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F.B. Meyer: If I Had a Hundred Lives...
On F.B. Meyer's death in 1929, obituaries in the secular press were clear that he was a key player on the world scene yet this is the first chronological account of his life. F.B. Meyer was the minister of one of Britain's first 'mega-churches'. Coming from a conventional, middle class Victorian background he experienced no dramatic conversion. He was not a distinguished scholar and not a dramatic orator. His slight figure and retiring manner meant that he did not stand out in a crowd. Yet he drew crowds by the thousands, wrote books which sold by the millions, and attracted working class people.
The range of Meyer's activities are astonishing: preacher, pastor, writer, social activist, Baptist president, advocate for missionary work and more. In his last years, he declared, 'If I had a hundred lives, they should be at Christ's disposal.' At times, it seemed as though he was living a hundred lives
The range of Meyer's activities are astonishing: preacher, pastor, writer, social activist, Baptist president, advocate for missionary work and more. In his last years, he declared, 'If I had a hundred lives, they should be at Christ's disposal.' At times, it seemed as though he was living a hundred lives
208 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2007
About the author
Bob Holman
50 books8 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Bob Holman is a former social worker and professor of social administration known primarily for his practical campaigns for the poor. He is the author of A Couple of Ways of Doing Something, A New Deal for Social Welfare, Champions for Children, Children and Crime, and Faith in the Poor.
Bob Holman is a former social worker and professor of social administration known primarily for his practical campaigns for the poor. He is the author of A Couple of Ways of Doing Something, A New Deal for Social Welfare, Champions for Children, Children and Crime, and Faith in the Poor.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 23, 2017
F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) deserves to be better known. In his day he drew crowds by the thousands, wrote books which sold by the millions and was offered (and turned down) well paid and high profile jobs.
This book is worth reading because it reveals what Meyer did from day to day: a subject Meyer chose not to write about in his many books. Meyer the man was ahead of this time (contrast Meyer the author, whose style was probably dated even at the time of publication).
Meyer invested significant time, energy and money in working with and for the poor (this was in the days before the welfare state). He was there to meet prisoners on their day of release and he set up a business in order to provide them with jobs. He championed the cause of neglected women and those in poverty. He ran bank holiday expeditions for those who otherwise would not have had a holiday. All this in addition to writing books and preaching a weekly sermon to a capacity crowd. As an old man he spoke up for conscientious objectors who had refused to fight in World War 1. Meyer was a faithful Christian who was not afraid to go out on a limb in order to do what he believed Jesus Christ required of him.
This book rescues Meyer from obscurity and, though Bob Holman's prose is occasionally clunky it is a good read.
This book is worth reading because it reveals what Meyer did from day to day: a subject Meyer chose not to write about in his many books. Meyer the man was ahead of this time (contrast Meyer the author, whose style was probably dated even at the time of publication).
Meyer invested significant time, energy and money in working with and for the poor (this was in the days before the welfare state). He was there to meet prisoners on their day of release and he set up a business in order to provide them with jobs. He championed the cause of neglected women and those in poverty. He ran bank holiday expeditions for those who otherwise would not have had a holiday. All this in addition to writing books and preaching a weekly sermon to a capacity crowd. As an old man he spoke up for conscientious objectors who had refused to fight in World War 1. Meyer was a faithful Christian who was not afraid to go out on a limb in order to do what he believed Jesus Christ required of him.
This book rescues Meyer from obscurity and, though Bob Holman's prose is occasionally clunky it is a good read.
May 2, 2021
I bought and read the Kindle edition of this book when it appeared on one of my lists, first because the author happened to have the same surname as mine and because although I knew little of F.B Meyer, I remembered that my father, a Baptist preacher, and a missionary, had a number of his books. This is a well-written biography about a pastor and preacher that I only knew as a good friend of Dwight L. Moody. I highly recommend this book and will look for anything else written by Bob Holman.
