This week in Christian history: Seabury ordained, Moody dies, Schaefer defrocked

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, December 17, 2023

Dwight L. Moody dies – Dec. 22, 1899

A photo of nineteenth-century American evangelist Dwight L. Moody, (1837-1899). | Wikimedia Commons

This week marks the anniversary of when famed 19th century evangelist Dwight L. Moody, founder of the Moody Bible Institute, died due to what was believed to be heart failure.

A native of Northfield, Massachusetts, whose formal education did not go beyond the fifth grade, Moody became a widely respected preacher, with some claiming that he led as many as a half million people to Christ.

In addition to his renowned evangelism travels, Moody was known for his efforts to advance education, help neglected children, and advance ecumenical cooperation.

Before his death, Moody famously declared: “Someday you will read in the papers that Moody is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now.”

“I was born of the flesh in 1837, I was born of the spirit in 1855. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit shall live forever,” he added.