It is customary for many today — and I’m a big fan of this — to speak of the Bible as Story. There is another story we need to know, and it is the story of the Church. Why? I can think of several good reasons, not the least of which is that we owe to our forbears to know where we have come from. It embarrasses me not a little when normal Christians don’t know about Ignatius and Irenaeus, Athanasius and Augustine, Anselm and Aquinas, Luther and Calvin, Wesley and Whitefield, to give some obvious examples. What can we do to help ordinary Christians learn our Story? One good way is to read biographies.
You want a good example. Read Stephen Tomkins excellent, well-written study called John Wesley.
Tomkins also has a Short History of Christianity, which I’ll work my way through, but the next book of his that I’m reading is William Wilberforce.
Back to Wesley. I’ve read Rack’s big biography (Reasonable Enthusiast) and it is a fine, fine study. But what we are most in need of — for the sake of laity — is a string of good biographies on seminary figures, males and females. Tomkins is a great example.