INTRODUCTION 

When I was at work in the City Relief Society, before the fire, I used to go to a poor sinner with the Bible in one hand and a loaf of bread in the other…. My idea was that I could open a poor man’s heart by giving him a load of wood or a ton of coal when the winter was coming on, but I soon found out that he wasn’t any more interested in the Gospel on that account. Instead of thinking how he could come to Christ, he was thinking how long it would be before he got another load of wood. If I had the Bible in one hand and a loaf in the other the people always looked first at the loaf; and that was just contrary to the order laid down in the Gospel.¹

—DWIGHT MOODY

Do all the good you can, to all the people you can, in all the ways you can, and as long as ever you can.

—MOTTO IN MOODY’S BIBLE

Reading the Bible and remembering the poor—a combination of faith and works—will always bring joy.²

—DWIGHT MOODY

Although Mr. Moody labored on behalf of the individual, he was also interested in society. His conception of the Gospel was comprehensive and was not indifferent to man’s intellectual and physical needs. He placed first emphasis on spiritual values because he insisted that the most efficacious means of reformation was through the individual.³

—WILLIAM MOODY

I taught my first class at Moody Bible Institute in 1985. My sister had attended Moody, so I had a vague understanding of the school. I had done graduate work in church history, but I really did not have a grasp on Mr. Moody. Over time, I found myself increasingly fascinated by the man and began to read about him more deeply. D. L. Moody soon captured my imagination. As soon as I thought I knew him, I would come across another event or relationship that surprised and fascinated me. His life was remarkable, his sphere of influence incredible, and he lived in one of the most exciting and tumultuous times in the history of the United States.

For me, one of the most interesting pieces of Moody’s work was his understanding of the relationship between evangelism and social ills. As I read others, I was often troubled by the lack of understanding of Moody’s efforts in each area. Too often interpreters saw Moody as two-dimensional, emphasizing solely his evangelistic activities. Others even went so far as to claim he discouraged addressing the struggles of the poor. Over my years of study, I have come to see this is simply not true. The purpose of this book is to right that misreading of Moody.

In his day, Moody was one of the most well-known figures in the English-speaking world. His legacy is profound and foundational for evangelicalism. For those readers who were raised in or currently identify with evangelicalism, this is not merely the study of a man and a movement; it is a family story. For those who have no connection to evangelicalism, Moody provides a glimpse into a movement that may seem confusing or even perplexing. He can also serve as a measuring stick to see how the movement has evolved. Perhaps the best way to think about this is in terms of the country I call home, the United States. For the United States, we often talk about two presidents who shaped this country, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. It may be helpful to see Moody as kind of an Abraham Lincoln figure for evangelicalism. Indeed, after his death a Boston newspaper exclaimed: “American boys in the next century should study the lives of a model patriot and its preacher of righteousness.”⁴

In many ways, the span of Moody’s life, 1837 to 1899, was a defining period for evangelicalism in America. While it is true the giants of the previous century, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and John Wesley, cast a long shadow, most of what we today call evangelicalism was shaped in the 1800s. During this century the foundational figures were Moody and his friend Charles Spurgeon, the English pastor. In the academic world, one indication of their impact comes from a series published on the history of evangelicalism. The title of the volume about their time is, The Dominance of Evangelicalism: The Age of Spurgeon and Moody.⁵

That interpretation of Moody is shared broadly throughout the academic world. Other prominent American church historians described his influence. For example, Martin Marty wrote, “The Chicago-based evangelist could plausibly have been called Mr. Revivalist and perhaps even Mr. Protestant.”⁶ Lyle Dorsett concurred, stating, “Dwight L. Moody’s name is synonymous with evangelism and revivalism.”⁷ Timothy George saw Moody as “the founder of contemporary interdenominational evangelicalism.”⁸ George Marsden presented Moody as the head of a broad evangelical empire that towered over the American religious landscape: “Scarcely a leader in American Protestantism in the next generation, it seemed, had not at some time been influenced by Moody.”⁹

