39-661: Dwight Lyman Moody (February 5, 1837 – December 22, 1899), also known as D. L. Moody , was an American evangelist and publisher connected with Keswickianism , who founded the Moody Church , Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts (now Northfield Mount Hermon School ), Moody Bible Institute , and Moody Publishers . One of his most famous quotes was "Faith makes all things possible... Love makes all things easy." Moody gave up his lucrative boot and shoe business to devote his life to revivalism , working first in
78-469: A Christian message and usually accompanied by an opportunity to respond with a prayer for salvation . New opportunities for evangelism have been provided in recent decades by increased travel opportunities and by instant communications over the internet. Instant chalk board drawings (while storytelling), using bright poster chalk on large boards, along with ventriloquism and humor, have also been used in schools and churches and at beaches and river banks. In
117-405: A Christian of clear and decided views of Gospel truth, still less to fill any extended sphere of public usefulness. The first meeting I ever saw him at was in a little old shanty that had been abandoned by a saloon-keeper. Mr. Moody had got the place to hold the meetings at night. I went there a little late; and the first thing I saw was a man standing up with a few tallow candles around him, holding
156-532: A day. He complained to his mother, but when she learned that he was getting all he wanted to eat, she sent him back. During this time, she continued to send the children to church. Together with his eight siblings, Dwight was raised in the Unitarian church . His oldest brother ran away and was not heard from by the family until many years later. When Moody turned 17, he moved to Boston to work (after receiving many job rejections locally) in an uncle's shoe store. One of
195-569: A distributor of these American Christian films in France, if Christian films are considered proselytism, all films are a form of proselytism, since films of all genres could each be said to carry a message. Pittsburg Landing Pittsburg Landing is a river landing on the west bank of the Tennessee River in Hardin County , Tennessee . It was named for "Pitts" Tucker who operated a tavern at
234-612: A household name in homes of many Mission Friends. Moody's sermons published in Sweden were distributed in books, newspapers, and colporteur tracts, and they led to the spread of Sweden's "Moody fever" from 1875 through 1880. He preached his last sermon on November 16, 1899, in Kansas City, Missouri . Becoming ill, he returned home by train to Northfield. During the preceding several months, friends had observed he had added some 30 pounds (14 kg) to his already ample frame. Although his illness
273-580: A leadership position; they may be found preaching to large meetings or in governance roles. In addition, Christian groups who encourage evangelism are sometimes known as evangelistic or evangelist . The word evangelist comes from the Koine Greek word εὐανγέλιον (transliterated as euangelion ) via Latinised evangelium as used in the canonical titles of the Four Gospels , authored by (or attributed to) Matthew , Mark , Luke , and John (also known as
312-529: A negro boy, and trying to read to him the story of the Prodigal Son and a great many words he could not readout, and had to skip. I thought, 'If the Lord can ever use such an instrument as that for His honor and glory, it will astonish me.' As a result of his tireless labor, within a year the average attendance at his school was 650, while 60 volunteers from various churches served as teachers. It became so well known that
351-747: A permanent home, so Moody started a church in Chicago, the Illinois Street Church in 1864. In June 1871 at an International Sunday School Convention in Indianapolis , Indiana, Dwight Moody met Ira D. Sankey . He was a gospel singer, with whom Moody soon began to cooperate and collaborate. Four months later, in October 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed Moody's church building, as well as his house and those of most of his congregation. Many had to flee
390-580: A trip to the United Kingdom in the spring of 1872, Moody became well known as an evangelist. Literary works published by the Moody Bible Institute claim that he was the greatest evangelist of the 19th century. He preached almost a hundred times and came into communion with the Plymouth Brethren . On several occasions, he filled stadia of a capacity of 2,000 to 4,000. According to his memoir, in
429-712: The Battle of Shiloh , was fought here on April 6–7, 1862. It had great significance as the first major battle of the Civil War in the west , marking the end of Confederate dominance in Tennessee, and it is commemorated in Shiloh National Military Park . 35°09′08″N 88°19′22″W / 35.15222°N 88.32278°W / 35.15222; -88.32278 This Hardin County, Tennessee geography–related article
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#1732884263771468-627: The China Inland Mission and encouraged many of his congregation to volunteer for service overseas. His influence was felt among Swedes. Being of English heritage, never visiting Sweden or any other Scandinavian country, and never speaking a word of Swedish, nonetheless, he became a hero revivalist among Swedish Mission Friends ( Missionsvänner ) in Sweden and America. News of Moody's large revival campaigns in Great Britain from 1873 through 1875 traveled quickly to Sweden, making "Mr. Moody"
507-555: The Four Evangelists ). The Greek word εὐαγγέλιον originally meant a reward given to the messenger for good news ( εὔ = "good", ἀνγέλλω = "I bring a message"; the word " angel " comes from the same root) and later "good news" itself. The verb form of euangelion , (translated as "evangelism"), occurs rarely in older Greek literature outside the New Testament , making its meaning more difficult to ascertain. Parallel texts of
