John Long III (1872–1962) was an Irish evangelist during the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Long participated in the formative years of the
Two by Twos, the
Elim movement and
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement in Ireland and Great Britain.
Early years
John Long was born to Gilbert and Ann Long on 15 September 1872 in
Cloughjordan,
County Tipperary
County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
From the age of seven, he worked digging
peat
Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...
during the summer months and attended school during the winter. Long became a
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
in 1890 during a
revival mission.
After his father's death in 1895, Long became a Methodist
colporteur
Colportage is the distribution of publications, books, and religious tracts by carriers called "colporteurs" or "colporters". The term does not necessarily refer to religious book peddling.
Etymology
From French , where the term is an alterat ...
.
Years with the Two by Twos
John Long first came into contact with
William Irvine in 1897 during a mission conducted under the auspices of the
Faith Mission Faith mission is a term used most frequently among evangelical Christians to refer to a missionary organization with an approach to evangelism that encourages its missionaries to "trust in God to provide the necessary resources". These missionaries ...
in
Ennis
Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...
,
County Clare.
During an 1897 study of the
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and for ...
, Irvine challenged Long as to whether the command to go out preaching without any financial support, possessions, etc. had ceased. Long joined the Faith Mission Prayer Union in 1898 and continued his membership until 1915. Long resigned his Methodist colporteurage in November 1898, and his membership in the Methodist Church a year later. Long elicited strong responses from his preaching, in 1898 claiming 100 converts in a single mission. Long became an itinerant preacher with the
Two by Twos under William Irvine, going out along "the new Lines of Faith in God" in 1899.
In 1907, Long was publicly excommunicated from the Two by Twos for refusing to damn all non-Two by Two clergy, including Methodism's founder
John Wesley
John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...
.
Years with Elim and Pentecostalism
After his expulsion from the Two by Twos, John Long joined the
Elim Evangelistic Band (an early Irish
Pentecostal movement), where he was highly regarded among its leaders. He resigned from Elim in 1919.
Long married Maggie Keegan on Christmas Day in 1920. The couple went on to have four children.
Long's career subsequent to Elim was as an unaffiliated, well-known, itinerant Pentecostal preacher.
He was present and active during British Pentecostalism's formative and subsequent phases.
Death
On 4 July 1962, John Long died at the age of 90 years. He was buried in a private cemetery in
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, John
Long, John (evangelist)
Long, John (evangelist)
Irish evangelicals