The same could almost be said of his impact on the United Kingdom. He traveled to Britain on six different occasions, and his stays were always lengthy, ranging from a few months up to several years. In his great campaign of 1873–1875, the London portion single-handedly drew over 2.5 million attendees.¹⁰ During the campaign, figurines of Moody and Ira D. Sankey were hawked on the streets along with copies of Moody’s American cap. Even some popular poetry of the day reflected their influence. One line read, “The rich the poor, the good the bad, have gone mad over Moody and Sankey.”¹¹ In the summer of 1875, British royalties on the Sankey hymnal totaled $35,000, or seven thousand pounds sterling. Although the records are sketchy, estimates are that British publishers had single-handedly sold between fifty and eighty million copies of the hymnals by the end of World War II.¹² Consequently, by his death in 1899, “Moody” was a household name throughout the English-speaking world. His work cast a long shadow over the evangelical world for decades after his death.¹³ Perhaps the late Billy Graham summed it up best in a letter he wrote to Moody’s daughter: “I am wondering if you all are really aware of the many movements that now exist throughout the world that flowed from the ministry of Dwight Moody.”¹⁴

Given his importance and lingering influence, Dwight Moody helps us understand how evangelicals think about important issues. While surveying the broad story of Moody, this book centers on a simple question: How did Moody understand the relationship between evangelism and social problems? It is a question with which evangelicals currently struggle. Although the issues are somewhat different, the question is the same. Specifically, how should Christians think about the relationship between evangelism and addressing social issues?

Like all of us, Moody was at least partially shaped by the time in which he lived. In his case, they were tumultuous times of rapid change in almost all spheres of life in the United States. Throughout the book, we will seek to provide context for Moody’s life and work. In the meantime, what follows is a brief sketch of Moody’s day and age.

After the Revolutionary War, no event has shaped the United States more than the Civil War. It even changed the way the country is described. Before the war, the United States were referred to as plural—the United States “are.” Afterward it become singular—the United States “is.” Moody lived through this conflict. The war ripped the United States apart, killing hundreds of thousands, leaving in its wake throngs of maimed soldiers and a country heavily populated by widows and orphans. What happened to the country was predated by schisms in its Protestant churches. Before the war, the Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians were all divided into Northern and Southern branches.¹⁵

In addition to the Civil War, Moody lived when both the United States and the United Kingdom were going through the throes of a significant change. Urbanization, industrialization, and immigration changed both societies and created a new set of issues for Christianity. These changes included a collection of social ills that developed as urbanization gripped both countries. Immigrants poured into cities seeking jobs offered in the new industries. Overcrowding led to waves of epidemics. Sewage buildup, contaminated drinking water, lack of health care, poor or no education, and a host of other issues flourished in the cities. Substandard houses with no housing codes created fire hazards leading to the most significant urban fire in history, the Chicago Fire of 1871. On top of these, racial and ethnic strife ran rampant. Churches on both sides of the Atlantic struggled in dealing with these urban migrations and the resultant social problems.¹⁶

The period after the Civil War is often called the Gilded Age in America. It covered the period from roughly 1870 until 1900. The era was marked by the industrialization, immigration, and urbanization mentioned above. However, while wages among workers grew, it was also marked by abject poverty and massive inequality in wealth.¹⁷ These years were dominated by a group of men sometimes referred to as “robber barons” or “captains of industry.” These men amassed enormous wealth in stark contrast to the millions of immigrants populating newly formed cities. In some ways, Moody lived with one foot in each situation. On the one hand, Moody maintained cordial relationships with many great captains in American industry, especially in Chicago. Names like McCormick, Field, Armour, Scott, and Farwell bankrolled much of Moody’s work. But, on the other hand, Moody would focus his work on the poor, especially targeting cities.

Moody also lived during the so-called Victorian age. He embraced the middle-class values of that era. This is hardly surprising as the middle-class values of the Victorian era found their origin in the evangelical revivals in the early eighteenth century, making middle-class sensibilities a function of evangelical theology. These middle-class evangelical values played an important role in society. First, evangelicalism allowed the middle class to differentiate itself from the lower class and the aristocracy. Second, it fueled social concerns like temperance and abolition. Third, evangelicalism defined gender roles, providing structure for men and women of the middle class. Thus, it shaped family life, especially the family altar and the man’s role in the religion of the home. It also circumscribed public roles for men and women. While tightly prescribing the role of women in the public arena, it also provided outlets for women in the religious sphere. Finally, evangelicalism informed the middle class’s personal ethics by emphasizing work, selflessness, order, and charity.¹⁸

