James Hall Brookes

Dr. Timothy Demy

Inthe years between the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the dawning of thetwentieth century, premillennialism-and especially dispensationalism-grewsignificantly in American religious thought and culture. Much of this earlygrowth came as a result of the preaching, teaching, and publications ofPresbyterian minister James Hall Brookes (1830-1897). From his pulpit in St.Louis, his participation in the annual Niagara Bible Conference, and hisprolific pen that produced religious best-sellers, Brookes became a nationallyrecognized proponent of dispensational premillennialism and the pre-tribrapture. Brookes was one of the first to prominently teach the pre-tribrapture in this country and most likely should be viewed as the father ofChrist's "any-moment" return in America. Throughout his life andministry, Brookes maintained a love of and devotion to biblical exposition, andhe coupled this with great personal integrity and spirituality.

Brookeswas born February 27, 1830, in Pulaski, Tennessee. In June 1833 his father, aPresbyterian minister, died of cholera contracted in his rounds of pastoralvisitation. Young James endured a childhood filled with financial uncertaintyand loneliness, yet out of this background he developed a character marked bydetermination and compassion. His childhood diaries reflect a seriousspirituality and sensitivity and a strong commitment to religious development.

Asa young man Brookes was several times offered the opportunity of a freeeducation, including an appointment to the U. S. Military Academy at WestPoint. Each offer was graciously acknowledged but declined by James because hebelieved he should pay his own way through college. Working as a countryschoolmaster and saving his money, Brookes finally acquired sufficient funds tobegin college at age twenty-one. He entered Miami University at Oxford, Ohio,and was admitted to the junior class because of academic abilities and priortraining. During his last year as an undergraduate, Brookes undertookadditional studies at Union Presbyterian Seminary at Oxford, in order to betterequip himself for ministerial training at Princeton. He graduated from MiamiUniversity in 1853 and entered Princeton Theological Seminary, intent onpursuing the ministry and again refusing all offers of financial assistance

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PASTOR

Brookes'seminary studies lasted less than a year due to an unexpected call to return toOhio to serve as pastor of the First Presbyterian church in Dayton, Ohio. Heenthusiastically accepted the call, ending his formal education to embark on aforty-year pastoral ministry (He received the honorary degree Doctor ofDivinity from the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri and WestminsterCollege, Fulton, Missouri in 1860 and 1864 respectively.) On February 14,1854, Brookes was granted a license to preach by the Presbytery of Oxford,Ohio, and two months later, on April 20, he was ordained and installed aspastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Dayton. Just twelve days later hemarried Susan Oliver, a young lady with whom he had fallen in love during hiscollege years.

Throughouthis pastoral years, Brookes was an extremely popular preacher and pastor. InFebruary 1858, he received a call from the Second Presbyterian Church of St.Louis, and he moved there and quickly filled the church to capacity. Ratherthan enlarging the present facilities, he encouraged the church to begin asecond work, which eventually was to become the Sixteenth and Walnut Street PresbyterianChurch.

Whenthe Civil War broke out Brookes was in Europe receiving medical treatment forvocal problems but he quickly returned to his congregation where throughout thewar years he ministered as a Southerner in a border state. Although he hadsympathies with the South, he opposed secession and steadfastly refused to usehis pulpit to enter into political controversy or commentary. As the warcontinued he was adamant in his refusal to pray for victory for either side. This refusal distressed some Southerners in his congregation and in July 1864,upon learning of their displeasure, Brookes immediately resigned. The dayafter his resignation a delegation from the church asked him to pastor thechurch which had been started earlier at Sixteenth and Walnut Streets. Brookesaccepted this call and remained at the church (which later moved and became theWashington and Compton Avenue Presbyterian Church) until 1894 when he enteredan emeritus status. Even to this day, Brookes' legacy as a Bible teacher isremembered through a Bible Institute bearing his name in St. Louis, BrookesBible Institute. He died on Easter morning, April 18, 1897, leaving a pastorallegacy of compassion, dedication, and proclamation that would long endure.

