American Religion Timelines
All Entries - Biographies By Last Name
| Name | Introduction |
|---|---|
| Abernathy, Ralph | Ralph Abernathy (1926-1990) was an important figure in the civil rights movement. He facilitated the Montgomery bus boycott and worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. |
| Allen, Horace Newton | Horace Allen (1858-1932) was the first resident Protestant missionary in Korea. His medical and diplomatic contributions helped soothe anti-Christian policies in the region. |
| Allen, Richard | Richard Allen (1760-1831) was an influential black minister who established the first black denomination in the United States. |
| Angelica, Mary | Mother Angelica (1923-2016) is the founder of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), the world’s largest religious broadcaster. |
| Applewhite, Marshall | Marshall Applewhite co-founded Heaven's Gate, a new religious movement, with Bonnie Lu Nettles. The movement is known for its mass suicide in 1997. |
| Asbury, Francis | Francis Asbury (1745-1816) was the preeminent leader of American Methodism after the Revolutionary War. |
| Backus, Isaac | Isaac Backus (1724-1806) was one of the fathers of the Baptist tradition in America and an ardent proponent of religious liberty. |
| Badin, Stephen Theodore | Stephen Badin (1768-1853) was the first Catholic priest ordained in America. |
| Bailey, Alice | Alice Bailey (1880-1949) is considered by many to be the mother of New Age, popularizing the term in writings about her own mystical movement. |
| Bakker, Tammy Faye | Tammy Faye Bakker (1942-2007) was a Christian television celebrity with her husband, Jim Bakker, and remained in the public spotlight even after their empire crumbled. |
| Birch, John Morrison | John Birch (1918-1945) was a fundamental Baptist missionary, whose name became synonymous with Christian nationalism. |
| Blake, Eugene Carson | Eugene Carson Blake (1906-1985) was a prominent Presbyterian minister best known for his commitment to ecumenism and the civil rights movement. |
| Bradstreet, Anne | Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) was one of early America's first noteworthy poets. |
| Brownson, Orestes | Orestes Brownson (1803-1876) was a public intellectual who defended Catholicism and its compatibility with American society. |
| Buck, Pearl S. | Pearl Buck (1892-1973) was an award-winning novelist, whose liberal views on theology and Presbyterian missions drew criticism from conservative Presbyterians. |
| Burroughs, Nannie Helen | Nannie Helen Burroughs was an educator, missionary leader, writer and pioneer for the rights of African Americans, especially Black women. |
| Cabrini, Frances Xavier | Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917) was the first American citizen to be named a saint by the Catholic Church. |
| Campolo, Anthony "Tony" | Tony Campolo (1935) is a prominent intellectual for the New Christian Left. His evangelical agencies fight poverty, protect the environment, and help treat AIDS. |
| Carroll, John | John Carroll (1735-1815) served as the first Catholic bishop in the United States and helped expand the Catholic Church domestically. |
| Cartwright, Peter | Peter Cartwright (1785-1872) was a Methodist circuit ride and frontier preacher. |
| Cayce, Edgar | Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) was a famous 20th-century psychic, clairvoyant and prophet, whose "readings" told of past lives and are credited with curing illnesses. |
| Chavez, Cesar | Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) was a prominent labor leader who fought on behalf of American farm workers. |
| Coke, Thomas | Thomas Coke (1747-1814), along with Francis Asbury, served as the first bishop for the American Methodists. |
| Coughlin, Charles | Charles Coughlin (1891-1979) was a Catholic "radio priest," who was controversial for his anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi views leading up to World War II. |
| Criswell, W. A. | W.A. Criswell (1909-2002) was a famous Baptist pastor who expanded First Baptist into one of the largest American churches. |
| Crosby, Frances "Fanny" | Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) wrote thousands of famous hymns, including "Blessed Assurance," "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross," and "To God Be the Glory." |
| Dabney, Robert Lewis | Robert Lewis Dabney (1794-1884) is considered one of the most influential Southern theologians of the 19th century. |
| Daly, Mary | Mary Daly (1928-2010) was a radical feminist theologian at Boston College who viewed traditional (male) depictions of the Christian God as oppressive toward women. |
| Davies, Samuel | Samuel Davies (1723-1761) helped spread Presbyterianism to Virginia and served Princeton University early in its establishment. |
| Day, Dorothy | Dorothy Day (1897-1980) was a Catholic activist, known for co-founding the Catholic Worker movement, leading anti-war and anti-nuclear proliferation movements, and promoting assistance to the poor. |
