Famous American Preachers

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 1 
Anne Hutchinson
(Puritan Religious Reformer, Spiritual Advisor and One of the Most Infamous English Women in Colonial American History)
Anne Hutchinson
7
Birthdate: 1591
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Alford, United Kingdom
Died: August 20, 1643

Anne Hutchinson was a Puritan religious reformer, spiritual advisor, and a prominent participant in the Free Grace Controversy, which shook the Massachusetts Bay Colony between 1636 and 1638. Anne Hutchinson is an important figure in the history of women in ministry and the history of religious freedom in the Thirteen British Colonies.

 2 
Cotton Mather
(Church Minister)
Cotton Mather
6
Birthdate: February 12, 1663
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Boston
Died: February 13, 1728

Cotton Mather is remembered as one of the most significant New England Puritans. However, he exhibited a curious mixture of science and traditions, as he promoted vaccination against smallpox, while supporting the Salem witch trials. He had penned works such as Curiosa Americana and was a Royal Society member.

 3 
James Dobson
(One of America's Most Influential Evangelical Leaders Ever)
James Dobson
8
Birthdate: April 21, 1936
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Shreveport, Louisiana, United States

The founder of the Focus on the Family, Dr. James Dobson is a qualified psychologist and has also had long stints with a children’s hospital and as a professor of pediatrics. Known for his popular radio program Family Talk, he has penned countless books, such as the bestseller Bringing Up Girls.

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 4 
C. L. Franklin
(Baptist minister)
C. L. Franklin
4
Birthdate: January 22, 1915
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States
Died: July 27, 1984

C. L. Franklin was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. Dubbed the man with the million-dollar voice, Franklin was renowned for preaching his sermons throughout the country. During the 1950s and 1960s, Franklin worked towards ending prejudicial practices against the black people in Detroit. He is also credited with encouraging his daughter Aretha Franklin to pursue music.

 5 
Kenneth Erwin Hagin
7
Birthdate: August 20, 1917
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: McKinney, Texas, United States
Died: September 19, 2003

Christian preacher Kenneth Erwin Hagin is widely remembered as the father of the modern faith movement. He had an almost-70-year stint with the Christian ministry. The founder of The Word of Faith movement, he popularized it through magazines, CDs, and books of the Faith Library Publications.

 6 
Carlton Pearson
(American Christian Minister)
Carlton Pearson
4
Birthdate: March 19, 1953
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: San Diego, California, United States

Carlton Pearson is an American Christian minister and gospel vocalist whose singing skills have earned him two Stellar Awards and a nomination for the prestigious Dove Award. His life and career have inspired episodes of radio and TV programs like This American Life.

 7 
Fulton J. Sheen
(Archbishop)
Fulton J. Sheen
14
Birthdate: May 8, 1895
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: El Paso, Illinois
Died: December 9, 1979

Catholic bishop Fulton J. Sheen was also a prominent radio and TV personality. Known for his stint on the NBC radio show The Catholic Hour, he also hosted the popular TV programs Life Is Worth Living and The Bishop Fulton Sheen Show. He also wrote extensively on communism, love, and peace.

 8 
Father Divine
(American Spiritual Leader)
Father Divine
7
Birthdate: 1876 AD
Birthplace: Rockville, Maryland, United States
Died: September 10, 1965

African-American religious leader George Baker, better known as Father Divine, founded Peace Mission, a movement that is now considered the basis of the civil rights movement. Father Divine claimed that divine intervention had caused the death of the judge who had sentenced him to prison for arranging meetings in Sayville.

 9 
Charles Grandison Finney
(American Presbyterian Minister and 2nd President of Oberlin College)
Charles Grandison Finney
5
Birthdate: August 29, 1792
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Warren, Connecticut, United States
Died: August 16, 1875

Charles Grandison Finney, dubbed as the Father of Modern Revivalism, began his career with the Presbyterian Church, where his style of preaching fermented spirited revivals. Later, his dissatisfaction with Presbyterian theology led to formation of Broadway Tabernacle and he started promoting abolitionism and equal education for women and blacks. He spent his last years as minister of Oberlin’s First Congregational Church.

 10 
Joel Osteen
(American Preacher & Televangelist)
Joel Osteen
24
Birthdate: March 5, 1963
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Houston

Joel Osteen is an American pastor, author, and televangelist. He is one of the most popular televangelists in the world, with his televised sermons being watched by millions of people every week in over 100 countries, including 10 million viewers in the US alone. In 2006, he was named in the 10 Most Fascinating People list published by Barbara Walters.

