Church History Figures to be Studied: Part 4

by R.A. Miller
Published August 9th, 2022

I asked several church history professors and lecturers this question (technically, it is two questions): In your opinion, what figure from church history should be studied more than they currently are? And why?

The following response is from Dr. C.N. Willborn. Here is a list of some of his most recent endeavors:

• Adjunct Professor, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 2009-present

• Senior Pastor-Teacher, Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2009-present

• Associate Editor, The Confessional Presbyterian Journal, 2010-present

• Adjunct Professor, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, 2012-present

His response to my question was this:

Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples (c. 1450-1536)
That is a really tough question. So many come to mind. Particularly, we have men from the 19th century who are grossly overlooked because of their attachment (rightly or wrongly) to slavery. But, here is one from the Renaissance era that I do believe lacks proper attention—Lefevre Jacques d’Etaples. Protestants neglect him because he was Roman Catholic and did not bolt from the Church. However, as Philip Edgecumbe Hughes argues so well, he really was the one “whose work paved the way for the Reformers.” I highly recommend Hughes splendid little biography on this Frenchman—Lefevre: Pioneer of Ecclesiastical Renewal in France.

I’d like to thank Dr. Willborn for his answer! I’ll post more responses as they come in.