May 7, 2012
This is a great biography for those who are interested in observing how ministers and churches in the past of faced the challenges of urban decay, neighborhood decline, substance abuse, sexual trafficking, gender inequalities, etc., from a ministry-Christian perspective. Meyer was a gracious socially active pastor, who was just as much at home championing the social-political changes that he saw as vital to the health of the community as he was preaching the gospel Sunday after Sunday.
He possessed a particularly fascinating (for me) strategy of ministry that included three priorities:
1. The consistent preaching of the gospel to the surrounding neighborhood of his church.
2. The use of his church building for both members and neighbors, to the extent that the building became a true part of the community, not just a place for Christians.
3. His preferences to keep all ministries of the church (local missions, relief, rescue mission, children, etc.) strictly in the very building of the church, or in its shadows, so that the middle-class members of his church would be encouraged to mixed with the lower, working classes that lived around it. He accomplished his goals--often at the cost of approval of his more doctrinaire peers in the faith.
As with all good biographies, the writer does not treat his subject as a sub-deity figure to be worshiper. Meyer seemed unable to remain long-term with one church, which may have hampered his overall impact. He seemed often to enjoy the lime-light, and he clearly sacrificed his family/marriage on the altar of his ministry ambitions. The fact that he directed for all his diaries and journals to be destroyed at his death, and that he left NOTHING to his wife and daughter, and that his wife rarely, if ever, attended his church, leaves many unanswered questions, probably ones whose answers would be familiar, and tragic.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this little book to all who are engaged in urban ministry, particularly at the local church level.
He possessed a particularly fascinating (for me) strategy of ministry that included three priorities:
1. The consistent preaching of the gospel to the surrounding neighborhood of his church.
2. The use of his church building for both members and neighbors, to the extent that the building became a true part of the community, not just a place for Christians.
3. His preferences to keep all ministries of the church (local missions, relief, rescue mission, children, etc.) strictly in the very building of the church, or in its shadows, so that the middle-class members of his church would be encouraged to mixed with the lower, working classes that lived around it. He accomplished his goals--often at the cost of approval of his more doctrinaire peers in the faith.
As with all good biographies, the writer does not treat his subject as a sub-deity figure to be worshiper. Meyer seemed unable to remain long-term with one church, which may have hampered his overall impact. He seemed often to enjoy the lime-light, and he clearly sacrificed his family/marriage on the altar of his ministry ambitions. The fact that he directed for all his diaries and journals to be destroyed at his death, and that he left NOTHING to his wife and daughter, and that his wife rarely, if ever, attended his church, leaves many unanswered questions, probably ones whose answers would be familiar, and tragic.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this little book to all who are engaged in urban ministry, particularly at the local church level.
May 18, 2016
I'd never heard of FB Meyer before but a friend lent me this book and I'm glad he did.Bob Holman's biography of this 19th and 20th century church leader is inspirational.
If you live in London you should read it because it forms part of the Christian history and heritage of your city (same goes for Liverpool, Leicester and York). If you are interested in big churches then read this because Meyer's, Christ Church London, grew to over 2000. If you are interested in social action, social justice and Christians caring for the poor then Meyer led all his churches into this field. If it's Keswick, evangelism, Dwight Moody, political involvement or baptism in the Holy Spirit then read this book.
You wonder how he managed it all but he did and the reward for him will be great. An inspirational character that deserves a wider and greater appreciation in our times.
If you live in London you should read it because it forms part of the Christian history and heritage of your city (same goes for Liverpool, Leicester and York). If you are interested in big churches then read this because Meyer's, Christ Church London, grew to over 2000. If you are interested in social action, social justice and Christians caring for the poor then Meyer led all his churches into this field. If it's Keswick, evangelism, Dwight Moody, political involvement or baptism in the Holy Spirit then read this book.
You wonder how he managed it all but he did and the reward for him will be great. An inspirational character that deserves a wider and greater appreciation in our times.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews