Christian Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio

If you are in Canton, Ohio, the Professional Football Hall of Fame is not the only place of interest to visit. You can see oil paintings that were made to honor famous and not so Christians from the early church to the present hour in the Christian Hall of Fame in the Canton Baptist Temple at 515 Whipple Avenue. Admission is free.

Dr. Harold Henninger thought of the idea for the Christian Hall of Fame as he was in the hospital in 1964 after suffering a heart attack. In November of 1964 he heard a radio announcement about the Professional Football Hall of Fame, after he read Hebrews chapter 11 in the Bible, which refers to many examples of faith and the people who displayed their faith in God. He began to believe he should display paintings to honor those who he calls "God's Heroes" in his church. He said the museum in the church would honor those who down through the centuries stood for the faith in Jesus Christ in God's Son as the One Who died for the sins of the world and rose again to give eternal life to believers--the faith once delivered to the saints.

A variety of artists were commissioned to paint the portraits, including: Dr. Harold Wittig of Ramsey, New Jersey; Dr. Peter Ruckman of Pesacola, Florida; Carl Blair and Emory Bopps, members of the art faculty of Bob Jones University, Greenville, South Carolina; Mrs. Evelyn Carter, Monroe, Michigan; Mrs. Shirley Henly, Tennessee Temples Schools, Chattanooga, Tennnessee.

The Christian Hall of Fame traces the progress of the Christian faith from the completion of the writing of the New Testament to the present.

Topics covered by the paintings include the Apostolic Church from the time of Christ to 500 A. D., the Church in the Dark Ages from 500 A.D. to 1000 A. D., The Church in Reformation from 1000 to 1500 A.D., several sections of The Church Expands, for 1500 A.D. to 1600 A. D., from 1600 A.D. to 1700 A.D., from 1700 yo 1800 A.D.; from 1800 A.D. to 1900 A.D., and from 1900 A. D. to 2000 A. D.

There are paintings of Christians from the early church to the present. One from the early church is of Chrysostum (John of Antioch), who lived from 347 to 407. He was banished from Syria by the Emporess Eudosia twice because of his strong preaching against sin. He was not afraid to speak of sin, even against those in high places. His name means the "Golden Mouth."

A painting in the Christian Hall of Fame honors John Calvin, who lived from 1509 to 1564, who was a leading preacher and a leader of the Reformation of the 16th century. He aligned himself with the Protestant Reformation, after becoming dissatisfied with the teachings of the Catholic Church. When the King of France aligned himself with Catholic teaching, he fled to Geneva, Switzerland, which became the "Rome of Protestinism." His Institutes of the Christian Relgion helped form the Presbyterian way of thought.

Francis Asbury, who lived from 1745 to 1816, who was called "the Father of American Methodism," is honored. In his early life he was apprenticed to a maker of "buckle chapes." He became a believer at 13, a preacher at 16. He was made an itinerent preacher by John Wesley. When Wesley asked who would go to America, Asbury volunteered. While many Methodists were suspected of being loyal to the British during the Revolutionary War, because they would not take a loyalty oath, Asbury stayed and continued preaching.

William Booth, who lived from 1829 to 1912, and was the founder of the Salvation Army, is honored. He became a believer through the witness of a Methodist. He served as a Methodist pastor from 1850 to 1861. In East London he formed the East London Christian Revival Society. From that Society came the Salvation Army, with its discipline, organization, and uniforms. There were branches of the Salvation Army in 35 countries by 1935. When Booth was alive, the main emphasis of the Army was on street preaching, practical financial giving to help the less fortunate, and personal evangelism. More than two million derliects have professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ because of the ministry of the Salvation Army.

William Carey, the "Father of Modern Missions," is honored in the Christian Hall of Fame. He was a cobbler at 14 and studied Hebrew, Greek, Dutch, and French by the time he was 21. After joining the Baptist church, at 23, he immediately began preaching, especially on missions. William Carey helped create the English Baptist Missionary Society and was one of the first missionaries to India. Besides winning Indians to Jesus Christ, he translated the Bible into 44 languages.

Other paintings in the Christian Hall of Fame honor Louis Bauman, Richard Baxter, Dallas Franklin Billington, David Brainerd, John Edward Brown, John Bunyan (who wrote Pilgrim's Progress), Peter Cartwright, and Billy Graham. There is also a reminder in the museum that all Christians, great or small, play a part in building the church of Jesus Christ.

Christian Hall of Fame, no author listed, Christianhof.org