Henry Allan "Harry" Ironside (October 14, 1876 – January 15, 1951) was a Canadian-American

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

teacher, preacher,

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

, and author who pastored

Moody Church The Moody Church (often referred to as Moody Memorial Church, after a sign hung on the North Avenue side of the building) is a historic evangelical Christian (Nondenominational Christianity) church in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Ill ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

from 1929 to 1948.

Biography

Ironside was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, 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 non-conformist Christian movement whose history can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland, in the mid to late 1820s, where they originated from Anglicanism. The group emphasizes ...

. 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 as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

, 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 Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

and was active in the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

as a teenager before later joining the "Grant" section of the Plymouth Brethren. The family then moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, on December 12, 1886, and finding no

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

there for him to attend, 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 26, 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 Massa ...

preached at a campaign in Los Angeles, with meetings held at

Hazard's Pavilion Hazard's Pavilion was a large auditorium in Los Angeles, California, at the intersection of Fifth and Olive Streets. Showman George "Roundhouse" Lehman had planned to construct a large theatre center on the land he purchased at this location, bu ...

, (later known as "Temple Pavilion") which could seat up to 4,000. This inspired 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 Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

", 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, which he later regretted). During the days, 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 500 sermons a year around

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. At 18, the grueling schedule had taken its toll on his health, and Ironside resigned from the Salvation Army, entering the Beulah Rest Home to recuperate. In 1896, at 20, he moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, 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 part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

pastor in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. 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 only had enough funds to make it as far as

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, 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 founded in the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, US by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have i ...

. In 1926, he was invited to a full-time faculty position at the

Dallas Theological Seminary Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theology, theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as cont ...

, which 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, he 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. Almost every Sunday he preached at Moody Church, with the 4,000-seat auditorium filled to capacity. Nevertheless, 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 19 ...

. In 1935, Ironside preached the

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

Billy Sunday William Ashley "Billy" Sunday (November 19, 1862 – November 6, 1935) was an American outfielder in baseball's National League and widely considered the most influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the 20th century. Bo ...

at Moody Church. In 1930, Wheaton College presented Ironside with an honorary Doctorate of Letters degree, and in 1942

Bob Jones University , motto_lang = Latin , mottoeng = We seek, we trust , top_free_label = , top_free = , type = Private university , established = , closed = , f ...

awarded him an honorary

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

degree. 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 Democratic politician and the 38th Governor of Alabama 1927–1931 and 1935–1939, the first Alabama governor to serve two four-year terms. He successfully advanced progress ...

after Ironside.

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 fr ...

, 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." 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." 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

Winona Lake Winona Lake is a town in Wayne Township, Kosciusko County, in the U.S. state of Indiana, and the major suburb of Warsaw. The population was 4,908 at the 2010 census. Geography Winona Lake is located at (41.220818, -85.817118). It is now contiguo ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. On October 9, 1949, he married Annie Turner Hightower, of Thomaston, Georgia. 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

Cambridge, New Zealand Cambridge (Māori: ''Kemureti'') is a town in the Waipa District of the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. Situated southeast of Hamilton, on the banks of the Waikato River, Cambridge is known as "The Town of Trees & Champions" ...

, on January 15, 1951, and was buried in Purewa Cemetery, Auckland.

Theological influence

Along with others such as

Cyrus Scofield Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (August 19, 1843 – July 24, 1921) was an American theologian, minister, and writer whose best-selling annotated Bible popularized futurism and dispensationalism among fundamentalist Christians. Biography Childh ...

, he was influential in popularizing

dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a system that was formalized in its entirety by John Nelson Darby. Dispensationalism maintains that history is divided into multiple ages or "dispensations" in which God acts with humanity in different ways. Dispensationali ...

among

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

s in North America. Despite his lack of formal education, his tremendous 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 is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...

