Thomas Dorsey, the Father of Gospel Music

Thomas Dorsey

Thomas Dorsey was an African-American born in 1899 near Atlanta, Georgia – one of ten children.  His father was a well-respected itinerant preacher and his mother was the organist in their church, a skill she cheerfully taught her son.  As a young man, he left home to go to Chicago and study music – music that paid, that of jazz and the blues.  Despite his mother’s pleadings to not pursue “the Devil’s music” he became fairly successful in the 1920s, playing in clubs under the name “Georgia Tom” Dorsey. 

Tom’s mother’s prayers, however, continued to follow him and he found himself torn between the secular and the spiritual.  A couple periods of depression which he later called “God interruptions,” during which he even contemplated suicide, led him back to church where the pastor told him, “Dorsey, the Lord has too much work for you to do to let you die.”

His pastor’s admonition led him to write gospel music – Christian music with a blues vibe.  Music of this style was initially slow to catch on, and Tom found himself having to rely on his secular music composition for a while until 1930 when he was hired by Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago to organize one of the first gospel choirs.  This style of music then quickly caught on, especially among black churches in America, and led to his becoming known as the “Father of Gospel Music.”  During this time, he mentored and trained many noted musicians, including Mahalia Jackson who he later toured with.  From this position, he also founded the first publishing house dedicated to publishing music by African-American composers.

He was not too far along in this position when, while in Indianapolis organizing a choir, he received a telegram informing him that his wife had died in childbirth.  He rushed home to find out that his newborn son had died as well.  Turning to his piano, he felt what he later described as a “mystical experience.”  He later recounted, “As my fingers began to manipulate over the keys, words began to fall in place on the melody like drops of water falling from the crevice of the rock.”

                Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, help me stand;
                I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
                Thru the storm, thru the night, Lead me on to the light,
                Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.

                When my way grows drear, Precious Lord, linger near;
                When my life is almost gone,
                Hear my cry, hear my call, Hold my hand lest I fall;
                Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.

“Precious Lord” was said to be Rev Martin Luther King Jr’s favorite hymn.  Shortly before his murder, his last words were to his music leader, “Ben, be sure to play ‘Take My Hand Precious Lord’ at the meeting tonight.  Play it real pretty.”  Dorsey’s protégé, Mahalia Jackson, sang it at his funeral.

Thomas Dorsey wrote nearly a thousand gospel songs over the course of his life, including “Peace in the Valley.”  He passed away into the arms of His Lord in 1993, after a nearly two-decade struggle with Alzheimers.

 

Morgan, Robert J., Then Sings My Soul, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003.

https://www.inspirationalchristians.org/influencers/thomas-dorsey-biography/

https://blackamericaweb.com/2019/07/01/little-known-black-history-fact-thomas-dorsey/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_A._Dorsey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Titus Coan, Missionary to Hawaii

Titus Coan, missionary to the Hawaiian islands

Born in Connecticut in 1801, Titus Coan was converted as a young man while hearing the revival preaching of Charles G. Finney during the Second Great Awakening.  He worked directly with many of the great preachers of that day, then answered the call to enter the ministry himself.

Titus graduated from seminary in 1833.  The following year, he and his new wife sailed for the Hawaiian Islands and made his home on Hilo Island.  After spending two years learning the language, he took an extensive tour of the island with the goal of meeting every single one of the 16,000 natives who lived there, a goal he was successful in meeting.  As he met the people, he kept a detailed notebook on every person so he could remember details of their life.  The purpose of this was twofold: 1.) he wanted to be able to pray effectively and directly for each person; and 2.) he wanted to be able to effectively follow up in subsequent visits.  In future visits, he updated the notebook with more current information.

In 1837 and 1838, thousands of natives from Hilo and from the surrounding islands flocked to Hilo to hear the preaching of Reverend Coan.  For church membership, Titus required evidence of conversion, a Christian life lived consistently and effectively over a period of several months.  Over the next few years, the church on Hilo grew to over 13,000 members – in an island population of 16,000.  This was literally the largest church in the world at the time.  Titus wrote, “In places where I spent my nights they filled the house to its entire capacity, leaving scores outside who could not enter.” 

