Table of Contents:
There have been hundreds of famous Christians, but here is just a handful that might appeal to adults:
- J.S. Bach (1685 – 1750) A great musical composer.
- William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833) Campaigner for the abolishment of slavery.
- Florence Nightingale (1820 – 1910) Raised the standards of nursing and hospitals.
- J.R.R.Tolkien (1892 – 1993) Best-selling author, The Lord of the Rings, etc.
- C.S. Lewis (1898 – 1963) Author of the Narnia Chronicles, etc.
- Eric Liddell (1902 – 1945) Olympic 400m champion.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 – 1945) an influential critic of Hitler and Nazism and was executed in 1945.
- Mother Teresa (1910 – 1997) – Devoted life to the care and service of the poor.
- Abbe Pierre (1912 – 2007) founded the Emmaüs movement, which helps the poor, homeless and refugees.
- Martin Luther King (1929 – 1968) A pioneering leader of the US civil rights.
- Desmond Tutu (1931 – ) Campaigned against apartheid during the 1970s and 1980s.
- Cliff Richard (1940 – ) British rock and pop star over the past 50 years.
- Simone Biles Won five medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics – the most decorated American gymnast in history.
- DeVon Franklin (1978- ) A movie producer including Miracles From Heaven, The Karate Kid, Hancock, etc.
- Tom Hanks (1956- ) Actor.
- Denzel Washington (1954- ) Actor.
- Carrie Underwood (1983- ) Actor.
- Karrueche Tran (1988- ) Actor.
And for the children, here are some Christians from the sporting world:
- Usain Bolt (1986- ) Athlete. The world’s fastest man.
- David Wise (1990- ) Olympic gold medallist snowboarder.
- Daniel Sturridge (1989- ) Liverpool and England striker.
- Christine Ohuruogu (1984- ) Athlete.
- Gerry Lester ‘Bubba’ Watson Jr. (1978- ) Professional golfer.
- Lewis Hamilton (1985- ) Formula One world champion.
The lesson plan will also look at a young girl from history who went extraordinary lengths to get a Bible – Mary Jones.
Lesson plans and resources for: Famous Christians
Famous Christians – Mary Jones lesson plan
Other famous Christians – RE lesson plan – Coming soon due to changes in the RE syllabus.
How to fulfil the locally agreed syllabus on ‘Famous Christians’
Hopefully you will be able to match your local agreed syllabus with what is here which satisfies eight councils:
These lesson plans are based on the Progression Documents of The Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education’ Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Peterborough, Rutland County Councils. This is in the light blue text.
The green text is from other Councils: Lewisham Borough, West Sussex, Hull and East Riding.
Here are the main aims for the visit:
- Explore some stories about Christians e.g. historical figures such as Mary Jones or well-known current figures from Christians in Sport.
- Find out about examples of co-operation between people who are different.
- Share ideas and examples of co-operation between people who are different.
Key vocabulary: Bible, Christ, Christmas, Disciple, Faith, God, Jesus, Prayer.