Today’s Leader of Faith
HENRY DRUMMOND
Home Call : 11 March 1897
Scientist who knew Christ, Evangelist, Preacher, Missionary, Writer.
Henry Drummond (1851–1897) was a Scottish evangelist, writer, and Biologist known for his work in both Christian ministry and natural science. He was closely associated with Dwight L. Moody, assisting in his evangelistic campaigns. Drummond’s most famous work, “The Greatest Thing in the World, is a devotional classic”, that explores 1 Corinthians 13, emphasizing love as the highest Christian virtue. He made significant contributions to Christianity through his writings, evangelism, and lectures, particularly emphasizing love, faith, and the harmony of science and religion. He Focused on university students, preaching practical Christianity rather than theological debates. In which he attempted to reconcile evolutionary theory with Christian faith. He explored the role of natural law in spiritual development and was influenced by Darwinian evolution. His writings helped bridge the gap between science and religion, making complex scientific ideas more accessible to the public.
Drummond was born on 17 August 1851, in Stirling, Scottland, to William Drummond, a seedsman and founder of Drummond Seeds, and Jane Campbell Blackwood. He studied at Stirling High School, Morrison’s Academy, and later at Edinburgh University, excelling in physical and mathematical sciences. However, his strong religious inclination led him to the Free Church of Scotland. While preparing for ministry, he was deeply involved in the evangelistic work of D.L. Moody and I.D. Sankey for two years. His theology was influenced by the revival movement in Reformed Protestantism.
In 1877, Drummond became a lecturer on natural science at the Free Church College in Glasgow, allowing him to merge his scientific and religious interests. He advocated theistic evolution and published Natural Law in the Spiritual World (1883), arguing for continuity between physical and spiritual laws. Before its publication, he travelled to Central Africa with the African Lakes Company. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1880, and gained fame upon returning in 1881. His books resonated with both religious and scientific audiences. He remained active in missionary work among Free Church students. In 1888, he published Tropical Africa, a significant informational work. He travelled to Australia in 1890 and delivered the Lowell Lectures in Boston in 1893. Due to an attempted piracy, he hastily published them in 1894 as The Ascent of Man, supporting altruism’s role in evolution, a view also held by John Fiske.
Drummond’s health declined after publishing The Ascent of Man. He had suffered from bone cancer for years and passed away at the age of 45 in Tunbridge Wells. His body was returned to Stirling and buried with his parents in Holy Rude Cemetery, marked by a red granite Celtic cross. In 1905, a medallion plaque in his memory was placed in the Free Church College in Edinburgh, sculpted by James Pittendrigh Macgillivray.