| de Brebeuf, Jean | Jean de Brebeuf (1593-1649) was a French Jesuit missionary priest and early North American martyr. |
| Deloria, Vine | Best-selling author Vine Deloria, Jr., (1933-2005) was a 20th century champion of Native American autonomy and proponent of indigenous religious traditions. |
| Drexel, Katharine | Katharine Drexel (1858-1955) founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a religious order devoted to the education and assistance to racial minorities in America. |
| Eddy, Mary Baker | Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) founded the Christian Science movement. |
| Edwards, Jonathan | Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) is the most influential theologian in American religious history and helped start the First Great Awakening. |
| Emerson, Ralph Waldo | Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) promoted Transcendentalist thought, which emphasized experiencing God through lived experience and intuition. |
| England, John | John England (1786-1842) was the first bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston (South Carolina) and advocated republicanism within the Catholic Church. |
| Falwell, Jerry | Jerry Falwell (1933-2007) was an evangelical pastor who aired the popular program "The Old-Time Gospel Hour" and helped found the Moral Majority. |
| Farrakhan, Louis | Louis Farrakhan (1933-present) helped revitalize the controversial Nation of Islam in the late 1970s. |
| Fearing, Maria | Maria Fearing emerged from slavery to become a self-financed missionary teacher, founding the Pantops Home for Girls in Luebo, Congo. |
| Fenwick, Benedict Joseph | Benedict Joseph Fenwick (1782-1846) served as Catholic bishop of Boston from 1825 to 1846. |
| Finney, Charles | Charles Finney (1792-1875) was a prominent evangelical and revivalist during the Second Great Awakening. |
| Flaget, Benedict Joseph | Benedict Joseph Flaget (1763-1850) was the first bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Bardstown, Kentucky, and the first Bishop of Louisville. |
| Fosdick, Harry Emerson | Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969), prominent New York City minister and theological liberal. Famous for criticizing fundamentalists in his sermon entitled "Shall the Fundamentalists Win?" |
| Fuller, Charles Edward | Charles Fuller (1887-1968) was a prominent evangelist on the popular evangelical radio show "The Old Fashioned Revival Hour" and founded Fuller Theological Seminary. |
| Gibbons, James | James Gibbons (1834-1921) was an American cardinal archbishop who guided the Catholic Church through historic changes and mediated relations between American Catholics and the Vatican. |
| Ginzberg, Louis | Judaic scholar and writer Louis Ginzberg (1873-1953) trained two generations of Conservative rabbis over 50 years at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. |
| Gloucester, John | John Gloucester (1776-1822) founded the first African-American Presbyterian Church and was one of the earliest black Presbyterian ministers. |
| Graham, William "Billy" | Billy Graham (1918-2018) was the preeminent evangelist of the second half of the 20th century, preaching to millions in the United States and abroad. |
| Harkness, Georgia | Georgia Harkness (1891-1974) was one of the first influential female theologians in the United States. |
| Healy, James Augustine | James Augustine Healy (1830-1900) was the first Catholic American priest and bishop of African descent. |
| Hecker, Isaac | Isaac Hecker (1819-1888) was an intellectual forefather to the Catholic Americanist movement. He was dedicated to defending the Catholic Church and converting Americans to Catholicism. |
| Heschel, Abraham Joshua | Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) was an important Jewish theologian and social activist in the 20th century. |
| Higgins, George G. | George Higgins (1916-2002) was a Catholic priest and activist during the labor movement. He also helped improve relations between Catholics and Jews. |
| Hirsch, Emil | Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch (1851-1923) was considered one of the great minds of Reform Judaism during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. |
| Hodge, Archibald Alexander | Archibald Alexander Hodge (1823-1886) was a conservative Presbyterian pastor and Princeton theologian. He was popular for his warm, witty, and clear writing style. |
| Hodge, Charles | Charles Hodge (1797-1878) was the leading 19th century Old School Presbyterian theologian in the United States. |
| Hosier, Harry | Harry Hosier (1750-1806) was a renowned public speaker and one of the first licensed black preachers in Methodism. |
| Hubbard, L. Ron | L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986) founded Scientology, a controversial new religious movement. |