 11 
Henry Ward Beecher
(Clergyman, Preacher & Abolitionist)
Henry Ward Beecher
5
Birthdate: June 24, 1813
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Litchfield, Connecticut, U.S
Died: March 8, 1887

Congregational minister Henry Ward Beecher, the eighth child of Reverend Lyman Beecher, was a skilled orator and a prominent Protestant speaker. He was known for anti-slavery stance and his belief in God's love, One of his best works is the pamphlet Seven Lectures to Young Men.

 12 
Nouman Ali Khan
(Preacher)
Nouman Ali Khan
2
Birthdate: May 4, 1978
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 13 
William J. Seymour
(Preacher)
William J. Seymour
5
Birthdate: May 2, 1870
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Louisiana
Died: September 28, 1922

William J. Seymour was an African-American holiness preacher. He is credited to have initiated the Azusa Street Revival, an influential event in the rise of the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements. He was a student of the early Pentecostal minister Charles Parham. He played a major role in the spread of Pentecostalism to various parts of America. 

 14 
Ted Haggard
(Pastor, Priest, Preacher)
Ted Haggard
8
Birthdate: June 27, 1956
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Yorktown

Ted Haggard is an evangelical pastor who founded New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is also the founder of the Association of Life-Giving Churches. He is against same-sex marriages. In 2006, it was revealed that he had paid a male sex worker for sexual favors and also purchased some illegal drugs from him. 

 15 
Adoniram Judson
(Missionary)
Adoniram Judson
3
Birthdate: August 9, 1788
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Malden
Died: April 12, 1850

Baptist missionary Adoniram Judson is remembered for his long stint in Burma, where he established a church, founded schools, and baptised many people. He also translated the Bible into Burmese and worked on a Burmese-English dictionary. He was also one of the first from America to travel abroad for missionary activities.

 16 
Dwight L. Moody
(Editor, Philosopher, Writer, Evangelist, Hymnwriter)
Dwight L. Moody
7
Birthdate: February 5, 1837
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Northfield
Died: December 22, 1899

Dwight L. Moody was an American publisher and evangelist. He is credited with founding the Moody Church which went on to become the most well-known religious outreach of its kind. He gave up his lucrative shoe business to focus solely on revivalism. He played an important role in the Civil War, working with the United States Christian Commission of YMCA.

 17 
Lyman Beecher
(Clergyman)
Lyman Beecher
3
Birthdate: October 12, 1775
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New Haven
Died: January 10, 1863

Known for his stance against alcoholism, publishing six time-honored sermons on it, Presbyterian minister Lyman Beecher also worked for women’s education. An active participant in theological controversies, adhering to the New School Presbyterian branch of schism, he was once tried for heresy. However, he is equally remembered for fathering thirteen children, seven of whom earned distinction in their chosen field.

 18 
Hal Lindsey
(Preacher)
Hal Lindsey
3
Birthdate: November 23, 1929
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Houston

Hal Lindsey is an evangelist and Christian writer. He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary, following which he worked with Campus Crusade for Christ. He was also a Sunday school teacher. He has authored many books, including The Late, Great Planet Earth and Apocalypse Code. He serves on the executive board of Christian Voice and has hosted many Christian TV shows. 

 19 
John Humphrey Noyes
(American Preacher, Radical Religious Philosopher, and Utopian Socialist)
John Humphrey Noyes
3
Birthdate: September 3, 1811
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Brattleboro, Vermont, United States
Died: April 13, 1886

John Humphrey Noyes was an American preacher, religious philosopher, and utopian socialist. He was the founder of the Putney, Oneida, and Wallingford Communities. He decided to devote his life to religion at a young age and studied at the Yale Theological Seminary. He was also involved in political activism and helped organize an anti-slavery society in the United States. 

 20 
William Miller
(American Baptist Minister)
William Miller
7
Birthdate: February 15, 1782
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States
Died: December 20, 1849

Baptist preacher William Miller launched the movement Millerism, which propagated the idea of the advent of Christ. Millerism paved the way for groups such as the Seventh-day Adventists. He and his followers believed the Second Coming was to happen on October 22, 1844, but it never did.

