The Big 5: Biographies

Biographies can teach us things that non-fiction instruction can never teach, or never fully teach.  There's something about examples and real life experiences that impact us more directly and deeply.  So...

What are you Big 5 biographies?

Let's say no memoirs, though those can be great too.  These can be of Christians or Presidents or whatever.  Should be fun.  Go!

Comments

[Pete Williamson]

nice one, Steve...here are mine:

1. To the Golden Shore (Adoniram Judson)
2. Autobiography of John G. Paton
3. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (2 vol.)
4. The Tapestry (Francis & Edith Schaeffer)
5. Shadow of the Almighty (Jim & Elizabeth Elliot)

[kim davidson]

1. Swans 1
2. Swans 2
3. Swans 3
4. Swans 4 (all by Piper)
5. Shadow of the Almighty - Elliot (with Journals of Jim Elliot)

[Bart Byl]

George Whitefield (Dallimore)
Here I Stand (Bainton)
John Newton (Aitken)

[bcripps]

- Jesus the Christ (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
- To The Golden Shore (Adoniram Judson)
- Spurgeon vs. Hyper-Calvinism (Murray)
- C. S. Lewis (himself)

[Ranger]

If the Swan books are the best biographies that you've read then you need to read more! I think they are only more meant to give a taste of the person's life and character.

With that said:
1. Confessions (Augustine)
2 Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography (Murray)
3. Jonathan Edwards: A Life (Marsden
4. To the Golden Shore (Judson)
Tie - 5. Memoirs of John Owen (Russell)
Tie - 5. The Forgotten Spurgeon (Murray)

You can't go wrong with any of Iain Murray's biographies.

[David Wilhite]

Shadow of the Almighty
Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret
Daws: A Man Who Trusted God
Confessions (Augustine)
Bruchko

[Brian Davidson]

hope autobiographies fit in the category as well . . .

1. Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (Bunyan)

2. The Hiding Place (Corrie ten Boon)

3. Piper's biography "sermons"

4. George Muller: Delighted in God (Roger Steer)

5. Martin Luther (Martin Marty)

[Kent S]

Team of Rivals (about Lincoln) --Kearns Goodwin

Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret

Spurgeon --Dallimore

Tolkien and C. S. Lewis --Duriez

Swans 2 --Piper

[bamcdaniel]

1. If God Should Choose
2. John G. Paton's autobiography
3. 2 Volumes on D. Martyn Lloyed-Jones (Murray)
4. To the Golden Shore (Anderson)
5. Jack (very good bio of Clive Staples)

[Brian G. Hedges]

2 vols on Lloyd-Jones, Iain Murray
2 vols on Whitefield, Arnold Dallimore
Jonathan Edwards: A Life, George Marsden
Spurgeon: The Prince of Preachers, Lewis Drummond for its thoroughness, though Dallimore is more streamlined and well-written
To the Golden Shore (Adoniram Judson), Courtney Anderson
Surprised by Joy, C. S. Lewis and
Jack (C. S. Lewis), George Sayer

[68guns]

See some saying
"Shadow of the Almighty" Elliot

You may also be interested in
"Peter Fleming - a man of faith" by his brother Ken Fleming.

http://shop2.mailordercentral.com/gospel/prodinfo.asp?number=X-5863

Interestingly, whereas Jim stopped journalling around the time he went to Ecuador, Pete began journalling at the time of their arrival.

[David Reimer]

In no order (and [almost?] all already listed):

- Iain Murray's David Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The First Forty Years 1899-1939 + David Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Fight of Faith 1939-1981.
- George Marsden's Jonathan Edwards: A Life.
- Elisabeth Elliot's A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael.
- Arnold Dallimore's 2 volume George Whitefield: The Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the Eighteenth-Century Revival.
- David Daniell's William Tyndale: A Biography.

Bonus!
- C.S. Lewis's Surprised by Joy

[Jay Risner]

Augustine of Hippo by Peter Brown

Jonathan Edwards: A Life by George Marsden

After these two all other biographies are simply child's play.

