Hello, Jamaica!

Hello, Jamaica!  Welcome to the group of readers from one hundred and nine other countries who also visit this blog.  I hope you find some of the posts useful or meaningful.

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One hundred and ten countries: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France,  Georgia, Germany, Gabon, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kampuchea, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg,  Macedonia, Malaysia, Mali, Malta,  Mexico,  Moldova,  Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan,  Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Vietnam,  Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Ozzy Osbourne: (b. 1948, England, aka: John Michael Osbourne; The Prince of Darkness) Heavy metal vocalist and songwriter.  Best known for his song, “Crazy Train.” Anglican.

Dion: (b. 1939, New York, USA, aka: Dion Francis DiMucci) Singer, songwriter best known for his songs “Run Around Sue,” and “The Wanderer.” Evangelical.

Bob Dylan: (b. 1941, Minnesota, USA; aka: Robert Allen Zimmerman) Singer, songwriter, painter, sketcher.  Best known for his songs “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “The Times They Are a-Changin,’” and “Like a Rolling Stone.”  2012 United States Presidential Medal of Freedom winner. He was a convert from Judaism.

Uyaraq: This man was the first Inupiak convert in Alaska (late Nineteenth Century) and spent the last twenty years of his life as an evangelist in Alaska (USA).  He was known to break long-standing social taboos, ridicule the local animist shamans, and hold the Bible up in the air to demonstrate its power.  

Bob Marley: (b. 1945, Jamaica- d. 1981; aka: Robert Nesta Marley)  Singer, songwriter, guitarist. Marley is considered to have been the face of the Reggae music movement.  He was a Rastafarian who, in 1981, was baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.  His final words were, “Jesus take me.” 

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Michael Scott Horton: (b, 1964) University professor, author, magazine editor, radio program host.  Evangelical, Reformed.  His specialization is in theology and apologetics.

Andrew: (b. 1^st century, Bethsaida, Israel – d. Patras, Greece; aka: Andreas) Fisherman, martyr, brother of Peter, Andrew was one of the original twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus.  The name “Andreas” is Greek, there is no recorded Hebrew or Aramaic name for this man.  Andrew is considered to have been the founder of the Church of Byzantium.  He was crucified upside down on an X-shaped cross in Patras, Greece.

Jana Sampson: (b. North Carolina, USA; aka: Jana Mashonee)  Grammy Award nominated Jana Mashonee is of Lumbee and Tuscarora ancestry.  She is singer, songwriter, jewelry designer, and motivational speaker.  She has recorded in English, Lumbee, Navajo, Arapaho, Ojibwe, Cirichua Apache, Lakota, Oneida, and San Juan Tewa Peubli.

Elizabeth Rebecca Mitchell: (b. 1952, Jamaica) Singer, founding member of the Eurodisco group Boney M.

Paul Henderson : (b. 1943, Canada) Professional hockey player, Christian minister.  He is best known for scoring the winning goals in the final three games versus the USSR in the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the USSR. 

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Richard Christopher Wakeman: (b. 1949, England) Keyboradist in the following musical genres: rock, pop, electronica, jazz fusion, classical, and Christian.  He is most well known as the keyboardist for the near-legendary rock book Yes.  He studied at the Royal College of Music.

Matthew: (fl. 1^st century – d. 60; believed to be also known as levi, son of Alphaeus, and the writer of The Gospel According to Matthew)  Matthew was one of the first twelve apostles, the original inner circle of Jesus Christ.  He was a customs collector at Capernaum (Kepher Nahum, Israel).  Matthew 9:9, 10:3; Mark 2:14, 3:18; Luke 5:27, 6:15; Acts 1:13.  Tradition says that Matthew was killed by an axe in 60 AD/CE near Hierapolis, Ethiopia.

Fred McFeely Rogers: (b. 1928, Pennsylvania, USA – d. 2003) Educator, Presbyterian minister, songwriter, children’s television host, author.  He hosted mr. Roger’s Neighborhood (1968-2001) on the Public Broadcasting System (USA).  Mr. Roger's middle name was the source of the character, Mr. McFeely, on the television show.  Roger's trademark sweater from the television program is on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institution Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Gabriel Leon M’ba: (b. 1902, Gabon – d. 1967) First Prime Minister (1959-1961) and first President of Gabon (1961-1967). Roman Catholic.  His brother was the first Roman Catholic priest in Gabon.

John Brown: (b. ca 1940, Jamaica; aka: The Jesus Man) Brown came to the United States in 1963.  He is a weekly street preacher in Birmingham, Alabama (USA) on the side of a busy highway.  One of his many signs says, “Honk if you know Jesus, pull over if you don’t.”  Brown has not missed a Saturday in over ten years, regardless of the weather or his health.  “The grass is my carpet, the streets are my walls, and the wind is my air conditioner … It’s about holy boldness – it comes form fasting and prayer.”