Giants of the Faith - A Christian History Podcast

Send us feedback In this episode we're going to look at the 18th century religious reformer and great proponent of missionary work, Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, Count of the Holy Roman Empire. Zinzendorf helped pioneer modern missions and worked tirelessly to unite Christians of all stripes in a common brotherhood. RESOURCES Christian History Institute: https://christianhistoryinstitute.or...

Send us feedback Today we're taking a look at the winding journey of Nicholas of Myra from 3rd and 4th century church bishop to 9th century saint to the modern day Santa Claus. RESOURCES The National Geographic Society: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/131219-santa-claus-origin-history-christmas-facts-st-nicholas What's In the Bible with Buck Denver: https://whatsintheb...

Send us feedback In this episode of the podcast we're focusing on Bishop Nicholas of Myra, better know as Saint Nicholas and the real man behind the legend of Santa Claus. This will be a relatively short episode and some of the stories will be apocryphal but I'll do my best to make it informative and interesting. RESOURCES St. Nicholas Center: https://www.stnicholascenter.org/who-is-st-n...

Send us feedback In this episode we're looking at James Strong, of Strong's Concordance fame. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is an index of Hebrew and Greek words that are used in the Old and New Testaments in the King James Version of the Bible. It's been a very useful study aid for over 100 years and Strong's work continues to bear fruit today. RESOURCES Google Books: h...

Send us feedback Today's episode features someone you probably haven't heard of who ministered in a region of the world you might not be familiar with and faithfully gave the Gospel to a group of people that are not particularly welcoming to Christianity. I'm referring to N.M. Nisar, who was a minister of the Gospel in the Jammu and Kashmir region in India. Now, before we get into N...

Send us feedback When doing my research for Episode 41 on William Booth I came across an audio recording of Booth giving a speech. This eipsode is basically a republishing of that audio so if you want to skip it I won't blame you. I just found it interesting to hear the man himself as so many of the subjects that we've covered and will cover lived long before recording technology was ava...

Send us feedback Today's episode is focused on William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army isn't just a charitable or relief organization. It's a church that has existed for over 150 years. And while they may not perform baptisms or celebrate the Lord's Supper they are focused on the expansion of the Kingdom - and have been since the very start. RESOURC...

Send us feedback I'm very excited about this episode because it's subject, RC Sproul, is my favorite modern theologian and teacher and I've learned so much from him through the years. And I continue to learn from him today through his recorded lectures and writings. RC Sproul served the Kingdom in many ways through his life - professor, pastor, leader, father, husband, administrator...

Send us feedback Calvin is known as a leader of the Reformation and as a hard-nosed stickler for the rules. He's not really known as a ladies man. In this short episode we're going to delve deep into the love life of John Calvin. Well, not too deep because Calvin was a bookworm nerd that had little time for the intrigues of love and marriage.  RESOURCES  Christianity.com: https://www.chr...

Send us feedback We're returning to our look at John Calvin in this final episode of Giants of the Faith, season two. When we left off last time Calvin had stopped over in Geneva in August of 1536 on his way to Strasbourg and had been convinced by the local pastor, William Farel, to stay on and help organize the church there. RESOURCES Ligonier.org: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/theologian-ag...

Send us feedback With the next two episodes we're finishing up our focus on the Reformers by looking at John Calvin. Calvin remains one of the most influential people in Christian history. He got his start as a pastor almost by accident. In this episode we will look at Calvin's early life and the continue in Part 2 with his ministry and impact. RESOURCES   Ligonier.org: https://www.ligon...

Send us feedback Today we're examining the life of Heinrich Bullinger, the successor to Zwingli in Zurich who is sometimes referred to as the forgotten reformer. With this episode we're nearing the end of our emphasis on the Reformers. After Bullinger will come Calvin and then we'll return to looking at a broader spectrum of folks. Of course, there are tons of influential and import...

