7 Famous Christian Authors

7 Famous Christian Authors June 28, 2016

Here are seven famous Christian authors you should know more about.

C.S. Lewis

Clive (C.S.) Staples Lewis, a British novelist, poet, academic, literary critique, lay theologian and Christian apologist, was born in 1898 and passed away in 1963. He may be the greatest of all Christian authors having written such potent books as Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics in The Chronicles of Narnia. Interestingly, C.S. Lewis was once a self-proclaimed atheist but lacked the evidence to stay one. Late one night in 1930 Lewis was walking along a wooded path behind Magdalen College with his friend J. R. R. Tolkien and somehow Tolkien brought eternity itself into Lewis’ own time. The rest is history. His works were translated into over 30 languages and he is among the most read authors in Christian history.

J.R.R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is known to us as J.R.R. Tolkien and was friends with C.S. Lewis and was responsible for bringing C.S. Lewis to saving faith in Jesus Christ and by God’s providence, Lewis, like Tolkien, began to write for the Lord his God but used fiction to foreshadow the message of the Bible. Tolkien was born in 1892 and died in 1973 and was an English writer, poet, and professor at Oxford University. His renowned works included The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion among other famous works of literature but his poetry was often overlooked, even though it was revered to be some of the greatest poetic works of art ever produced, however since he is best known for his novels, most people are unaware of his poetic prowess.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Born as Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, she is known to us as Nancy Leigh DeMoss and may be one of the greatest Christian authors among men and women and is certainly near the top of Christian women authors. Her radio show Revive Our Hearts and Seeking Him focuses on finding our satisfaction in life in God and that we should seek Him above all things and all people (Matt 6:33). Born in 1958, DeMoss grew up in Philadelphia and trusted in Christ at a very early age and dedicated her life to the Lord and has been such a comfort to so many women (and no few men) who seek her counsel from a multitude of relationship problems. Among her literary works are Choosing Forgiveness, A Place of Quiet Rest, Lies Women Believe, Walking in the Truth, A Thirty Day Walk with God in the Psalms, Brokenness: The Heart God Revives, Surrender: The Heart God Controls, Holiness: The Heart God Purifies, and she co-authored Seeking Him.

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Chuck Swindoll

Charles Rozell “Chuck” Swindoll may be the most influential Christian authors alive today and is said to be one of the most influential pastors in the last 50 years. Born in 1934, this pastor, author, Bible scholar, and educator is one of the most successful authors today and his radio program, Insight for Living, is among the highest rated and longest running Christian radio ministries in history, next to J. Vernon McGee’s Through the Bible. He was a Texan who was born in El Campo, which is in Wharton County, Texas. After his honorable discharge from the Marines, he entered Dallas Theological Seminary and later became its president and now serves as chancellor. Swindoll has authored over 70 Christian books.

Lee Stroble

Lee Patrick Strobel was born in 1952 in Arlington Heights, Illinois and later earned a Master’s Degree in Law from Yale University and is one of the most brilliant and articulate of all Christian authors who focused heavily on evidence for the Creation and for Christ Himself and is considered among the top Christian apologetics writers of all time…at least of our time. He was a journalist for the Chicago Tribune for fourteen years and won United Press International’s prestigious awards for the top investigative writer. This investigative nature of Strobel served him well as this bestselling author wrote such powerful apologetic works as The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, and The Case for a Creator.

Max Lucado

Max Lucado was born in 1955 in San Angelo, Texas and is an influential pastor, teacher, and of course, author. He is presently preaching at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. He has published over 100 books with over 80 million currently in print. Among his literary works are Just Like Jesus, In the Grip of Grace, and When God Whispers Your Name and in 2005 was named “America’s Pastor by Christianity Today magazine. Reader’s Digest called him “the Best Preacher in America” that same year. His impact is still being felt today even among the many different denominations.

Francis Chan

Francis Chan was born in 1967 in San Francisco and is an American preacher but is also the founder and chancellor of Eternity Bible College in Simi Valley, California. He has authored books such as Erasing Hell, Erasing God, What God Says About Eternity, and The Things We’ve Made Up. He is thoroughly biblical and goes after such false teachers as Rob Bell who has tried to erase hell and other such false teachers who have watered down the gospel. Chan is certainly not shy about attacking the lukewarm Christians and those churches who are trying to be relevant instead of biblical.

Conclusion

It is exceedingly difficult to select only seven great or famous Christian authors because I could have included John Bunyan, William Booth, Sarah Young, Oswald Chambers, Josh McDowell, Randy Alcorn, John Piper, G.K. Chesterton, and David Platt. Many Christian authors base their writings upon the solid rock of Scripture but many authors are also taking text out of context and creating a pretext and often a false one. This was happening in the apostle’s day too as Peter wrote, “And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures” (2nd Pet 3:15-16). The greatest author of all-time is the Holy Spirit, having authored 66 books over a 1,500 year period and no book in human history has ever come close to the Bible and no book on earth has ever sold more copies.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.


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