The classic signs of revival were evident everywhere.  Wherever Titus went, men and women fell under conviction and cried out for mercy.  They studied the Word of God late into the night and arose early to continue to read.  People confessed sins to each other and relationships were restored.  Prayer services lasted for hours.

The native population in the surrounding islands also experienced revival.  Over 56,000 members were added to the rolls in churches in surrounding islands.  By 1870, the mission board that sent Titus terminated the mission to Hawaii, concluding that the islands were “Christianized.”  Coan advocated for a Hawaiian Missionary Society – where natives were trained and sent to other Pacific island nations. 

Coan wrote that he hoped to “die in the field with armor on, with weapons bright.”  This happened.  In the middle of a revival service in 1882 he suffered a stroke.  He lingered for a few weeks before he died, having seen 70% of the population of Hilo put their trust in Jesus.

Titus Coan’s gravestone on Hilo reads:

Titus Coan
February 1^st, 1801
December 1^st, 1882
He Lived by Faith
He Still Lives
Believest Thou This?
John 11:26

 

http://hilohawaii.me/titus-coan-hilo-missionary

https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1801-1900/titus-coan-early-missionary-to-hawaii-11630604.html

https://www.bu.edu/missiology/missionary-biography/c-d/coan-titus-1801-1882/

 

 

 

 

 

Francis of Assisi - the first living Nativity

Francis of Assisi

Francis of Assisi was a humble man, living in the early 13^th century, who turned the Christian world on its head.  He was born in 1182, the son of a very wealthy Italian merchant in the city of Assisi.  As a young man, his life was that of a spoiled, rich young man – living very much in the world.  One early biographer said that he “outshone all his friends in trivialities.” 

As a 20-year old young man, he willingly went to war, with high hopes of military glory.  However, during his first battle, he was taken prisoner and it took a full year before his father could arrange to pay the ransom required for his release.  He became ill during his imprisonment, so when he was ransomed, he returned to his home to recuperate.  His year of convalescence was spiritually transformative.  He seems to have become delirious, and experienced wild dreams and visions – events he tried to deal with by retreating to a broken-down old church on the edge of town to pray.  One day, during his prayers, he recounted a vision of Jesus telling him three times, “Francis, go repair my house, which is falling into ruin.”  Francis initially understood the vision to be God’s direction to repair the specific church building he was praying in, so he began selling off his family’s wealth to raise money for repairs.

When Francis’ father found out about this, he was furious and dragged his son to the bishop to demand repayment.  Instead, Francis took off his clothes in front of those gathered, neatly folded them, and laid them in front of his father.  He then committed his life to one of solitude and spiritual reflection. 

His solitude and study of Scripture inspired him to live the life of an itinerant preacher, a life with minimal possessions and utter simplicity.  His preaching was forceful, with very strong exhortations to repent.  His personal life reflected his own abhorrence of sin: sometimes taking extreme measures of bodily self-denial to purge himself of every last ounce of temptation.

By the time he was 27 years old, he had gathered a small group of like-minded men devoted to preaching and poverty.  This small group became the nucleus of the Franciscan order of the church.  The rapidly-growing group preached the message of repentance, simplicity, and radical obedience to Jesus,  making evangelistic trips all over the known world.  It was said of Francis by his peers that he lived the life detailed in the Sermon on the Mount better than any other human being ever…with the exception of the One who preached the sermon itself.  His Franciscans took great pains to emulate their superior, as he sought to emulate Christ. 

Toward the end of his life, Francis headquartered his ministry at a rough retreat on a hillside in Italy – a place provided for him by a wealthy admirer and friend named Giovanni da Vellita.  It was picturesque, with a view of the valley below with mountains in the distance.  Surrounding him were woods, and behind the retreat were a number of caves.  In this solitude, Francis found his place for spiritual meditation as well as taking care of the numerous administrative details of his Order.

