Dwight L. Moody

American cleric

• Born: February 5, 1837
• Birthplace: Northfield, Massachusetts
• Died: December 22, 1899
• Place of death: Northfield, Massachusetts

In mass evangelistic campaigns, Moody preached a message of salvation and brought spiritual revival to the United States and England. One of the most influential religious leaders of the Gilded Age, he instituted new strategies and techniques in mass evangelism that were copied by countless later evangelists.

Early Life

Dwight Lyman Moody was the sixth of nine children. His father, Edwin Moody, died when he was four, leaving the family with no provision for their future. With determination, hard work, and assistance from others, Dwight’s mother, Betsey Holton Moody, kept the family together and reared them in a strict, loving, devout home. Because he was impatient with school and needed to work, Moody had little formal schooling. Always conscious of this lack, he was for many years hesitant to speak in public and only gradually attained the ability to preach.

At the age of seventeen, Moody left Northfield and obtained work as a shoe salesperson in the store of his uncle, Samuel Holton. Ambition, boundless energy, natural wit, and unorthodox selling methods made him an unusually successful salesperson.

As a condition of employment, Moody had to attend Holton’s church, the Mount Vernon Orthodox Congregationalist Church. Reared as a Unitarian, Moody had never heard the message that was preached at Mount Vernon: that Jesus Christ had died for all men, risen from the dead, and lived to be the Savior and friend of all who trusted Him. Moody resisted this idea for some time, but when his Sunday-school teacher asked him privately for a response, Moody gave himself and his life to Christ. From that date forward, April 21, 1855, Moody had a new purpose in life.

In 1856, Moody moved to Chicago and within two years was earning more than five thousand dollars a year. His ambition was to succeed in business and accumulate the wealth to support his philanthropic work.

Needing an outlet for his energy and Christian zeal, Moody started a mission Sunday school in 1858. In two years, the regular attendance grew to 450 children. By 1864, the school had outgrown two buildings, and members wanted to form a church. The Illinois Street Church was founded that year, later becoming Moody Memorial Church.

In 1860, Moody resigned his business position to devote himself full time to Christian work. He joined the fledgling Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and, in 1865, became its president. Through the years, he was one of the foremost fund-raisers for YMCA buildings and activities. During the Civil War, the YMCA held evangelistic services for the soldiers, and though still unpolished, Moody became an effective and practiced preacher. He also visited personally with the soldiers.

In 1862, Moody married Emma Revell, a beautiful and well-educated girl of nineteen. They differed sharply in personality traits. Although Emma Moody was poised, retiring, and conservative, her husband loved publicity and practical jokes and was impulsive, quick-tempered, and outspoken. Though she suffered from poor health, he was robust and was always active. Practical and orderly, she handled most of her husband’s correspondence and the family’s finances. He depended on her good judgment and learned self-discipline from her. With all of his brusqueness, he was warm, tenderhearted, and sensitive to others. Humble and peace-loving, he was quick to apologize when he had wronged another. Under his wife’s influence, Moody mellowed and improved in manners and speech.

During the 1860’s, the YMCA expanded its work among the poor of Chicago. The association set up a distribution system for food and clothing using Moody’s mission staff as workers. Moody organized literacy and Americanization classes. Also, the YMCA sponsored evangelism of the poor and, under Moody’s leadership, citywide distribution of religious tracts.

As president of the YMCA, Moody became responsible for traveling to national conventions. At the same time, he participated in Sunday-school conventions and interdenominational “Christian conventions.” Because he played a prominent role in YMCA work and the Sunday-school movement, Moody was well known as a colorful and effective speaker. At a convention Moody heard Ira Sankey sing and persuaded Sankey to leave his home and business and to join him as an associate. This partnership led Moody in a new direction.

Life’s Work

After much prayer and soul-searching, Moody concluded that God was calling him to full-time evangelism. In June, 1873, Moody and Sankey sailed for England. After an inauspicious beginning, the two met with minor success in Newcastle and then preached to huge crowds in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Throughout 1874, Moody moved slowly through Scotland and Ireland, then reached England in 1875. Moody would select a local person to coordinate plans for the campaign, and he insisted on cooperation among the local churches. He encouraged people to hold prayer meetings to pray for his work.

Attendance at the revivals required a huge building and, at times, a special temporary structure was built. Meetings were publicized in circulars and through home visitation.

As the evangelists approached London, the question was whether London would accept this uneducated preacher with his simple and direct messages. Short and heavyset, he wore a full beard on his round, ruddy face. Good-humored with a rich, full laugh, he walked quickly and spoke loudly. Although Moody received criticism from the press, his popularity seemed assured from the beginning of his London meetings. It was estimated during the four-month campaign that Moody spoke to more than two million people.

Moody returned to the United States as an international figure, receiving numerous requests for speaking engagements. After a short time at Northfield, Moody and Sankey held campaigns in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and New York. After these campaigns, a visit to the South and a tour of the Midwest brought the two evangelists back to Chicago. In the fall of 1876, they began a revival in Chicago that lasted until mid-January, 1877. Following this revival, they held campaigns in Boston, Baltimore, St. Louis, Cleveland, and San Francisco.

Moody proved to be a sought-after speaker for the remainder of his life, and he traveled in North America and Britain with his message of revival. Recognizing a need for trained laymen to work in the churches, he established schools to instruct new converts. The Northfield School for Girls opened in 1879, followed by the Mount Hermon School for Boys in 1881. Their purpose was to provide a preparatory school education that would encourage the development of Christian character and prepare the students for Christian service. Moody did not consider himself an educator; rather, he obtained funds, facilities, and personnel for his schools.

