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Lewis Sperry Chafer
Lewis Sperry Chafer (1871–1952) was an American preacher, theologian, and educator whose influential ministry shaped 20th-century evangelicalism, particularly through his role as a founder and the first president of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS). Born on February 27, 1871, in Rock Creek, Ohio, he was the second of three children to Thomas Franklin Chafer, a Congregational minister, and Lomira Sperry. His father’s death from tuberculosis when Lewis was 11 left the family in financial strain, supported by his mother’s work as a teacher and boarding house keeper. Chafer attended Oberlin College from 1889 to 1892, where he developed a passion for music and met Ella Loraine Case, whom he married in 1896. Initially a traveling evangelist and gospel singer, he was ordained in 1900 by a council of Congregational ministers in Buffalo, New York. Chafer’s preaching career evolved from music ministry with evangelists like Arthur T. Reed to a focus on Bible teaching, influenced by C.I. Scofield, whom he met in 1901 at Northfield Bible Conference. He served as a Bible lecturer, assisted Scofield in founding the Philadelphia School of the Bible in 1913, and pastored First Congregational Church in Dallas (later Scofield Memorial Church) starting in 1921. In 1924, he co-founded DTS with his brother Rollin, serving as its president and professor of systematic theology until his death, shaping it into a leading dispensationalist institution. Author of over 20 books, including Systematic Theology (1947–1948), an eight-volume work, he preached a premillennial, pretribulational dispensationalism that emphasized grace and biblical authority. Chafer died on August 22, 1952, in Seattle, Washington, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose scholarship and leadership trained generations of evangelical leaders.
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Lewis Sperry Chafer emphasizes the importance of not indulging in idle speculations but being alert to the signs of the approaching day of the Lord. Believers, as 'children of the light' and 'children of the day,' should be mindful of the positive conditions leading to that day and not disregard them. The imminent return of Christ should serve as a motivating vision that propels believers to action and inspires them to diligently pursue their tasks, just like it did for faithful saints and ministers like Mr. Moody. As the fulfillment of Scripture unfolds rapidly, Chafer urges listeners to open their eyes, heed God's Word, and recognize the signs of the times.
Real Issues to Be Considered
We are not to draw on our imaginations, nor to be led into idle speculations. We who are saved are “the children of the light” and “children of the day.” If that day draws near, we, who have been attentive to God’s Word, should be conscious of its approach. God has indicated some positive conditions leading up to that day. We cannot ignore them. Having considered His faithful Word of prediction, we have but to open our eyes upon this fast consummating age to be solemnized by the evidence of His nearness. Like the mariner of old, we shall also be heartened by the sight of land. Oh that the promise of His return and the victory which it brings might be to us, as it has been to multitudes of God’s faithful saints, the vision which impels us to our task and which inspires us to strip off our coats and bend to the oars! Thus has this great hope of His return affected the people of God who have understood it and believed it. Mr. Moody said it was the unceasing inspiration of his ministry. It has been and is the living hope of the great missionaries, evangelists and soul-winners of all generations. Some of these have rowed faithfully when but little of the land could be seen. What shall be said of us before whose eyes the rugged mountains are looming so near? Scripture is being fulfilled on every hand. Brother, will you lift your eyes and see? Will you give heed to the Word of God?
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Lewis Sperry Chafer (1871–1952) was an American preacher, theologian, and educator whose influential ministry shaped 20th-century evangelicalism, particularly through his role as a founder and the first president of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS). Born on February 27, 1871, in Rock Creek, Ohio, he was the second of three children to Thomas Franklin Chafer, a Congregational minister, and Lomira Sperry. His father’s death from tuberculosis when Lewis was 11 left the family in financial strain, supported by his mother’s work as a teacher and boarding house keeper. Chafer attended Oberlin College from 1889 to 1892, where he developed a passion for music and met Ella Loraine Case, whom he married in 1896. Initially a traveling evangelist and gospel singer, he was ordained in 1900 by a council of Congregational ministers in Buffalo, New York. Chafer’s preaching career evolved from music ministry with evangelists like Arthur T. Reed to a focus on Bible teaching, influenced by C.I. Scofield, whom he met in 1901 at Northfield Bible Conference. He served as a Bible lecturer, assisted Scofield in founding the Philadelphia School of the Bible in 1913, and pastored First Congregational Church in Dallas (later Scofield Memorial Church) starting in 1921. In 1924, he co-founded DTS with his brother Rollin, serving as its president and professor of systematic theology until his death, shaping it into a leading dispensationalist institution. Author of over 20 books, including Systematic Theology (1947–1948), an eight-volume work, he preached a premillennial, pretribulational dispensationalism that emphasized grace and biblical authority. Chafer died on August 22, 1952, in Seattle, Washington, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose scholarship and leadership trained generations of evangelical leaders.