The Study Room, Christian library, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

 

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“A little knowledge of God is worth a lot more than a great deal of knowledge about God” (J.I. Packer, emphasis mine).

That title probably got your attention. To be honest, that was the point! But what am I going to be talking about in this blog post with a hook like that? Well…men who have died, yes; but they are men who lived for God consistently: A.W. Pink; G. Campbell Morgan; H. A. Ironside; Dr. John Phillips; Dr. J. Vernon McGee; Warren W. Wiersbe; William MacDonald.

The idea behind this blog was to enable me to get to know some of the authors here in The Study Room who had written Bible commentaries. Some I already knew; some I was simply struck by the book’s name; some I had heard about in passing. Upon researching them, I was not to be disappointed with who these men were. The title sprang out of a conversation with a good friend about prominent pastors and Christian authors who were leaving their faith or who had done something horrific. Some of those authors were in The Study Room and their books had to be taken out. So disappointing! But dead men don’t sin or recant on their faith, hence the title. Their lives are now a standfast testament to how God can use a willing heart…a heart that knows of Him and not just about Him.

Each section gives the author’s brief biography. Tidbits about their early lives, their conversions, their work and impact, and their deaths. They were also all (well, with the exception of one) connected to D. L. Moody, the Moody Church, or the Moody Bible Institute. Following that is a list of books we currently have at The Study Room by each of these men. So enjoy, then stop by to check them out for yourself!     

Arthur Walkington Pink (A.W. Pink)

A.W. Pink, born in 1886, was from England though he left his homeland for the United States as a young man. While in the United States, he studied at Moody Bible Institute then sought to serve God through pastoring various churches. During this time his beliefs wavered between dispensational theology and covenant theology (Don’t know what those terms mean? We offer a few books on that topic at The Study Room). Pink consistently aimed to point people back to “an understanding of the gospel,” which led him to give up his pastoral position to exclusively write. Among his most important works are the Studies in the Scriptures, which were started in 1922. Pink finally settled in England again and there continued to dedicate his life to writing. After his death in 1952, his studies continued to be published from the stockpile of notes he had made. Pink’s writings greatly influenced Martin Lloyd-Jones (we have some of his works, too) and Douglas Johnson who started Inter-Varsity.

George Campbell Morgan (G. Campbell Morgan)

G. Campbell Morgan was also from England and was born in 1863. At the age of ten, Morgan was inspired by D.L. Moody when Moody first came to England to preach. Morgan himself soon took to the pulpit at the tender age of 13 and continued serving God this way until the age of 19. From 1882 to 1884 Morgan went through a time of doubt; however, he came through that season more dedicated to Bible reading and study. Though he never received any formal training and after God shut a few doors, Morgan began to serve as pastor to the Congregational Ministry (we have a history book available to explain who they are). Over the years, Morgan was back and forth from the United States and England serving God as speaker, pastor, director, teacher, and author. He finally returned to England to finish his career at the Westminster Chapel. Interestingly enough, Martin Lloyd-Jones succeeded Morgan when he retired in 1943. At the age of 81, two years after his retirement, Morgan passed away.

Henry Allan Ironside (H.A. Ironside)

H.A. Ironside had an interesting American childhood. Born to passionate evangelists in 1876 after a difficult delivery, Ironside was thought stillborn. Only after forty minutes was he rechecked and found to have a heartbeat. Then at the age of two, Ironside lost his father to typhoid, and his mother worked hard as a seamstress to keep the family going. Missionaries were often welcomed into the home, and two in particular would always ask young Ironside if he was saved. He always replied with a list of what he did for the Lord. After a move to Los Angeles, Ironside thought he was rid of those missionaries and their annoying questions. Ironside started a Sunday School shortly after the move to LA and preached the word of God faithfully. However, those two missionaries came for another visit! The one missionary challenged Ironside on how he can teach the word of God without being a believer himself. After a six-month battle in his heart, Ironside accepted Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. He had known a lot about God; now he knew of God. As an adult, Ironside was an itinerate speaker, an author, and the pastor of Moody Church (D.L. Moody comes up again!). He pastored that church until 1948 at which point he had been speaking for 58 year. Along with being a speaker, Ironside was a prolific writer. He passed away three years after retirement in 1951 at the age of 71. These guys don’t seem to live long after they retire! Though he was of the Plymouth Brethren background (therefore quite conservative in doctrine), Ironside was leaning toward Replacement Theology near the end of his life.     

