Roy Hession (1908–1992) was a British evangelist and author.

Early life

Hession was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1908. He was educated at

Aldenham School Aldenham School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged eleven to eighteen, located between Elstree and the village of Aldenham in Hertfordshire, England. There is also a preparatory school for pupils from the ages of five to ele ...

where his introduction to religion led him to expect "anything but boredom" from God.

Conversion

He accepted Jesus in 1926 while on a Christian holiday camp, largely through the witness of a cousin who was a navy officer. After working for

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, the merchant bank, for ten years, he committed himself to full-time preaching and became one of the most effective Christian evangelists in post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Britain, especially among young people. His understanding of the Christian life underwent a radical change in 1947 following a conference that he had arranged to which he invited members of the

East African Revival The East African Revival ( lg, Okulokoka) was a movement of renewal in the Church in East Africa during the late 1920s and 1930s. It began on a hill called Gahini in then Belgian Ruanda-Urundi in 1929, then spreading to the eastern mountains of ...

Movement. He was very much influenced by their strong emphasis on a personal implementation of the basics of the Christian faith, in particular the healing powers of openness and

repentance Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen as involving a co ...

Preaching

His preaching subsequently incorporated these new insights. This brought criticism because of its introspective element, from some he had previously worked with, but it was much appreciated by many Christians on both sides of the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

. In the years that follow Roy, together with Dr.

Joe Church John Edward Church (10 August 1899 29 September 1989), commonly referred to as Joe Church, was a British missionary who served with Church Mission Society (CMS). Dr. Joe Church served primarily in Rwanda and Uganda. He left England in 1927 and ser ...

, the leader of a group of missionaries from East Africa, ministered to many churches and conferences in Europe, Brazil, Indonesia, North America and Africa. He was also involved for more than forty years in organising Christian holiday conferences for family groups at

Abergele Abergele (; ; ) is a market town and community, situated on the north coast of Wales between the holiday resorts of Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, in Conwy County Borough and in the historic county of Denbighshire. Its northern suburb of Pensarn lies on ...

Clevedon Clevedon (, ) is an English seaside town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. It recorded a parish population of 21,281 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, estimated at 21,442 i ...

and

Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the English North Sea coast in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is a ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Theology

Roy Hession's theology was borrowed to the

Holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

and Keswick teachings. In particular his views on soteriology were

Arminian Arminianism is a branch of Protestantism based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the ''Re ...

Death

In 1967 he lost his first wife, Revel, in a road accident. In 1968, he married Pamela Greaves who had worked as a missionary in East Africa. Roy Hession died in 1992 but he is remembered for his infectious enthusiasm and his humour, but above all for his unwavering stand on the principles of repentance and grace that had become so precious to him.

Continuation of his ministry

The ministry of his books is promoted worldwide by the Roy Hession Book Trust, based in the United Kingdom, and the Great Commission Foundation in North America.

Works

Altogether, Roy had ten books published, some of them co-authored with his wife Revel Hession. The first was ''Calvary Road'', first produced in 1950. This has been continuously in print in English ever since. His last book, ''Good News For Bad People'', was finished in 1989 just hours before he suffered a serious stroke. One or more of Roy's books has been produced in more than 80 languages.

Books

* * * Roy Hession, ''Forgotten Factors: an aid to deeper repentance of the forgotten factors of sexual misbehavior'', Fort Washington, Pa.: Christian Literature Crusade, (1976) * Roy Hession, ''Not I, but Christ'', Fort Washington, Pa.: Christian Literature Crusade (1980) * Roy & Revel Hession, ''We Would See Jesus'', Fort Washington, Pa.: Christian Literature Crusade, (1958)
E-text
* Roy Hession, ''Be Filled Now'', Fort Washington, Pa.: Christian Literature Crusade, (1968?)

* Roy Hession, ''"When I saw Him---" :Where Revival Begins'', Fort Washington, Pa.: Christian Literature Crusade, (1975) * Roy Hession, ''Our Nearest Kinsman: The Message Of Redemption and Revival in the Book of Ruth'', Ft. Washington, Pa.: Christian Literature Crusade, (1976) * Roy Hession, ''From Shadow To Substance : The Rediscovery of the Inner Message of the Epistle to the Hebrews centered around the words "Let Us Go On"'', Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, (1977) * Roy Hession, ''Good News For Bad People'', Fort Washington, Pa.: Christian Literature Crusade, (1990)

Pamphlets

* Roy & Revel Hession, ''Is Victorious Living Possible? : A Question Asked By All Who Seek A Life Of Power and Harmony'', Fort Washington, PA : Christian Literature Crusade, (197-?)

Notes and references

Citations

Sources

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hession, Roy 1908 births 1992 deaths Arminian writers English evangelicals English Protestant missionaries English writers Protestant missionaries in England Protestant missionaries in Wales