 21 
Harold Kushner
(Rabbi, Writer)
Harold Kushner
5
Birthdate: April 3, 1935
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States

Harold Kushner is an American rabbi and author. He is best known for his 24-year tenure as the congregational rabbi of Temple Israel of Natick. Kushner is also renowned for writing several books including best-sellers, such as Living a Life That Matters: Resolving the Conflict Between Conscience and Success and When Bad Things Happen to Good People.

 22 
John Cotton
(Theologian & Preacher)
John Cotton
5
Birthdate: December 4, 1585
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Derbyshire, England
Died: December 23, 1652
John Cotton was a clergyman in the American and England colonies. He was widely regarded as the greatest theologian and minister of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A prolific writer, John Cotton is credited with writing the first known children's book by an American, Spiritual Milk for Boston Babes.
 23 
Johnny Lee Clary
(Theologian)
Johnny Lee Clary
3
Birthdate: June 18, 1959
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Martinez
Died: October 21, 2014

A prominent 1980s’ wrestling champion, Johnny Lee Clary later came to be known as Johnny Angel. He had been part of the Ku Klux Klan and had also appeared on shows such as Oprah, where he defended racism. He later renounced the Klan and became a Christian evangelist.

 24 
Bill Bright
(Evangelist)
Bill Bright
3
Birthdate: October 19, 1921
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Coweta, Oklahoma, United States
Died: July 19, 2003

Bill Bright was an American evangelist. He is credited with founding an interdenominational Christian parachurch organization called Campus Crusade for Christ. In 1996, Bill Bright was honored with the $1.1 million Templeton Prize which he donated to support and popularize the spiritual benefits of prayer and fasting.

 25 
William Ellery Channing
(American Unitarian Preacher)
William Ellery Channing
3
Birthdate: April 7, 1780
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Newport, Rhode Island, United States
Died: October 2, 1842

William Ellery Channing was an American preacher. One of the most important Unitarian preachers in the early-19th century, Channing was also one of Unitarianism's most prominent theologians. Remembered for his impassioned and articulate public speeches and sermons, Channing had a major influence on the New England Transcendentalists. In 1903, he was honored with a statue at the Boston Public Garden.  

 26 
Orestes Brownson
(American Preacher and Philosopher)
Orestes Brownson
2
Birthdate: September 16, 1803
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Stockbridge, Vermont, United States
Died: April 17, 1876

American theological and philosophical writer Orestes Brownson had been through massive religious confusion in his early days, when he switched from Presbyterianism, to Universalism, to Unitarianism, before finally converting to Catholicism. His writings include The Convert and The American Republic. He also wrote extensively on Transcendentalism.

 27 
Marcelino Manuel da Graça
(American Preacher)
Marcelino Manuel da Graça
4
Birthdate: January 25, 1881
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Brava, Cape Verde
Died: January 12, 1960

Charles Emmanuel Grace, also known as Sweet Daddy Grace, was born in Portuguese-occupied Cape Verde and later moved to the U.S., where he formed the United House of Prayer for All People. The African-American bishop had a peculiar sense of style, replete with flowing hair and painted fingernails.

 28 
Gary Spivey
(Radio Personality)
Gary Spivey
9
Birthdate: September 5, 1957
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Star, North Carolina, United States

Psychic Gary Spivey from Montgomery County has gained fame as a spiritual healer. He not only claims to have predicted major disasters, but is also able to see dead people. He has appeared on shows such as Entertainment Tonight, regularly appears on the radio, and has also co-written a book.

 29 
Moishe Rosen
(Religious leader)
Moishe Rosen
4
Birthdate: April 12, 1932
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Died: May 19, 2010

Moishe Rosen was an American minister who founded a non-profit organization called Jews for Jesus. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, the organization focuses on evangelism to the Jews around the world. Moishe Rosen served as the executive director of the organization before stepping down from his position in 1996. He remained a member of the board until his death.

 30 
George A. Smith
(Political leader)
George A. Smith
10
Birthdate: June 26, 1817
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Potsdam, New York
Died: September 1, 1875

George A. Smith was one of the first leaders of the Latter Day Saint movement which was founded by Joseph Smith. He played an important role in Zion's Camp, which aimed at helping members of the church in Missouri. George A. Smith also played a key role in the events leading up to the infamous Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1857.

