American Religion Timelines
Baptist Events and People - 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. |
| Backus, Isaac | Isaac Backus (1724-1806) was one of the fathers of the Baptist tradition in America and an ardent proponent of religious liberty. |
| Birch, John Morrison | John Birch (1918-1945) was a fundamental Baptist missionary, whose name became synonymous with Christian nationalism. |
| Burroughs, Nannie Helen | Nannie Helen Burroughs was an educator, missionary leader, writer and pioneer for the rights of African Americans, especially Black women. |
| 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. |
| Criswell, W. A. | W.A. Criswell (1909-2002) was a famous Baptist pastor who expanded First Baptist into one of the largest American churches. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Jackson, Jesse | Jesse Jackson (1941-present) is a Baptist minister, civil rights advocate, and politician, whose career continues to earn both praise and criticism. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Mathews, Shailer | Shailer Mathews (1863-1941) was a modernist theologian and advocate for the Social Gospel movement. |
| 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. |
| Moon, Charlotte "Lottie" | Charlotte "Lottie" Moon (1840-1912) was a Southern Baptist missionary known for her evangelistic work in China. |
| Norris, John Frank | John Frank Norris (1877-1952) was a controversial Baptist pastor, famous for preaching against modernist interpretations of the Bible. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Shuttlesworth, Fred | Fred Shuttlesworth (1922-2011) was known as the "most abused and arrested minister in the nation" during the civil rights era. |
| 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." |
| 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) |
| Williams, Roger | Roger Williams (1603-1683) was a theologian, advocate for the separation of civil and church authority, and founder of Rhode Island. |
