Background
Dwight Lyman Moody was born on February 5, 1837, in Northfield, Massachusetts, to a large family. At the tender age of four, his father passed away. Dwight L. Moody was left to be raised, along with his siblings, by his mother alone.
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Dwight Lyman Moody was born on February 5, 1837, in Northfield, Massachusetts, to a large family. At the tender age of four, his father passed away. Dwight L. Moody was left to be raised, along with his siblings, by his mother alone.
Dwight's mother never encouraged him to read the Bible, and he only acquired the equivalent of a fifth-grade education.
At the age of 17 he went to Boston and entered the retail boot and shoe trade. In 1856 he moved to Chicago to enhance his business opportunities. While in Boston he had come in contact with evangelical Protestants, chiefly through the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and a local Congregational church. He expanded these associations in Chicago, where he soon became a leader in religious circles, chiefly through his work for the local YMCA. In 1860 Moody abandoned his business career to work full time for the YMCA. He served as president of the Chicago branch from 1865 to 1868. He also ran a large "independent" Sunday school for slum families, which was supported chiefly by local members of the YMCA. This experience was essential in preparing him for his eventual work as a revivalist.
In 1867 Moody visited England, immediately establishing contacts with important English evangelists. In 1872 he launched his formal career as a revivalist in Great Britain, accompanied by Ira D. Sankey, his famous "singing partner" in all his subsequent major revivals. They first attracted widespread popular support in Scotland; then they moved south into England for a long series of campaigns, climaxed by a 4-month visit in London in 1875. That year Moody returned to America, a national figure, and immediately launched a series of revivals. In huge revival meetings in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Boston he created the basic machinery of urban mass revivalism. It was chiefly a feat of organization which sought to adapt the traditional theological and institutional practices of evangelical Protestantism to the new urban environment created by industrialism. Although Moody never abandoned his work as a revivalist, after 1880 he developed other interests.
Dwight Lyman Moody died on December 22, 1899, surrounded by his family.
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A theological conservative, Moody was bewildered by the rapidly changing intellectual climate of the late 19th century. He found it difficult to deal effectively with the splits between liberals and conservatives in the American churches.
In 1870 he met Ira D. Sankey, a hymn writer, and with him became noted for contributing to the growth of the "gospel hymn. " They made extended evangelical tours in Great Britain (1873–1875, 1881–1884). Moody shunned divisive sectarian doctrines, deplored "higher criticism" of the Bible, the Social Gospel movement, and the theory of evolution. Instead, he colorfully and intensely preached "the old-fashioned gospel, " emphasizing a literal interpretation of the Bible and looking toward the premillennial Second Coming. Moody’s mass revivals were financed by prominent businessmen who believed he would alleviate the hardships of the poor. Moody himself ardently supported various charities but felt that social problems could be solved only by the divine regeneration of individuals.
Dwight Lyman Moody aided national officials of the YMCA in inaugurating the Student Volunteer movement in 1886 a major expression of the American Protestant missionary impulse. At the Northfield schools, he also held numerous summer adult and youth conferences offering informal Christian education.
Quotations:
"There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord, but few of us are willing to do little things. "
"If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of me. "
"Preparation for old age should begin not later than one's teens. A life which is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled on retirement. "
On August 28, 1862, Dwight L. Moody married Emma C. Revell, with whom he had a daughter and two sons.