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. June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... The 1904–1905 Welsh Revival was the largest full scale Christian Revival of Wales of the 20th century. ...

His obituary in The Western Mail summed up his career thus: The Western Mail is a daily newspaper published by Western Mail and Echo Ltd in Cardiff, Wales. ...

"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."

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. Loughor (Welsh: Casllwchwr) is a town in the city of Swansea, traditional county of Glamorgan, south Wales. ... This article is about the country. ... Calvinism is a system of Christian theology and an approach to Christian life and thought within the Protestant tradition articulated by John Calvin, a Protestant Reformer in the 16th century, and subsequently by successors, associates, followers and admirers of Calvin, his interpretation of Scripture, and perspective on Christian life and...

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. Newcastle Emlyn (Welsh: Castell Newydd Emlyn) is a town, straddling Ceredigion (Cardiganshire) and Carmarthenshire in west Wales (though officially it is in Carmarthenshire), lying on the River Teifi. ... Baptism in early Christian art. ...

The four "points" of his message were:

1. Confess all known sin
2. Deal with and get rid of anything ‘doubtful’ in your life
3. Be ready to obey the Holy Spirit instantly
4. Confess Christ publicly

Collapse

Roberts soon succumbed to the pressure of his rigorous schedule, and, in 1906, suffered a physical and emotional collapse. Recuperating at the English estate of his patron Jessie Penn-Lewis, Roberts co-wrote with Penn-Lewis, War On The Saints, published in 1913. The book was labelled heretical by his former colleagues. Later in his life, Roberts would repudiate the work. Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ...

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. The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ...

Evan Roberts died in 1951 at the age of seventy-two. He was buried in a family plot behind Moriah Chapel in north Wales. Today, a memorial column commemorates his contribution to the revival.

Sources

• Invasion Of Wales By The Spirit Through Evan Roberts, James A. Stewart, Revival Literature, 1963.
• God's Generals, Roberts Liardon, Whitaker House, 1996.

External link

• Evan Roberts -- Welsh Revival