Protestant "Saints" - Who would choose to "Canonize"

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Wendell Phillips, William Lloyd Garrison, and Harriet Beecher Stowe for their fight against slavery. There are a lot of abolitionists who could fall here, but those are three that spring immediately to mind.
 
John Newton - Ex captain on a slave cargo ship, after conversion wrote the most influential and well known him in history - Amazing Grace.
William Wilberforce - Chief British abolitionist.

Not sure if he counts, but Thomas Cranmer - Henry VIII founded the church of England but Cranmer as Archbishop of Canterbury (a position imposed on him) wrote the book of common prayer and basically made anglicanism. Technically Henry started off the movement. Cranmer, along with Ridley and Latimer were burned at the stake by Mary Tudor during the catholic counter reformation for not submitting to catholicism, I would choose them as saints, for their conviction and unwillingness to surrender to threats.
 
Hisalone said:
John Wesley
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John Wesely was an instrument used for the conversion of hundreds of thousands.
He built hospitals and orphanages
He wrote numerous books and hymns.
On a side note he died with $34 to his name.
 
Hisalone said:
John Wesely was an instrument used for the conversion of hundreds of thousands.
He built hospitals and orphanages
He wrote numerous books and hymns.
On a side note he died with $34 to his name.
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I would also say Charles Wesley, who wrote some of the most wonderful hymns, filled with solid theology, my favourite being ‘And Can it Be’:
*‘He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!’
*

There are some gems in his famous Christmas carol ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’:
*Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th’ incarnate Deity,
pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
*

And what about MLK as a saint?
 
William Wilberforce worked on the abolition of slavery in England at the same time as Newton

Dr Martin Luther King for his contribution to civil rights in America

Dr Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Peace Prize winner, who did great work in Africa as a doctor and combined this with a great interest in theology and missionary
 
Deitrich Bonhoeffer (German theologian killed for his involvement in an assination attempt on Hitler…wrote “Cost of Discipleship”

Mary Dyer (Quaker martyr, hanged on Boston Commons)

Martin Luther King Jr.

E. Stanley Jones (Methodist author)

Thomas R. Kelly (Quaker mystic, wrote “Testament of Devotion”)
 
Publisher said:
Deitrich Bonhoeffer (German theologian killed for his involvement in an assination attempt on Hitler…wrote “Cost of Discipleship”

Mary Dyer (Quaker martyr, hanged on Boston Commons)

Martin Luther King Jr.

E. Stanley Jones (Methodist author)

Thomas R. Kelly (Quaker mystic, wrote “Testament of Devotion”)
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MLK is an interesting choice. However, I know there were questions/concerns put forward that he may have had affairs during his ministry. Such behavior would be one thing if it was before a conversion, such as in St Augustines case, but an entirely different matter in the case of a minister. To me this would not make his “life” one to be emulated as one of heroic virtue. Look at how horrifed everyone has been over the “priest scandal”. None of those guilty men, regardless of their writings or other accomplishments could be seriously considered for sainthood.
I do not say this to belittle MLK’s accomplishments, only questioning if his life is really one of “Heroic virtue” in living the Gospel.
If I am mistaken the above, someone please correct me.

Peace
James

Peace
James
 
JRKH said:
MLK is an interesting choice. However, I know there were questions/concerns put forward that he may have had affairs during his ministry. Such behavior would be one thing if it was before a conversion, such as in St Augustines case, but an entirely different matter in the case of a minister. To me this would not make his “life” one to be emulated as one of heroic virtue. Look at how horrifed everyone has been over the “priest scandal”. None of those guilty men, regardless of their writings or other accomplishments could be seriously considered for sainthood.
I do not say this to belittle MLK’s accomplishments, only questioning if his life is really one of “Heroic virtue” in living the Gospel.
If I am mistaken the above, someone please correct me.

