Evan Roberts (minister)
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Evan John Roberts (June 8, 1878-September 29, 1951), was a leading figure of the 1904-1905 Welsh Revival who suffered many set-backs in his later life.
His obituary in The Western Mail summed up his career thus:
- "He was a man who had experienced strange things. In his youth, he had seemed to hold the nation in the palms of his hands. He endured strains and underwent great changes of opinion and outlook, but his religious convictions remained firm to the end."
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[edit] Early life
Born in Loughor, Wales, Evan Roberts was the only son of Henry and Hannah Roberts. Raised in a Calvinistic Methodist home, he was a serious child who attended church regularly and memorized scripture at night. From the age of 11 to 23, he worked in the coal mines alongside his father.
[edit] Ministry
In 1904, Roberts began studying for the ministry at Newcastle Emlyn. Attendance at a service held by evangelist Seth Joshua in Blaenanerch led to an experience that formed Roberts' belief in the "Baptism of the Spirit". In October of that year, Roberts began speaking at a series of small meetings. These appearances led to his involvement in the Revival. He was soon attracting congregations numbering thousands.
The four "points" of his message were:
- Confess all known sin
- Deal with and get rid of anything ‘doubtful’ in your life
- Be ready to obey the Holy Spirit instantly
- Confess Christ publicly
[edit] Collapse
Roberts soon succumbed to the pressure of his rigorous schedule, and, in 1906, suffered a physical and emotional collapse. This could have been under the control and manipulation of Jesse Penn Lewis. Who pirated his name and that of others to write her rambling thesis against the very revival that Edwards led. War On The Saints, published in 1913. The book was labelled heretical by his former colleagues. This work has often self contradictory text and in essence cause much confusion in the Christian world. It added to dividing the church and make who ever read it angry.
[edit] Later Life
Though Roberts returned to Wales in 1926, the latter part of his life was spent writing poetry and corresponding with ministers of the day, rather than preaching. For most of this time he lived in Cardiff, staying at various addresses with Christian friends. He was in regular contact with W. J. Owen, minister of the Welsh Presbyterian Church at Heath, Cardiff, paying regular visits to the church Manse on Allensbank Road. Among his non-ministerial correspondents was Herbert Lewis, the Welsh Politician.
Evan Roberts died in 1951 at the age of seventy-two. He was buried in a family plot behind Moriah Chapel in south Wales. Today, a memorial column commemorates his contribution to the revival.
[edit] Works
- War on The Saints, Diggory Press, ISBN 190536301X
[edit] Sources
- Invasion Of Wales By The Spirit Through Evan Roberts, James A. Stewart, Revival Literature, 1963.
- God's Generals, Roberts Liardon, Whitaker House, 1996.
- Holding Forth the Word of Life, Heath Church, 2000
- Instrument of Revival, Brynmor P. Jones, Logos, 1995
- National Library of Wales, Sir John Herbert Lewis Papers