On Christmas Eve, in the year 1223, Francis, nearing the end of his 44-year life, invited fellow hermits and peasant villagers in his area to a Christmas Eve mass.  That evening, as the people made their way up the steep mountainside, the torches they carried must have made a beautiful sight.  As they climbed, they sang Christmas hymns.  When the people reached the top, they were treated to a surprise from Francis.  He had arranged with Giovanni to provide an ox and a donkey in one of the caves, along with a manger and a man and a woman, dressed to represent Mary and Joseph.  In the manger sat a wax doll to represent the infant Jesus.

As everyone gathered around, Francis preached a simple Christmas sermon in that setting.  He promised his listeners changed lives if they placed their faith in Christ.  After the mass was over, Francis and Giovanni spend the night in a prayer vigil over the manger and wax Christ child.

This “living manger” scene had never been done before.  Francis was actually nervous about doing so – even writing the Pope himself asking permission lest he be thought of as taking the birth of Christ too frivolously.  What a scene that must have been that first time – and how many times has that scene been repeated since?

https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/moversandshakers/francis-of-assisi.html

Periodical e-mail from Christian History, 24 December 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturninus

Saint Saturninus

Saturninus is a guy about whom we really wish we had more background information.  While a couple of sources place him in the first century of the church – a contemporary and friend of the Apostles, more reliable sources place him in the third century.  Many fanciful stories were written in later years about him – here is what we know for certain:

After a number of Roman persecutions had decimated the Christian communities in the Western part of the Roman Empire, Pope Fabian sent a number of missionaries to various parts of Gaul (France) to re-evangelize that part of the world.  One of these missionaries, named Saturninus, was sent to the city of Toulouse.  He spent a dozen years in that city, and his ministry bore much fruit in the conversion of souls and training of church leaders.  Saturninus, while walking from his residence to his church, had to pass by the capitol – also the chief temple in the city.

It was said that when Saturninus passed by the temple, that the gods would go silent.  It is also very likely that converts to Christianity ceased patronizing the temple and the priests wanted to put a stop to a further drain on their follower base. 

On November 29^th, 257 AD, temple leaders bound Saturninus and drug him into the temple.  In an effort to appease their gods, they insisted Saturninus sacrifice a bull to their gods.  History records Saturninus’ reply: “I adore only one God and to Him I am ready to offer a sacrifice of praise.  Your gods are devils and are more delighted with the sacrifice of your souls that with those of your bulls.  How can I fear them [gods] whom you acknowledge, tremble before a Christian?”

Enraged, Saturninus was condemned to be dragged by the bull through the town until the rope broke.  They tied his feet to a rope and the bull was let loose.  He was violently dragged through the streets, killing him.  When the rope broke, what was left of his body was rescued by two faithful Christian women and hidden away.  A century later, when the practice of Christianity was no longer forbidden, the bishop of Toulouse erected a small church on the site where the rope broke as a place to house the body of Saturninus.  Over the centuries, this building was expanded into a magnificent cathedral.  Roman Catholics celebrate his feast day on the day of his martyrdom: November 29^th.

Christian History periodic e-mail, 29 Nov 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnin
https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=802

 

 

 

Clement

Clement I

Clement I of Rome (not to be confused with later Popes Clement or Clement of Alexandria (d ~215 AD), is often understood to be the person named Clement called out in the Biblical book of Philippians. 

Indeed, true comrade, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. – Philippians 4:3

While we see Clement as a faithful member of the church in Philippi in the Scripture, Clement is subsequently named in different lists as either the second or fourth bishop of Rome.  Church tradition holds that he was specifically consecrated by Peter for the role, serving from AD 88 to AD 99.

While a number of writings are attributed to Clement, the only one which can be said with certainty to be from the pen of this church father is a letter to the church in Corinth.  This letter is considered to be the earliest Christian document outside of the New Testament.

Clement’s letter to the church in Corinth indicates that the Corinthians has repented of the divisiveness shown in Paul’s letters to the same churches.  However, they were beginning to fragment again, even worse than when Paul wrote to them, to the point of expelling two of their elders.  It is a long letter (65 chapters containing over 14,000 words) full of Biblical teaching and exhortations to humility and brotherly love.  He writes of the martyrdom of both Peter and Paul as well as others who gave their lives for the faith.  He speaks of church government, and gives specific counsel to reinstate the two elders who had been expelled. 

