Jessie Penn-Lewis

Jessie Penn-Lewis
Jessie Penn-Lewis
Born	Jessie Jones; February 28, 1861; Neath
Died	August 15, 1927; London
Nationality	United Kingdom
Occupation	evangelist and writer
Spouse(s)	William Penn-Lewis
Children	none

Jessie Penn-Lewis (1861–1927) was a Welsh evangelical speaker and the author of a number of Christian evangelical works. Her religious work took her to Russia, Scandinavia, Canada, the United States and India.

Early life

Penn-Lewis was born in Victoria Terrace, Neath in 1861. She was the first child of Heziah and Elias Jones. Her father was a civil engineer and her family were religious.[1] Her grandfather was a Calvinist Methodist minister.[2] When she was young she was said to be sickly and to have an "over active brain" and she was therefore kept from school until she was twelve.[1]

She was married to William Penn-Lewis on 15 September 1880. He worked as a clerk for Sussex County Council.[1]

They moved to Richmond where she attended the Holy Trinity Church and helped establish a Richmond branch of the YWCA.[1] She was an admirer of Henrietta Soltau who was active in the YWCA and supported the China Inland Mission.[3]

Welsh revival

She was involved in the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival, which led to the mental and physical collapse of Evan Roberts.[4] Penn-Lewis travelled internationally to take her message to audiences in Russia, Scandinavia, Canada, the U.S., and India.[5]

After the breakdown by Roberts he stayed with the Penn-Lewises from 1905 and he and Penn-Lewis wrote War on the Saints describing how to write Satan and the individual self. This was published in 1912.[1]

Influences

Penn-Lewis was influenced by the Dutch Reformed, South African writer Andrew Murray, among others, and her books contain quotes from him and references to his works. Frank Buchman, the founder of the Oxford Group, credits Penn-Lewis with helping him to turn his life around from depression, when he heard her speak at a Keswick Convention.[6] She also influenced Johan Oscar Smith, the founder of Brunstad Christian Church[7] and the missionary statesman Norman Grubb.[8]

Works

War on The Saints (with Evan Roberts), 1912[1]
The Awakening in Wales & Some of the Hidden Springs
Spiritual Warfare
The Centrality of the Cross
Thy Hidden Ones
Dying to Live
Conquest of Canaan
Face to Face
All Things New
Story of Job
Fruitful Living
Life in the Spirit
Opened Heavens
The Cross of Calvary
"The Magna Charta of Woman"
"Power for Service"

She founded the magazine The Overcomer, which is still published.

References

"Lewis, Jessie Elizabeth Penn- [née Jessie Elizabeth Jones] (1861–1927), missioner and revivalist". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/47645. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
Haddad, M. R. (2005): The Mystical theology of Jessie Penn-Lewis (1861-1927), Durham Thesis, Durham University, p. 83. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/2708.
"Soltau, Henrietta Eliza (1843–1934), evangelist and promoter of missionary work". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/47063. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
Fisher, G. Richard (2000). "Pressing Truth to the Extreme: The Errors of Jessie Penn-Lewis". Personal Freedom Outreach. Archived from the original on 29 June 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
Garrard, Mary (2014). Mrs. Penn-Lewis: A Memoir. Shoals, Indiana: Kingsley Press. ISBN 9781937428457.
Selby, Saul (15 September 2000). Twelve Step Christianity: The Christian Roots & Application of the Twelve Steps. Hazelden. p. 208. ISBN 1-56838-561-7.
Lie, Gier (2004). "The Christology Among Smith's Friends: A Misunderstood Impulse from the Keswick Tradition?" (PDF). Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies. 7 (2): 305. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
"Grubb, Norman P. Yes I am". Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2011.