Quina Aragon

QUINA ARAGON is an author and spoken word poet residing in Orlando, Florida, with her husband, Jon, and their daughter. Her children's books Love Made and Love Gave, poetically retell the creation story and the good news of Jesus Christ respectively, both through a Trinitarian lens. Quina writes at her website QuinaAragon.com.

Ralph Alexander

RALPH H. ALEXANDER (B.A., Rice University; Th.M., Th.D., Dallas Theological Seminary) was professor of Hebrew Scripture and chairman of the Division of Bible Studies at Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, Portland, Oregon. He did graduate work at Hebrew University and specialized in Hebrew and archaeology.

Robert C. Anderson

ROBERT C. ANDERSON served for 15 years as professor of pastoral theology at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, and as senior pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon. He also served as adjunct professor of pastoral theology at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary at the Pacific Northwest Campus. Robert is the author of Circles of Influence: Expanding Your Leadership Capabilities in the Church and The Practical Pastor: A Practical Guide to the Ministry. Robert resides in Brush Prairie, Washington.

Robert L. Alden

ROBERT L. ALDEN (A.B., Barrington College; B.D., Westminister Theological Seminary; Ph.D., Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion) was professor of Old Testament at Denver Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary. He taught a wide range of courses related to Old Testament studies and traveled extensively in Israel.

St Augustine

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (354-430) was one of the foremost philosopher-theologians of early Christianity and the leading figure in the church of North Africa. He became bishop of Hippo in 396 and held that position until his death. Before becoming a Christian, Augustine lived a very secular life. His mother Monica prayed for him diligently and at age 32, during a trip to Milan, Augustine heard the preaching of St. Ambrose, was convicted by the Holy Spirit, and became a Christian. His numerous written works, the most important of which are his Confessions and City of God, shaped the practice of biblical exegesis and helped lay the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought.

Tessa Afshar

TESSA AFSHAR’s books have been on Publishers Weekly, CBA, and ECPA bestseller lists and have been translated into many languages. Her Bible study, The Way Home: God’s Invitation to New Beginnings, won the ECPA Christian Book of the Year in the Bible Study category. Tessa’s novels have been the recipient of the ECPA’s Bronze Milestone, Christy, and INSPY Awards. She holds a master of divinity from Yale, where she was elected to serve as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship for one year. Tessa is a devoted wife, a mediocre gardener, and an enthusiastic cook of biblical recipes. Learn more at TessaAfshar.com.

Thabiti Anyabwile

THABITI ANYABWILE is the full-time husband to a loving wife, Kristie, and father to three adorable children. He currently serves as a pastor of Anacostia River Church in Washington, D.C. Previously he served as senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, and as an assistant pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. Thabiti holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in psychology from North Carolina State University. A former high school basketball coach and bookstore owner, Thabiti loves reading, sports, and watching sci-fi films. He is the author of Reviving the Black Church, The Decline of African-American Theology, What Is a Healthy Church Member?, and The Faithful Preacher.

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.

Alice Brawand

ALICE BRAWAND (B.A., Mars Hill College; M.A., Azusa Pacific University) has served for thirty-one years with Wycliffe Bible Translators, eleven of them in counseling missionaries and pastors from Wycliffe's International Headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Alice contributed to the book Secrets of Your Family Tree: Healing for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families. Alice and her husband, John, have three children, all of whom were raised in Guatemala, where the Brawands served.

Alistair Begg

ALISTAIR BEGG (Trent University; London School of Theology; Westminster Seminary) was born in Scotland and spent the first 30 years of life in the United Kingdom. Since September of 1983, he has been the senior pastor at Parkside Church in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. He is the daily speaker on the national radio program Truth For Life which stems from his weekly Bible teaching at Parkside, and is the author of Made for His Pleasure, Lasting Love, and What Angels Wish They Knew. He and his wife, Susan, have three grown children.

Amy E. Black

DR. AMY E. BLACK is Associate Professor of Political Science and chair of the department of Politics & International Relations at Wheaton College (IL). Prior to joining the Wheaton faculty in 2001, she taught at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A specialist in American Government, her research interests include religion and politics and Congress. Her books include Religion and American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives, edited with Douglas Koopman and Larycia Hawkins (Pearson Longman, 2011), Beyond Left and Right: Helping Christians Make Sense of American Politics (Baker Books, 2008), From Inspiration to Legislation: How an Idea Becomes a Law (Prentice Hall, 2007), and, with Douglas Koopman and David Ryden, Of Little Faith: The Politics of George W. Bush’s Faith Based Initiatives (Georgetown, 2004). She and her husband, Wheaton theology professor Dan Treier, live in Wheaton with their daughter Anna.

Anita M. Bailey

Ann Bentley

ANN BENTLEY is a graduate of Baylor University. She has experience in banking, retail, and education, and currently devotes much of her time to homeschooling her two youngest sons. She also loves mentoring young women and leading a small group through Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). Her passions and hobbies include spending time in the Bible, piano, reading, gardening, and knitting. She and her husband, Chuck, have been married since 1978 and have four sons and four grandchildren.

Anthony G. Bollback

ANTHONY G. BOLLBACK Anthony Bollback was born into a Christian home that always entertained missionaries. He received Christ at age 16 after a near-drowning incident at a summer youth conference. Beginning his missionary career in China, he and his wife Evelyn, were forced to evacuate when the Communists took over, and three years later began serving in Japan for five years. The remainder of his 24 years in Asia was spent in Hong Kong where he planted and directed 10 chapels and schools with 10,000 students. He served as Field Chairman of the China-Hong Kong Field of The Christian and Missionary Alliance for four years. Unexpectedly, God changed his direction and sent him to Honolulu for a most effective ministry as pastor of Kapahulu Bible Church. He retired from active ministry after serving as District Superintendent of the Mid-America District C&MA for 9 very productive years. Following retirement in Florida, he began an active writing career and the publishing of a very popular series of 6 books based on his experiences in China for children entitled Jack and Jenny Mystery Series. His most popular adult books based on the persecution of the church in China are the two-book series entitled The Persecuted Church in China: Red Runs the River, Vol. 1 and Exiles of Hope, Vol. 2.He continues a very active ministry of writing and speaking that includes a monthly e-letter called China Clippings. In addition he serves on the Church Board and is an Elder in the church.

Barry J. Beitzel

BARRY J. BEITZEL (PhD, The Dropsie University; Fuller Theological Seminary; University of Pennsylvania) is professor emeritus of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. He obtained a postdoctorate in ancient Near Eastern geography from the Université de Liège, Belgium, and has engaged in postdoctoral archaeological work in eastern Syria through UCLA. Dr. Beitzel is the editor and cartographer for Biblica, The Bible Atlas: A Social and Historical Journey Through the Lands of the Bible (Viking/Penguin Press), editor of the Lexham Geographical Commentary series (Logos/Lexham Press), and author of Where Was the Biblical Red Sea?: Examining the Ancient Evidence (Lexham Press). His published mapwork appears in Bibles produced by Moody Publishers, Zondervan, B. B. Kirkbride Bible Company, Tyndale House Publishers, Holman Bible Publishers, Crossway, Thomas Nelson Publishers, and Schuyler Publishers. He and his wife, Carol, reside in Mundelein, Illinois, and have three married children.

Becky Beresford

BECKY BERESFORD lives in North Carolina and is happily outnumbered by her husband and three wonderful boys. She is an author, speaker, and coach with a master's certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship from Moody Theological Seminary. Becky loves encouraging God’s daughters to embrace Christ-centered empowerment through the truth found in the gospel. Connect with Becky at BeckyBeresford.com or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.