Albert Benjamin Simpson facts for kids

A. B. Simpson, who started the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

Albert Benjamin Simpson (born December 15, 1843 – died October 29, 1919), also known as A. B. Simpson, was a Canadian preacher, writer, and a very important leader. He started a Christian group called the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). This group focuses on sharing Christian beliefs around the world.

Early Life and Faith

A. B. Simpson was born in a place called Bayview, near Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Canada. He was the fourth child in his family. His family, the Simpsons and the Clarks, were among the first people to settle in Cavendish back in 1790. Interestingly, he was even related to Lucy Maud Montgomery, the famous author of Anne of Green Gables.

Young Albert grew up in a very strict Scottish Presbyterian family. His journey of faith truly began in 1859. This was during a time of great spiritual excitement, and he was inspired by a visiting preacher named Henry Grattan Guinness. Simpson later studied to become a minister in Toronto, Canada, at Knox College, University of Toronto.

Becoming a Presbyterian Minister

After finishing his studies in 1865, Simpson became a minister in the Presbyterian Church in Canada. He was only 21 years old when he took on a big role. He became the minister at the large Knox Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, Ontario.

In 1873, when he was 30, Simpson moved to the United States. He became the minister at the biggest Presbyterian church in Louisville, Kentucky. While there, he had a new idea: he wanted to preach to everyone, not just those who came to fancy churches. He dreamed of building a simple place, like a tabernacle, where ordinary people could hear the gospel. Even though he was successful, his church wasn't ready for this new idea.

So, in 1880, Simpson moved to New York City to lead the Thirteenth Street Presbyterian Church. He immediately started reaching out to people there. In 1881, he felt that God healed him from a heart problem. Later that year, he decided to be baptized by immersion in a Baptist church, as a symbol of his deep commitment. Because his beliefs had changed, he decided to leave his Presbyterian church.

Starting a New Ministry

In 1881, A. B. Simpson began his own Christian work in New York City. He wanted to help the many new immigrants and people who felt forgotten. Besides preaching, he started a magazine in 1882 called The Gospel in All Lands. This was special because it was one of the first missionary magazines with pictures! He also published another magazine, which later became Alliance Life. This magazine is still the official publication for the Christian and Missionary Alliance today.

Simpson also saw the need to train people to share the Christian message. In 1882, he started informal classes. By 1883, he had a proper training program. This school taught ministers and missionaries from many different backgrounds. This was the beginning of Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary.

In 1885, he was invited to a big Christian meeting in London. There, he taught about living a holy life. He gave a famous sermon called "Himself," which focused on Jesus Christ and what He did for people.

In 1889, Simpson and his church moved into a new building in New York City. It was called the New York Tabernacle. This place became the center for his work. From here, he not only preached in the city but also grew his worldwide mission efforts.

Simpson's Teachings

In 1887, Simpson began teaching about what he called the "Fourfold Gospel" or "4-sided Gospel." This idea explains four main things about Jesus Christ:

• Jesus is our Savior (He saves us from our sins).
• Jesus is our Sanctifier (He helps us live a holy life).
• Jesus is our Healer (He can heal our bodies).
• Jesus is our Coming King (He will return one day).

The symbol of the Christian and Missionary Alliance shows these four ideas: a Cross (Savior), a Laver (Sanctifier), a Pitcher (Healer), and a Crown (Coming King). Simpson believed that focusing on Christ was the most important thing.

Simpson had been sick often since he was a child. He believed he experienced divine healing when he understood that healing was part of trusting in Christ. He often held special meetings each week for teaching, sharing stories, and praying for healing. This belief made him and the C&MA different from many other churches. But Simpson strongly believed in it.

Simpson's deep desire to share the Christian message was the main reason he started the C&MA. At first, it wasn't meant to be a new church group. It was an organized movement to spread the Christian message around the world.

In his 1890 book, A Larger Christian Life, Simpson shared his dream for what a church should be. He wrote that a church should be a place where people find help and healing. It should be a place where new believers are born and where God's children are trained. He saw the church as a place that equips people to do God's work in the world.

Simpson also wrote the words for over 120 hymns (Christian songs). Many of his hymns are still sung today. His song "The Missionary Cry" shows how much he cared about sharing the Christian message everywhere:

The Master's coming draweth near.
The Son of Man will soon appear,
His Kingdom is at hand.
But ere that glorious day can be,
The Gospel of the Kingdom, we
Must preach in every land.

Around the year 1900, some members of the Alliance started to believe in Pentecostalism. This included experiences like speaking in tongues. Simpson believed strongly in the Holy Spirit, but he became concerned about some of the extreme practices he saw in the Pentecostal movement. He didn't agree that speaking in tongues was the only sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Even so, Simpson himself sought spiritual experiences. He once wrote in his journal about an experience where he felt "a baptism of Holy laughter."

Death and Legacy

A. B. Simpson passed away in 1919. His wife, Margaret, died in 1924. They are buried together in Nyack, New York, where Nyack College is located.

Many Christian and Missionary Alliance places are named after A. B. Simpson. These include:

• Simpson University in California.
• The Albert B. Simpson school in Lima, Peru.
• The A. B. Simpson Alliance School in the Philippines.
• Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Simpson (Simpson Theological College) in Indonesia.
• The Simpson Memorial Church in Ahmedabad, India, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023-2024.

Works

Works about A. B. Simpson

• The Life of A.B. Simpson, by Albert E. Thompson (1920)
• A.B. Simpson, His Life and Work by Albert E. Thompson (1960 reprint)
• A.B.: The Unlikely Founder of a Global Movement by David P. Jones (2019)
• Simpson and the Making of Modern Evangelicalism by James Daryn Henry (2019)