I’ve met some interesting people. Some are well-known: Sean Connery, Bobby Knight, and Arnold Palmer come to mind.
The ones who’ve had the most influence on me (besides family) are Dennis Peacocke and George Grant, whom I both count as friends, and two pastors I’ve had. But there are some people I’ve never met with whom I would love to meet and talk. Here they are:
1. The Apostle Paul. Bold, evangelistic, and heuvos the size of Texas. Confronted Peter and preached the gospel to Nero, the Athenian Supreme Court, Sergius Paulus, Agrippa, Felix, Festus. Need I continue?
2. Charlemagne. Changed his world and brought about a cultural renaissance by the propogation of Christianity throughout what is now Europe.
3. Moses. A liberator. Freed people from oppression and gave them a vision for the future.
4. Constantine. (a/ka Caesar Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus, Constantine the Great, Constantine I). The first Christian emperor of the Roman Empire. Was the first to attempt to model a Christian nation and did a pretty good job of it considering.
5. Herman Melville. A Christian and perhaps the greatest writer who ever lived. Not appreciated in his time, but a true genuis.
6. Saint Louis. (Louis IX of France). A brave, virtuous man who insisted on going before his men into battle. Loved the Lord and ruled righteously. A model for any Christian leader.
7. C.S. Lewis. A honest, clear thinker and great writer who left us all the wiser for having given us a candid glimpse into his mind and life.
8. Polycarp. A Christian martyr who went out in a cool, Dirty Harry style. I blogged on him here under the title, The Kingdom’s Dirty Harry.
9. Godfrey de Bouillon. The recognized leader of the first crusade who, upon entering Jerusalem victoriously refused the peoples’ request to be called king of Jerusalem, stating, “How can I wear a crown of gold in a place where my King wore a crown of thorns?”
10. John Calvin. More responsible for Western thought than you probably realize. A brilliant guy who wrote his masterpiece, The Institutes of Christian Religion when he was just twenty-six years old. He also had a law degree.
You may have noticed that all these men are dead, but they are all Christians. So, perhaps I’ll meet them in heaven. Who would be on your list?