Send us feedback In this episode we are going back to Scotland to discuss John Knox. Knox made a brief appearance in the George Wishart episode and now we will look at him in more detail. Knox is a polarizing figure but there is no doubt that in his role as one of the founders of the Presbyterian Church movement he is one of the leading lights of the Protestant Reformation. RESOURCES   Christian H...

Send us feedback In this bonus episode we're going to look at one of the men most responsible for the 16th century Reformation - Erasmus. Erasmus is known as the man that laid the egg that Luther hatched. Though he was not a reformer in the common usage of the word he did want Christendom to return to a reliance on the writing of the church fathers and, even more, on the scriptures themselves...

Send us feedback In this episode we're looking at the life of George Wishart, the early Scottish Reformer and predecessor to John Knox. Wishart is less well known than Knox but his tale is an important one. He was a figurehead of the early Reformation in Scotland. RESOURCES   Christian Study Library: https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/article/george-wishart-his-life-and-influence-reformati...

Send us feedback We're continuing our survey of some of the key players of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. In this episode we're surveying the life of Martin Bucer, the German Reformer who was influenced by Luther and who, in turn, influenced Calvin. He's a man who I'll admit was mostly a stranger to me before I began researching this episode. I've since come to a...

Send us feedback Welcome to this bonus episode of Giants of the Faith. We're well into season 2 now with a narrow focus on the Reformation. In this bonus episode we'll take a look at what the Catholic Church did in response to the movement spearheaded by Luther, Zwingli, Calvin and others. That response is called the Counter Reformation or sometimes the Catholic Reformation and it is enc...

Send us feedback In this eipsode we are going to look at one of the often overlooked reformers, George Spalatin, also known as George Burkhardt. Spalatin was confidant to Luther and was instrumental in providing the Reformation the security it needed to grow and thrive. He was not a great theologian but he did have an important part to play in allowing the Gospel to take root and spread. When I se...

Send us feedback In episode 32 we're going to survey the life and impact of English Reformer William Tyndale. Tyndale is another one of those guys that has had an outsized impact on the course of English, and therefore Western, history. I'd always known Tyndale as the man that first translated the Bible into English. But it's much more than that. Tyndale's story is one full of...

Send us feedback In this episode we will conclude our survey of Huldrych Zwingli the Swiss Reformer. When we left off last episode Zwingli had begun to question church doctrine, participated in the famous Sausage Supper, secretly married a woman while still a priest, and resigned his position as priest and taken up the charge as the evangelical pastor in Zurich's largest church. We'll pi...

Send us feedback In the next two episodes we're continuing our look at the reformers. We've already looked at the ultimate reformer, Martin Luther, and the Reformation martyress Lady Jane Grey. Now we're moving the lens to the Swiss Confederation and pastor/reformer/soldier Huldrych Zwingli. Zwingli was the original leader of the Swiss Reformation and sometimes rival to Martin Luthe...

Send us feedback In this episode we are looking at the "Nine Days Queen", Reformation martyr hero Lady Jane Grey. She's of interest to us not for her development of theology or even her great historical impact but for her commitment to the faith and her refusal to let go of the ideas of the reformation even in the face of death. Today I'm joined by my lovely wife Jennifer. Jenn...

Send us feedback Hello and welcome to this bonus episode of Giants of the Faith, the podcast where we look at influential Christians. My name is Robert Daniels and I'm the host of this show. Today we're finishing our five part Luther marathon with a bonus episode - Luther's Dirty Laundry. This episode will be brief but I think it is important to talk about some of the seedier aspect...

Send us feedback In this bonus episode of Giants of the Faith we'll take a brief look at Martin Luther and his impact on the publishing industry, the way beer is made, and the role that the humble toilet played in the Reformation. I'm adding a content warning to this episode. When we get to the last segment of it it will get pretty gross. If you don't want to hear about poop and som...

Send us feedback This is episode 28 where we'll conclude our three-episode look at the life of Martin Luther. I've used a lot of sources for these episodes but one of the most useful has been Reformation 500. It's an excellent resource from the folks at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. If you are interested in additional material on Luther it's a great place to start. You can f...