George Henry Lang (20 November 1874 – 20 October 1958) was an English

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

teacher, author, and

biblical scholar Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible, with ''Bible'' referring to the books of the canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Jewish usage and the Christian Bible including the can ...

. Of his

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

contemporaries, Lang was influenced by the writings of

G.H. Pember George Hawkins Pember (1837 – July 1910) was an English theologian and author. He was affiliated with the Plymouth Brethren. Early life, education and marriages Pember was born in Hereford, the son of George Hawkins Pember (1805–77) and Ma ...

, C.H. Spurgeon,

Arthur Tappan Pierson Arthur Tappan Pierson (March 6, 1837 – June 3, 1911) was an American Presbyterian pastor, Christian leader, missionary and writer who preached over 13,000 sermons, wrote over fifty books, and gave Bible lectures as part of a transatlantic p ...

, and

George Müller George Müller (born Johann Georg Ferdinand Müller, 27 September 1805 – 10 March 1898) was a Christianity, Christian Evangelism, evangelist and the director of the New Orphan Houses, Ashley Down, Bristol, Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol ...

Life and Belief

Lang was born in

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, England. His mother died shortly after Lang's birth, and he was raised under the influence of his Christian father. Lang made a profession of the

Christian faith Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

and dedicated his life to

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

at 7 years old. His family belonged to the

Exclusive Brethren The Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical movement generally described as the Plymouth Brethren. They are distinguished from the Open Brethren from whom they separated in 1848. The Exclusive Brethren are now spread int ...

; but later in life, he affiliated himself with the

Open Brethren The Open Brethren, sometimes called Christian Brethren, are a group of Evangelicalism, Evangelical Christianity, Christian churches that arose in the late 1820s as part of the Assembly Movement within the Plymouth Brethren tradition. They origi ...

. Lang held the belief that the only qualification for a believer was having made a sincere profession of faith. For this one belief, Lang is considered by some

Plymouth Brethren The Plymouth Brethren or Assemblies of Brethren are a low church and Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist Christian movement whose history can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland, in the mid to late 1820s, where it originated from Anglica ...

as the most controversial figure since Darby regarding the administration of the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

affairs.Douglas W. Brealey, "The Witness," December 1958 Later in Lang's life and teachings, he challenged Darby's "federation view" of the church and stressed the local fellowship's autonomy and independence.G. H. Lang, ''The Churches of God – Their Constitution, Government, Discipline and Ministry'', London: The Paternoster Press, 1959.

Ministry and work

Lang upheld a principle that he "did not look to man for the means of his subsistence, but only to God", and Lang's faith grew with its exercise. In Lang's words,

Praying is working, and not merely an adjunct to working. It is a form of working, and not simply a somewhat properly added to our efforts out of reverence to the Almighty; nor is it only an appeal for His blessing to prosper our labours. When a righteous man prays he works. For prayer in the spirit is one agency by which the Spirit of God effects through the believer His will, and is, indeed, a putting forth of His energy.

Lang was a very close student of the

Holy Scriptures Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and l ...

and an independent thinker. He was not prepared to take traditional interpretations unless he was personally convinced that they were right. Lang was also an active

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

preacher and from time to time he was found in countries from the

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n deserts to the

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n steppes preaching. Lang almost traveled and preached in the entire world in his missionary career. Lang once said,Schoettle Publishing Company, ''A Short Biography of George Henry Lang''

No man should write a book until he is 40. He needs to prove his theories in practice before publishing.

Most of Lang's books were published after he was 50 years old.

Death

Lang died at age 83, in

Wimborne Wimborne Minster (often referred to as Wimborne, ) is a market town in Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town. It lies at the confluence of the River Stour and the River Allen, north of Pool ...

Dorset, England Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to th ...

Books

Lang's writings include fourteen major books and many other booklets. Some of his works are noted below. *''Anthony Norris Groves'' - Biography of A.N. Groves *''Praying is Working'' *''Atoning Blood'' *''The Unequal Yoke'' *''Firstfruits and Harvest'' *''Firstborn Sons -Their Rights and Risk'' *''The New Birth'' *''The Clean Heart'' *''Balanced Christianity'' *''Coming Events, An Outline of Bible Prophecy'' *''The Earlier Years of the Modern Tongues Movement'' *''Departure - An Appeal Addressed by one of Themselves Mainly to Christians Known as Open Brethren'' *''Divine Guidance - Its Reality, Methods, Conditions'' *''The First Resurrection'' *''God's Plan - Christ's Suffering and the Spirit's Power'' *''The History and Diaries of an Indian Christian - J.C. Aroolappen'' *''The Local Assembly'' *''The Histories and Prophecies of Daniel'' *''The Epistle to the Hebrews'' *''The Revelation of Jesus Christ'' *''An Ordered Life - The Autobiography of G.H. Lang''

Translations

Translated by Lang from the German language of

Erich Sauer Erich Sauer (1898–1959) was a German dispensationalist Christian theologian associated with the Plymouth Brethren. His various books have sold around one million copies. Early life Sauer was born in Berlin in 1898, his mother was already a Chris ...

: * ''The Dawn of World Redemption'' * ''The Triumph of the Crucified'' * ''From Eternity to Eternity'' * ''In the Arena of Faith''

References

External links

Concerning the Ground of the Church
Bible expositors, those who over the past century and a half, have seen the ground of the church

- Books by G. H. Lang {{DEFAULTSORT:Lang, George H. 1874 births 1958 deaths 19th-century evangelicals 20th-century evangelicals British Plymouth Brethren English evangelicals Evangelical theologians