Peace
James

Peace
James
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Question, were any of the popes cannonized who had illicit relationships with women and produced children? Perhaps the standards of sainthood have changed over the years…I don’t know…MLK may very well have had affairs…it certainly has been claimed to be so…whether true…I don’t know…

It seems to me that some of the “saints” named saints may have not led extreme virtuous lives…but through martyrdom or extraordinary circumstances were “changed”…

The thread IMO wasn’t designed to qualify Protestants for sainthood…but who Protestants would not mind entered into the list of “saints”…many of us have our own personal “saints” we seek to emulate in our own lives of faith…I’m sure even some Catholic “saints” if looked at too closely would fail stringent tests of propriety…honestly though…I’m not vested one way or another to qualify or quantify another’s spiritual life before God…I have enough on my plate with myself.🙂
 
Publisher said:
Question, were any of the popes cannonized who had illicit relationships with women and produced children? Perhaps the standards of sainthood have changed over the years…I don’t know…MLK may very well have had affairs…it certainly has been claimed to be so…whether true…I don’t know…
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Nor do I. I was just thinking of the description “Life of Heroic Virtue”. Also, as you state the requirements for declaring a saint have evolved over the centuries.
It seems to me that some of the “saints” named saints may have not led extreme virtuous lives…but through martyrdom or extraordinary circumstances were “changed”…
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Also True.
The thread IMO wasn’t designed to qualify Protestants for sainthood…but who Protestants would not mind entered into the list of “saints”…many of us have our own personal “saints” we seek to emulate in our own lives of faith…I’m sure even some Catholic “saints” if looked at too closely would fail stringent tests of propriety…honestly though…I’m not vested one way or another to qualify or quantify another’s spiritual life before God…I have enough on my plate with myself.🙂
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You may be right. Perhaps I am out of line to, “impose” shall we say, a “catholic” perspective of what might be considered saintly. mea culpa.
I have always had the greatest respect for MLK and what he accomplished during a most difficult time in American history. His was truly a voice of calm reason during those turbulant times.

Peace
James
 
Hisalone said:
John Wesley
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John Calvin and Martin Luther as well are recognized as Saints in the Anglican church. Let’s not forget Cranmer, Lattimore and the third blind mouse Bloody Mary had burned to death as well.
 
SIA said:
John Calvin and Martin Luther as well are recognized as Saints in the Anglican church. Let’s not forget Cranmer, Lattimore and the third blind mouse Bloody Mary had burned to death as well.
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Ridley?
 
SIA said:
I think you are right. Ridley I do believe was his name. Thank God for Queen Elizabeth after Bloody Mary’s murderous streak.
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And she had full support of the Catholic Church. Elizabeth was allegedly personally high church in terms of anglicanism, but her ability to compromise and stand up for everyone in the Church of England is truly admirable.
 
grampben said:
And she had full support of the Catholic Church. Elizabeth was allegedly personally high church in terms of anglicanism, but her ability to compromise and stand up for everyone in the Church of England is truly admirable.
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Yes it was. History looks upon her favorably as rightly it should.
 
Wycliffe…Wycliffe Bible…bones burnt posthumously
Hus…formed Hussites…burned at the stake
Tyndale…Tyndale bible…burned at the stake
 
John7 said:
Wycliffe…Wycliffe Bible…bones burnt posthumously
Hus…formed Hussites…burned at the stake
Tyndale…Tyndale bible…burned at the stake
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So true. Tyndale burned for the ‘crime’ of translating the Bible in to english.
 
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Clive Staples (Jack) Lewis, the author of Mere Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia, among other Christian works. He led a holy life, was good to those in need, and his writings still help people find God and/or a deeper relationship with God.

Also, I’d name a forgotten heroine of the Holocaust, Betsie ten Boom, Corrie ten Boom’s sister. She was an inspiration and a blessing to others in the concentration camp, helping others, praying with people, giving others encouragement while never complaining or saying anything bad about their torturers. A truly holy woman.
 
John7 said:
Wycliffe…Wycliffe Bible…bones burnt posthumously
Hus…formed Hussites…burned at the stake
Tyndale…Tyndale bible…burned at the stake
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Actually, they were apostate Catholics, so they don’t qualify. 😉
 
grampben said:
So true. Tyndale burned for the ‘crime’ of translating the Bible in to english.
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Sorry, not true. There were many English versions of the Bible for which no one was condemned or executed. He was executed by the state as a heretic, which was a federal crime at the time. And his translation was erroneous, besides. And since he was an apostate Catholic, he doesn’t qualify for the OP’s list, who asked us, in any case, not to mention the figures of the Reformation.
 
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