In 1880, Moody held the first summer Bible conference at Northfield, with his friends and himself as speakers. The goal was to give lay readers increased understanding of the Bible and to foster spiritual renewal. These readers would then return to work in their churches with greater power. In 1886, the conference was expanded to include college students.

Chicago was the setting for another of Moody’s ventures into education. Friends had long hoped for a permanent school there, and Miss Emma Dryer, with Moody’s encouragement, had founded a small training school. Under Moody’s direction, the Chicago Bible Institute officially opened on September 26, 1889. The school’s purpose was to train Christian workers and equip them to serve in city missions. After Moody’s death, the name was officially changed to Moody Bible Institute.

In 1894, Moody became convinced that masses of people could be reached if Christian books were available in inexpensive editions. A colportage department was begun at the Chicago Bible Institute, with students often distributing the books. In his later years, Moody developed a concern for prisoners, and books from the institute’s colportage line were provided to prison libraries.

Moody had continued his revival preaching from 1878 to 1899, and he was speaking at Kansas City when his fatal illness struck. He hastened home to Northfield, and there he died on December 22, 1899.

Significance

A man of incredible energy and authority, Moody was an evangelist to the masses and brought spiritual renewal to urban centers, both in the United States and abroad. The most significant religious leader of the Gilded Age, he instituted new strategies and techniques in mass evangelism that have been used by later evangelists. These included his methods of planning, organization, and publicity. By enlisting cooperation among the churches, he proved that evangelism could be above denominationalism.

Living in the midst of a change from traditional conservatism to a liberal outlook in theology, Moody nevertheless maintained a deep belief in a literal interpretation of the Bible and its fundamental creeds. His message typified the thought of the evangelical Protestant movement. Out of the millions who heard him speak, many became converted and carried on his message.

In Moody’s era, Christian elementary and secondary schools had not come into existence. The schools he established at Northfield were innovative in their approach as Christian education. The Chicago Bible Institute was the second significant Bible school started up in the United States and became the impetus for others. His use of lay people in his work—Moody himself was never ordained—and his Christian schools ushered in the age of the lay worker in the Church.

Moody’s influence was felt in evangelical circles long after his death. Probably more than his theology, his personality and fierce concern for humankind have inspired others to continue his work. His compassion, humility, and earnest message of salvation remain an example for other evangelists.

Bibliography

Dorsett, Lyle W. A Passion for Souls: the Life of D. L. Moody. Chicago: Moody Press, 1997. This biography provides an admiring yet balanced depiction of Moody by describing his virtues, faults, struggles, and triumphs.

Evensen, Bruce J. God’s Man for the Gilded Age: D. L. Moody and the Rise of Modern Mass Evangelism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Uses contemporary newspaper accounts to examine the influence of the popular press on Moody’s rise to fame between 1873 and 1877. Evensen concludes that the press and Moody had a mutually beneficial relationship: The press used Moody to attract readers, and Moody used the press for free advertising.

Findlay, James F., Jr. Dwight L. Moody: American Evangelist, 1837-1899. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1969. The single best scholarly biography. Includes an analysis, though inadequate, of Moody’s personality, theology, and techniques of evangelism. Examines critical shifts in the social and religious thought of the nineteenth century, placing Moody in historical perspective. A review of Moody’s home life and later accomplishments is included.

George, Timothy, ed. Mr. Moody and the Evangelical Tradition. London: T&T Clark, 2004. Collection of ten essays examining Moody’s doctrine, preaching methods, and his role in nineteenth century revivalism.

Getz, Gene A. MBI: The Story of Moody Bible Institute. Chicago: Moody Press, 1969. A comprehensive account of the growth and expanion of Moody Bible Institute and its varied ministries. Getz describes Moody’s role in the institute’s founding and early years.

Gundry, Stanley N. Love Them In. Chicago: Moody Press, 1976. Balanced, comprehensive evaluation of Moody’s theology and how it related to his evangelistic campaigns. Within the historical context, Gundry considers Moody’s doctrine in matters such as Calvinism, perfectionism, speaking in tongues, and the life of the believer. He stresses how Moody viewed the Gospel and its message of salvation.

Hopkins, C. Howard. History of the Y.M.C.A. in North America. New York: Association Press, 1951. A valuable resource as it examines the interplay of influences between Moody and the YMCA. Details the work Moody did for the YMCA in organization, fund-raising, and evangelism.

McLoughlin, William G., Jr. Modern Revivalism: Charles Grandison Finney to Billy Graham. New York: Ronald Press, 1959. Attempting to explain the significance of revivalism in the social, intellectual, and religious life of America, McLoughlin examines the lives of major revivalists, including Moody. He analyzes their social environment and their effect on American life. Includes a description of the work of Moody’s associate, Ira Sankey.

Moody, William R. Dwight L. Moody. Rev. ed. New York: Macmillan, 1930. Just before his death, Moody commissioned his son to write this official biography. Though eulogistic, it is complete and invaluable in any study of Moody’s life.

Pollock, John. Moody. Chicago: Moody Press, 1983. A readable, inspirational biography. Although it is not a theological analysis, Moody’s personality is illuminated, and the detailed story gives information not found in other biographies.

Sankey, Ira D. My Life and the Story of the Gospel Hymns. Chicago: Bible Institute Colportage Association, 1907. Because Ira Sankey was Moody’s associate in his evangelistic campaigns, his autobiography gives insight into the way Moody conducted services. Also included are anecdotes that further aid in the understanding of Moody’s personality.