546-714: The Foursquare Church , was the first woman to use radio to reach a wider audience in the United States. In 1951, producer Dick Ross and Baptist evangelist Billy Graham founded the film production company World Wide Pictures , which would make videos of his preaching and Christian films. In 1960, more than half of the Protestant American missionaries were evangelical. American and European Pentecostal missionaries are also numerous, Pentecostalism can develop independently by non-foreign residents in various regions of
585-665: The 90's (and now in the 2000's) Geoffrey Moran of Australia uses these "old school" methods as they are now new again for both children and adults. Ventriloquism is also returning to radio in the Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy style. In 1831, the Presbyterian Mission Agency was founded by the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America . Various evangelical mission organizations have specialized in evangelism throughout history. In 1792, BMS World Mission
624-529: The Botanic Gardens Palace, he attracted an audience estimated at between 15,000 and 30,000. That turnout continued throughout 1874 and 1875, with crowds of thousands at all of his meetings. During his visit to Scotland, Moody was helped and encouraged by Andrew A. Bonar . The famous London Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon invited him to speak, and he promoted the American as well. When Moody returned to
663-582: The Chicago Bible Institute has likewise renamed the Moody Bible Institute . Dwight D. Eisenhower , who was born in 1890, was named after him. During World War II, the Liberty ship SS Dwight L. Moody was built in Panama City, Florida , and named in his honor. Evangelism In Christianity, evangelism or witnessing is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing
702-635: The Civil War with Union troops through YMCA in the United States Christian Commission. In Chicago, he built one of the major evangelical centers in the nation, which is still active. Working with singer Ira Sankey , he toured the country and the British Isles, drawing large crowds with a dynamic speaking style. Dwight Moody was born in Northfield, Massachusetts , as the seventh child of a large family. His father, Edwin J. Moody (1800–1841),
741-514: The Gospels of Luke and Mark reveal a synonymous relationship between the verb euangelizo ( εὑαγγελίζω ) and a Greek verb kerusso ( κηρύσσω ), which means "to proclaim". Evangelism can include preaching or distributing bibles, tracts, newspapers and/or magazines, by the media, street evangelists, etc. The Bible records that Jesus sent out his disciples to evangelize by visiting peoples homes in pairs of two believers (cf. Luke 10:1–12 ). In
780-545: The US, he was said to frequently attract crowds of 12,000 to 20,000, such crowds being as common as they had been in England. President Grant and some of his cabinet officials attended a Moody meeting on January 19, 1876. Moody held evangelistic meetings from Boston to New York, throughout New England, and as far west as San Francisco, also visiting other West Coast towns from Vancouver, British Columbia , Canada to San Diego . Moody aided
819-482: The Union soldiers after the Battle of Shiloh (a.k.a. Pittsburg Landing ) and the Battle of Stones River ; he also entered Richmond, Virginia , with the troops of General Grant . On August 28, 1862, Moody married Emma C. Revell, with whom he had a daughter, Emma Reynolds Moody, and two sons, William Revell Moody and Paul Dwight Moody . In 1858, he started a Sunday school. The growing Sunday School congregation needed
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#1732884263771858-424: The United States, then a student at Dallas Theological Seminary. In 2007, there were over 10,000 Baptist missionaries in overseas missions around the world. Some consider evangelism to be proselytising , while others argue it is merely free speech. The fact that evangelicals speak about their faith in public is sometimes criticized by the media and it is often associated with proselytism. According to
897-623: The building of a new home for the Carrubbers Close Mission . Moody later preached at the laying of the foundation stone for what is now called the Carrubbers Christian Centre , one of the few buildings on the Royal Mile which continues to be used for its original purpose. Moody greatly influenced the cause of cross-cultural Christian missions after he met Hudson Taylor , a pioneer missionary to China. He actively supported
936-542: The evangelicals, freedom of religion and freedom of expression allow them to discuss their faith like they would discuss other topics. Christian films made by American evangelical production companies are also regularly associated with proselytism. According to Sarah-Jane Murray, screenwriting teacher at the US Film and Christian Television Commission United, Christian films are works of art, not proselytism. For Hubert de Kerangat, communications manager at SAJE Distribution,
975-407: The flames, saving only their lives, and ending up completely destitute. Moody, reporting on the disaster, said about his own situation that: "... he saved nothing but his reputation and his Bible." In the years after the fire, Moody's wealthy Chicago patron John V. Farwell tried to persuade him to make his permanent home in the city, offering to build a new house for Moody and his family. But
1014-596: The just-elected President Lincoln visited and spoke at a Sunday School meeting on November 25, 1860. D. L. Moody "could not conscientiously enlist" in the Union Army during the Civil War, later describing himself as "a Quaker " in this respect. After the Civil War started, he became involved with the United States Christian Commission of YMCA . He paid nine visits to the battlefront, being present among
1053-407: The message and teachings of Jesus Christ . It is sometimes associated with Christian missions . Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists , whether they are in their home communities or living as missionaries in the field, although some Christian traditions refer to such people as missionaries in either case. Some Christian traditions consider evangelists to be in
