Smith Wigglesworth
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| Smith Wigglesworth | |
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 Smith Wigglesworth
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| Born | 8 June 1859 Menton, Yorkshire, England |
Smith Wigglesworth (1859 - 1947), was a British religious figure and an important figure in the early history of Pentecostalism.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Smith Wigglesworth was born on 10th June, 1859, in Menston, Yorkshire, England, to an impoverished family. In his childhood, Smith worked in the fields pulling turnips alongside his mother.
Nominally a Methodist, he became a born-again Christian at the age of 8, and according to some reports, could help others do the same even at such a young age. His grandmother was a devout Methodist, following the teachings of John Wesley, but his parents, John and Martha, weren't Christians themselves although they took young Smith to Methodist and Anglican churches on regular occasions.
Wigglesworth married Polly Featherstone in 1882, and under her tutelage he learned to read. They had one daughter, Alice, and four sons, Seth, Harold, Ernest and George. Their marriage lasted for 31 years, until Polly's death in 1913.[1]
[edit] Ministry
Wigglesworth left his job as a plumber to become a faith healer.[2] He was an early Charismatic theologian and minister, who wrote a number of works on tongues and other gifts of the Holy Spirit. (More precisely, these books are transcripts of his spoken sermons.) He is considered one of the most influential evangelists in the early history of Pentecostalism and is also credited with helping give it a large religious audience. He defended and gave arguments for many of his beliefs in his book Ever Increasing Faith.[3] Wigglesworth continued to minister up until the time of his death on 12 March 1947.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Faith That Prevails Book by Smith Wigglesworth
- Ever-Increasing Faith Book by Smith Wigglesworth
- The Revival Legacy of Smith Wigglesworth
- Smith Wigglesworth, Spiritual Leader Bio
- Smith Wigglesworth 1859-1947