". 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. He also wrote a number of hymns including "Overshadowed". One editorial reviewer wrote of a 2005 republication that, "Ironside's commentaries are a standard and have stood the test of time."Michael Catt, amazon.com
/ref>

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

*''Baptism: What Saith the Scriptures'' (1901, 2nd edition 1915) *''The Mysteries of God'' (1906) *''Sailing with Paul'' (1913: Loizeaux Bros) *''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 entitled "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 Crowning Day'' (1938) *''Help for the Needy Soul'' (1938) *''Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth: Ultra-Dispensationalism Examined In The Light Of Holy Scripture'' — a critique of the teachings of

E. W. Bullinger Ethelbert William Bullinger (15 December 1837 – 6 June 1913) was an Anglican clergyman, biblical scholar, and ultradispensationalist theologian. Early life He was born in Canterbury, Kent, England, the youngest of five children of William ...

and

hyperdispensationalism Hyperdispensationalism, Mid-Acts Dispensationalism or Bullingerism (to which ultradispensationalism properly applies) is a Protestant conservative evangelical movement that values biblical inerrancy and a literal hermeneutic. Opponents of hyperdi ...

. (1938: third edition, Loizeaux Bros) *''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, Loizeau Bros, NY) *''The Great Parenthesis'' (1943: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI) *''Holiness: The False and the True''(1947 Loizeaux Bros)

Pamphlets and Tracts

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

Current Reprints

*''The Minor Prophets'' (2004:

Kregel Publications Kregel Publications is an Evangelical Christian book publisher based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It has three subdivisions: ''Kregel Publications'', ''Editorial Portavoz'' and ''Kregel Parable Bookstore''. History The company was founded in 1909, ...

) *''Revelation'' (2004: Kregel Publications) *''Daniel'' (2005: Kregel Academic and Professional) *''The 400 Silent Years: From Malachi and Matthew'' (2014: CrossReach Publications) *''Holiness: the False & the True'' (2014: Believer's Bookshelf) *''The Mormon Mistake'' (2014: CrossReach Publications) *''The Mission of the Holy Spirit'' (2014: CrossReach Publications) *''A Historical Sketch of the Brethren Movement'' (2014: CrossReach Publications) *''Baptism: What Saith the Scriptures'' (2015: CrossReach Publications) *''Eternal Security of the Believer'' (2015: CrossReach Publications) *''Full Assurance: How to Know You are Saved'' (2015: CrossReach Publications) *''Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth'' (2015: CrossReach Publications) *''Sailing with Paul'' (2016: CrossReach Publications) *''Unless You Repent'' (2015: Gospel Folio Press) *''Except Ye Repent'' (2015: CrossReach Publications) *''The Midnight Cry'' (2016: CrossReach Publications) *''Death and Afterwards'' (2016: CrossReach Publications) *''Eternal Security of the Believer'' (2016: CrossReach Publications) *''Full Assurance: How to Know You're Saved'' (2016: CrossReach Publications) *''Poems and Hymns of H. A. Ironside'' (2016: CrossReach Publications) *''The Teaching of the So-Called Plymouth Brethren: Is it Scriptural?'' (2016: CrossReach Publications) *''Random Reminiscences from Fifty Years of Ministry'' (2017: CrossReach Publications)

Notes

References

* English, E. Schuyler
''H.A. Ironside, Ordained of the Lord''
Loizeaux Bros. (1976) . * Reese, Edward

Fundamental Publishers (1976). * Hoke, Donald E. ''Life Story of Harry Ironside''. 1944: Christian Supply Center

from wholesomewords.org.

from "Brethren Writers Hall of Fame." * 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, . A few selections from this are posted online a

* Pugmire, Herbert J. 1955. ''Dr. Ironside's Bible: Notes and Quotes from the Margins.'' Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ironside, Harry A. American evangelicals American theologians Christian fundamentalists Canadian evangelicals Canadian Plymouth Brethren 1876 births 1951 deaths People from Old Toronto American Plymouth Brethren Canadian Salvationists Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni Canadian emigrants to the United States