressed by his teachers that he decided to live his own life according to their ideals. When he was 19, he entered the monastery of Mount St. Agnes and spent the rest of his long life behind the walls of that monastery. Thomas wrote a number of sermons, letters, hymns, and lives of the saints. The most famous of his works, by far, is The Imitation of Christ, a charming instruction on how to love God. The Imitation of Christ has come to be, after the Bible, the most widely translated book in Christian literature.

Jane Livingstone

James T. Meeks

REVEREND JAMES T. MEEKS (B.A., Bishop College) is the founder and senior pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Chicago’s Roseland community. With over 20,000 members, Salem is the largest African American church in Illinois and one of the fastest growing in the nation. He also serves as the joint chairman for the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and as an Illinois State Senator for the 15th Legislative District. Rev. Meeks is the author of How to get Out of Debt and Into Praise and Life-Changing Relationships. He and his wife, Jamell, reside in Chicago and are the proud parents of four children.

Brittany Lee Allen

BRITTANY ALLEN lives in Ohio with her husband and their two boys. They are members of Centerville Christian Fellowship where he serves in the Women’s Ministry. She is the author of Lost Gifts: Miscarriage, Grief, and the God of All Comfort, and writes for various online ministries.

William Lane Craig

WILLIAM LANE CRAIG is a Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California. He earned a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Birmingham, England, and a doctorate in theology from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen, Germany, where he was for two years a Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung. Prior to his appointment at Talbot he spent seven years at the Higher Institute of Philosophy of the Katholike Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. He has authored or edited over forty books, including The Kalam Cosmological Argument; Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus; Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom; Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology and God, Time, and Eternity, as well as over 150 articles in professional publications of philosophy and theology, including The Journal of Philosophy, New Testament Studies, Journal for the Study of the New Testament, American Philosophical Quarterly, Philosophical Studies, Philosophy, and British Journal for Philosophy of Science. His website is www.reasonablefaith.org.

Jennifer K. Dean

JENNIFER KENNEDY DEAN was the executive director of The Praying Life Foundation and a frequent keynote speaker for retreats and conferences, most notably at the Billy Graham Center at the Cove, specializing in prayer and spiritual growth. Jennifer is the author of When You Hurt and When He Heals: Experiencing the Surprising Power of Prayer.

Mike Handler

MIKE HANDLER serves as the Chief Innovation Officer for Awana. Prior to Awana, Mike was a pastor, a church planter as well as the principle of a creative agency. Mike is a coauthor of Resilient and the cofounder of the Child Discipleship Forum. Now in the Nashville area, Mike and his family are originally from Chicagoland and miss the food there.

Mark Jones

MARK JONES (PhD, Leiden Universiteit) is the Senior Minister at Faith Vancouver Presbyterian Church (PCA). He is the author and editor of many books and speaks all over the world on topics related to the Christian life.

John Ankerberg

JOHN ANKERBERG (B.A., University of Illinois; M.A., and M.Div., Trinity Evangelical School; D.Min., Bethel Theological Seminary) is the president and founder of The Ankerberg Theological Research Institute and the producer and host of the nationally televised John Ankerberg Show. He is the author, co-author and/or editor of 76 books, including Middle East Meltdown, The Da Vinci Code Controversy and Ready with An Answer for the Tough Questions About God. John and his wife, Darlene, have one daughter and reside in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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.

Emma Moody Fitt

Randy Pope

RANDY POPE is the Lead Teacher and Directional Leader of Perimeter Church in Duluth, Georgia, a church devoted to reaching the unchurched of North Atlanta and the world. Pope is a graduate of the University of Alabama and Reformed Theological Seminary. His vision and commitment to make and train disciples is known throughout the Christian community. He is the founder of Atlanta Seminary and Perimeter Christian Schools and recently established Life-On-Life Ministries, where he continues to train church leaders both in the United States and throughout the world. Randy is the author of three books: The Intentional Church (previously released as The Prevailing Church), Finding Your Million Dollar Mate, and The Answer. Randy and his wife, Carol, have four children and live in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Steve Corbett

STEVE CORBETT is the Community Development Specialist for the Chalmers Center at Covenant College and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics and Community Development at Covenant College.