Chapter 23 begins a great dissertation on the Resurrection of Christ.  He brings the example of the Phoenix (a single bird he attributed to the Arabian area), a bird which was said to live exactly 500 years, then return to Egypt to die by burning itself to death.  Then, from the ashes a worm appeared which grew into the next phoenix.  Apparently, Clement believed the story to be true and used it as a beautiful illustration of the resurrection.

Clement was arrested under the persecution of the Roman Emperor Trajan and set to work in a stone quarry on the Crimean peninsula.  There is a legend about him during this time that they had a severe shortage of water.  Clement prayed for water and, according to the legend, had a vision of a lamb on a hill.  Taking a pickaxe, he walked up to where the lamb was, struck the ground with the pickaxe, and a clear gusher of water flowed to quench the thirst of the prisoners.

Clement was martyred by being tied to an anchor and thrown into the Black Sea. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_I#Epistle_of_Clement

https://www.christian-history.org/clement-of-rome.html

https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1010.htm

 

 

 

 

Robert Boyle

Robert Boyle 

Boyle’s Law: the pressure of a fixed amount of gas is inversely proportional to its volume.

Robert Boyle, born in 1627, is known as one of the founders of modern chemistry and one of the pioneers of the modern experimental scientific method. He was born the fourteenth of fifteen children to Robert Boyle, the First Earl of Cork, in Ireland. Despite having the advantages of great wealth, Robert’s father saw fit to ensure his children understood the value of education and hard work, so he was sent to live with a peasant family for a number of his childhood years. It was likely during these years that, at age 13, young Robert awoke with a start to a loud clap of thunder, the beginning of a fierce storm. He later wrote that it was that storm which compelled him to think of the torments of an eternity apart from God, and he committed his life to Christ at that young age.

At age 17, young Robert with a brother was on an extended tour of Europe. Already with an intense interest in science, he visited many eminent scientists of his day. He was actually en route to visit the great Galileo in Italy when Galileo died. Despite that, he was able to visit and study in many of the great centers of learning in his day.

His studies and influences during that trip had a profound impact on his thinking. In this day, scientific study existed mainly in repeating what ‘authorities’ had previously declared to be true. Since Aristotle had declared that a true vacuum could not exist, it was accepted as fact. Robert asked questions like, “How did Aristotle know this?” He wanted to be shown, not just be taught. As a result, he invented devices with which to experiment to see these laws in action, or to disprove them.

During this trip, an uprising in Ireland broke out and Robert’s father had to spend all his available resources in defending his land and could no longer support his children in their travels. His father and at least one brother died as a result of that war. Robert had to end up working and selling his own valuables to pay for his tutor as long as possible, but when he sold the last of his available goods, he used the money to travel home. Robert stayed with a recently widowed sister and spent a great deal of effort to back on his feet, with the little inheritance he received.

Robert’s intellect, though still a young man, got the attention of a group of scholars in Oxford University. He joined an underground group of scientists who called themselves the “Invisible College” – so named due to the fact that they had no formal structure or organization. Like Robert, many of these scientists were devout Christians and sought to encourage each other in understanding the universe bequeathed to them by God. While he never received a degree or a professorship, his acumen and reputation elevated him to the greatest scientists in England in his day. He separated the science of Chemistry away from the witchcraft of Alchemy.

Boyle believed that God designed nature to work according to certain natural laws, a reflection of His purposeful design. A scientist’s duty, then, is to discover these laws and use them for the betterment of mankind and, more importantly, to shine a spotlight on the Creator of the Universe. Later scientists, even to this day, use the laws of nature to remove God from the universe, but to Boyle and his colleagues in the Invisible College, it was the exact opposite.

A student of the Bible, as well as science, Robert learned Greek, Cyriac, and Hebrew so he could read the Bible in its original languages. Any conflict between the Bible and science, he explained, existed only because of a mistake in the science or an incorrect interpretation of the Scripture.