| Hughes, John | John Hughes (1797-1864) was a New York archbishop, who oversaw growth in the American Catholic Church due to Irish immigration and advocated Catholic parochial education. |
| Hutchinson, Anne | Anne Hutchinson's (1591-1643) preaching and unorthodox theology posed a threat to colonial authority in Massachusetts. She fled to Rhode Island after being excommunicated. |
| Ireland, John | Born in 1838, John Ireland was a bishop of the Catholic Church regarded as a leader of the Americanist movement. He died in 1918. |
| Jackson, Jesse | Jesse Jackson (1941-present) is a Baptist minister, civil rights advocate, and politician, whose career continues to earn both praise and criticism. |
| Jakes, Thomas Dexter "T.D." | Thomas Dexter "T.D." Jakes (1957-present) is a popular televised pastor known for his large church services, bestselling books, and cable ministry programs. |
| Jogues, Isaac | Isaac Jogues (1607-1646) was a French Jesuit missionary priest and early North American martyr. |
| Jones, Robert "Bob" | "Bob" Jones, Sr. (1883-1926) was a renowned evangelist and educator. He founded Bob Jones University, which promoted a conservative Christian education. |
| Judson, Adoniram | Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) was one of the first American missionaries to travel to Burma, inspiring other Protestants to engage in overseas missionary work. |
| Keller, Timothy | Timothy Keller (1950-present) is an evangelical pastor, theologian, and best-selling author. His intellectual preaching style attracts educated young professionals to his New York City megachurch. |
| Kennedy, Dennis James | Dennis James Kennedy (1930-2007) was an evangelical pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and a significant figure in the New Christian Right. |
| King, Martin Luther | Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) was an African-American Baptist minister and civil rights leader who combined Gandhi’s nonviolent philosophy and Christian love to fight racism. |
| Koresh, David | David Koresh was leader of the Branch Davidians, a breakaway Seventh-day Adventist group, during the 1993 FBI siege on their compound in Waco, Texas. |
| LaHaye, Timothy "Tim" | Tim LaHaye (1926-present) is a famous evangelical pastor/author, known for co-authoring the Left Behind series and authoring one of the first evangelical sex manuals. |
| Lee, Jarena | Jarena Lee (1783-1855) was one of the first black female preachers in America. |
| Leland, John | John Leland (1754-1841) was a prominent evangelical pastor who defended religious liberty and aided in the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. |
| Liele, George | George Liele (1750-1828) was the first black Baptist convert in Georgia and founded the first black Baptist church in America at Silver Bluff, South Carolina. |
| Machen, John Gresham | John Gresham Machen (1881-1937) was a Presbyterian clergyman and New Testament scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is famous for denouncing more liberal interpretations of the Bible. |
| Makemie, Francis | Francis Makemie (1668-1708) is known as the father of American Presbyterianism. |
| Mathews, Shailer | Shailer Mathews (1863-1941) was a modernist theologian and advocate for the Social Gospel movement. |
| Maurin, Peter | Peter Maurin’s (1877-1949) vision of a transformed society led to the co-founding of the Catholic Worker Movement with Dorothy Day. |
| McIntire, Carl | Carl McIntire (1906-2002) was a militant fundamentalist, who helped found the Bible Presbyterian Church, International Council of Christian Churches, and radio show "Twentieth-Century Reformation Hour." |
| McPherson, Aimee Semple | American evangelist and gifted preacher, Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944) was the founder of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, a Pentecostal denomination. |
| Mears, Henrietta | Henrietta Mears (1890-1963) reignited the popularity of Sunday schools through her high quality teaching methods and publications. |
| Merton, Thomas | Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was a Catholic monk and prolific writer, who denounced social inequality and opened up interfaith dialogue. |
| Meyer, Joyce | Prosperity gospel evangelist Joyce Meyer (1943-present) leads one of the largest ministries in the world, Joyce Meyer Ministries, headquartered in Fenton, Mo. |
| Michaux, Lightfoot Solomon | Known as the "Happy Am I Evangelist," Lightfoot Solomon Michaux (1884-1968) was a popular radio evangelist with a radio program reaching 25 million people nationwide. |
| Miller, William | William Miller (1782-1849) predicted that the return of Christ would occur in 1843, garnering both religious fervor and criticism. |
| Mohler, Albert "Al" | Al Mohler (1959-present) is the president and an alumnus of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, the flagship seminary for the Southern Baptist Convention. |