1092-546: The newly famous Moody, also sought by supporters in New York, Philadelphia, and elsewhere, chose a tranquil farm he had purchased near his birthplace in Northfield, Massachusetts . He felt he could better recover from his lengthy preaching trips in a rural setting. Northfield became an important location in evangelical Christian history in the late 19th century as Moody organized summer conferences. These were led and attended by prominent Christian preachers and evangelists from around
1131-542: The same text, Jesus mentioned that few people were willing to evangelize, despite there being many people who would be receptive to his Gospel message . The child evangelism movement is a Christian evangelism movement that originated in the 20th century. It focuses on the 4/14 Window which centers on evangelizing children between the ages of 4 and 14 years old. Beginning in the 1970s, a group of Christian athletes known as The Power Team spawned an entire genre of Christian entertainment based on strong-man exploits mixed with
1170-497: The second-largest source of missionaries in the world, after the United States and ahead of England. In July 1999, TopChrétien, an evangelical Christian web portal and social network , was launched by Éric Célérier, pastor of the Assemblies of God of France and Estelle Martin. In January 2007, GodTube , a site for sharing videos related to Christianity, especially evangelical, was founded by Christopher Wyatt of Plano, Texas in
1209-555: The site in the years preceding the Civil War . The landing helped connect the west side of the river to a road on the east that went back to Savannah. The landing was home to many families of settlers that migrated from about 1840 to 1860. It is located at latitude 35.15222 and longitude -88.32278 with an elevation of 482 feet (147 m). The aforementioned tavern was on the site that is now Shiloh National Military Park Visitor Center and Shiloh National Military Park/Pittsburg Landing Graveyard. The Battle of Pittsburg Landing, also known as
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1248-530: The uncle's requirements was that Moody attend the Congregational Church of Mount Vernon , where Dr. Edward Norris Kirk served as the pastor. In April 1855 Moody was converted to evangelical Christianity when his Sunday school teacher, Edward Kimball , talked to him about how much God loved him. His conversion sparked the start of his career as an evangelist. Moody first applied to the church in May 1855, but he
1287-607: The work of cross-cultural evangelism by promoting " The Wordless Book ", a teaching tool Charles Spurgeon had developed in 1866. In 1875, Moody added a fourth color to the design of the three-color evangelistic device: gold — to "represent heaven." This "book" has been and is still used to teach uncounted thousands of illiterate people, young and old, around the globe about the gospel message. Moody visited Britain with Ira D. Sankey , with Moody preaching and Sankey singing at meetings. Together they published books of Christian hymns . In 1883, they visited Edinburgh and raised £10,000 for
1326-771: The world, notably in Africa, South America, and Asia. Youth with a Mission was founded in 1960 in United States by Loren Cunningham and his wife Darlene. The Christian Broadcasting Network was founded in 1961 in Virginia Beach , United States, by Baptist minister Pat Robertson . In 1974, Billy Graham and the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization organized the First International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne . In 2004, South Korea became
1365-689: The world. Western Massachusetts has had a rich evangelical tradition including Jonathan Edwards preaching in colonial Northampton and C.I. Scofield preaching in Northfield. A protégé of Moody founded Moores Corner Church, in Leverett, Massachusetts . Moody founded two schools here: Northfield School for Girls, founded in 1879, and the Mount Hermon School for Boys, founded in 1881. In the late 20th century, these merged, forming today's co-educational, nondenominational Northfield Mount Hermon School. During
1404-462: Was a small farmer and stonemason. His mother was Betsey Moody (née Holton; 1805–1896). They had five sons and a daughter before Dwight's birth. His father died when Dwight was age four; fraternal twins, a boy, and a girl were born one month after the father's death. Their mother struggled to support the nine children but had to send some off to work for their room and board. Dwight too was sent off, where he received cornmeal, porridge, and milk three times
1443-1126: Was founded in Kettering , England by William Carey . In 1814, the American Baptist International Ministries was founded by the American Baptist Churches USA in United States. In 1865, OMF International was founded by Hudson Taylor in England. In 1893, in Lagos in Nigeria, SIM was founded by Walter Gowans , Rowland Bingham , and Thomas Kent . Samuel E. Hill, John H. Nicholson, and William J. Knights founded Gideons International , an organization which distributes free Bibles to hotels, motels, hospitals, military bases, prisons, schools, and universities, in Janesville in Wisconsin, United States, in 1899. In 1922, Canadian evangelical evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson , founder of
1482-475: Was never diagnosed, it has been speculated that he suffered from congestive heart failure. He died on December 26, 1899, surrounded by his family. Already installed as the leader of the Chicago Bible Institute, R. A. Torrey succeeded Moody as its pastor. Religious historian James Findlay says that: Ten years after Moody's death the Chicago Avenue Church was renamed the Moody Church in his honor, and
1521-524: Was not received as a church member until May 4, 1856. According to Moody's memoir, his teacher, Edward Kimball, said: I can truly say, and in saying it I magnify the infinite grace of God as bestowed upon him, that I have seen few persons whose minds were spiritually darker than was his when he came into my Sunday School class; and I think that the committee of the Mount Vernon Church seldom met an applicant for membership more unlikely ever to become
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