Charles R. Brewer
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Charles Richard Brewer (1890–1971) was an American professor, preacher, poet, and leader for the
churches of Christ The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the ''sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament. T ...
. Born near Gimlet Creek in
Giles County, Tennessee Giles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,346. Its county seat is Pulaski. History Giles County is named after William Branch Giles, a Senator from Virginia who sponsored the ...
, Brewer's career included many publications, television and radio shows, and a reputation for biblical learning. He died due to injuries resulting from a car crash. His funeral in
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
was attended by some 3,000 people. Brewer was named "Speaker of the Year" in his final year and eventually a "Lipscomb Legend" by the university. He was scheduled to speak at Pepperdine University in April of his last year, where he was to receive the school's annual Most Distinguished Service Award. A belltower on the campus of
Lipscomb University Lipscomb University is a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike on ...
in 1935 was dedicated to his memory.


Education

Brewer attended David Lipscomb College (now
Lipscomb University Lipscomb University is a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike on ...
),
George Peabody College for Teachers Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. ...
, Hardin-Simmons University,
University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
,
Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
and
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
. He taught at David Lipscomb College in Nashville and at Abilene Christian College (now
Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a Private university, private Churches of Christ, Christian university in Abilene, Texas. It was founded in 1906 as ''Childers Classical Institute''. ACU is one of the largest private universities in the Sout ...
) in
Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statis ...
. He taught Bible, English Literature, drama, Greek, French, and Latin. Ever the Renaissance man, Brewer's thesis at Hardin-Simmons was on Shakespeare. Brewer also served as president of the Nashville School of Preaching. This school was for men who wanted to preach but couldn't afford the tuition and the cost of regular colleges and universities. It still exists today in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
.


Biblical knowledge and preaching

Brewer was known to amaze people on the television program ''Know Your Bible'' with his arcane knowledge of the Bible. His style as a lecturer and preacher was less contentious than that of his more famous brother,
G. C. Brewer Grover Cleveland Brewer (1884–1956) was a leader in the Churches of Christ in the US. He was said to be "among the giants of the brotherhood". Early life Brewer was born to Hiram Spinks Brewer and Virginia Maxey Brewer; he was the fourth of ten ...
. According to one of his former students, who received his help in planting a congregation in
Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
, Brewer "was very willing to go anywhere to plant a church, even if it was small, because he was so zealous to help people become Christians" . His succinct formulation of soteriology reflects what many in the
churches of Christ The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the ''sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament. T ...
believed in the mid-20th Century: "Here are some steps that God wants you to take: 1. Believe in the Lord with all your heart (Acts 16:31). 2. Repent of all sin (Acts 2:38). 3. Confess your faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9). 4. Be buried in baptism (Acts 2:38; Col. 2:12; Gal. 3:26-27). If you obey those simple commands you will then be added to his church (Acts 2:41, 47)." (Taken from ''Be Not Dismayed'', pages 43-44.) Reprinted here. This is the Biblical approach to salvation in the
churches of Christ The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the ''sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament. T ...
. Brewer's friendship with
Robert Henry Boll Robert Henry Boll (June 7, 1875 – April 13, 1956) was a German-born American preacher in the Churches of Christ. Boll is most known for advancing a premillennialist eschatology within the Churches of Christ, in articles written during his editors ...
, even though critical of Boll's premillennial eschatology, facilitated World Vision Publishing Company's 1954 edition of ''Great Songs of the Church Number Two'' compiled by Boll's close associate Elmer Leon Jorgenson. Jorgenson approved World Vision's publication of this hymnal without his name on the title page as a way of improving the book's acceptability among the prevalently amillennial churches of Christ.


Select bibliography

See especially Charles R. Brewer at the Restoration Movement site. Brewer, Charles R. ''Above the Shadow: Poems and Sayings of Faith, Courage, Hope and Mirth''. Nashville, TN: Williams Printing Co., 1964. Brewer, Charles R. ''Be Not Dismayed: Messages of Cheer and Lessons of Truth''. Nashville, TN: World Vision Pub. Co, 1958. Brewer, Charles R. "Course of Study." ''Word & Work'' 23 (1930): 289. Brewer's announcement of the impending opening of the Nashville Preaching School, which still exists today. (See also ) Brewer, Charles R. ''A Missionary pictorial: biographical sketches and pictures of men and women who have gone from the United States as members of churches of Christ to carry the gospel to other lands together with articles and poems written for the purpose of stirring churches and individuals to greater activity in the effort to preach the gospel to every creature under heaven''. Nashville: World Vision Pub. Co., 1964. Lambert, Gussie. ''In Memoriam''. Shreveport, LA: 1988. pages 32, 33. (reprinted here) Gurganus, Irene. Her autobiography of George and Irene Gurganus ''I Married the Pope'' contains a few remembrances of Charles R. Brewer. Irene Gurganus
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brewer, Charles R. 1890 births 1971 deaths Abilene Christian University faculty American members of the Churches of Christ Hardin–Simmons University alumni Lipscomb University alumni Lipscomb University faculty Ministers of the Churches of Christ University of Chicago alumni University of Texas at Austin alumni Vanderbilt University alumni