As the first step towards our actual Top 20 and then Top 10 ranking of the Most Influential Christians (since the Apostles), we are listing below ALL of the names that received at least one Top 10 vote by one of our survey respondents.
Please note that the names are all “self-professed” Christians, as many readers will claim that some of these names may not be “true” Christians at all. In trying to be a little more inclusive, we have allowed these names to be voted on by all.
The resulting list is NOT in any order. This is not a ranking; it is merely in a random presentation. Feel free to comment on persons that you would vote for- whether they are on this list or not. Thank you.
| Joseph Smith |
| Arius |
| Marcion |
| Pope Benedict XVI |
| Pope Leo IX |
| Pope Pius IX |
| Brigham Young |
| Martin Luther |
| Charles T. Russell |
| Patriarch Michael Cerularius |
| King Henry VIII |
| Queen Isabella I / King Ferdinand |
| Emperor Constantine (of Rome) |
| Origen |
| Bishop Gene Robinson |
| Cardinal Bernard Law |
| Jack Chick |
| Mary Baker Eddy |
| Billy Graham |
| Pope Leo X |
| Pastor Rick Warren |
| Pope Paul VI |
| A.W. Tozer |
| A.B. Simpson |
| D.L.Moody |
| J. Hudson Taylor |
| John Calvin |
| John/ Charles Wesley |
| Saint Augustine |
| Thomas Aquinas |
| Jacobus Arminius |
| William Tyndale |
| J. Sebastian Bach |
| CS Lewis |
| Jimmy Swaggart |
| Charles Spurgeon |
| Mother Theresa |
| Pope John Paul II |
| Athanasius |
| Cyril of Alexandria |
| John of Damascus |
| Theodore the Studite |
| Nestorius |
| Eyuthicus |
| John Wycliffe |
| King James 1 |
| Pope Pius V |
| St. Francis of Assisi |
| St. Dominic |
| St. Benedict |
| Fulton Sheen |
| Gustavo Gutierrez |
| Martin Luther King Jr. |
| Phillips Melancthon |
| Martin Chemnitz |
| C.F.W. Walther |
| Hildegard Von Bingen |
| St. Jerome |
| Basil the Great |
| John Nelson Darby |
| Pope John XXIII |
| John Knox |
| Cornelius Van Til |
| Samuel Adams |
| Roger Williams |
| John Owens |
| Samuel Bolton |
| Nathaniel Vincent |
| Thomas Watson |
| William Sprague |
| Thomas Moore |
| Peter Marshall |
Top Ten Most Influential Christians 
Don’t forget John Milton.
Gene Robinson?!? Where is Thomas Cranmer and John Bunyan?
or Jan Hus?
Dietrich Bonhoffer, Karl Barth, Bernard of Clairvaux, Julian of Norwich, Cyril and Methodius?
Hello Kevin- Thanks for the input and your opinions.
Please note that these persons listed are not “our” opinions (the authors)- they are the opinions of those numerous Christians (pastors, writers, theologians etc) that responded to our recent survey.
Naturally, everyone has their own thoughts and our final list/ranking may be somewhat controversial.
Note also that we are not talking about the “best” or the “most holy” persons here. We are talking about influence. Even Gene Robinson has had some influence within the Church- even if people don’t agree with him.
Blessings,
Ken L.
Hi Ken,
I was just shocked is all. I know Robinson has had some “impact” on the Church, but feel that some of the others have actually influenced the Church, history and civilization.