From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya is a grouping of great missionary bios...

George Ella has done some great work on Abraham Kuyper and John Gill, amongst others...

[kim davidson]

When I put all of Piper - I just really enjoy them and I think they give a great overview. I've enjoyed everyone. I have read many biographies - including many of the ones here. I love them more than any other type of book - because it shows God working in the lives of His people and for His glory in the world. So, yes, I do read more than Piper's biographies...

[Paul Wilkinson]

Hiding Place - Corrie Ten Boom

Shout It From The Housetops - Pat Robertson (an early read that was life-changing for me)

So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore - Wayne Jacobsen & Dave Coleman (despite its fictional setting this is as autobiographical as it gets.)

Peace Child - Don Richardson (great missions story)

The Jesus I Never Knew - Philip Yancey (in a way, every Yancey book is somewhat subjective and thereby very autobiographical)

[Steve McCoy]

Yeah Kim, I think Ranger needs to chill out. I'm sure he meant well, though it came across as a bit harsh.

My list...

A Severe Mercy by Vanauken
George Muller of Bristol by Pierson
Adoniram Judson and the Missionary Call by Hulse - we were contemplating a call to international mission work with Muslims at the time I read it
D. Martyn Lloyd Jones 2 vol - don't remember if I read it all or not, but loved what I read
Walking with the Giants by Wiersbe - recommended by an undergrad prof back in the day, and was very encouraged by it

As and added bonus, I'm hoping to read soon...

Mark Twain: A Life by Powers (cover in the post)
Jonathan Edwards by Marsden - a friend got this for me and I've never gotten through it

[Todd Pruitt]

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Murray)

The Forgotten Spurgeon (Murray)

Light From Old Times (Ryle)

Whitaker Chambers (Tannenhaus)

Johnathan Edwards (Marsden)

[Todd Pruitt]

I would also add:

Frederick Buechner's trilogy of autobiographies:
Now and Then
The Sacred Journey
Telling Secrets

Lincoln at Gettysburg (Wills)

[Karen]

I've only begun reading Christian bio recently. Piper's biographical messages got me going on reading biography; I think they're great.

A couple biographies I would recommend that I don't think anyone listed here are:

The Life and Diary of David Brainerd

David Livingstone: The Truth beyond the Legend" by Rob MacKenzie

I do want to read the ML-J's biographies but haven't gotten to do so. I've read Tony Sargent's Sacred Anointing on the Doctor's preaching...a biography of sorts. An excellent book.

You can never read too much Christian biography!

[Aaron Pelly]

Does it count if I haven't finished it yet? The Legacy of William Carey: A Model for the Transformation of a Culture by Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi

Lords of the Earth by Don Richardson (part biography of Stan Dale, part continuing story of the Yali)

[Richard A. Bailey]

1. Black Puritan, Black Republican: The Life & Thought of Lemuel Haynes, 1753-1833, John Saillant
2. Confessions of a Theologian, Carl F. H. Henry
3. The Divine Dramatist: George Whitefield and the Rise of Modern Evangelicalism, Harry Stout
4. J. I. Packer: A Biography, Alister McGrath
5. Jonathan Edwards: A Life, George Marsden (ok, so they cant all be previously unmentioned)

[David Cooke]

Here is my list which is veery tricky as I love so many:

1. Without question the best and most inspiring biography is C T Studd- Cricketer and Pioneer by Norman Grubb. Studd was a bit barmy, in a late Victorian English kind of way, but had faith by the boat load -and don't worry it's not about cricket!

2. Chasing the Dragon by Jackie Pullinger. Amazing and I heard her speak recently and she's still doing it.

3. Wesley the Preacher by John Pollock.

4. R T Kendall In pursuit of his glory.

5. Charles Spurgeon J C Carlille. Tim Keller quoted from it so I went and sort it out to find it and ended up reading it all. Loved it.