| Moody, Dwight L. | Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) was a 19th century Protestant revivalist, whose popularity led to the Moody Bible Institute and the growth of fundamentalism. |
| Moon, Charlotte "Lottie" | Charlotte "Lottie" Moon (1840-1912) was a Southern Baptist missionary known for her evangelistic work in China. |
| Mott, John Raleigh | John Raleigh Mott (1865-1955) was an American Methodist layperson who is recognized as the "father of the modern ecumenical movement." |
| Mouw, Richard | Richard Mouw (1940-present) is a Presbyterian evangelical theologian/philosopher, and former president of Fuller Theological Seminary, who is well known for his interfaith dialogue. |
| Muhammad, Elijah | Elijah Muhammad (1897-1975) was the second leader of the Nation of Islam, overseeing the widespread growth of the Nation of Islam for over four decades. |
| Nerinckx, Charles | Charles Nerinckx (1761-1824) was a Catholic missionary priest of the Diocese of Bardstown, Kentucky, in the early 19th century. |
| Nettles, Bonnie Lu | Bonnie Lu Nettles co-founded Heaven's Gate, a new religious movement, with Marshall Applewhite. The movement is known for its mass suicide in 1997. |
| Neumann, John Nepomucene | John Neumann (1811-1860) served as bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Philadelphia from 1852 to 1860 and was the first American bishop to be canonized. |
| Niebuhr, Reinhold | Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) was an influential theologian who advocated social justice and critiqued aspects of theological liberalism. He also is credited with the Serenity Prayer. |
| Norris, John Frank | John Frank Norris (1877-1952) was a controversial Baptist pastor, famous for preaching against modernist interpretations of the Bible. |
| Occom, Samson | Samson Occom (1723-1792), an evangelical Presbyterian minister from the Mohegan tribe, founded the Indian-Christian community of Brothertown, New York. |
| Ockenga, Harold John | Harold John Ockenga (1905-1985) led the new evangelical movement by helping co-found Fuller Seminary, the National Association of Evangelicals, and Christianity Today. |
| O'Connor, Flannery | The American writer Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964) depicted fictional Southern characters confronting grace in depressing circumstances. |
| of Constantinople, Athenagoras I | Athenagoras (1886-1972) was an important archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America and later served as Patriarch of Constantinople until his death in 1972. |
| O'Hair, Madalyn Murray | Madalyn Murray O’Hair (1919-1995) was instrumental in banning Bible readings in public schools and founded one of the largest organizations of atheists in America. |
| Palmer, Phoebe | Phoebe Palmer (1807-1874) is considered the founder of the Holiness movement, initiating Spirit-led Bible meetings that linked Wesleyan revivalism with modern Pentecostalism. |
| Parkhurst, Charles Henry | Charles Parkhurst (1842-1933) was a Presbyterian minister and social reformer who exposed the moral and political corruption of New York City. |
| Payne, Daniel Alexander | Daniel Alexander Payne (1811-1893) was an African Methodist Episcopal Church bishop and the first black college president in the United States. |
| Penn, William | William Penn (1644-1718) was a Quaker activist, religious tolerance advocate and founder of the Pennsylvania colony. |
| Perkins, John | Christian and social justice advocate John Perkins (1930-present) helped provide education, job skills, and health care access to the poor through his ministries. |
| Pilmore, Joseph | Joseph Pilmore (1739-1825) was an English Methodist preacher and missionary, who helped spread Methodism in early America. |
| Piper, John | John Piper (1946-present) is a well-known evangelical pastor and author. He facilitated the resurgence of Reformed theology in conservative evangelicalism in America. |
| Prophet, Elizabeth Clare | Elizabeth Clare Prophet (1939-2009) established the Church Universal and Triumphant in 1974 as a liturgical craft for the teachings of the Ascended Masters. |
| Randall, Benjamin | Benjamin Randall (1749-1808) founded the “Randall” line of the Freewill Baptist church, believing in free grace instead of the Calvinist view on election. |
| Rauschenbusch, Walter | Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918) was the main founding theologian of the Social Gospel. |
| Riley, William Bell | William Bell Riley (1861-1947) was a fundamentalist pastor who formed the World's Christian Fundamentals Association, fought teachings of evolution, and founded the Northwestern Bible School. |
| Robertson, Marion "Pat" | Pat Robertson (1930-2023) became a prominent media and political figure in the New Christian Right during the 1980s and '90s. |
