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#6 John Calvin- pastor Josh rightfully places him in the top 5. I don't know who I take out of the top five, but he belongs up there. One of the most profound preachers to ever live. His body of work is colossial. My favorite story about him which shows his dedication to preaching through texts. He was preaching through I believe the book of Acts, when he was kicked out of Geneva for several years. When he was allowed to return he picked right up in the same chapter and same verse.

#7 Martin Luther- The man changed the world! I am not a Protestant in that I don't believe Rome was a true church. But God used Luther greatly in the world and many of his writings are a great addition to the faith. His translation of the Bible also helped to develop a standard version of the German language and added several principles to the art of translation. Luther's hymns sparked the development of congregational singing in Christianity. His marriage, on June 13, 1525, to Katharina von Bora, a former nun, began the tradition of clerical marriage within several Christian traditions.


#8 Thomas Watson- This was the first Puritan I was ever exposed to. All of his books are simply expositions of Scripture. The man is a brilliant expositor and if I ever do a good job of expository preaching it is because I had the luxury of saturating myself with this God-soaked preacher. He is my favorite Puritan, brilliant, word-saturated but very practical and full of the Spirit in his understanding the spiritual nature of everything in Scripture.

Anyone care to round out the top 10 for me?