The following seven well-known Christians are better known by their initials than their real names. Can you name their full names?
R. C. Sproul
C. S. Lewis
J. P. Moreland
C. I. Scofield
E. M. Bounds
C. H. Spurgeon
A. W. Tozer
Dr. Robert Charles (R. C.) Sproul (1939—2017) was one of the most influential American theologians during the last fifty years. As an author and apologist Sproul had a wonderful way of making difficult theological concepts understandable to the average Christian. Sproul was a very popular and sought after speaker, wrote more than 100 books, and is one of the most quoted theologians of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Clive Staples (C. S.) Lewis (1898–1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a staunch atheist, who converted to Christianity in his early thirties, and became one of the most articulate Christian apologists of all time. He had a unique way of reaching people with his Christian beliefs through his extensive writing career. Some of his classic works include Mere Christianity, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and The Chronicles of Narnia. His writings have been cited by Christian apologists for generations.
James Porter (J. P.) Moreland (1948 – ) is an American philosopher and Christian apologist. He currently serves as a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. Having authored many books on philosophy, Mr. Moreland is one of the world’s most respected Christian philosophers and apologists.
Cyrus Ingerson (C. I.) Scofield (1843 – 1921) was an influential American minister. His Scofield Reference Bible published in 1909 helped to popularize dispensational theology. The Scofield Reference Bible was filled with helpful annotations on the text and became widely used for over a generation by fundamentalist Christians.1
Edward McKendree (E. M.) Bounds (1835 – 1913) was a lawyer, minister and author who became famous as a great Christian prayer warrior. One brief biography describes him as follows: “Unsuccessful in the California gold rush of 1849, E.M. Bounds returned home to Missouri and became the state’s youngest practicing attorney at age 19. In his early twenties he was deeply impacted by the Third Great Awakening, and at age 24 he was ordained for ministry. During his lifetime he pastored churches, traveled as an evangelist, served as a Civil War chaplain, edited a Christian periodical and was a devoted husband and father. But E.M. Bounds is best known for prayer. His daily habit was to spend the time between 4 am and 7 am praying. His writings on prayer are widely acclaimed to be among the finest of any author before or since.”2
Charles Haddon (C. H.) Spurgeon (1834-1892) lived only 57 short years but is without a doubt the most famous preacher of the 19th century. Born in England, Spurgeon, known as the “Prince of Preachers” at the height of his famed preached regularly to crowds of thousands up to ten times each week. According to Randy Alcorn: “Spurgeon preached to approximately ten million people in his lifetime, often speaking ten times a week. His 3,561 sermons are bound in sixty-three volumes, and in addition he wrote many books.”3
Aiden Wilson (A. W.) Tozer (1897 – 1963) according to the website gotquestions.org: “was an American pastor in the Christian and Missionary Alliance and an author who emphasized the need for a deeper knowledge of God and development of the ‘inner life.’ For this reason, he has been described as an ‘evangelical mystic.’ A.W. Tozer was extremely influential in evangelical Christianity in his generation and was often called a ‘twentieth-century prophet.’”4
1 Who was C. I. Scofield? | GotQuestions.org
2 E.M. Bounds (Author of Power Through Prayer) (goodreads.com)
3 Encouragement for the Depressed from Charles Spurgeon – Blog – Eternal Perspective Ministries (epm.org)