A. J. Gordon

The story of A. J. Gordon recounts an epic journey—one of faith, character, and pioneering vision. A sterling educator, philanthropist, and herald of heaven, he was a great soul, and his life a resplendent legacy. This impeccably researched biography brings Dr. Gordon’s world to life, charting his rise to international prominence and his work with great peers and friends like D. L. Moody. Born in rural New Hampshire, he was, in many ways, a renaissance man: an educator, philanthropist, author, magazine editor, antislavery advocate, trustee of Brown University, and the pastor of Clarendon Street Church in Boston. He also led groundbreaking mission work among Boston’s immigrant communities, chiefly Chinese and Hebrew groups. ¿ They cherished his work among them. In 1889, Gordon founded the Boston Missionary Training School to give underprivileged young people an education they would not have had otherwise. Tuition was free, and courses (taught by Ivy League–educated instructors) were open to young men and young women of many ethnicities— African-American, Chinese, and Hebrew students among them. Gordon stoutly weathered storms of criticism over this, but he persevered. His gifts as an author resonate still, and his many books are now housed in places like the Bodleian Library, Oxford, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.