Hello and welcome to episode 66 of the Giants of the Faith podcast. I'm Robert Daniels and I'm the host of this show where we look at Christians that have done important work for the Kingdom of God in the last two millennia. In today's episode we're continuing the faith march toward Billy Graham. We started this journey by profiling the travelling salesman Edward Kimball, then the world renowned evangelist DL Moody. Today it's the lesser-known John Wilbur Chapman, a Presbyterian evangelist and pastor who was one of the most influential leaders of the revival movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Chapman was born in Richmond, Indiana, on June 17, 1859, to Alexander and Lorinda Chapman. His parents were devout Christians who prepared him for a life of ministry. Chapman attended Quaker Day School and Methodist Sunday School as a child, and at age 17, he made a public declaration of his faith and joined the Richmond Presbyterian Church. He went on to study at Oberlin College, Lake Forest University, and Lane Theological Seminary, where he was ordained in 1881 while still a student. He married Irene Steddom in 1882, but she died four years later after giving birth to their daughter, Bertha Irene. Chapman remarried in 1888 to Agnes Pruyn Strain, who bore him four more children: Robert, John Wilbur Jr., Alexander Hamilton, and Agnes Pruyn. His second wife died in 1907, and he married his third and final wife, Mabel Cornelia Moulton, in 1910.
Chapman served as a pastor in several churches in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey from 1882 to 1902. He was known for his eloquent preaching, his pastoral care, and his social involvement. He also wrote many books and articles on Christian topics, such as The Secret of a Happy Day, The Ivory Palaces of the King, and Present Day Parables.
In addition to his work as a pastor and author, Chapman also felt a strong call to evangelism, and in 1893 he began to preach with the legendary D.L. Moody at the World's Fair in Chicago. Chapman was impressed by Moody's passion and methods, and he decided to devote himself to full-time evangelistic work.
One of Champan's earliest and most influential sermons was "The Master is Come and Calleth for Thee", based on John 11:28, which he preached in 1893 at the World's Fair in Chicago with D.L. Moody. This sermon was about the resurrection of Lazarus and the invitation of Jesus to come to him. It was a message of hope and comfort for those who were grieving or suffering, and a call to repentance and faith for those who were indifferent or rebellious. Chapman used this sermon as a model for many of his later evangelistic messages.
He also hired Billy Sunday as an advance man after hearing him give a testimony at a YMCA meeting. , thus giving him his start in evangelism. And it's Billy Sunday that's the next link in our chain of faith that is leading to Graham. Chapman was not only Sunday's employer, but also his friend and mentor. He helped Sunday to grow in his faith, his preaching skills, and his evangelistic vision. He encouraged Sunday to pursue his own calling as an evangelist, and gave him opportunities to preach at some of his meetings. Chapman and Sunday complemented each other well, as Chapman was more refined and scholarly, while Sunday was more energetic and popular. He also supported Sunday financially and spiritually when he launched his independent ministry in 1896. He gave him advice, books, and contacts that helped him to succeed in his work. We'll look at Sunday's life and ministry in more detail in the next episode.
In 1895, Champan was appointed as the Corresponding Secretary of the Presbyterian General Assembly's Committee on Evangelism, overseeing the activities of 51 evangelists in 470 cities. He also developed his own evangelistic strategy, which involved holding simultaneous meetings in different sections of a city with teams of preachers and singers. He called this the "Chapman-Alexander Simultaneous Campaign", after his partner Charles McCallon Alexander, a popular gospel singer who led the music ministry.
Charles McCallon Alexander was a famous gospel singer and evangelist who lived from 1867 to 1920. He was born in Tennessee and attended Moody Bible Institute. He traveled around the world with various preachers leading the singing and the personal work in revival meetings. He married Helen Cadbury, the daughter of the president of Cadbury Chocolate Company, in 1904. She joined him in his ministry and helped him spread The Pocket Testament League, a movement that encouraged people to read and share the Bible. Helen founded the Pocket Testament League in 1893. She was then a 12-year-old girl who wanted to introduce her classmates to Jesus. She formed a group with her friends who agreed to carry a pocket-sized Bible with them and share it with others. The movement spread around the world and has inspired millions of people to share God's Word. And it continues to this day. Alexander died in England and was buried in Lodge Hill Cemetery. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1991.
The first Chapman-Alexander campaign, which also included Billy Sunday, was held in Philadelphia in 1908, where they divided the city into 42 sections and reached about 8,000 converts. They repeated this method in many other cities across America and around the world, such as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Melbourne, and Shanghai. They also trained thousands of lay workers and pastors to follow up with the new believers and organize them into churches. Chapman was one of the most successful evangelists of his time, reaching an estimated 60 million people with the gospel. He was also a leader of several Christian organizations and movements, such as the World's Christian Fundamentals Association, the National Bible Institute (now Nyack College), the Winona Lake Bible Conference (now Grace College), and the Montreat Conference Center. He was a friend and mentor to many other prominent Christians of his era, such as R.A. Torrey, J. Campbell White, J. Gresham Machen, Oswald Chambers, and others.
Chapman died on December 25th, 1918 , in New York City ,after suffering from pneumonia. He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx ,New York. His legacy lives on through his writings, his institutions, and his spiritual descendants. He was a giant of the faith in his own right who inspired many to follow Jesus Christ. Thanks for listening. Until next time, God bless.
RESOURCES
Wholesome Words: https://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/bchapman4.html
Canton Baptist Temple: https://christianhof.org/chapman/
Leben: https://leben.us/j-wilbur-chapman-hymnwriter-and-evangelist/
American Profile: https://americanprofile.com/articles/wilbur-chapman-evangelist/
Ancient-Modern Study Bible: https://www.christianbook.com/nkjv-comfort-ancient-modern-cloth-board/9780785215974/pd/215977?event=ESRCG