This has often been accomplished during revivals, conferences, and other forms of large-scale meetings. Here are some of the most famous evangelists who have faithfully preached the Word in the last few hundred years. Billy Graham was essentially the face of American Christianity during the 20th century.
Many of these evangelists would fit into one or more of these categories. What makes a speaker or pastor an evangelist is that he spends much of his time trying to reach others with the gospel. This has often been accomplished during revivals, conferences, and other forms of large-scale meetings.
Thus Saint Matthew is the first evangelist; Saint Mark, the second; Saint Luke, the third; and Saint John, the fourth. Saint Matthew was a tax collector, but beyond that fact, relatively little is known about him. He is mentioned only five times in the New Testament, and only twice in his own gospel.
Born the same year as John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards is one of the most well known American preachers in history. On top of his studies in religion, Edwards was an educated man with connections at Yale and Princeton who wanted to understand the world around him.
Lawyer, theologian and college president, Charles Grandison Finney was also the most famous revivalist of the Second Great Awakening. He did not merely lead revivals; he actively marketed, promoted and packaged them.
He was an outspoken abolitionist and championed other social reforms in the nineteenth century. In contrast to most churches, who encouraged women to not actively participate in services, Finney asked women to pray aloud at his revivals.
He enjoyed great success, particularly in Upstate New York, a region that Finney called “the burned over district.” Finney's revivals emphasized human action, and he encouraged his converts to join various reform organizations, including avoiding alcohol and eventually opposing slavery.
Evangelist Charles Grandison Finney held a massive religious revival in Rochester, New York, lasting several months, from September 1830 to March 1831. People used the Canal to travel from as far away as 100 miles to hear him speak.
The change in the status of African Americans came in the form of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments which granted African Americans citizenship and the right to vote. One of the major ways Douglass advocated for change was through his newspapers.
Charles Haddon SpurgeonCharles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers".
SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the second-fastest growing church in the United States, according to the 2006 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, published by the National Council of Churches.
Ordinary people were encouraged to make a personal connection with God, instead of relying on a minister. Newer denominations, such as Methodists and Baptists, grew quickly. While the movement unified the colonies and boosted church growth, experts say it also caused division.
Most historians consider Jonathan Edwards, a Northampton Anglican minister, one of the chief fathers of the Great Awakening. Edwards' message centered on the idea that humans were sinners, God was an angry judge and individuals needed to ask for forgiveness. He also preached justification by faith alone.
During a trip to the United Kingdom in the spring of 1872, Moody became well known as an evangelist. Literary works published by the Moody Bible Institute claim that he was the greatest evangelist of the 19th century. He preached almost a hundred times and came into communion with the Plymouth Brethren. On several occasions, he filled stadia of a capacity of 2,000 to 4,000. According to his memoir, in the Botanic Gardens Palace, he attracted an audience estimated at between 15,000 and 30,000.
Moody aided the work of cross-cultural evangelism by promoting " The Wordless Book ," a teaching tool developed in 1866 by Charles Spurgeon. In 1875, Moody added a fourth color to the design of the three-color evangelistic device: gold — to "represent heaven.".
Moody greatly influenced the cause of cross-cultural Christian missions after he met Hudson Taylor, a pioneer missionary to China. He actively supported the China Inland Mission and encouraged many of his congregation to volunteer for service overseas.
Ten years after Moody's death the Chicago Avenue Church was renamed the Moody Church in his honor, and the Chicago Bible Institute has likewise renamed the Moody Bible Institute.
According to his memoir, in the Botanic Gardens Palace, he attracted an audience estimated at between 15,000 and 30,000. That turnout continued throughout 1874 and 1875, with crowds of thousands at all of his meetings. During his visit to Scotland, Moody was helped and encouraged by Andrew A. Bonar.
Moody adapted revivalism, one of the major institutions of evangelical Protestantism, to the urban context. ... His organizational ability, demonstrated in the great revivals he conducted in England, combined to fashion his spectacular career as the creator of modern mass revivalism.
Moody visited Britain with Ira D. Sankey, with Moody preaching and Sankey singing at meetings. Together they published books of Christian hymns. In 1883 they visited Edinburgh and raised ÂŁ10,000 for the building of a new home for the Carrubbers Close Mission.
Updated June 25, 2019. An evangelist is a person who seeks to evangelize —that is, to "announce the good news" to other people. The "good news," for Christians, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, the Apostles are considered evangelists, as are those in the broader community of early Christians who go out to "make disciples ...
It leads to the Pharisees denouncing Christ for eating with "tax collectors and sinners" (Matthew 9:11), to which Christ responds that "I did not come to call the righteous but sinners" (Matthew 9:13). This scene became a frequent subject of Renaissance painters, most famously Caravaggio.
