Cleland Boyd McAfee (September 25, 1866 – February 4, 1944) was an American

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister and

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 ''hymn'' d ...

writer, best known for penning the gospel hymn, "Near to the Heart of God," and its tune called "McAfee". He wrote the song after the concurrent deaths of two of his young nieces, caused by

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...

. He also is believed to be the creator of the acronym TULIP, which represents the Five Points of Calvinism. McAfee was born in

Ashley, Missouri Ashley is a census-designated place in Pike County, Missouri, United States. It has a population of 94 in the 2020 census. It is located on Route 161, approximately six miles south of Bowling Green. Ashley was plat In the United States ...

, in 1866, as one of five children. His father, John Armstrong McAfee, was the founder of Park College in Parkville, Missouri and its president from 1875 until his death in 1890. The son graduated from Park College in 1884, and later graduated from Union Theological Seminary in New York. McAfee went on to serve as a professor of philosophy, choir director, pastor and dean of Park College until 1901, when he left to minister at the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. McAfee moved from First Presbyterian in 1904, to pastor the Lafayette Avenue Church of Brooklyn, in Brooklyn, New York. McAfee also taught systematic theology at McCormick Theological Seminary, from 1912 to 1930. In 1912, McAfee authored the treatise, "The Greatest English Classic: A Study Of The King James Version Of The Bible." He was moderator of the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, and led the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions from 1930 to 1936. He died in 1944. On August 10, 1892, McAfee married Harriet "Hattie" Lawson Brown; they had three children, Ruth Myrtle, Katharine Agnes, and Mildred Helen. Mildred Helen McAfee Horton went on to become president of Wellesley College (1936-1949) and the first director of

WAVES United States Naval Reserve (Women's Reserve), better known as the WAVES (for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), was the women's branch of the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. It was established on July 21, 1942, ...

(Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

(1942–46).

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Cleland Boyd McAfee
at Open Library 1866 births 1944 deaths American Calvinist and Reformed theologians 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers Union Theological Seminary alumni 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed ministers People from Pike County, Missouri Park University alumni Park University faculty 20th-century American clergy Moderators of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America {{Christian-bio-stub