Major W. Ian Thomas (13 September 1914 - 1 August 2007) was an evangelist,

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 ...

evangelical writer,

theological 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 an ...

teacher and founder of the Torchbearers

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 ...

schools.

Early life

Ian Thomas was born in London on 13 September 1914. At the age of 12, he was invited to a Bible study group of the

Crusaders Christian Youth Movement Urban Saints is a Christian youth charity based in the United Kingdom. Previously known as Crusaders, it has been operating since the early 1900s. Urban Saints is a member of the Evangelical Alliance. History The original Crusaders group was fo ...

by a friend. The following summer he was converted to Christ at a Crusaders Union camp. At the age of 15, he was convinced that he should devote all of his life to serving Jesus Christ. He began to preach out in the open air at

Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London Clay. The heath is rambling ...

. He was also actively engaged in Sunday School work as well as in the Crusaders' Bible class.

Studies

He decided to become a doctor and studied at university where he became a leader in the

Inter-Varsity Fellowship Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF; also UCCF: The Christian Unions) is an evangelical Christian student movement with affiliate groups on university campuses in the United Kingdom. It is a member of the International Fellowshi ...

group. He started a slum club in the East End of London "out of a sheer desire to win souls, to go out and get them. I was a windmill of activity until, at the age of 19, every moment of my day was packed tight with doing things. Thus by the age of 19, I had been reduced to a state of complete exhaustion spiritually, and I felt that there was no point going on." "Then, one night in November, that year just at midnight, I got down on my knees before God, and I just wept in sheer despair. I said, 'With all my heart I have wanted to serve Thee. I have tried to my uttermost and I am a hopeless failure.' That night things happened. The Lord seemed to make plain to me that night, through my tears of bitterness: 'You see, for seven years, with utmost sincerity, you have been trying to live for Me, on My behalf, the life that I have been waiting for 7 years to live through you.'" Thomas later reflected: "I got up the next morning to an entirely different Christian life, but I want to emphasize this: I had not received one iota more than I had already had for seven years!"

Military Career

Thomas served in the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium at the outset of World War II and taking part in the evacuation at Dunkirk. He would also spend time during the war in France, Italy, and Greece (often, fighting). He was decorated with the D.S.O. (Distinguished Service Order) for conspicuous gallantry in taking out a German machine gun nest, and the T.D. (Territorial Decoration). When the Germans surrendered at the

Battle of Monte Cassino The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome, was a series of four military assaults by the Allies of World War II, Allies against Nazi Germany, German forces in Kingdom of Italy, Italy during the Italian Campaign (World War ...

, Major Thomas went and took the flag of surrender. The white tablecloth used as the flag is on display in the Royal Fusilier Museum at the Tower of London.

Later life

After World War II, Thomas was probably best known as a Bible teacher, author, and as the founder of both Capernwray Missionary Fellowship of Torchbearers (based at

Capernwray Hall Capernwray Hall is a former country house situated 3 miles east-northeast of Carnforth, Lancashire, England, and is currently used as a Christian Bible school and holiday centre. The house is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as ...

, England) and subsequently

Torchbearers International Torchbearers International consists of an affiliation of 25 centers around the world. Torchbearers International was founded by evangelist and author Major W. Ian Thomas, in England, in 1947. Torchbearers International's goal is to provide pra ...

(based in US). He moved to Colorado, US in the late 1980s.

Personal life

Thomas was married to Joan from

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

. They had four sons, who continue the work of Torchbearers.

Books

* ''The Saving Life of Christ'', Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1961. * ''The Mystery of Godliness'', Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1964. * ''If I Perish, I Perish : the Christian Life as seen in Esther'', Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1968. * ''The Indwelling Life of Christ : All of Him in All of Me'', Multnomah Publishers Inc, Oregon, 2006. His first book, ''The Saving Life of Christ'', had a profound effect on Bert Harned, M.D., as can be seen in Harned's book, ''Any Old Bush - Christ Living in Us''.

Death

Thomas died on 1 August 2007 at the age of 92.