How to Pray Paperback - 2015

R. A. Torrey (Reuben Archer) was a chief defender of the Christian faith. He was born in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1856. Torrey became one of the most prominent evangelists, pastors and writers of the late 19th and early 20th Century. He is best remembered for serving as superintendent of the Bible Institute of the Chicago Evangelical Society (the Moody Bible Institute). Torrey graduated from Yale University in 1875 and Yale Divinity School in 1878. After graduation, he married Clara Smith and over the course of his ministry they raised five children. Torrey was involved in numerous ministry activities during his life. He served as a Congregational minister in Garrettsville, Ohio; became pastor of the Chicago Avenue Church (the Moody Church); served as chaplain with the YMCA during the Spanish American War; and preached in revival services in nearly every part of the English-speaking world. His ministry also took him to Great Britain, Tasmania, China, Japan, Australia, Canada, India and more. In the latter half of his ministry Torrey established the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA University) and served as Dean. He was also the founder and senior pastor of the Church of the Open Door. Torrey was a prolific writer. He left a legacy of more than forty books. His first book was entitled, How to Bring Men to Christ (1893), and his last book was entitled, Lectures on the First Epistle of John which was published in 1929 after his death. He contributed regularly to the BIOLA publication, The King's Business. Torrey was also a co-editor of The Fundamentals, a collection of 100 articles authored by leading Bible scholars published in 1909. This four-volume set helped to define conservative Protestant Christianity and stem the emerging attacks during that era by the liberal "higher criticism" movement against the Bible's authenticity. Torrey's passions were preaching the Gospel, prayer and soul winning. He is also considered to have written one of the best books on personal and mass evangelism entitled, How to Promote a Successful Revival. His final evangelistic meeting was in 1927. He died at his home in Asheville, North Carolina on October 26, 1928.