| Rogers, Fred McFeely | Fred Rogers (1928-2003), a Presbyterian minister, hosted a popular kids' show called "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" on public television from 1968 until 2001. |
| Rushdoony, Rousas John | Rousas John Rushdoony (1916-2001), Presbyterian theologian and homeschooling advocate, laid the foundations for Christian Reconstructionism. |
| Russell, Charles Taze | Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916) sparked the religious tradition later known as the Jehovah's Witnesses. |
| Ryan, John A. | John A. Ryan (1869-1945) was a Catholic priest and moral theologian who fought for economic justice. He helped inspire and support Roosevelt’s New Deal Programs. |
| Schaeffer, Francis | Francis Schaeffer (1912-1984) was a famous evangelical apologist who denounced the spread of relativism in modern society. |
| Schlafly, Phyllis | Phyllis Schlafly (1924-2016) was a conservative Catholic activist who strengthened the pro-life and religious right movements. |
| Schneerson, Menachem | Rabbi Menachem Schneerson (1902-1994) was a revered leader of the Lubavitch movement of Hasidic Judaism, building it into a prominent force within Orthodoxy. |
| Serra, Junipero | Junipero Serra (1713-1784) was a Spanish Franciscan priest who strengthened Spanish control of California and helped bring Catholic faith to the New World. |
| Seton, Elizabeth Ann | Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821) founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph and was an early promoter of parochial school and Catholic women's education. |
| Sharpton, Alfred "Al" | Alfred “Al” Sharpton (1954-present) is a Baptist minister, civil rights leader, media figure, and politician, who draws public attention to racial issues in America. |
| Sheen, Fulton | Fulton Sheen (1895-1979) was a popular Catholic leader, who appeared on popular radio programs ("Catholic Hour") and television programs ("Life is Worth Living"). |
| Shuttlesworth, Fred | Fred Shuttlesworth (1922-2011) was known as the "most abused and arrested minister in the nation" during the civil rights era. |
| Smith, Amanda Berry | Amanda Berry Smith was a Methodist evangelist and missionary, author, founding member of the NAACP and founder of an orphanage for Black children in Chicago. |
| Smith, Hannah Whitall | American evangelist Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911) was an important speaker and writer in both the Holiness and Temperance movements. |
| Smith, Joseph | Joseph Smith (1805-1844) was the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a controversial and influential new religious movement in America. |
| Soloveitchik , Joseph B. | Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik (1903-1993), the leading figure of the Modern Orthodox Judaism in America, sought to unite traditionalism with contemporary thought. |
| Spalding, John Lancaster | John Lancaster Spalding, born in 1840, was an American bishop who advocated for Catholic education. He died in 1916. |
| Spalding, Martin John | Martin John Spalding, born in 1810, was a leading bishop of the Catholic Church in the mid-19th century. He died in 1872. |
| Stanton, Elizabeth Cady | Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) was a women’s rights advocate who pioneered feminist theology through her controversial biblical commentary known as the The Woman’s Bible. |
| Stewart, Maria | Maria Stewart was an abolitionist and women’s rights advocate, known for one of the first recorded public speeches of any woman in American history. |
| Subramuniyaswami, Sivaya | Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001) was a Hindu leader who built more than a dozen Hindu temples around the world. |
| Sunday, William "Billy" | Billy Sunday (1862-1935) was a prominent evangelist who led revivals, appealed for a prohibition of alcohol, and strengthened conservative Protestantism. |
| Suzuki, D.T. | Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966), a Zen Buddhist monk from Japan, helped to personify and explain Zen to a generation of Americans. |
| Tekakwitha, Kateri | Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680) was a Native American Catholic, known for her asceticism and chastity. She was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. |
| Tennent, Gilbert | Gilbert Tennent (1703-1764) was an Irish-born "New Side" Presbyterian minister and revivalist. His criticism of more conservative Presbyterians led to a schism in 1741. |
| Tennent, William | William Tennent (1673-1746) was a Presbyterian minister famously known for establishing the first Presbyterian seminary in America. |
| the Prophet, Tenskwatawa | Tenskwatawa (1775-1836), also called "The Shawnee Prophet," became the spiritual leader of one of the largest Native American confederations until an 1811 U.S. military defeat. |
| Thind, Bhagat Singh | Bhagat Singh Thind (1892-1967), a Sant Mat devotee and Indian immigrant, was the subject of an important legal test denying U.S. citizenship to Asian Indians. |
