IRONSIDE, HENRY ALLAN, CONTROVERSY OF

CONTROVERSY OF HENRY ALLAN IRONSIDE

Canadian born "Harry" Ironside (1876-1951) was one of the most prolific Bible teachers of the past century. Though never ordained, he traveled for well over fifty years as a home missionary, evangelist, and Bible teacher. Self-taught and brilliant of mind, he published over sixty books and pamphlets. For some time he was with the Salvation Army but later joined the Plymouth Brethren. After 1924 he held meetings continually, under the auspices of Moody Bible Institute, going often as visiting faculty to Dallas Theological Seminary. He also pastored for eighteen years (1930-1948) at the Moody Memorial Church in Chicago. He died while on a preaching tour in New Zealand.

Ironside was an avid dispensationalist and premillennialist. These positions came through clearly in his writings and in his teaching ministry. Around 1943, however, rumors began to arise that Ironside claimed dispensationalism and the pretribulational rapture position was "full of holes." The alleged quote supposedly came from a Stanley Payne who was a staff member with the Moody Bible Institute radio station. Payne added that Ironside also said "I know that the system I teach [the pretrib secret rapture and related subjects] is full of holes, but I am too old and have written too many books to make any changes." This statement is quoted by Robert Summers in his publication the Biblical Evangelist, May 13, 1983. This accusation had been spread by Dave MacPherson and John L. Bray, both opponents of dispensational teaching.

Great efforts were made to try to find the truth of this charge. Associates at the Moody radio station vehemently denied that Ironside would have ever made such statements. As a senior student at Dallas Seminary, Ray Stedman spent the summer of 1950 as chauffeur, secretary, and personal companion to Ironside, who was almost blind from cataracts and needed personal help. Stedman strongly denies that any such prophetic recanting on the part of Ironside could have ever been uttered.

If he had changed his mind after 1943, it would seem as if some of his books, such as his commentaries on 1 and 2 Thessalonians, would have reflected his honesty and a shift in prophetic teaching, but they do not. Furthermore, Ironside's daughter, Lillian Ironside Koppin, and his daughter-in-law, Sally Gentry Ironside, both strongly denied ever sensing any theological change. Mrs. Koppin wrote, "I do believe that my father was honest enough that, if he felt strongly concerning this teaching, he would have published something to reveal his stand."

ESCHATOLOGY OF HENRY ALLAN IRONSIDE

Producing some of the warmest and most cherished devotional commentaries in the history of dispensationalism, the evangelist, teacher, and pastor, H. A. Ironside (1876–1951) encouraged thousands of people across the English-speaking world to understand dispensational truth. Raised in a Christian home and converted to faith in Christ as a young man, Ironside joined the ranks of the Salvation Army. However, after a few years, he abandoned the group due to the frustration of attempting to maintain the "victory" status of the group's view of sanctification. He found peace and security in the more biblical view of God's matchless grace. His testimony to his conversion and his later views on holiness teaching are found in Holiness: The True and the False (1912).

Ironside did not receive much of a formal education but was a self-taught student. He received an honorary doctorate (Litt.D.) from Wheaton College in 1930. Ironside became a nationally known Bible teacher with an itinerant teaching ministry, much like other leading dispensationalists of the first half of the twentieth century such as Arno C. Gaebelein. Ironside's traveling ministry included Bible conferences and seriatim teaching at institutions across the United States such as Moody Bible Institute and the Evangelical College (now Dallas Theological Seminary). Ironside pastored the well-known Moody Memorial Church in Chicago from 1930 to 1948, from which he spoke on radio for several years. He resigned the pulpit of that well-known church to engage in a full-time writing and conference ministry. That ministry continued until his death in 1951.

The greatest legacy of H. A. Ironside is the voluminous collection of writings that he left. He wrote over sixty books, along with numerous pamphlets and articles. His style is characterized by (1) devotional exposition, (2) the simple outline of complicated issues, (3) a creative ability to provide fresh wording and illustrations aimed at warming the heart and changing the life, and (4) a continuation of the heritage of simple Bible readings that were emphasized in the Niagara Bible Conferences of the late nineteenth century.

Ironside's writings dealt with a wide range of topics. His biblical commentaries covered the entire range of New Testament books, as well as every prophetic book in the Old Testament. In addition, he addressed topical issues such as water baptism, the Second Coming, the rapture of the church, the Holy Spirit, issues of sanctification, and prayer. He showed the skills of a historian in A Historical Sketch of the Brethren Movement (1942), which highlighted the development of the movement largely responsible for spreading the dispensationalism of John Nelson Darby which Ironside himself believed. Ironside also provided anecdotal insights into his own life and ministry in Random Reminiscences from Fifty Years of Ministry (1939). The heart of a pastor can be seen in Full Assurance, the goal of which was to increase the confidence of believers. Ironside also possessed the zeal of an evangelist, as seen in his publication The Only Two Religions and Other Gospel Papers. Many of the publications and commentaries were derived from messages he gave, often in series of expository sermons. His ministry lasted around sixty years in fruitful service. In the end he was known as a beloved teacher dedicated to the literal interpretation of prophecy and the resultant belief and hope in the pretribulational premillennial coming of Jesus Christ. g