Todd A. Wilson

TODD A. WILSON, B.A., M.A. Wheaton College; Ph.D., Cambridge University, is the President of the Center for Pastor Theologians. He previously served as senior pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books, including The Curse of the Law and the Crisis in Galatia, Pastors in the Classics, Galatians: Gospel-Rooted Living, The Pastor Theologian, Real Christian, Mere Sexuality and The Crucified Apostle. Todd is married to Katie and they have seven children, three biological and four adopted from Ethiopia.

75 Must-Reads

07.22.2016

Renaut van der Riet

RENAUT VAN DER RIET loves to go zip-lining with his eight kids through the adventure course they built together. He walks quickly. He talks with his hands and arms. And if you find him at home, you're likely to see him tilling soil because Brooke, his wife of 25 years, loves gardening. In 2002, Renault founded Mosaic Church in Winter Garden, FL. It has become a nationwide pacemaker for fostering and adoption and a model for trauma care. He is also the founder of Axum Coffee Company, named after the Ethiopian city from which he and Brooke adopted four of their children. Renault is developing The ReStory, a project aimed at providing Gospel clarity to followers of Christ and inviting them to consider how their lives might be different if they dared to believe Galatians 5:1: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free."

John Van Sloten

JOHN VAN SLOTEN is a Calgary-based writer, teacher, and pastor who is passionate about helping people engage God everywhere. Over the past ten years he has preached dozens of creation/bible-based sermons on topics like radiation therapy, DNA repair mechanisms, river hydrology, chemical catalysts, tree branches, human knees, and the Giant Squid. John is a regular columnist with the Calgary Herald and his books include The Day Metallica Came to Church and Every Job a Parable. Over the past ten years, he has been awarded three John Templeton Foundation subgrants for preaching science, has been part of an Ambrose Seminary Science for Seminaries, and has been a Sinai and Synapses fellow. www.johnvansloten.com

Steve Vandegriff

STEVE VANDEGRIFF (Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary) is a professor of youth ministries at Liberty University in Virginia. A former youth pastor, Steve enjoys ministering and speaking to young people and their parents. He previously spent thirteen years as the executive director of Youth for Christ in Alberta, Canada. He is co-author of Timeless Youth Ministry, Disturbing Behavior, and Protecting Your Teen from Disturbing Behaviors. The parents of three children, Steve and his wife, Pamela Jo, reside in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Jerry Vines

DR. JERRY VINES (B.A., Mercer University; Th.D., Luther Rice Seminary; PhD, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) retired as pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida in 2006, where he served for 40 years. He served two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Jerry is author of a number of books including Power in the Pulpit: How to Prepare and Deliver Expository Sermons, and A Practical Guide to Sermon Preparation. He and his wife, Janet, have four adult children and five grandchildren.

Michael Vanlaningham

DR. MICHAEL VANLANINGHAM was Professor of Bible at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago for more than twenty years. He is now the Director of Research at Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, IL. He received his M.Div. in Systematic Theology from Talbot Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in New Testament and Pauline Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has written a number of articles for The Master's Seminary Journal as well as other publications.

James Vincent

JAMES VINCENT (B.A., UCLA ; M.A., University of Illinois) served as assistant professor of communications at MBI for ten years and is now senior editor at Moody Publishers. He has written or cowritten three books, including the centennial edition of MBI: The Story of Moody Bible Institute. Jim lives in Valparaiso, Indiana, with his wife, Lori, and their three sons.

Karl Vaters

William D. Thrasher

BILL THRASHER serves as the lead faculty member in the Master's Program in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship at Moody Theological Seminary. He is a frequent speaker for churches and retreats across the country. His ministry interests include campus discipleship, singles ministry, and evangelism. He is author of Believing God for His Best, A Journey to Victorious Praying, Principles of Christian Living from Romans 5-8, The Attributes of God in Pauline Theology, Living the Life God Has Planned, Putting God Back into the Holidays, and God As He Wants You to Know Him. Bill and his wife, Penny, live in the Chicago area and have three sons—Will, Michael, and David. His website is www.victoriouspraying.com.

Howard F. Vos

HOWARD F. VOS ( B.A., Wheaton College; M.A. and Ph.D., Northwestern University; Th.M. and Th.D., Dallas Theological Seminary) was Professor Emeritus of History and Archaeology at The King's College, Tuxedo, New York, and Adjunct Professor at the King's campus in the Empire State Building, New York. He was the author of twenty-five books including Beginnings in Bible Geography, Can I Trust The Bible, Genesis and Galatians in the Everyman's Bible Commentary Series, and co-author of the Wycliffe Encyclopedia. He wrote from his vast knowledge of Bible geography, archeology and church history for Christians seeking to increase their understanding of Scripture. Additionally, he traveled extensively in the Bible lands and excavated many sites in Israel.

Today in the Word

TODAY IN THE WORD, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute, is a daily devotional that strives to proclaim the truth of the word. Available by email, podcast, or magazine, it helps guide your Bible study and boldly declares a biblical perspective on real issues.

Peter Worrall

PETER WORRALL teaches Education majors at Moody Bible Institute and is a doctoral student in the Educational Studies program at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife, Kelli, write and teach together. Peter also does pulpit supply, teaches Sunday school, and leads a small group. Since his twenties Peter has taught elementary school, graduated with a Masters in Teaching, and is a grateful father of Daryl and Amelia.

Douglas Allen Sweeney

DOUGLAS A. SWEENEY is Professor of Church History and the History of Christian Thought and Director of the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He formerly served as a lecturer at Yale University, as an adjunct professor as Aquinas College, and as a visiting professor at both Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Reformed Theological Seminary. Sweeney is the author of a number of books and articles about religious history and the American theologian, Jonathan Edwards. He resides with his wife, Wilma, and their son in Lindenhurst, Illinois.

Dann Spader

DANN SPADER (Moody Bible Institute, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) has dedicated his life to disciple-making, teaching others how to take someone from seeker to making disciples themselves. More than 750,000 people in 90 plus countries have been trained to make disciples through organizations he has led. He is the Founder of Sonlife ministries and currently serves as President of Global Youth Initiative, an alliance of organizations in 95 countries committed to "equipping young leaders for movements of multiplication." He is also author of Walking As Jesus Walked and co-author of Growing a Healthy Church and The Everyday Commission, among other titles. For free online videos visit disciplemovement.com.

Chris Swain

CHRISTOPHER SWAIN is the Disciplemaking Pastor at Long Hollow Baptist Church and the CEO of Replicate Ministries. After four years of service in the United States Marine Corps, Chris served in full-time ministry for two decades in Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee leading ministries ranging from students to collegiate to spiritual formation. He also served as the Director of Student Ministry Publishing at Lifeway Christian Resources, serving the church in its mission of making disciples. Chris has been with Replicate Ministries and Long Hollow Baptist Church since 2016, with a heart to expand the Gospel through disciplemaking in the local church. Along with his wife, two children, and Boston Terrier, Chris resides in the Nashville, Tennessee area.