After Christ's Ascension, Matthew not only wrote his gospel but spent perhaps 15 years preaching the good news to the Hebrews, before heading East, where he, like all of the Apostles (with the exception of Saint John), suffered martyrdom.
In addition to being the longest of the four gospels, Luke's gospel is extraordinarily vivid and rich. Many details of Christ's life, especially His infancy, are found only in Luke's gospel. Many medieval and Renaissance artists drew their inspiration for works of art concerning the life of Christ from the Gospel of Luke.
Traditionally, however, he has still been regarded as a martyr for the intense suffering and exile that he endured for the sake of Christ. Like Saint Luke, John wrote other books of the New Testament as well as his gospel—three epistles (1 John, 2 John, and 3 John) and the Book of Revelation.
Saint Luke is traditionally regarded as one of the 72 disciples sent by Christ in Luke 10:1-20 "to every town and place he intended to visit" to prepare the people for the reception of His preaching.
After Mary's death and Assumption, John was exiled to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation, before returning to Ephesus, where he died. Richert, Scott P. "The Role the Four Evangelists Play in Christianity.". Learn Religions, Aug. 27, 2020, learnreligions.com/who-are-the-four-evangelists-4082531.
To offset this feeling, during the years 1742 and 1743, Edwards preached at Northampton a series of sermons published under the title of Religious Affections (1746), a restatement in a more philosophical and general tone of his ideas as to "distinguishing marks.".
In reply to Edwards, Charles Chauncy wrote Seasonable Thoughts on the State of Religion in New England in 1743 and anonymously penned The Late Religious Commotions in New England Considered in the same year. In these works, he urged conduct as the sole test of conversion.
The eminence of many descendants of Edwards led some Progressive Era scholars to view him as proof of eugenics. His descendants have had a disproportionate effect upon American culture: his biographer George Marsden notes that "the Edwards family produced scores of clergymen, thirteen presidents of higher learning, sixty-five professors, and many other persons of notable achievements."
Edwards's preaching became unpopular. For four years, no candidate presented himself for admission to the church, and when one eventually did, in 1748, he was met with Edwards's formal tests as expressed in the Distinguishing Marks and later in Qualifications for Full Communion, 1749. The candidate refused to submit to them, the church backed him, and the break between the church and Edwards was complete. Even permission to discuss his views in the pulpit was refused. He was allowed to present his views on Thursday afternoons. His sermons were well attended by visitors, but not his own congregation. A council was convened to decide the communion matter between the minister and his people. The congregation chose half the council, and Edwards was allowed to select the other half of the council. His congregation, however, limited his selection to one county where the majority of the ministers were against him. The ecclesiastical council voted by 10 to 9 that the pastoral relation be dissolved.
Edwards is well known for his many books, The End For Which God Created the World, The Life of David Brainerd, which inspired thousands of missionaries throughout the 19th century, and Religious Affections , which many Reformed Evangelicals still read today.
Throughout his life, Edwards often went into the woods as a favorite place to pray and worship in the beauty and solace of nature. Edwards was fascinated by the discoveries of Isaac Newton and other scientists of this time period.
Beginning in June 1731, Edwards joined the slave trade, buying 'a Negro Girle named Venus ages Fourteen years or thereabout' in Newport, at an auction, for 'the Sum of Eighty pounds.'. ^ Stinson, Susan (April 5, 2012). "The Other Side of the Paper: Jonathan Edwards as Slave-Owner". Valley Advocate.
Robert Tilton was, at one time, one of the most famous names in televangelism. His show, Success-N-Life, was beamed into homes throughout the nation and earned the pastor’s church millions per year during the later 1980s and early 1990s.
Several years later, Phillips had moved the woman into his house as his nanny. Phillips sexually abused her by masturbating on the woman multiple times while she cried and asked him to stop. Later that year, Phillips was excommunicated from the church he founded.
In the era of social media and intense online scrutiny, Rekers was completely pilloried for the hypocrisy this demonstrated. While he tried to maintain that the man had only been hired to help him transport his bags to his hotel room, the prostitute told CNN that he had given Rekers “ sexual massages ” during the course of the trip. Rekers’s public shaming was complete when he stepped down from his leadership position at NARTH.
Hovind was arrested and found guilty of a staggering 58 charges relating to various tax issues and other financial crimes. In 2007, he was sentenced to 10 years in jail, and his theme park was forced to close down.
Tilton was sued for fraud by some who had sent in prayer requests in the genuine belief that he would be able to help, and his television show was thrown off the air. As of 2020, his ministry still preaches, although it hasn’t come close to reaching the heights it achieved during his prime.
Billy James Hargis’s message, which included anti-communist and segregationist propaganda in addition to his evangelism, was beamed across hundreds of radio and television stations throughout the United States. Hargis was a member of a sect called the Restoration Movement and led the Church of the Christian Crusade.
