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Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) and 20th-century EvangelicalismDoctoral thesisMARTYN LLOYD-JONES (1899-1981) AND 20TH-CENTURY EVANGELICALISM 'It is my contention that, despite differences of opinion and self-marginalisation, Lloyd-Jones was and has remained a major force in evangelical thinking', says the author. There is good reason to remove a man from the pedestal on which others have put him; opinions will be divided as to whether in the process in this book, Dr. Brencher has done so 'without being destructive' as, he says, was his intention. The book began as a doctoral thesis, and for this reason bears all the marks of critical analysis. The first chapter is an excellent overview of Lloyd-Jones's life, contracting 1,100 pages of Iain Murray's two-volume biography into 21 pages! Following this there is an evaluation of a number of themes relating to the Doctor's influence. These include his preaching, his Westminster Chapel ministry, his work among evangelical students nationally and internationally, his passion for evangelical unity and his Welshness. The appendix includes tables of family history, useful statistics, a bibliography and an index. Of special interest are many quotations from George Hemming, Iain Murray, Herbert Carson and Edwin King, who served as assistants to Lloyd-Jones. Also there are contributions from those who knew the Doctor well, such as J. Elwyn Davies, Jim Packer, John Caiger, Elizabeth Braund and John Stott. For the purpose of this review I will focus on John Brencher's analysis of three areas. Lloyd-Jones was 'the best illustration of his own definition that preaching is "theology on fire". 'He was without question one of the greatest preachers of the 20th century'. But his appeal to large congregations was on a par with that of Sangster at the Methodist Central Hall and Weatherhead at the City Temple, who also produced 'a unique experience of worship to which large numbers of people responded'. Much of his appeal was due to his Welshness, his oratory, the romance of his forsaking a brilliant career and a note of authority. The Doctor's popularity as a preacher seems almost to have been despite his wordiness, dogmatism and repetitive style. Lloyd-Jones developed Westminster Chapel as a preaching centre, and there was a marked absence of pastoral care or church-based evangelism. He taught that a church should be vibrant with life and power, and that there should be congregational participation in the worship. However, in practice, his was a one-man ministry, in which even his assistants played very little part. A 'benign dictatorship', according to R.T. Kendall. The public call Lloyd-Jones made in 1966 for evangelicals to leave theologically compromised denominations was probably an error of judgement and doomed to failure. It led to even more division and to a big decline in the Doctor's own influence. 'Imagine how much might have been achieved for British Evangelicalism had they (Lloyd-Jones, Packer and Stott) stayed together'. There is no profit in closing our minds to obvious facts and John Brencher has given us plenty of these, but the wisdom is in interpreting them. This book will help perplexed 21st-century evangelicals to understand how we came to be in such a state. Clifford Pond, Ipswich© Evangelicals Now - April 2003 |