Harry Ironside
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Henry Allan "Harry" Ironside (October 14, 1876 – January 15, 1951) was a Canadian–American
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teacher, preacher,
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,
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and author who pastored
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in
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from 1929 to 1948.


Biography

Ironside was born in
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,
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, to John and Sophia (Stafford) Ironside, who were both active in the
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 ...
. At birth, Harry was thought to be dead, so the attending nurses focused their attention on Sophia, who was dangerously ill. Only when a pulse was detected in Harry, 40 minutes later, was an attempt made to resuscitate the infant. When Harry was two years old, his father, John, died of
typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...
at the age of 27. From a very early age, Ironside showed a strong interest in
evangelical Christianity Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
, and was active in the
Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
as a teenager before later joining the "Grant" section of the Plymouth Brethren. The family then moved to
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, on December 12, 1886, and as they found no
Sunday school ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...
there to attend, young Harry started his own at age 11. Gathering old burlap bags, Harry and his childhood friends sewed them together, producing a burlap tent that could accommodate up to 100 people. Unable to find an adult teacher, Ironside himself did the teaching, with attendance averaging 60 children—and a few adults—each week. In 1888, well-known evangelist
Dwight L. Moody 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 Mas ...
preached at a campaign in Los Angeles, with meetings held at
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(later known as "Temple Pavilion"), which could seat up to 8,000. This was an inspiration to Ironside, who hoped to also be able to preach to such crowds one day. In 1889, after a visit from evangelist Donald Munro, Ironside became convinced that he was not "
born again To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...
", and so gave up preaching at his Sunday school, spending the next six months wrestling with this spiritual problem. After an evening of prayer, in February 1890, Ironside, at age 13, received Christ. As he is quoted as saying years later, "I rested on the Word of God and confessed Christ as my Savior." Ironside then returned to preaching, winning his first convert. Though he was taunted at school, he was undeterred from his mission to win souls. Later that year, his mother remarried, to William D. Watson. Ironside graduated from the eighth grade, began working as a part-time cobbler, and decided he had enough education (he never attended school again, a decision he later regretted). During the daytime, young Ironside worked full-time at a photography studio, and at night he preached at Salvation Army meetings, becoming known as the "boy preacher". At age 16, he left the photography business and became a preacher full-time with the Salvation Army. Commissioned a Lieutenant in the Salvation Army, Ironside was soon preaching over 400 sermons a year around
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. At 18, the grueling schedule had taken its toll on his health, and Ironside resigned his commission, entering the Beulah Rest Home to recuperate. In 1896, at 20, he moved to
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, becoming associated again with the Plymouth Brethren. While there, he began helping at British evangelist Henry Varley's meetings and there met pianist Helen Schofield, daughter of a
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 ...
pastor in
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. The two soon married. In 1898, Ironside's mother died, and less than a year later, Harry and Helen's first son, Edmund Henry, was born. In 1900, the family moved across the bay to Oakland, where Harry resumed a nightly preaching schedule. They resided there until 1929. In 1903, Ironside accepted his first East Coast preaching invitation, but on returning, the family had only enough funds to make it as far as
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,
