John Clifford

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Clifford (born October 16, 1836 in Sawley , England , † November 20, 1923 in London ) was a British Baptist pastor and from 1905 to 1911 the first President of the Baptist World Federation . In addition to his church activities, Clifford was politically active and was one of the prominent representatives of the liberal movement in Great Britain.

Life

John Clifford
Beeston Baptist Church

John Clifford came from an English working class family and was the eldest child of seven siblings. His father, Samuel Clifford, worked as a machinist in a lace factory ; his mother Mary was also a factory worker. The parents were deeply rooted in the Christian faith and belonged to the Sawley Baptist Church. In 1840 the family moved to Beeston , where Clifford started school in Methodist elementary school. Further changes of location followed. At the age of ten he left school and became a worker in the factory where his father also earned a living. In addition to his 12-hour shift work, he tried to further educate himself on an autodidactic basis , which earned him the reputation as a "seeker of knowledge and truth" early on. When he was fourteen, he was baptized based on a personal choice of faith . As an adolescent he already gave his first sermon in the Beeston Baptist Chapel and then worked as a lay preacher for two years in addition to his professional activity. This was followed by a degree in theology at the Midland Baptist Academy in Leicester , after which he was called in 1858 to pastor the Praed Street Baptist Church in Paddington . Soon after Clifford took office, the number of visitors to Sunday services increased, so that an expansion of the church building became necessary. A few years later the Praed Street Baptist Congregation built a new, considerably larger church in Westbourne Park.

In 1859 John Clifford enrolled alongside his pastoral ministry at the University of London, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1861 , a Bachelor of Science in 1862 , a Master of Arts in 1864 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1866 . In 1883 he received an honorary theological doctorate from Bates College (USA).

In addition to his church activities, John Clifford was involved in the fight against the Boer War, among other things . He was a member of the South Africa Conciliation Committee and vehemently opposed the unjust treatment of the black population of South Africa . Clifford also became known for his opposition to the so-called Education Act of 1902.

In 1879 he was elected President of the London Baptist Association and in 1888 he was elected President of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland . In 1898 he was appointed chairman of the National Council of Evangelical Churches .

In 1904 the American John Newton Prestridge, editor of the magazine The Baptist Argus , called for a worldwide union of Baptist churches. His British colleague John Howard Shakespeare ( The Baptist Times ) supported this project. In the same year the Baptist Union of Great Britain invited to a world congress of the Baptists in London. This congress took place in July 1905 and elected John Clifford as its first president.

Appreciations

In 1883, John Clifford was awarded an honorary doctorate in theology from Bates College. In 1921 he was awarded the Order of King George V donated Companions of Honor .

Selected works

  • Is Life Worth Living? , London 1880
  • God's Greater Britain , London 1899

An extensive bibliography (108 titles) is in the British National Library .

literature

  • Charles T. Bateman: John Clifford: Free Church Leader and Preacher , London 1902
  • James Marchant: Dr. John Clifford , London 1924
  • GW Byrt: John Clifford - a Fighting Free Churchman , 1947

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Short biography of John Clifford on the Beeston Baptist Church homepage ; Accessed April 19, 2010
  2. ↑ London Gazette of January 1st, 1920  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; Accessed April 19, 2010@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.thegazette.co.uk  
  3. ^ Bibliography John Clifford on the British National Library homepage , accessed April 20, 2010
personal data
SURNAME Clifford, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British Baptist pastor and first President of the World Baptist Federation
DATE OF BIRTH October 16, 1836
PLACE OF BIRTH Sawley , England
DATE OF DEATH November 20, 1923
Place of death London , UK