Adoniram Judson "A. J." Gordon (1836–1895) was an American

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

preacher, writer, composer, and founder of Gordon College and

Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) is an evangelical seminary with its main campus in Hamilton, Massachusetts, and three other campuses in Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Jacksonville, Florida. According to the As ...

Life

Gordon was born in

New Hampton, New Hampshire New Hampton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,377 at the 2020 census. A winter sports resort area, New Hampton is home to George Duncan State Forest and to the New Hampton School, a private prepara ...

, on April 19, 1836. His father, Baptist

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

John Calvin Gordon, was a

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

named after John Calvin. His mother was Sally Robinson Gordon. A.J. Gordon was named after Adoniram Judson, a Baptist missionary to

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

who had recently completed a Burmese translation of the Bible. Gordon experienced a Christian conversion at age 15 and thereafter sought to become a pastor. He graduated from Brown University (then a Baptist affiliated school) in 1860 and

Newton Theological Institution Newton Theological Institution was a Baptist theological seminary founded on November 28, 1825 in Newton Centre, Massachusetts.Hovey, Alvah, Historical Address Delivered at the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Newton Theological Institution, June 8, 1 ...

in 1863. In 1863, he married Maria Hale and became pastor of Jamaica Plain Baptist Church in

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts. Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for neighborhood services coordination. The city states that Roxbury se ...

. In 1869, he became pastor of Clarendon Street Baptist Church in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, a fairly affluent church. Under Gordon's leadership, Clarendon Street Church was described as "one of the most spiritual and aggressive in America". The church is no longer in operation. Gordon became a favored speaker in evangelist Dwight L. Moody's Northfield conventions. Every summer Gordon returned to his hometown in New Hampshire and often preached at the Dana Meeting House. Gordon became suddenly ill with influenza and

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

and died at age 59 on February 2, 1895. He is buried in

Forest Hills Cemetery Forest Hills Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery, greenspace, arboretum and sculpture garden located in the Forest Hills section of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery was established in 1848 as a public ...

. A son, Ernest Barron Gordon, published a biography of his father in 1896, titled ''Adoniram Judson Gordon, a Biography with Letters and Illustrative Extracts Drawn from Unpublished or Uncollected Sermons and Addresses'', which is still in print.

College

In 1889, with the help and backing of Clarendon Street Church, he founded Gordon Bible Institute and served as its first president. His wife, Maria, was secretary and treasurer until 1908. Gordon's school was founded primarily to train missionaries for work in the Congo.

Writings and teachings

Gordon edited two

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...

books and wrote the hymn tunes for at least fifteen hymns, including "My Jesus, I Love Thee," a hymn that has been included in nearly every evangelical hymnal published from 1876 to the present time. In his book ''The Ministry of the Holy Spirit'', Gordon wrote, "It seems clear from the Scriptures that it is still the duty and privilege of believers to receive the Holy Spirit by a conscious, definite act of appropriating faith, just as they received Jesus Christ" (see

Baptism with the Holy Spirit In Christian theology, baptism with the Holy Spirit, also called baptism in the Holy Spirit or baptism in the Holy Ghost, has been interpreted by different Christian denominations and traditions in a variety of ways due to differences in the doct ...

). His most remembered work is probably ''The Ministry of Healing'', a highly revered book on divine healing—physical, mental, and spiritual.Dr. R. A. Torrey
Gordon located healing in Christ's

Atonement Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ...

, meaning it was universally available through faith in Christ. He prayed for the sick privately, however, and did not integrate healing into his regular church ministry. ''The Ministry of Healing'' became a standard work among early

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

Published works

* ''Adoniram Judson Gordon: A Biography'' * ''Congregational Worship'' * ''Ecce Venit: Behold He Cometh'' * ''A Faithful Past; An Expectant Future'' * ''The First Thing in the World, or, The Primacy of Faith'' * ''The Holy Spirit in Missions'' * ''How Christ Came to Church'' * ''In Christ, or, The Believer's Union with His Lord'' * ''Journal of Our Journey'' * ''The Ministry of Healing, or, Miracles of Cure in All Ages'' * ''The Ministry of the Spirit'' * ''The Ministry of Women'' * ''A School of Christ'' * ''Shaping A Heritage'' * ''The Twofold Life, or, Christ's Work for Us and Christ's Work in Us'' * ''Yet Speaking: A Collection of Addresses''

Gallery

File:Dana Meeting House in New Hampton NH.jpg, Dana Meeting House in his hometown in New Hampshire, where Judson preached during the summers File:Clarendon Street Church.jpg, Clarendon Street Church in Boston File:A.J. Gordon.jpg, Rev. Adoniram Judson Gordon later in life File:AJ Gordon grave.jpg, A.J. Gordon's grave

References

External links

* *
A Short Biography of Adonirum Judson Gordon

A Biography of A. J. Gordon with Letters and Illustrative Extracts Drawn from Unpublished or Uncollected Sermons & Addresses
by his son, Ernest Barron Gordon (PDF Extract) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Adoniram Judson 1836 births 1895 deaths Brown University alumni Baptist ministers from the United States American Christian hymnwriters 19th-century American writers 19th-century American musicians People from South End, Boston People from New Hampton, New Hampshire 19th-century American clergy