R.A. Torrey, Apostle of Certainty

I just finished reading R.A. Torrey, Apostle of Certainty by Dr. Roger Martin. What an excellent book! I, of course - as do many of you - know about Torrey-Grey Auditorium at Moody Bible Institute, but I had never thought of the MEN behind that name! Now I know a lot about Torrey - I guess the next book needs to be about Grey! Although in this book, Grey is referred to several times.

What a great man was Reuben Archer Torrey! And one of the most humble I have ever read about. We all have heard of the incredible preaching of D.L. Moody, but Torrey was also an amazing preacher and soul-winner!

For fear of boring you, I MUST quote some wonderful passages and quotes of Torrey from this book.

"His most telling words were in the form of a challenge.

You, who think we need a new Bible, something better than the Bible, the
old Bible, an expurgated Bible, take heed to our experiences. Eighteen
months of preaching its Gospel, thirty thousand men and women won to
Christ, proves that the Bible, the old Bible, is what the world needs, what
the twentieth century needs." (page 164).

The end of the book contained his sermon on Why I Believe the Bible to Be the Word of God. Wow! I may have to copy that and translate it into Spanish!

"One day as he was speaking on "Why I Believe the Bible to Be the Word of God," two men promptly stood up, evidently at a given signal, to question the preacher. One was in the center of the auditorium; the other, in the gallery behind the speaker. Both began speaking at once. Torrey hesitated but a moment before a wondering congregation and pointed his finger at the man before him, "What is your name?" The man tried to evade the query, but Torrey repeated his statement. The sharp, stentorian tones of the preacher caused the man to waver a little. Then Torrey said, "Gentlemen, this man is ashamed of his name, and I am ashamed of him." The objector sank into his chair. In the meantime the man in the gallery had become quiet. But Torrey turned sharply upon him, "Are you ashamed of your name also?"
The incident was closed. Torrey had little patience with an insincere or interrupting critic. For instance, there was the time when one of his questioners asked, "Seeing you claim to be so much like Christ, will you kindly tell us if you can walk on water?" The crowd laughed, but as the merriment ceased, the speaker said, "Yes, I can walk on water. . . (long pause) much better than I can on whiskey!" (page 186)

"I rise when I have slept enough. I exercise with dumbbells until the kinks are out
of my muscles, and then I jump into a tub of cold water. Then breakfast. Diet? Oh,
no. Whatever is put before me. I always manage to get in a brisk walk after break-
fast. If I have time, I take a long jaunt. But before that I must dictate letters. This
is my most perplexing duty. . . .After my walk I return to my hotel to study and
think. . . .My day's work begins with the noon meeting, and from then on, except
for brief intervals, I have no rest until nearly midnight.
The strain is sometimes intense, but I do not resort to stimulants to help me bear
it. . . .For the rest I never worry. I have always been strong and healthy. . . .God has
been good to me." (Page 205-206)


Just one more, a very poignant one. His son Reuben and his bride spent a short time with them before leaving for China. The evening they left was unforgettable. The Torreys went to the station with them, waved to them till they were out of sight, not a tear shed. But...

"We did not say much that evening to one another, but when I got to bed I
could hold in no longer, and lay there and sobbed and sobbed. Mrs. Torrey
tried to comfort me, but I needed no comfort. Through my tears and sobs
my heart was rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory at the privilege
of giving my only son to live for the God and Father who had given His Only
Son to die for me."

Wow! Brings back memories of when Ken and I left for the mission field! I'm almost certain that is what was on the hearts of his folks, who DID shed a few tears before us as we were getting ready to leave!

I loved every page of this book! Please look for it! Read it! Borrow it! Steal it! (Just kidding)

Thanks so much, Kim, for loaning it to me! It has been a wonderful blessing to me!