Dr. John Phillips

It was actually a little hard to find information on Dr. John Phillips. He just so happens to share a name with a musician and another theologian. However, we found the right one who was born in 1927 in South Wales, United Kingdom. Though I was unable to find any information regarding his childhood, we do know that he served in the British army during the years leading up to the rebirth of the state of Israel. After World War II, he moved to Canada where he worked at a bank, got married, and started a church. Eventually he found his way to the United States where he served on staff at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago for 25 years (there’s D.L. Moody yet again!). In addition to his work at the college, Phillips was director of the Emmaus Correspondence School (we have some of their studies to give away) and was a prolific author. He is best known for his Exploring The Bible series of which we have 13. Phillips went to be with the Lord July 2010.

Dr. John Vernon McGee (J. Vernon McGee)

John Vernon McGee, a Christian fundamentalist, was born in Texas in 1904. McGee lost his father at the age of 14, and his mother moved him and his sister to Nashville, Tennessee. After being supported through Seminary, and receiving two of his four degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary, McGee started pastoring. He met and married Ruth Inez Jordan during his early pastoring days. They spent many happy years in Pasadena, California, with their young family as McGee served at a Presbyterian Church. Then in 1941 McGee was persuaded to start a radio program, which grew from The Open Bible Hour to Thru the Bible. He dedicated the rest of his life to this ministry. Before his death he gave the directive to “just play the tapes until the money runs out.” He went peacefully to be with the Lord in 1988 after falling asleep in his chair. His Thru the Bible messages were turned into commentaries, of which we have all.

Warren Wendall Wiersbe (Warren Wiersbe)

This well-loved author was born May 16, 1929, in East Chicago, Indiana. A fun family fact: his father was a lactose-intolerant milkman. Warren Wiersbe was the youngest of three brothers, and he was the different one. Not athletic nor mechanical, he developed a love of the library for reading and studying. God would use this later on once Wiersbe was a believer. At 16, Wiersbe went to a Youth for Christ event and heard the 26-year-old Billy Graham. After the message, Wiersbe went forward and trusted in Christ as his Lord and Savior. From there Wiersbe finished high school, studied at a few different universities, and became a pastor right in his own hometown. In 1953 he married Betty, a librarian (told you his love of the library would be used by God…and you thought to lead him to be a pastor and student of the Bible 😊), and they had four children, two boys and two girls. From there we see how God used Wiersbe: pastor, director of Literature for Youth for Christ, pastor of Moody Church (he comes up yet again!!!), having his sermons broadcast on the radio, writing article, professor, director of Back to the Bible, and book editor. Oh, don’t forget the 150 books he wrote in his spare time! After a life dedicated to teaching and sharing the word of God, Wiersbe went home to his Lord May 2, 2019, days shy of his 90th birthday. Best quote: “Getting a wife is something like being saved. You make a decision and then you discover you’ve been chosen. And this is what happened. We just knew we were made for each other.”    

William MacDonald

The last, but not least, author we are looking at for this blog is William MacDonald. He was born in Massachusetts, USA, on January 7, 1917, to Scottish parents. The family moved to Scotland for a short time where MacDonald developed a love for that country during that time. As a young boy, MacDonald lived through life-threatening diphtheria. There is not a lot of information surrounding his salvation story, but we do know he accepted Christ as his Savior at the age of 18. William MacDonald served in the navy during WWII, then he became a teacher at Emmaus Bible School. After 13 years of teaching, MacDonald became the president for five years. Following his Emmaus years, MacDonald traveled the world teaching, focused on his writing, and established the Discipleship Interim Training Program. He was a simple, humble man who loved the Lord and really dedicated his life to serving God. William MacDonald never married, but he lived a full life. He loved to entertain visitors and even had a verse memory game to play with them after dessert. MacDonald worked up to his last breath on December 25th, 2007. (Humm, no mention of Moody in this one. 😊)  

Books at The Study Room by Those Authors
A.W. Pink:
Studies in the Scriptures, 1946; Pursuit of God; Gleanings in the Godhead; Gleanings In Genesis; Gleanings In Exodus; Gleanings In Joshua; Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount; Gleanings from Paul; Exposition Of Hebrews.

