GORDON, ADONIRAM JUDSON (1836–1895)
Baptist minister in Boston
Born in Hampton, New Hampshire, Gordon was a leading evangelical in the transitional period between nineteenth–century Protestantism and twentieth–century fundamentalism. In the tradition of nineteenth–century evangelicalism he maintained a very active social witness. His church worked extensively among Boston’s poor—white, black, and immigrant—and also campaigned against the misuse of alcohol. As a defender of orthodoxy against modernism, Gordon wrote widely used books on Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the church. He was also a leader in the important prophecy conferences of 1878 and 1886.
With other Bible students in the late nineteenth century, Gordon put new emphasis on the literal interpretation of Scripture. He founded the Boston Missionary Training School (later Gordon College and Divinity School). He also helped compile two hymnals and wrote gospel songs, including “My Jesus I Love Thee.” M.A. NOLL
M.A. Noll
“Gordon, Adoniram Judson,” ed. J.D. Douglas and Philip W. Comfort, Who’s Who in Christian History (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1992), 279.
Dr. A.J. Gordon, the founder of Gordon College of Theology and Missions, wrote one of the classics on the subject of the work of the Holy Spirit in this age. His book blends a deeply devotional examination of the scriptural teaching with a powerful challenge for the church: restoring the Holy Spirit to His rightful place as seen in the New Testament church.
Gordon wrote, "The voice of the Lord must be heard in his church, and to the Holy Spirit alone has been committed the prerogative of communicating that voice." The author characterized the Spirit as the one through whom direction and inspiration and power would flow into the church.
The Ministry of the Spirit calls Christians to a life of complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit. As Gordon's close friend F.B. Meyer wrote in his introduction to this book, "I cannot recall a treatise on the Holy Spirit that is so lucid, so Scriptural, so deeply spiritual as this."
GORDON, ADONIRAM JUDSON (1836–1895)
