Reuben Archer Torrey (28 January 1856 – 26 October 1928) was an American
evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer. He aligned with
Keswick theology.
Biography
Torrey was born in
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,6 ...
, the son of a banker. He graduated from
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
in 1875 and from
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...
in 1878, following which he became a
Congregational
Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs it ...
minister in
Garrettsville, Ohio
Garrettsville is a village in northeastern Portage County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,449 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Akron metropolitan area. The village was formed from portions of Hiram, Nelson, and Freedom township ...
. In 1879, he married Clara Smith, and they subsequently had five children.
After further studies in
theology
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 t ...
at
Leipzig University
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decembe ...
and
Erlangen University in 1882–1883, Torrey joined
Dwight L. Moody
Dwight Lyman Moody (February 5, 1837 – December 26, 1899), also known as D. L. Moody, was an American Evangelism, evangelist and publisher connected with Keswickianism, who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon Scho ...
in his evangelistic work in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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in 1889, and became superintendent of the Bible Institute of the Chicago Evangelization Society (now
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 ...
). In 1894, he became
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 an ...
of the Chicago Avenue Church (now the
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, I ...
).
In 1898, Torrey served as a
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
with the
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
at Camp Chickamauga during the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
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, caption = (clo ...
. During
World War I, he performed similar service at Camp Bowie (a
POW
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
camp in Texas) and at Camp Kearny.
In 1902–1903, he preached in nearly every part of the English-speaking world and with song leader
Charles McCallon Alexander conducted
revival services in Great Britain from 1903 to 1905. During this period, he also visited China, Japan, Australia, and India. Torrey conducted a similar campaign in American and Canadian cities in 1906–1907. Throughout these campaigns, Torrey used a meeting style that he borrowed from Moody's campaigns of the 1870s.
In 1912, Torrey was persuaded to build another institution like Moody Bible Institute, and from 1912 to 1924, he served as Dean of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (now
Biola University
Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor' ...
) and contributed to the BIOLA publication, ''The King's Business''. Beginning in 1915, he served as the first pastor of the
Church of the Open Door
Built in 1914, the 4000-seat Church of the Open Door was conceived by R. A. Torrey who had come to Los Angeles to start a Bible institute (now known as Biola University) similar to Moody Bible Institute. The church was to be strictly non-denomina ...
, Los Angeles. Torrey was one of the three editors of ''
The Fundamentals'', a 12-volume series that gave its name to what came to be called "
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 ...
".
Torrey held his last evangelistic meeting in
Florida
Florida is a U.S. state, state located in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia (U.S. state), Geo ...
in 1927, additional meetings being canceled because of his failing health. He died at home in
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous ...
, on October 26, 1928, having preached throughout the world and written more than 40 books.
He was 72 years old.
Honors
In 1907, he accepted an honorary doctorate from
Wheaton College. Torrey-Gray Auditorium, the main auditorium at Moody, was named for Torrey and his successor,
James M. Gray. At Biola, the
Torrey Honors Institute honors him, as does the university's annual Bible conference.
Bibliography
*''How to Bring Men to Christ'',
E-text (1893)
*''Baptism with the Holy Spirit'',
E-text (1895)
*''How to Study the Bible with Greatest Profit'',
E-text (1896)
*''How to Obtain Fullness of Power in Christian Life and Service'' (1897)
*''How to Pray'',
*''What the Bible Teaches'', (1898)
*''Divine Origin of the Bible'',
(1899)
*''How to Promote and Conduct a Successful Revival'', (1901)
*''How to Work for Christ'', (1901)
*''Revival Addresses'',
E-text (1903)
*''Talks to Men About the Bible and the Christ of the Bible'', (1904)
*''The Bible and Its Christ: Being Noonday Talks with Business Men on Faith and Unbelief'' (1906)
*''Difficulties in the Bible'', (1907)
*''Studies in the Life and Teachings of our Lord'', (1909)
*''The Higher Criticism and the New Theology'' (1911)
*''The Fundamentals: a Testimony to the Truth'' Editor, (four volumes)
*''The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit''
E-Text (1910)
*''The Baptism with the Holy Spirit''
*''The Holy Spirit: Who He Is and What He Does and How to Know Him in All the Fulness of His Gracious and Glorious Ministry''
*''The Importance and Value of Proper Bible Study'',
E-text
*''Why God Used D. L. Moody'', (1923) (modern reprint by CrossReach Publications, 2016)
*''The Voice of God in the Present Hour'' (1917)
*''Is the Bible the Inerrant Word of God?: And was the Body of Jesus Raised from the Dead?'' (1922)
*''The Power of Prayer and the Prayer of Power'', (1924)
*''The Bible, the Peerless Book: Gods Own Book and Gods Only Book'' (1925)
*''How to Succeed in the Christian Life'',
E-text
*''The Gospel for Today''
*''Real Salvation and Whole-Hearted Service''
*''The Fundamental Doctrines of the Christian Faith'',
E-text
*''
Torrey's Topical Textbook''
*''Treasury of Scripture Knowledge''
References
Further reading
*
Short biographical info*
*
Entry in ''New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge''*Martin, Roger: ''R. A. Torrey: Apostle of Certainty''.
Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1976. .
External links
*
*
*
Difficulties in the Bible book by R. A. Torrey.
R. A. Torrey Archive (sermons and writings)*R. A. Torrey hymn "Bless Thou Jehovah" with new melody b
Eric M. PazdzioraR. A. Torrey's ''New Topical Textbook''Torrey Honors Institute''Ten Reasons Why I Believe The Bible Is The Word Of God''by R. A. Torrey
*
', edited by R.A. Torrey (1910–15)
by R. A. Torrey
Treasury Of Scripture Knowledge– Torrey's Bible study reference tool.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torrey, Reuben Archer
1856 births
1928 deaths
19th-century Congregationalist ministers
20th-century Congregationalist ministers
American Congregationalist ministers
American evangelicals
Protestant writers
American people of the Spanish–American War
American people of World War I
Biola University faculty
Christian fundamentalists
Erlangen University alumni
American military chaplains
Moody Bible Institute people
Writers from Hoboken, New Jersey
People from Portage County, Ohio
Leipzig University alumni
Yale Divinity School alumni
Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni
American Christian writers
American sermon writers
American Christian theologians
Christian revivalists
Spanish–American War chaplains
World War I chaplains
Keswickianism
20th-century American clergy
19th-century American clergy