In 2013, Phillips was forced to resign after being publicly accused of sexual abuse and assault against a woman he met when she was only 15 years old . Several years later, Phillips had moved the woman into his house as his nanny. Phillips sexually abused her by masturbating on the woman multiple times while she cried and asked him to stop. Later that year, Phillips was excommunicated from the church he founded.
One of the less famous evangelists on our list, Charles Grandison Finney made a great impact on the United States during the early-to-mid 19th century. As a theologian and abolitionist, Finney sought to spread the truth of God’s Word among his fellow countrymen and for that message to affect every aspect of life. His work during the 1820s and 30s played a big role in the Second Great Awakening that swept through the U.S. Along with his accolades as a revivalist and evangelist, Finney also served as the second president of Oberlin College during the Civil War.
What makes one an evangelist as opposed to a theologian, pastor, or educator? Many of these evangelists would fit into one or more of these categories. What makes a speaker or pastor an evangelist is that he spends much of his time trying to reach others with the gospel. This has often been accomplished during revivals, conferences, and other forms of large-scale meetings. Here are some of the most famous evangelists who have faithfully preached the Word in the last few hundred years.
Billy Graham was essentially the face of American Christianity during the 20th century. He began preaching at revivals he called “crusades” in the years following WWII. Over the course of his life, Graham preached in nearly 200 countries and likely lead millions of people to the Lord. Like many famous evangelists, Graham was unafraid to challenge people’s hearts when it came to the Gospel. This mentality also made him an important figure during the civil rights movement of the 1960s as he would fight against racism where he could. Billy Graham lived to be nearly 100 years old, during which time the Lord used him in mighty ways for the Gospel.
His most famous sermon is “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”. We could go on and on with many famous evangelists (and perhaps even longer debating what qualifies one as primarily an evangelist).
It’s said that John Wesley would preach two or three times a day when he was in his prime, riding horseback from town to town. The brothers, who began the Methodist movement, were also well known for the thousands of hymns they wrote over the years (predominantly written by Charles).
This mentality also made him an important figure during the civil rights movement of the 1960s as he would fight against racism where he could.
Skipping across the pond to one of the most famous evangelists in Britain, we find George Whitefield. One of the most prolific speakers in modern Christianity, he would often preach wherever he could find an audience. Sometimes this would be in a church but an open field was also an option. Whitefield was friends with John and Charles Wesley. The three men had a special bond and each played a significant role in the Great Awakening that took hold of Britain and the American colonies. We may think of preachers from centuries past as being stodgy or emotionless, but Whitefield was a man who spoke with passion and fully inhabited the joy and hope of which he was proclaiming.
Southern sensibilities, media savvy, denominational openness, and an expanding social vision helped turn a country boy evangelist into a cultural icon.
Before his conversion John Newton lived—by Amazing Grace.
Undergraduate Jonny Woods and theology professor Steve Holmes are the first to read Fuller’s sermons in 200 years.
Billy Graham's songleader looks back on the groundbreaking 1948 Youth for Christ songbook—a memorable combination of beloved traditional hymns and contemporary praise songs for the post-war generation.
Pastor Andy Savage made headlines early this year when he admitted to sexually assaulting a woman in 1998. The headlines were because he received a standing ovation from his congregation for his confession, not because justice was served. YouTube
Bernard Law is possibly the most infamous "Bad Priest." In the 1990s, the Spotlight team from the Boston Globe exposed Law for failing to remove sexually abusive priests from his congregation and for covering up the abuses for years. Getty Images
In 1988, famed television evangelist Jimmy Swaggart made a shocking, on-camera confession. He admitted to "moral indiscretions" and "incidents of moral failure" as tears streamed down his face on live television, and asked his followers and family for forgiveness before ultimately stepping down from his post. YouTube.
Religion can be a wonderful thing. It can bring people together and get them through hard times. The people who lead the religions can also be wonderful individuals, serving as mentors, teachers, confidants, and friends.
Coming to light in the late 1980s, but beginning far before that, churches worldwide started to crack down on scandals within their congregations. Pastors were more thoroughly vetted, accomplices to abuse and affairs were held to higher standards, and indiscretions began to be less and less tolerated.
Peter Popoff was one of the bolder frauds in televangelist history. He claimed to be able to diagnose (and cure) any of his churchgoers' hidden diseases just by asking the heavens for help. He was later revealed to be wearing a wire, through which his wife would feed him the information. He now sells bottled water on late night infomercials. YouTube
Aimee McPherson was a glamorous, evangelical preacher who performed theatrical church services in the 1920s. She disappeared in 1926 and mysteriously reappeared a month later claiming she'd been kidnapped. Her story was later debunked as a hoax to gain more publicity. Wikimedia Commons