Religious Biographies

Observing an encounter between Catholic and Buddhist monks in 1996 at the Abbey of Gethsemani, near where he grew up in rural Kentucky, Fenton Johnson found himself unable to make the sign of the cross. His distance from his childhood faith had become so great - he considered himself a rational, skeptical man - that he could not participate in this most basic ritual. Impelled by this troubling experience, Johnson began a search for the meaning of the spiritual life.

Deborah is an imaginative and perceptive young girl who makes good decisions in the heat of the moment. When she sees her village is about to be invaded by King Jabin and his general, Sisera, she bravely warns the people of danger, and everyone flees. But that doesn't stop Jabin and Sisera's vicious attacks. As Deborah grows up, she becomes a natural leader, sharing God's will with the people and helping them solve difficult problems. Eventually, God calls her to help defeat Sisera's army so that Israel can finally live in peace.

Even at the age of nine, little Golda Meir was known for her leadership skills. As president of the American Young Sisters Society, she organized friends to raise money to buy textbooks for immigrant classmates. This story is a glimpse at the early life of Israel's first woman prime minister.

Learn about the life of Mahatma Gandhi with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series.

On January 30, 1948, a small, peaceful man, aged 78, was shot dead while holding a prayer meeting in Delhi, India. What made this man's death global news was the extraordinary life that had preceded it. The world gasped in shock that the man who had brought India her independence had been killed; that a man who had proven to be one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century was dead.

It is said that when Joan of Arc was born on January 6 in 1412, the roosters in her village all crowed, even though it was midnight. When Joan was 13 years old, something happened to change her life. She was working in the garden when she thought she saw a bright light coming from the church, and heard someone speaking French in a sweet, low, beautiful voice.

The Girl from Montego Bay is the autobiography of trailblazer Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Britain's first black woman bishop, who has been right at the heart of a changing nation for over forty years. Offering eye-opening insights into her humble and challenging beginnings in Jamaica, Rose charts her call to train as an evangelist at the Church Army College in London, where she met her future husband, Ken. Open to the nudging of the Spirit, Rose simply has a go at everything that comes her way. The discrimination she's faced, due to her gender and minority-ethnic background, is very real.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” So begins one of the most beloved hymns of all time. This is the autobiography of the man who penned those words. John Newton, the self-proclaimed “wretch”,was an active slave trader for several years until, on a homeward voyage through a violent storm, he experienced what he was later to refer to as his “great deliverance.” He tells of the dramatic, real-life events that led him from sin and bondage to a life transformed by God’s grace.

An in-depth look into the creation of the post-WWII Healing Revival focusing on the historical perspective of William Marrion Branham, who has been credited by some as the evangelist who both initiated and led the movement. From his involvement with the Kardashian family in California to his politically-charged sermons supporting the revival of the Ku Klux Klan, William Branham lived a fascinating and unbelievable history connected to the collaboration, influence, and power of recognized public figures and events in American history.

Step into the remarkable life of Joan of Arc, a young peasant girl who rose from complete obscurity to become one of history’s most unforgettable figures. In a France broken by war, political betrayal, and spiritual despair, Joan appeared with a clarity of purpose that defied every expectation. Guided by visions she believed were divine, she transformed herself into the unlikely force that would alter the course of the Hundred Years’ War.

God spoke to Don Bosco in dreams. These fascinating dreams of St. John Bosco involve prophecy, parables, and reading of hearts, with a powerful spiritual message. These stories include: "To Hell and Back", "Two Boys Attacked by a Monster", "The Snake and the Rosary", and many more. Those dreams led to many conversions and will instruct, admonish, and inspire many today!

When Augustine handed over the leadership of his church in AD 426, his successor was so overwhelmed by a sense of inadequacy that he declared, "The swan is silent", fearing the spiritual giant's voice would be lost in time. But for 1,600 years Augustine has not been silent - and neither have the men who faithfully trumpeted the cause of Christ after him. Their lives have inspired every generation of believers and should compel us to a greater passion for God.

In 1957, at 27 years old, Father Aloysius Schwartz of Washington, D.C. asked to be sent to one of the saddest places in the world: South Korea in the wake of the Korean War. Just a few months into his priesthood, he stepped off the train in Seoul into a dystopian film. Squatters with blank stares picked through hills of garbage. Paper-fleshed orphans lay on the streets like leftover war shrapnel. These scenes pierced him.

Tony Dungy's words and example have intrigued millions of people, particularly following his victory in Super Bowl XLI, the first for an African-American coach. How is it possible for a coach—especially a football coach—to win the respect of his players and lead them to the Super Bowl without the screaming histrionics, the profanities, the demand that the sport come before anything else? How is it possible for anyone to be successful without compromising faith and family?

Joni Eareckson Tada, une femme qui vit dans un fauteuil roulant depuis plus de cinquante ans, et Steven Estes, un pasteur et un des plus proches amis de Joni, explorent les réponses aux questions concernant la souffrance. Quand Dieu pleure n'est pas tant un livre sur la souffrance que sur Dieu. À travers un survol de ce que la Bible dit au sujet de la souffrance, les auteurs expliquent clairement qui est Dieu, pourquoi il permet tant de chagrin et de douleur, et comment nous pouvons lui faire confiance.

Darkest England and the Way Out is the classic work of Salvation Army founder William Booth. He and his wife Catherine went from a modest ministry in London to a global movement of Christian soldiers marching down the streets of cities and towns everywhere. They were persecuted, imprisoned, beaten, and even martyred for the cause of Christ.

In jail by age sixteen, few people would have believed that George Müller would become a great hero of the faith. He and his wife cared for over 10,000 orphans. Discover the incredible true story of the man of faith whose missionary work was built on prayer and who still inspires us today.

From fifty-five to seventy-five she trod, guided by Scripture, the whispers of God. Anet, a vessel, her voice the light, casting sacred words through day and night. Forty tongues her lips did grace, in each she found God's soft embrace. Through hardship's toil, her spirit bright, Scripture was her song, her steadfast fight. So let her story, whispered low, remind us all where faith may go • From age to age, she shared the light, for Scripture was her soul's delight.

We admire these men for their greatness, but the truth is Augustine grappled with sexual passions, Martin Luther struggled to control his tongue, and John Calvin fought the battle of faith with worldly weapons. Yet each of these men will always be remembered for the messages they declared - messages that still resound today. John Piper explores these men's lives, integrating Augustine's delight in God with Luther's emphasis on the Word and Calvin's exposition of scripture. Through their strengths and struggles, we can learn how to live better today.

A spiritual aspirant’s journey is sprinkled with many battles overcoming mind over matter through different sadhanas (spiritual practices). One such sadhana is going on a pilgrimage, which provides challenges for the body, mind, and intellect.

How did a 19th Century farm girl from New England start a worldwide healing movement, open a college, build a church, write a book on healing which has remained a best seller for over 100 years, begin three magazines, open a publishing house, and start a daily newspaper which, by the second decade of the 21st century, has won seven Pulitzer Prizes and more than a dozen Overseas Press Club awards? Sibyl Wilbur’s contemporary account of this stunning life is written with all the verve and romance of the period and brings its subject to life.