 31 
Carl McIntire
(Evangelist)
Carl McIntire
2
Birthdate: May 17, 1906
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States
Died: March 19, 2002

Carl McIntire was an American evangelist best remembered for his efforts that eventually led to the formation of the Bible Presbyterian Church where he also served as a minister. He is also credited with founding the American Council of Christian Churches as well as the International Council of Christian Churches, serving as a long-time president of the latter.

 32 
Amanda Smith
(American Methodist Preacher and Former Slave Who Opened an Orphanage for African-American Girls)
Amanda Smith
4
Birthdate: January 23, 1837
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Long Green, Maryland, United States
Died: February 24, 1915

Born into slavery, Amanda Smith later stepped into freedom after her father bought his and his family’s freedom. Starting as a domestic help, she later became a missionary and a Holiness movement leader, who invested in women’s education wholeheartedly and even established an orphanage for Black girls.

 33 
Steve Brown
(Wuthor)
Steve Brown
2
Birthdate: 1940 AD
Birthplace: North Carolina, United States

Apart from being a Christian author, Steve Brown is also a radio broadcaster and a seminary professor. After being a pastor for over two decades, he launched the radio broadcast Key Life. Of his numerous books, two of the notable ones are Scandalous Freedom and What Was I Thinking?

 34 
Allen Allensworth
(Baptist Minister, Educator, Army Officer)
Allen Allensworth
4
Birthdate: April 7, 1842
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky
Died: September 14, 1914

Born into slavery, Allen Allensworth successfully disguised himself in a uniform and marched to freedom, along with the Union soldiers during the Civil War. He later served the U.S. Navy and eventually became a Baptist preacher. The first Black American lieutenant colonel, he also formed the town Allensworth.

 35 
Public Universal Friend
(American Preacher)
Public Universal Friend
7
Birthdate: November 29, 1752
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Cumberland, Rhode Island, United States
Died: July 1, 1819

Jemima Wilkinson was an American preacher who later became known as the Public Universal Friend after becoming a genderless evangelist. The Public Universal Friend preached throughout the northeastern US. The Friend's teachings attracted several followers who became part of the Society of Universal Friends.

 36 
Peter J. Gomes
(American Preacher and Theologian)
Peter J. Gomes
6
Birthdate: May 22, 1942
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: February 28, 2011

Listed by Time Magazine as one of "Seven Stars of the Pulpit", Peter John Gomes was a much respected preacher and theologian. Also Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard Divinity School and Pusey Minister at Harvard's Memorial Church, he authored two bestselling books and published ten volumes of sermons. A celibate gay, he also worked for acceptance of homosexuality.

 37 
Edward Robinson
(Translator)
Edward Robinson
4
Birthdate: April 10, 1794
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Southington, Connecticut, United States
Died: January 27, 1863

Edward Robinson was a biblical scholar best remembered for his work Biblical Researches in Palestine. Regarded as the first major work in Biblical Archaeology and Biblical Geography, his work earned him the titles, Founder of Modern Palestinology and Father of Biblical Geography. He is also remembered for translating scriptural works.

 38 
Ann Lee
(American Religious Leader)
Ann Lee
9
Birthdate: February 29, 1736
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Manchester, England
Died: September 8, 1784

Ann Lee is remembered as the founder of the Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, also known as the Shakers, for their ritual of shaking during worshipping. Born to a blacksmith in England, she initially worked at a textile mill and later ushered her movement into the U.S.

 39 
John Woolman
(American Merchant, Quaker Preacher and Early Abolitionist During the Colonial Era)
John Woolman
1
Birthdate: October 19, 1720
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Burlington, New Jersey, United States
Died: October 7, 1772

John Woolman was an American tailor, merchant, abolitionist, journalist, and Quaker preacher. He is best remembered for preaching Quaker beliefs after traveling through the American frontier. He condemned slavery, cruelty to animals, conscription, and economic injustices. He also published several essays against slavery. His journal, which he carried throughout his life, was published posthumously as The Journal of John Woolman.

 40 
Barton W. Stone
(American Evangelist During the Early 19th-Century Second Great Awakening in the United States)
Barton W. Stone
2
Birthdate: December 24, 1772
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Charles County, Maryland, United States
Died: November 9, 1844

Barton W. Stone was an evangelist who played an important role during the Second Great Awakening in the US. He is credited with forming the Christian Church, which worked towards restoring primitive Christianity. Today, many church groups including Churches of Christ have historical connection to Stone's efforts. Atlantic Christian College in North Carolina was renamed Barton College in his honor.