Robert Boyle’s whole life, including his scientific work, existed to glorify God. He produced many theological writings, including works on Divine love, the evils of swearing, ethics, the study of theology, and the style of Scripture. He even wrote a Christian novel, called the Martyrdom of Theodora and Didymus. He supported numerous missionary works throughout the reaches of the British Empire, including in the American colonies, and in his will established a series of lectures defending the Christian faith from those who would detract from it. Mostly, though, in the great scientist Robert Boyle, we have an unflinching testimony of a humble man who sought to serve and discover His Creator – and to make Him known to the world.

Quotes from Robert Boyle: 

“Is it wise to dispute anxiously about the properties of an atom, and be careless about the enquiry into the attributes of the great God, who formed all things?” 

“I am not a Christian, because it is the religion of my country and my friends. When I choose to travel the beaten road, it is not because I find it is the road, but because I judge it is the way.” 

“From a knowledge of His work, we shall know Him.” 

https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1601-1700/robert-boyle-father-of-modern-chemistry-11630103.html 

https://crev.info/scientists/robert-boyle/ 

https://www.icr.org/article/science-man-god-robert-boyle/

Elias Boudinot / American Bible Society

Elias Boudinot

Elias Boudinot was one of our founding fathers.  Born in Philadelphia in 1740, he was literally the next-door neighbor of Benjamin Franklin growing up, until his father was appointed to a position at Princeton.  Elias became a successful lawyer, and later became an active supporter of the American Revolution.  During the Revolutionary War, he loaned and gave money to equip units for battle.  Elias was elected to the New Jersey Provisional Congress and was appointed a Colonel by General Washington to oversee matters of prisoners of war during the conflict.

Elias was appointed to the Continental Congress after the war, where he served a one-year term as the Congress’ fourth president.  Elias served three terms as elected Representative from New Jersey and, when he refused to run again, President Washington appointed him as director of the US Mint – a position he held for ten years.  During all his time in office and in government service, Elias advocated for the Christian faith in American life.  He did so by advocating for the rights of Native Americans and slaves in the states – using God’s Word as a basis for his advocacy.  He advocated for prayer in the new nation, and was one of the first to push for the establishment of a Thanksgiving Day holiday.

In 1816, when Elias was 75 years old, he was given a report that some young men had researched and written together.  This report painted a bleak picture that many people within the United States had no access to a copy of the Bible.  There were a number of smaller Bible societies in the nation trying to fill this need, with marginal success.  Elias was moved by this, and made extraordinary efforts to unify the various Bible societies and the various Christian churches committed to the cause.  Four months after beginning his work, Elias was named the first president of the American Bible Society.  In response, he said, “I am not ashamed to confess that I accept the appointment as the greatest honor that could have been conferred on me this side of the grave.”  He continued, “I am so convinced that the whole of this business is the work of God Himself, by His Holy Spirit, that even hoping against hope I am encouraged to press on through the good report and evil report, to accomplish His will on earth as it is in Heaven.  So apparent is the hand of God in this disposing the hearts of so many men, so diversified their sentiments as to religious matters of minor importance, and uniting them as a band of brothers in this grand object that even infidels are compelled to say, ‘It is the work of the Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes!’  Having this confidence, let us go on and we shall prosper.”

Elias spent the next 5 years unifying the efforts of the various smaller Bible societies into one homogenous whole.  He donated $10,000 of his own money to set up a headquarters in New York and begin work.  Elias was a big believer in efficiency and innovation, and the American Bible Society became one of the earliest American publishers to use stereotype plates and steam-powered presses in its Bible publishing.  In 1817, the organization presented 65 Bibles to the crew of the USS John Adams – the inauguration of its lengthy and fruitful ministry to the US military.  In 1819, they published their first translation of the Bible, a ministry to the Delaware Indians.

Elias’ death in 1821 has not dimmed the ministry of the American Bible Society.  Today, they remain very active in military ministry, Bible translation, and publishing & distribution – among other ministries.  Elias Boudinot left a fantastic legacy, indeed.

http://sites.tld.bible/history/elias_boudinot/

https://news.americanbible.org/blog/entry/corporate-blog/working-together-for-the-cause-of-the-gospel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elias_Boudinot