"An Eighteenth-Century Man": David Martyn Lloyd-Jones as a Pastor-Historian

Abstract

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899–1981) stands as one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century evangelicalism. Now, forty years after his death, there is a need for further study to understand Lloyd-Jones in light of his own work in historical retrieval and interpretation. This dissertation argues that to understand Lloyd-Jones properly, he must be understood in the light of his own statement that he was “an eighteenth-century man.” By this, Lloyd-Jones meant that he was largely shaped by the revival leaders of the eighteenth century in terms of his theology and outlook. As a pastor-historian, he then sought to bring the thinking and practice of these revival leaders to bear on twentieth-century evangelicalism. This thesis is proven through an in-depth study of Lloyd-Jones’s development as a man of history through his exposure at an early age to the Calvinistic Methodist fathers and later on to Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. It describes his philosophy of church history and explores the reasons why Lloyd-Jones considered the study of church history to be so vitally important to the Christian life. It then demonstrates that Lloyd-Jones retrieved and relied upon these eighteenth-century revival leaders to formulate the two most important emphasis of his ministry: preaching and revival. Yet, when placed on the defensive, during the rise of the ecumenical movement, it shows how he then turned to the Reformers and Puritans to find the resources he needed to seek to preserve the evangelical movement. Finally, it explores his two primary projects of historical retrieval: the Puritan/Westminster Conference with J. I. Packer and his role in helping establish the Banner of Truth Trust with Iain Murray. This dissertation will be of particular interest to those who want to truly understand Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in light of his own historical influences, as well as his work as a pastor-historian seeking to influence twentieth-century evangelicalism. Furthermore, Lloyd-Jones’s work as a pastor-historian sheds light and perhaps a model for how Christians and pastors can study and utilize church history in their own lives and ministries.