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, where he spent the next ten days doing street preaching. Just as the last of their money for a hotel ran out, they received an anonymous envelope with $15, enough to return to Oakland. In 1905, a second son, John Schofield Ironside, was born. During this time, Ironside also began his career as a writer, publishing several Bible commentary pamphlets. In 1914, he rented a storefront and established the Western Book and Tract Company, which operated successfully until the Depression in the late 1920s. From 1916 to 1929, Ironside preached almost 7,000 sermons to over 1.25 million listeners. In 1918, he was associated with evangelist George McPherson; and in 1924, Ironside began preaching under the direction of the
Moody Bible Institute Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have identified it as ...
. In 1926, he was invited to a full-time faculty position at the
Dallas Theological Seminary Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system of dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as extension ...
, an offer he turned down, although he was frequently a visiting lecturer there from 1925 to 1943. After preaching a series of sermons at the Moody Church in Chicago, Ironside was invited in 1929 to serve a trial year as pastor. The following year he became the official pastor, and he served there until 1948. He preached at Moody Church almost every Sunday, with the 4,000-seat auditorium filled to capacity. He continued to preach in other US cities as well; and in 1932, he began traveling abroad. In 1938, Ironside toured England, Scotland and Ireland, preaching 142 times, to crowds of upwards of 2,000. In 1942, he also became president of the missionary organization
Africa Inland Mission Established in 1895, Africa Inland Mission (AIM) is a Christian mission sending agency focused on Africa. Their stated mission is to see "Christ-centered churches established among all African peoples." AIM established the Kapsowar Hospital in 1 ...
. In 1935, Ironside preached the
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of
Billy Sunday William Ashley Sunday (November 19, 1862 – November 6, 1935) was an American evangelist and professional baseball outfielder. He played for eight seasons in the National League before becoming the most influential American preacher during t ...
at Moody Church. In 1930, Wheaton College presented Ironside with an
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Doctorate of Letters degree, and in 1942
Bob Jones University Bob Jones University (BJU) is a private university in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. It is known for its Conservatism in the United States, conservative and Evangelicalism in the United States, evangelical cultural and religious posit ...
awarded him an honorary
Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...
degree. A few months after he and his wife Helen celebrated their golden wedding anniversary, Helen died on May 1, 1948. Ironside resigned as pastor of Moody Church on May 30 and retired to
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,
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. On October 9, 1949, he married Annie Turner Hightower, of
Thomaston, Georgia Thomaston is a city in and the county seat of Upson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,816 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Thomaston, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is incl ...
. He suffered from failing vision, and after surgery to restore it, he set out on November 2, 1950, for a preaching tour of New Zealand, once more among Brethren assemblies, but he died in
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, on January 15, 1951, and was buried in Purewa Cemetery,
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
. Never one to ask money for himself, Ironside was skilled at raising money for other evangelical causes and was often asked to take the offering at Bible conferences. He joked that his tombstone would read, "And the beggar died also."
Bob Jones Jr. Robert Reynolds Jones Jr. (October 19, 1911 – November 12, 1997) was the second president and chancellor of Bob Jones University. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Jones was the son of Bob Jones Sr., the university's founder. He served as president f ...
wrote that although Ironside was considered a dignified man, when one got to know him, "He had a terrific sense of humor. Nothing was more fun than to have a good meal in a home somewhere when Dr. Ironside was present. After he was full—he could eat a lot, and he ate faster than any man I ever saw, and his plate would be empty before everyone else got served—he would sit back, push his chair back from the table, and begin to tell funny stories and personal experiences." In 2011, Bob Jones University renamed a residence hall that formerly honored
Bibb Graves David Bibb Graves (April 1, 1873 – March 14, 1942) was an American United States Democratic Party, Democratic politician and the List of governors of Alabama, 38th governor of Alabama 1927–1931 and 1935–1939, the first Alabama governor to ...
after Ironside.