AUTHOR AND EDITOR

Althoughhe was well-known as a preacher, it was largely through his writings andconference ministry that Brookes gained national recognition. Beginning hiswriting career by authoring tracts for wounded Civil War soldiers, he went onto pen more than 200 tracts and 16 books. In the early 1870s he published Maranatha, a massive volume on eschatology that was to beone of his most popular works. Other books on prophecy included Israel andthe Church, Bible Reading onthe Second Coming, and TillHe Come (later retitled I AmComing).

In1875, Brookes began to edit a monthly periodical called The Truth orTestimony for Christ thateventually had a circulation of more than 40,000. He continued to serve as theeditor until his death, and through this publication he encouraged Christiansin evangelism, issues of daily sanctification, Bible study, and the study ofprophecy. After his death, the periodical merged with The Watchword and became known as The Watchword and Truth; however, it was the pretribulational journal OurHope, first published by A. C.Gaebelein in 1894 and enthusiastically endorsed by Brookes, which ultimatelycame to be seen as the ideological successor to The Truth.

BIBLE CONFERENCE LEADER

Duringall of his years of ministry, Brookes was an active participant indenominational and interdenominational events. He was a regular speaker atBible conferences, Y.M.C.A. meetings, and prophecy conferences and in 1875 wasone of the founders and president of an annual conference that eventuallybecame known as the Niagara Bible Conference. This annual event atNiagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, became the premier conference for Biblestudents in the latter years of the nineteenth century. During its existence,the conference was interdenominational and premillennial. It was staunchlypretribulational in perspective until pretribulational and posttribulationalcontroversy broke into the open after the death of Brookes. Doctrinalcontroversy, location uncertainties, and the death of Brookes led to itsdecline, and in 1900 the final conference was held. Throughout its years,Brookes had been the undisputed leader and through his efforts premillennialismand dispensationalism was widely disseminated across denominational boundarieswithin conservative Protestantism.

PREMILLENNIAL PERSPECTIVE

Brookeswas one of the most prominent and fervent students of prophecy of his era. Inan 1896 article in The Truth,"How I Became a Premillennialist," Brookes claimed he came to his premillennialeschatology through his own reading and study of Revelation and Daniel afterentering the pastorate and after many years of the neglect of prophecy. Thisindependent study, along with some influence in the years after the Civil Warfrom Plymouth Brethren, provided the historical background of his beliefs. Brookes denied that he was the direct recipient of Plymouth Brethreneschatology, although he did acknowledge an appreciation of theireschatological enthusiasm. As early as 1871, Brookes was publishing and teachingviews similar to dispensationalism. By 1874 his system was well-developed, andit was Brookes who would introduce C. I. Scofield to the teachings ofdispensational premillennialism. It would be through Scofield and his studyBible that Brookes would have his most lasting influence.

Brookeswas well-versed in the eschatological options within premillennialism andargued against both a partial rapture theory and posttribulationalism. Herefused to set dates for the rapture and held to a strong doctrine of theLord's return and imminence. "How thrilling the thought, that the first ofthese startling events, the coming of Christ for the saints, may occur at anyhour" (Maranatha, 540). Hewas very much aware of the charge by uninformed critics that dispensationaliststaught more than one way of salvation, and he adamantly rebutted it in writing,"It is needless to remind any ordinary reader of the sacred Scriptures thatfrom the opening verses of Genesis, down to Malachi, the Spirit is brought intoview in creation, providence, and redemption, and that all who are saved werequickened into life through His divine power and grace, as they are now" (Israeland the Church, 38).

Throughouthis life Brookes was a pious and humble servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hewas a respected preacher and teacher of the Bible who gained nationalprominence and influence. He sought to consistently interpret and applybiblical truth and prophetic principles realizing that proper biblicalinterpretations have consequences not only for doctrine, but for daily livingand the hope of His coming.

Bibliography

Brookes, James H. Maranatha.New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1889.

. Israel and the Church. New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., n.d.

Pettegrew, Larry Dean. "The Historical and Theological Contributions of theNiagara Bible Conference to American Fundamentalism." Th.D. diss., DallasTheological Seminary, 1976.

Williams, David Riddle. James H. Brookes: A Memoir. St. Louis: Presbyterian Board of Publication,1897.