G. Campbell Morgan:
Answers of Jesus to Job; Bible and the cross; Great Physician: The Method of Jesus with Individuals; In the Shadow of Grace; Gospel According to Matthew; Gospel According to Mark; Gospel According to Luke; Gospel According to John; Corinthian Letters of Paul.

H. A. Ironside:
Holiness, the False and the True (his autobiography) ; Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther; Proverbs; Daniel; Minor Prophets; Matthew; Mark; Luke; John; Acts; Romans; I Corinthians; II Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; I & II Thessalonians.

Dr. John Phillips:
100 Devotions for Pastors and Church Leaders; 100 Old Testament Sermon Outlines; Exploring The Scriptures: An Expository Commentary; Sermon Outlines on the Psalms; Exploring The Book of Daniel; Jesus Our Lord: 24 Portraits Of The Cross Throughout Scripture; Exploring The Gospel of Matthew; Exploring The Gospel of Mark; Exploring The Gospel of Luke; Exploring The Gospel of John; Exploring Acts; Exploring Romans; Exploring I Corinthians; Exploring II Corinthians; Exploring Ephesians & Philippians ; Exploring Colossians & Philemon; Exploring Hebrews; Exploring Revelation ; Exploring People of the New Testament.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee:
Thru The Bible: Genesis Through Deuteronomy; Thru The Bible: Joshua Through Psalms; Thru The Bible: Proverbs Through Malachi; Thru The Bible: Matthew Through Romans; Thru The Bible: 1 Corinthians Through Revelation; Thru The Bible: Briefing The Bible.

Warren W. Wiersbe:
Angry People: Understanding & Overcoming Anger; Be Challenged; Best of A. W. Tozer; How to Be a Caring Christian; Ministering To The Mourning; On Being a Leader for God
On Being A Servant Of God; Strategy Of Satan; Ten Power Principles for Christian Service
Victorious Christians You Should Know; Be Basic; Be Obedient; Be Authentic; Be Responsible; Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament, Genesis – Deuteronomy; Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament History; Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament, Wisdom and Poetry; Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament, The Prophets; Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament Vol 1; Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament Vol 2; Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament; Classic Sermons on the Fruit of the Spirit; The Whole Set of Classic Sermons on…(we have them all).

William MacDonald:
Christ Loved the Church; Enjoying the Proverbs; Fundamental, Important, and Non-Essential Issues; Kingdom Divided; My Heart, My Life, My All; True Discipleship.


Work Cited:
Anonymous. “Life of George Campbell Morgan.” Wells of Grace,
https://wellsofgrace.com/biography/english/morgan.htm.
Manser, Martin H.. The Westminster Collection of Christian Quotations. Westminster John
Know Press, 2001.
Murrey, Iain H.. “The Life of Arthur W. Pink.” Banner of Truth, 2022,
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/history-biography/life-of-arthur-w-pink/.
Reese, Ed. “The Life and Ministry of Henry (Harry) Allen Ironside.” Wholesome Words, 1996-
2022, https://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/bioironside.html.
Taylor, Justin. “Warren Wiersbe (1929–2019).” The Gospel Coalition, May 3, 2019,
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/warren-wiersbe-1929-2019/.
Wikipedia. “J. Vernon McGee.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Vernon_McGee.
Williams, Matt. “William MacDonald: Author and Teacher.” Gospel Folio Press,
https://gospelfolio.com/2014/06/23/william-macdonald-author-and-teacher/.
“William MacDonald.” William-macdoanld.org, https://www.william-
macdonald.org/index.php/biographical/william-macdonald
Winston-Salem, N.C. “Obituary of Dr. John Phillips.” Bowling Green Daily News, July 2010,
https://www.bgdailynews.com/obituaries/dr-john-phillips/article_13952624-afc4-5f10-
9f53-c7d8d27ad712.html.
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