| Thornwell, James | James Henley Thornwell (1812-1862) was the antebellum South’s most eminent Presbyterian theologian. |
| Tillich, Paul Johannes | Paul Tillich (1886-1965) was a German American theologian and public intellectual who connected Christian faith to modern culture. |
| Truett, George Washington | George Washington Truett (1867-1944) was a Southern Baptist pastor who was famous for his 1920 sermon entitled "Baptists and Religious Liberty." |
| Trungpa, Chogyam | Chogyam Trungpa (1939-87) is the founder of the largest Tibetan Buddhist group in America. |
| Tubman, Harriet | Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), known as the "Moses of her people," helped more than 300 slaves find freedom through the Underground Railroad. |
| Van Til, Cornelius | Cornelius Van Til (1895-1987) was a Dutch-American theologian, famous for his unique brand of Christian apologetics known as presuppositionalism. |
| VI, Paul | Pope Paul VI (1897-1978) oversaw the completion of the Second Vatican Council and authored Humanae Vitae, an important and controversial document in modern Catholicism. |
| Vivekananda, Swami | Calcutta priest Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was the founder of the Vedanta Society, which helped bring Hindu education and yoga to America. |
| Warfield, Benjamin | B. B. Warfield (1851-1921) ranks in the forefront of great Presbyterian theologians of Princeton Seminary. |
| Warren, Rick | Rick Warren (1954-present) is a popular evangelical pastor known for his California megachurch and his bestselling book entitled The Purpose Driven Life (2002) |
| Watts, Alan | From Buddhism to Taoism, Alan Watts (1915-73) was, as one newspaper noted, "perhaps the foremost interpreter of Eastern disciplines for the contemporary West." |
| Webb, Alexander Russell | Alexander Russell Webb (1846-1916) was one of the first prominent European-American converts to Islam. |
| Webb, Thomas | Thomas Webb (1724-1796) was a former British officer who helped spread Methodism in New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. |
| Wesley, Charles | Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was an important leader of the Methodist movement, the younger brother of John Wesley, and an influential hymn writer. |
| Wesley, John | John Wesley (1703-1791) founded the Methodist movement. |
| Wheatley, Phillis | Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784) became the first published African-American female poet. Most of her poetry contained religious themes. |
| White, Ellen Gould | Ellen Gould White (1827-1915) was the co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She promoted Saturday as the Christian Sabbath and advocated biblically-based health initiatives. |
| White, James Springer | James White (1821-1881) was the co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church along with his wife, Ellen Gould White. |
| Whitefield, George | George Whitefield (1714-1770) was the leading preacher and revivalist of the First Great Awakening in the American colonies. |
| Willard, Frances | Frances Willard (1839-1898) was a social activist who promoted temperance, women’s suffrage, labor reform and home-centered family life. |
| Williams, Roger | Roger Williams (1603-1683) was a theologian, advocate for the separation of civil and church authority, and founder of Rhode Island. |
| Wilson, Jack "Wovoka" | Wovoka (1856-1932), a Paiute mystic also known as Jack Wilson, became the spiritual leader of a Ghost Dance movement that waned after the Wounded Knee Massacre. |
| Winfrey, Oprah | Billionaire media icon Oprah Winfrey (1954-present) has become the unofficial guru for millions of Americans seeking spiritual and moral guidance beyond traditional religious affiliation. |
| Winthrop, John | John Winthrop (1588-1649) was the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was famous for describing the colony as a "city on a hill." |
| Witherspoon, John | John Witherspoon (1723-1794) was a Presbyterian minister, president of the College of New Jersey, and the only clergy signatory of the Declaration of Independence. |
| Woosley, Louisa | Louisa Woosley (1862-1952) was the first female ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church. |
| X, Malcolm | Malcolm X (1925-1965) was an active minister and spokesman for the Nation of Islam from the mid-1950s until 1964. |
| XXIII, John | Pope John XXIII (1881-1963) called the Second Vatican Council, one of the most significant events in the modern Catholic Church. |
| Yogi, Maharishi Mahesh | Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1918-2008) was the founder of Transcendental Meditation and a popular religious figure of the 1960s and 1970s. |
| Young, Brigham | Brigham Young (1801-1877) succeeded Joseph Smith as Mormon president. He led a Mormon exodus to Utah and helped expand the church to 150,000 members. |