The challenges extended into the theological world as well. Liberal or modern theology migrated from Germany into the United States and the United Kingdom. What ensued were decades of theological wrangling, heresy trials, and the dissolution of coalitions. These would continue into the twentieth century, eventually leading to new denominations, mission agencies, seminaries, Bible colleges, and parachurch organizations.¹⁹ The so-called social gospel (or social Christianity) movement also developed during Moody’s life. Led by men like Walter Rauschenbusch and Washington Gladden, it attempted to address the social problems that emerged during the Gilded Age. Most of its leaders were liberal Protestants. However, some were more evangelical in their theological leanings. The movement also expanded into the Roman Catholic Church. Moody was well known and admired by most of the major players in these various movements. In fact, Moody partnered with many of these people during his years of ministry.

This was the world of Dwight Moody, a world of massive social and theological changes. It was in this world Moody lived out his faith. It is a world that in many ways mirrors our own. Both our times are marked by significant technological advances, increasing disparity of wealth, accelerating urban problems, and increasing disagreement among Christians about responding to these problems. Given his influence and the similarity of our times, Moody is the perfect person to study.

The four quotes at the beginning of the introduction provide an insight into Moody’s approach. They also are the impetus for this book. They point out that Moody valued both evangelism and caring for the poor. Some have claimed Moody turned his back on social problems in favor of solely focusing on evangelism. This book is an attempt to set the record straight.

Since at least 1972, with the publication of David Moberg’s The Great Reversal, Moody has been sometimes portrayed as unconcerned about the poor. Moberg described Moody as championing a point of view that saw the destruction of society as inevitable and therefore emphasized personal conversion rather than stressing personal and social salvation. This change was a “great reversal” from evangelicalism’s social activism during the nineteenth century. The claim was that evangelicals turned from causes like child labor laws, prison reform, and women’s suffrage and focused solely on evangelism. From Moberg’s perspective, Moody was critical in ushering in this change.

On the contrary, we will see how Moody’s life and ministry embraced both evangelism and care for the poor. Specifically, we’ll explore how Moody understood the relationship between addressing social ills and evangelism. The book will examine the importance he placed on charity and attempts to formulate social change. In the end, I will argue that although Moody is often accused of denigrating social work in favor of evangelism, a closer look at his work reveals a commitment to both evangelism and practically addressing the needs of the poor. It must be granted that Moody turned from structural and legislative reforms to alleviate urban ills in favor of mass conversions. While he did occasionally speak to structural and legislative issues, he never engaged in a sustained dialogue or functioned as an advocate for these types of causes. Yet, at the same time, Moody created educational institutions to educate the poor and improve their lives. Moody was concerned about the moral state of the country and the lot of the poor. However, in the end, he maintained the only way to improve public morality and the suffering of the poor was through transformed lives.²⁰

Consequently while Moody expressed concern for society and alleviating poverty, they remained secondary to personal conversion. To be clear, while conversion was primary, as some of the quotes at the beginning of the chapter illustrate, Moody insisted true Christianity was committed to addressing the needs of the poor and outcast.

This book focuses on Moody’s urban social vision. It is not an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of Moody’s social work; instead, it will seek to present a summary of his work addressing social ills. It will also look at Moody’s motives and how Moody came to his conclusions. Finally, while it will explore what Moody did, it will focus on his rationale and methods.

Moody was a gregarious, larger-than-life person. However, most notably for this study, Moody was in many ways stereotypically American. He was a practical person who was far more interested in doing things than in understanding why things worked. He was a concrete thinker, not given to speculation—especially theological speculation. In many ways, Moody’s ultimate doctrinal test was its practicality and usefulness for evangelism. He was also innovative and entrepreneurial, like a salesperson who was always open to trying new things.

Pulling together these various elements, Moody forged a response to urban ills. Therefore, in a sense, his own life became a template for his social vision. He practiced things with others that had worked in his life. In the end, Moody believed that large numbers of individual conversions linked with charitable endeavors were the answer to urban centers’ social problems.

While this study is primarily historical, I think it can be instructive. Moody was profoundly practical. I believe there is much to be learned from Moody, both positively and negatively. Because of the breadth of his experience, much can be gleaned from examining his life and work. I hope we can learn from his triumphs and avoid repeating his mistakes as we seek to live out the gospel in our time.