[Philip Nation]

1. Jonathan Edwardys by Iain H. Murray
2. Robert Chapman by Robert Peterson
3. Faithful Witness: The Life and Mission of William Carey by Timothy George
4. The Life and Diary of David Brainerd
5. His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph Ellis

[stephen shields]

1 - The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro (3 of 4 volumes published)
2 - George Whitfield by Arnold P Dallimore
3 - Team of Rivals (on Abraham Lincoln and his Cabinet) by Doris Kearns Goodwin
4 - Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
5 - The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris

[Carl]

1) Tolkien (The Authorized Biography) - Humphrey Carpenter
2) "The Inklings: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and their friends" - Humphrey Carpenter
3) "Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks" - Mick Foley
4) "Spring Creek Chronicles" - Leo Lovel
5) And I used to have an excellent biography on C.S. Lewis which is probably packed up in a box somewhere in my garage. I can't remember the title nor the author at the moment but that would be my 5th pick.

[Colin]

Has no one read ?

Andrew Bonar's biography of Robert Murray McCheyne.

There was a life lived close to God and if I remember correctly he died at 34.

Colin

[Ken in Virginia Beach]

Suprised not to see this must-read on any list (did I miss it?):

"HERE I STAND" (life of Martin Luther) by Roland Bainton.

Written a while ago, but extremely pivotal and engaging.

[David Reimer]

@Colin - M'Cheyne died 2 months short of his 30th birthday, so 29 years old at death. And Bonar's memoir is wonderful.

@ Ken - you're right: I would have thought that Bainton's Luther bio would be a "given" in a list like this!

That's the problem with the "Big 5" lists ... sometimes five is just not enough!

So in the spirit of "Big 5", but pushing at the envelope, here's my "Big 5 Overlooked Biographies", which comes unbidden by the List Meister:

1. S. Pearce Carey, William Carey (1934; republished 1993)
2. John Kennedy, The Apostle of the North : The Life and Labours of the Rev. John Macdonald (the 19th C. equivalent, in some ways, of Carson's Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor)
3. R. W. Southern, Saint Anselm: A Portrait in a Landscape (Cambridge University Press, 1990) (in case anyone was fooled by Jay Risner's flight of hyperbole, above)
4. Eberhard Busch, Karl Barth (theology in context)
5. Madeleine l'Engle, The Summer of the Great-Grandmother (sneaking in a forbidden "memoir")

[Steve McCoy]

David, the only "problem" with the "Big 5" lists is commenters who don't follow the rules! :) Just a reminder: The point is to give YOUR fav 5, not 5 unmentioned or interesting or whatever. I'd rather there is a ton of overlap between lists because that shows the weight and impact of a particular book. But I'll forgive your envelope pushing...just this once.

[Steven]

1. Here I stand, by Roland Bainton (Yes, this is my favorite, not at all because it was mentioned in the comments).

2. John Winthrop, by Francis Bremer (true Christianity is fleshed out by this obscure puritan politician with roots in the English reformation and Massachusetts Bay Colony).

3.Jonathan Edwards, by George Marsden

4. Builders of the Bay Colony, by Samuel Eliot Morison.

5. Letters and Correspondence, The Works of Martin Luther, I, II, and III
(Yes, Luther's personal letters from around 1516 until the end. Not a "biography" in the classical sense...but you will know Luther's life and mind fairly well if you read this. Please read it....it is gospel saturated.

[David Reimer]

@List Meister (a.k.a. Steve): Here I stand. Chastened. I can do no other. (I looked for the delete-comment icon - alas! There was none.)

[Ken in Virginia Beach]

To give credit where due, I re-read the comments and saw that Bart Byl early on DID mention Bainton. Not to beat that issue to death, sorry.

[Ben Pun]

I've only read two, and they were very interesting:

Luther the Reformer, Kittelson
The Rise of Evangelicalism, Noll

[cavman]

1. The Swans are Not Silent Series by Piper (oh, yeah I'm 'cheating').
2. Here I Stand by Bainton
3. Jonathan Edwards by Murray
4. George Whitefield by Dallimore
5. George Muller: Delighted in God by Steer