Beliefs


Soteriology

Ironside wrote that the gospel is simply by faith, rejecting the claims that baptism, turning from sins or submission to Jesus form the gospel. He claimed that assurance of salvation is possible, and it does not come from self interspection but by looking at the work of Christ. He wrote that repentance in the New Testament refers to a simple change of mind, being a synonym for belief. He rejected the claim that repentance should be viewed as turning from sin. Ironside believed that there is a large difference between the judgement seat of Christ and the great white throne judgement. According to Ironside, Christians will be judged for their eternal reward at the judgement seat of Christ, but their good works will not affect their eternal salvation.


Triadology

Ironside was a
trinitarian The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...
, believing that the doctrine of the trinity is found in both the Old and New Testaments. Ironside in his commentary on Proverbs 8:22-36 identified the personification of wisdom in the passage as speaking of the second person of the trinity, believing that this passage speaks of the
eternal generation of the Son The eternal generation of the Son is a Trinitarian doctrine, which is defined as a necessary and eternal act of God the Father, in which he generates (or begets) God the Son through communicating the whole divine essence to the Son. Generation is ...
.


Dispensationalism

Harry Ironside was a dispensationalist, however he was very critical of ultradispensationalism as taught by E. W. Bullinger. In his book ''Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth'', he critiqued ultradispensationalist beliefs such as that the church in the book of Acts is different from the body of Christ, that the church did not start until Paul's imprisonment in Rome and that Baptism and the Lord's Supper no longer apply to Christians. Ironside believed that the church is parenthetical, which was something not revealed in the Old Testament, and at some point God will
rapture The Rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Chr ...
the church before the great tribulation, during which he will again focus on the nation of
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
.


Theological influence

Along with others such as
Cyrus Scofield Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (August 19, 1843 – July 24, 1921) was an American theologian, Minister (Christianity), minister, and writer whose best-selling Scofield Reference Bible, annotated Bible popularized Futurism (Christianity), futurism ...
, he was influential in popularizing
dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a Christian theology, theological framework for Biblical hermeneutics, interpreting the Bible which maintains that history is divided into multiple ages called "dispensations" in which God the Father, God interacts with h ...
among
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
s in North America. Despite his lack of formal education, his mental capacity, photographic memory and zeal for his beliefs caused him to be called "the Archbishop of
Fundamentalism Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that are characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguis ...
". Ironside was one of the most prolific Christian writers of the 20th century and published more than 100 books, booklets and pamphlets, a number of which are still in print. One editorial reviewer wrote of a 2005 re-publication, "Ironside's commentaries are a standard and have stood the test of time." Ironside also wrote a number of hymns, including "Overshadowed"."Overshadowed"
''The Gospel Music Archive''. 2019.


Works


Commentaries

In canonical order *''Lectures on the Levitical Offerings'' (1929) *''Addresses on the Book of Joshua'' (1950) *''Notes on the Books of Ezra'' (1920) *''Notes on the Books of Nehemiah'' (1913) *''Notes on the Books of Esther'' (1905) *''Notes on the Books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther'' (Compilation 1951) *''Studies on Book One of the Psalms'' (1st edition 1952. Posthumous) *''Notes on the Book of Proverbs'' (1908) *''Addresses on the Song of Solomon'' (1933) *''Expository Notes on the Prophet Isaiah'' (1949) *''Notes on the Prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah'' (1906) *''Expository Notes on Ezekiel the Prophet'' (1949) *
Lectures on Daniel the Prophet
' (1st, 1911; 2nd, 1920) *''Notes on the Minor Prophets'' (1909) *''Expository Notes on the Gospel of Matthew'' (1948) *''Expository Notes on the Gospel of Mark'' (1948) *''Addresses on the Gospel of Luke'' (1947) *''Addresses on the Gospel of John'' (1942) *''Lectures on the Book of Acts'' (1943) *''Lectures on the Epistle to the Romans'' (1926) *''Addresses on the First Epistle to the Corinthians'' (1938) *''Addresses on the Second Epistle to the Corinthians'' (1939) *''Expository Messages on the Epistle to the Galatians'' (1942) *''In the Heavenlies: Practical Expository Addresses on the Epistle to the Ephesians'' (1937) *''Notes on the Epistle to the Philippians'' (1922) *''Lectures on the Epistle to the Colossians'' (1928) *''Addresses on the First and Second Epistles of Thessalonians'' (1947) *''Timothy, Titus and Philemon'' (1947) *''Studies in the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Epistle to Titus'' (1932) *''Expository Notes on the Epistles of James and Peter'' (1947) *''Addresses on the Epistles of John and an Exposition of the Epistle of Jude'' (1949) *''Lectures on the Book of Revelation'' (1919)


