Ordained of the Lord, H. A. Ironside: A biography

by E. Schuyler English

Very Good Hardcover Loizeaux Brothers. Very Good. Hardcover. 1976.

Genres: Biography

254 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that has lingered on my shelf for a long time. It finally jumped into my hand. This year I’ve been using a couple of devotionals written by Ironside so this might have been the promoting I needed.

Not knowing much about his personal life, almost all of the book was new territory for me. From his early days with the Salvation Army to the latter years at Moody, it was all interesting.

There are many questions I have about how he was gone for such lengthy periods of time away from family. Theirs must have been a unique marriage situation. There amount of messages he preached over the course of a year is staggering. As a pastor, I’m going to bite my tongue more when I think I’m tired.

The nature of the book was more of a catalog of places traveled to, people seen, & messages preached. It is not particularly an examination of beliefs, methods, & ideas. There is some of this. His disagreement with some of his Brethren friends over certain issues is not fully explored.

Overall the book for someone like me that knew little of his life was a good journey.

[SeanlovesVera E.]

Inspiring, personal and insightful account of a life completely sold out to the gospel and the people of God.
I have many of his many expository books and have read and used a number of them. It's amazing how he carved out time on trains and in a busy schedule, to write them. Quite simple, but still very helpful and intensely Christ filled. And many good illustrations, preachers!
One thing that disappointed me was that he became a "pastor" of a large church, after so many years among the brethren assemblies. I guess it could be said that his special gift was shared with a much wider audience.
Well written and also gives a real sense of the times in which he lived. One such characteristic was people getting saved at virtually every meeting in those days.

[Anson Cassel Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume is a short, devotionally oriented biography of the Canadian-American Bible teacher and author, Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951), written by one of his most literate friends, the religious publisher E. Schuyler English (1899-1981). English treats Ironside with great respect but not as an example of sinless perfection—a doctrine that first drove Ironside to despair and then became the subject of his book-length critique. Although this biography has no scholarly apparatus, it is based largely on Ironside’s published reminiscences and private diary.

[Diana Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on the life of HA Ironside.

[Joey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this book twice. I read it most recently a few years ago. The thing I remember most about the book is that Ironside would go months on end without seeing his family because he was ministering in other parts of the country. At that time, travel was done by train. From what I recall, he may have even pastored Moody Church in Illinois, while his family still lived in California.

It reflects a different age and a different way of thinking about family/ministry work balance than what is common today.

[Denise Ballentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

My very old copy was scarfed up at a library booksale. Totally enjoyed reading this bio. Interesting comparison to the way many of today's "so-called" evangelists live. Very sacrificial and spare living on Ironside's part. None of that "health and wealth" stuff, but truly, a man sold out to the Lord.

[F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving, Scriptural, heart-warming.