An insightful review of this collection of biographies of the life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Engaging with Martyn Lloyd-Jones – The life and legacy of ‘the Doctor’

Ed by Andrew Atherstone and David Ceri Jones

2011, Apollos, 370pp, £16.99

Review by Gordon Kuhrt

Martyn Lloyd-Jones (MLJ) may be virtually unknown to many Anglicans under 50. He was born in 1899, at the height of his powers in the ‘40s and ‘50s, and died in 1981.This major volume re-evaluates his ministry and legacy. Dr James Packer, a close friend and colleague until 1970 writes in the Foreword that he was “a great man . . . .one of the greatest Christian men of the C20^th ”. The editors claim he “dominates the history of British evangelicalism in the C20^th”. I think the latter is hyperbole – rather he was enormously influential in the ‘40s and early ‘50s in that world especially the IVF and IFES. But, as he increasingly moved in a separatist trajectory, he fell out with Ernest Kevan and the London Bible College, with the Evangelical Alliance, with Dr Packer, with the IVF publishing committee, and with most evangelical Anglicans and Baptists. Thus, from the late ‘50s, his influence largely narrowed to the conservative wing of evangelical non-conformity. His legacy was mainly about Reformed theology, detailed expository preaching and the mentoring of young men who were in awe of him.

There is considerable unevenness in the quality of the contributions. But I commend the book to students of C20^th Christian history, and several chapters are particularly illuminating. I grew up in conservative non-conformity, and my parents were devotees of ‘the Doctor’. As an undergraduate, I heard him preach at Westminster Chapel. However, I was travelling towards the CofE, and never captivated by him as some of my friends were.

Many readers may, like me, be unaware of the published re-evaluations of MLJ since his death. So the most significant contribution for me (and for many Anglicans) is the substantial Introduction by the two editors reviewing the four biographies. I had read the first, and a short trailer for the second, but the others came as an intriguing shock. Ian Murray, close friend, colleague and publisher wrote the first, a massive two-volume biography which was substantially an admiring tribute. Murray did briefly mention MLJ’s trenchant dogmatism, and inability to develop a leadership team. The largely ‘one-man ministry’ left a difficult vacuum at Westminster Chapel on his retirement.

The second was by his eldest grandchild, Christopher Catherwood, who grew up in the WC congregation. This is a warm personal appreciation of MLJ’s roles as preacher, pastor and grandfather. His only criticism was of his impatient appeal for separatism which provoked such division. Catherwood is sympathetic to Anglican evangelicals, and very critical of the hot-headed zealots among MLJ’s disciples.

But there has been another more critical stream of evaluation. Professor Macleod complained in an article of the dangerous Doctor-cult, of his significant errors, and his acceptance of utter deference. Thirdly, Dr Gaius Davies published a study which repeatedly called MLJ a genius, but illuminated his obsessive need to be in control, and his combative and aggressive nature. He criticised MLJ’s treatment of Dr Packer, and the idolatry of his disciples.

A year later came John Brencher’s major re-assessment “Martyn Lloyd-Jones and C20th Evangelicalism”. A former member of the Chapel and one-time national president of the FIEC, he agrees that MLJ was an outstanding preacher. However, contrary to the widespread adulation of his loyal disciples, he speaks of an almost one-man ministry at the Chapel, arrogant domination of discussions, and the political error of his call to separatism and treatment of Anglican evangelicals.

In Chapter 1, David Bebbington writes with meticulous scholarship on the inter-war Calvinist resurgence. Chap 2 is about MLJ’s influence on his homeland of Wales where he had his first pastorate, and became like a bishop to many non-conformists – but the longed-for revival never materialized. The separatism led to a contentious spirit and to “second degree separation” (ie separation from evangelicals who would not separate). His legacy was confined to a small sectarian tradition. Chap 3 by Ian Randall is about Revival. MLJ had a great longing for revival, interest in Jonathan Edwards, and in a baptism of the Holy Spirit. His list of obstacles to revival was strangely contentious – including apologetics, culturally-linked popular evangelism and “Keswick” teaching. He remained disappointed. Chap 4 follows re the charismatic controversies – a long, and important chapter. MLJ’s relationship with the 1960s movement was complex, contested and apparently contradictory. The (often bitter) controversies about his positions rolled on for many years, even after his death.

The book is high-class historical and theological engagement up to this point. Sadly, several of the subsequent chapters fail to maintain the standard. Chap 5 on Preaching does not engage with MLJ’s arguments for a particular style of exposition, his Welsh eloquence, his use of history, or his total identification of gospel ministry with his kind of preaching. Chap 6 re Ministerial Education again fails to engage with MLJ’s developing hostility to university degrees in theology and to the London Bible College (now London School of Theology). Chap 7 is a careful discussion of MLJ and fundamentalism showing his preference for the description of conservative evangelical. Chap 8 describes his negative attitude to Karl Barth. Chap 9 assesses his extreme hostility to both Roman Catholicism and to the ecumenical movement.

Chap 10 on the Anglican Secession Crisis by Andrew Atherstone is important and fairly thorough. There were a few CofE clergy who seceded, but Atherstone fails to point out that there were different causes (including eg infant baptism), that one of the most well-known seceders, the Keswick preacher Bertie Rainsbury, later returned to the C of E, and that few lay leaders followed their clergy. The story reached a watershed at the National Assembly of Evangelicals in 1966. John Stott was in the chair, and MLJ gave a stirring address widely interpreted as a call to secede from ‘mixed denominations’. Stott warned listeners against precipitate action, and briefly explained that he saw the Scriptural position in a different way. This led to a time of considerable tension, of “guilt by association”, and separatism. In the following years there was actually a significant increase in the number of evangelical Anglican ordinands. It is interesting to note here the contrasting trajectories of MLJ and Ernest Kevan – the former towards increasing separatism, the latter towards increasingly generous and inclusive orthodoxy (see my Fulcrum review of Paul Brown’s biography of Kevan).

The final chapter is about the Protestant past ie MLJ’s view of history. It describes his involvement in the Puritan Conference, Evangelical Library and Banner of Truth Trust. Even within the Puritan tradition, MLJ exercised careful censorship! He was well-read and widely knowledgeable, but not in a rigorous academic way. His historical commentary was always with a view to his current concerns for Calvinistic theology, and hostility to Roman Catholicism and ecumenism. This left him vulnerable to contested interpretation. His understanding of Puritanism as separatist and pietist is widely contested by Puritan scholars. The book is beautifully produced, and concludes with a detailed bibliography of MLJ writings and an index.

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The Venerable Dr Gordon Kuhrt was Archdeacon of Lewisham, and then Director of the C of E Ministry Division for ten years.