Southern Presbyterian
Puritan Board Doctor
Excuse the ignorance, but what is the nature of the refrence to A. W. Pink?
AW Pink - Biographical Information
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Excuse the ignorance, but what is the nature of the refrence to A. W. Pink?
Blueridge Believer
Puritan Board Professor
In the later years of Pink's life he became a recluse and would not fellowship with anyone hardly is what I am told. I do not know all of the particulars but maybe some here could elaborate.
To elaborate, he went to Scotland expecting to find the church of his dreams, and found himself in a nightmare. A. W. Pink outgrew the visible church of Christ on earth, which means he forgot what it means to be a servant of Christ labouring amongst mere mortals.
polemic_turtle
Puritan Board Freshman
It was a difficult time of history: churches were either circling the wagons to guard against liberalism, were too Arminian to let Mr. Pink preach, or were hyper-Calvinistic. Mr. Pink encountered the first in paedobaptist churches which wouldn't allow a credobaptist to preach at their churches, the second in tent "revivals"( I'm not sure if he would endorse the term ), and the third in a Gospel Standard church which he pastored in Australia.
panta dokimazete
Puritan Board Post-Graduate
Southern Presbyterian
Puritan Board Doctor
Thanks for the information. So, is there a good biography on Pink I can read? Where did you all get your information?
RamistThomist
Puritanboard Clerk
Iain Murray wrote a biography on Pink. Anything Murray writes is fantastic. I think the biography has the name of Pink in the title, so it shouldnt be too hard to find.
bookslover
Puritan Board Doctor
The Life of Arthur W. Pink by Iain H. Murray. It's published by the Banner of Truth Trust and was recently re-issued in a second edition. It was originally published in 1981, I believe.
It's a fascinating read. Unfortunately, the second edition contains an appendix in which Murray tries to explain why he was justified in re-writing Pink's book on the sovereignty of God. He is, of course, not convincing. But, the biography itself is wonderful and very insightful.
As intimated by others, Murray on Pink is the definitive biography. There are also his Letters, both published by Banner of Truth Trust. I would especially note Murray's criticism of Pink with relation to his inability to sit under a reformed ministry. In the Letters Pink is particularly scathing of the Free Presbyterian Church, but if you read them carefully you discover that his bitterness revolved around the fact that the FPs did not "honour" Pink as he thought he should have been. This, perhaps, is one problem which is often ignored in the modern church, where you have individuals thinking too highly of themselves than they ought to think, rather than in accord with the measure of faith which God has given them to be useful to others in the body. Reputation precedes the men, and they think they ought to be invested with responsibility on that basis alone, notwithstanding the fact they have done nothing to commend themselves to that particular congregation.
BobVigneault
Bawberator
AW Pink came up in another thread and stimulated quite a bit of interest. I've moved those posts to this thread where they can be added to freely without hijacking the other thread.
What would really be cool is if I had the ability to put this post at the beginning of the thread. Ah, the heartbreak of being a lesser moderator.
What would really be cool is if I had the ability to put this post at the beginning of the thread. Ah, the heartbreak of being a lesser moderator.
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panta dokimazete
Puritan Board Post-Graduate
Blueridge Believer
Puritan Board Professor
We would all do well to learn a lesson from brother Pink lest we fall into the same thing. It is easy for bitterness to creep up on you and a spirit of 'I'm the last and only one' type of thinking. Nevertheless, his books are of great help to many. The Sovereignty of God and The Christian Sabbath were of particular help to me. I thought he did a good job with his book on dispensationalism as well.
BobVigneault
Bawberator
Don't forget The Attributes of God. That book has lifted me out of my parochial mindset more than once.
bookslover
Puritan Board Doctor
A friend of mind, Herb Pink, 87, is a distant relative of AWP. Herb's father and AWP's father were cousins. Herb was the Clerk of Session at one of our OPC churches here in Southern California for nearly 50 years before it closed down several years ago.
Herb is a really nice guy and truly devoted to his Lord. Until he was well into his 80s, he was a chaplain with one of the police departments here - riding along with officers into the wee hours of the morning on many occasions.
Herb was 32 when AWP died in 1952 at 66. They never met, unfortunately.
So, I know someone who is related to AWP. You may touch me later (heh).
Southern Presbyterian
Puritan Board Doctor
Thanks for all the input. My reading list is now even longer.
I loved this book as well as the Christian Sabbath and his article on Tithing.
I believe The Attributes of God was compiled from some articles he wrote for a periodical that he himself edited (if I am not mistaken) Does anyone know anything about that periodical? (Maybe Ivan?)
Also, wasn't he a died in the wool Dispensational who later renounced? If so, to what eschatology did he change?
Pilgrim
Puritanboard Commissioner
The periodical was entitled "Studies in the Scriptures". I believe the Chapel Library is reprinting them. Almost all of the books by Pink available now are gleaned from "Studies". The Sovereignty of God is an exception.
Check out Pink's Archive.
bookslover
Puritan Board Doctor
It's funny about Pink's books. As you say, most of his books are articles collected from the series in his magazine. When he was alive, he was totally ignored by publishers. But, after he died, his body was hardly cold before publishers began cannibalizing his magazine to create the books. Which was easy since, as far as I know, Pink didn't bother to copyright anything.
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