Books and booklets

In order by date of first publication *''Baptism: What Saith the Scriptures'' (1901, 2nd edition 1915) *''The Mysteries of God'' (1906) *''Sailing with Paul'' (1913: Loizeaux Bros, NY) *''The Four Hundred Silent Years'' (1914: Loizeaux Bros) *''The Midnight Cry'' (1914: Loizeaux Bros; 4th edition 1928) *''Letters to a Roman Catholic'' (1914: Loizeaux Bros) *''Good News from a Far Country: Ten Gospel Sermons'' (1934: Eerdmans) (Contributed chapter 5, titled "The Blood of His Cross") *''Eternal Security of the Believer'' (1934: Loizeaux Bros) *''Things Seen and Heard in Bible Lands'' (1936: Loizeaux Bros) *''Except Ye Repent'' (1937:
American Tract Society The American Tract Society (ATS) is a nonprofit, nonsectarian but evangelical organization founded on May 11, 1825, in New York City for the purpose of publishing and disseminating tracts of Christian literature. ATS traces its lineage back thro ...
) *''The Crowning Day'' (1938) *''Help for the Needy Soul'' (1938) *''Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth: Ultra-Dispensationalism Examined In The Light Of Holy Scripture'' (1938: 3rd edition, Loizeaux Bros) (A critique of the teachings of E. W. Bullinger and hyperdispensationalism) *''Random Reminiscences from Fifty Years of Ministry'' (1939) *''Changed by Beholding: and other sermons'' (1940) *''The Way of Peace'' (1940) *''A Historical Sketch of the Brethren Movement'' (1941: Loizeaux Bros) *''Not Wrath but Rapture'' (1941: Loizeaux Bros) *''The Continual Burnt Offering'' (1941: Jubilee Edition, Loizeaux Bros) *
The Great Parenthesis
' (1943:
Zondervan Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). It is a part of HarperCollins, Ha ...
, Grand Rapids, MI; 2014, 2016, 2017) *''Holiness: The False and the True'' (1947: Loizeaux Bros)


Pamphlets and tracts

*"The Mormon Mistake" (1896) *"The Stone that Will Fall from Heaven" (nd)


See also

*
Christian perfection Within many denominations of Christianity, Christian perfection is the theological concept of the process or the event of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is union with God characterized by pure lov ...
*
Premillennialism Premillennialism, in Christian eschatology, is the belief that Jesus will physically return to the Earth (the Second Coming) before the Millennium, heralding a literal thousand-year messianic age of peace. Premillennialism is based upon a liter ...
*
Christian fundamentalism Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British an ...
* R. A. Torrey * A. C. Dixon *
Alan Redpath Alan Redpath (9 January 1907 – 16 March 1989), was a well-known British evangelist, pastor and author. Biography Alan Redpath was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, the only son of James and Christina Redpath. He went to Durham School, and then stu ...
* Warren Wiersbe *
G. Campbell Morgan Reverend Doctor George Campbell Morgan D.D. (9 December 1863 – 16 May 1945) was a British evangelist, preacher, a leading Bible teacher, and a prolific author. A contemporary of Rodney "Gipsy" Smith, Morgan preached his first sermon a ...
*
Gipsy Smith Rodney "Gipsy" Smith Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (31 March 1860 – 4 August 1947) was a British Evangelism, evangelist who conducted evangelistic campaigns in the United States and Great Britain for over 70 yea ...


References


Notes


Sources

* * Hoke, Donald E. ''Life Story of Harry Ironside''. Christian Supply Center (1944).
Short biography of Ironside
''Wholesome Words'', Stephen Ross. * * * * * Ironside, Harry A.

Pickering & Inglis (1959). The first two parts of this book are autobiographical. * Ironside, Harry A., ''Random Reminiscences from Fifty Years of Preaching (Fundamentalism in American Religion, 1880-1950)'', Garland Science (1988), . * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ironside, Harry A. 1876 births 1951 deaths 19th-century evangelicals 20th-century evangelicals 20th-century American theologians American evangelicals American Plymouth Brethren Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian evangelicals Canadian Plymouth Brethren Canadian Salvationists Christian fundamentalists Dispensationalism Evangelical theologians People from Old Toronto Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni