The following four well-known Christians are better known by their initials than their real names. Can you name their full names?
J. C. Ryle
D. L. Moody
A. W. Pink
J. I. Packer
John Charles Ryle (1816 – 1900) was an evangelical Anglican bishop who preached on the importance of prayer, reading the Bible, and living a life of holiness. Ryle was thoroughly evangelical in his doctrine and uncompromising in his principles. He was a very prolific writer eventually publishing over 200 gospel tracts with a circulation of over 2 million. Ryle came to faith in Christ while at Oxford. He was the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool. He combined his love of the Word with an equal love of people and as a result of his preaching many came to Christ.
Dwight Lyman Moody (1837 – 1899) was a prominent American evangelist who helped establish the pattern for later evangelism in large US cities. Converted in his late teens under the influence of his Sunday school teacher Moody moved to Chicago where he became active in both secular and evangelistic work. By 1860 he gave up his work as a shoe salesman to focus solely on missionary and evangelistic work. Among some of his accomplishments he became the president of the Chicago YMCA, founded the Moody Bible Church and became active in slum mission work. Moody’s real claim to fame, however, was his tireless work as a full-time evangelist both in America and the United Kingdom. In addition to his urban campaigns in North America, Moody made two tours of major British cities from 1873 to 1875 and from 1881 to 1884. During these meetings Moody attracted enormous crowds in which many people gave their hearts to Jesus.
Arthur Walkington Pink (1886 – 1952) was a pastor, theologian, and author. He was born in Nottingham, England, in 1886. He became involved with the occult as a young man and joined the then popular Theosophical Society. One verse of Scripture that his father often quoted him was instrumental in his conversion: “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 16:25). A. W. Pink spent many years as a pastor, began a monthly magazine, Studies in Scripture, which ran for over 30 years, and authored many Christian books. Pink was not particularly renowned during his lifetime, but after his death, like many an artist, his writings have become very popular among pastors and teachers.
James Innell Packer (1926 – 2020) was an influential author, professor, and theologian. He believed in taking holiness and repentance seriously and he reintroduced many people to his beloved Puritan forebears. Packer came to faith as an eighteen-year-old student at Oxford University while attending an evangelistic service. Packer was a prolific writer and also served on the translation board of the English Standard Version of the Bible. In 2005 Time listed him as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals. He lived a simple life and was considered by many a modern-day Puritan.