 41 
Mar Samuel
(Archbishop)
Mar Samuel
3
Birthdate: December 25, 1907
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Turkey
Died: April 16, 1995
 42 
Philip Embury
(American Preacher and One of the Founders of Methodism in the United States)
Philip Embury
0
Birthdate: September 21, 1729
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Limerick, Ireland
Died: July 31, 1775

A pioneer of American Methodism, Philip Embury was initially trained as a carpenter in Ireland, but became a preacher after being converted. He later moved to the U.S. and himself worked as a carpenter on the first Methodist church in the country. He unfortunately died in a mowing accident.

 43 
John M. Mason
(Preacher)
John M. Mason
0
Birthdate: March 19, 1770
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: December 26, 1829

John M. Mason was an American theologian and preacher who served as the Provost of Columbia College in the 1810s. In the early-1820s, he also served as the president of Dickinson College. An excellent orator, John M. Mason served as a pastor for 17 years.

 44 
Mary Hannah Fulton
(American Missionary)
Mary Hannah Fulton
0
Birthdate: May 31, 1854
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Ashland, Ohio, United States
Died: January 7, 1927

Mary Hannah Fulton was a medical missionary who was sent by the Presbyterian Church to South China. She established a dispensary in Kwai Ping and also helped establish the Hackett Medical College for Women which aimed at training women in medicine. Mary Hannah Fulton also preached the Presbyterian faith in China and helped translate English medical volumes into Chinese.

 45 
William Richards
(Missionary)
William Richards
1
Birthdate: August 22, 1793
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Plainfield, Massachusetts, United States
Died: November 7, 1847

William Richards was a politician and missionary whose work on a formal land title system gave rise to the Great Mahele in 1848. He also helped popularize a liberal constitutional monarchy in the Kingdom of Hawaii. He also served as a translator to King Kamehameha III and later helped translate much of the Bible into Hawaiian. 

 46 
Peter Cartwright
(Preacher)
Peter Cartwright
2
Birthdate: September 1, 1785
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Amherst County, Virginia, United States
Died: September 25, 1872

Peter Cartwright was an American Methodist, preacher, and revivalist. A Methodist missionary, Cartwright helped start the Second Great Awakening in America; he is credited with baptizing twelve thousand converts. Peter Cartwright was also a writer and his autobiography made him popular throughout the country. 

 47 
Fidelia Fisk
(American Congregationalist Missionary and Teacher)
Fidelia Fisk
0
Birthdate: May 1, 1816
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Shelburne, Massachusetts, United States
Died: August 9, 1864

Fidelia Fisk was a noted American missionary to Persia (Iran), who championed the cause of women’s education and health in Urmia, Iran. Initially a teacher, she had later moved to Iran to be part of the Nestorian Christians. However, she eventually went back to the U.S. with failing health.

 48 
Lucy Whitehead McGill Waterbury Peabody
(American Baptist Missionary)
Lucy Whitehead McGill Waterbury Peabody
0
Birthdate: March 2, 1861
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Belmont, Kansas, United States
Died: February 26, 1949

American missionary Lucy Whitehead McGill Waterbury Peabody had been part of a several major Baptist missions across the world. She is remembered for her work in India. Back in Boston, she established the Farther Lights Society and the missionary magazine Everyland. She also headed the Woman’s Baptist Foreign Missionary Society.

 49 
Lori Bakker
(Former Televangelist, Motivational Speaker and Founder of the 'Lori's House' Organisation)
Lori Bakker
4
Birthdate: August 30, 1957
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: United States

The wife of televangelist Jim Bakker and The Jim Bakker Show co-host, Lori Bakker had previously led a reckless life. Following five abortions, she switched to spirituality and joined the Phoenix First Assembly. She later formed the Mourning to Joy Ministry, to help women survive post-abortion trauma.

 50 
Laura Maria Sheldon Wright
(Missionary)
Laura Maria Sheldon Wright
0
Birthdate: July 10, 1809
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Saint Johnsbury, Vermont, United States
Died: January 21, 1886

Growing up amid Native American children, Laura Maria Sheldon Wright developed a love for their culture. After her marriage to a missionary to the Seneca Indians, she not only learned the Seneca language but also promoted education and agriculture among them. She also formed the Iroquois Temperance League.