Charles McCallon Alexander

Charles Alexander (1867-1920) was a gospel song leader whose music ministries brought him all over the world. For a good portion of his ministry, Alexander traveled with evangelist Reuben Archer Torrey, who had been the dean at Moody Bible Institute while Alexander was a student there. Known as the "apostle of sunshine and song," Alexander was known for his charismatic personality, his great musical talent, and his "quenchless zeal for service" (Helen C. Alexander and J. Kennedy Maclean. A Romance of Song and Soul-Winning. Marshall Bros, Ltd. London 1920. pg. 10).

Early Life

Charles Alexander was born into a Presbyterian family in East Tennessee in 1867, just after the end of the American Civil War. His father, John Darius Alexander, was a well-known song leader and a talented singer and violinist. His family helped cultivate his love of Gospel singing by their frequent performance of Gospel songs at their farm for guests and his father's song leading at church. From an early age, Alexander was being prepared for the ministry he would one day have. He often lead the singing in Sunday School, and once when he was 14, his church held a revival meeting, and an elder asked him if he would lead the service.

College Years

In 1882, Alexander attended Maryville College, known then as the Southern and Western Theological Seminary. While he was there, he was able to see D.L. Moody and Ira D. Sankey lead meetings in nearby Knoxville. At these meetings, Alexander was inspired to enter such a ministry so that he could lead people into a decision for Christ. After witnessing Sankey's powerful song leading and later reading The Autobiography of Charles G. Finney, Alexander realized that "the aim of a Gospel singer should be, from first to last, the winning of souls" (Helen C. Alexander and J. Kennedy Maclean. A Romance of Song and Soul-Winning. Marshall Bros, Ltd. London 1920. pg. 26). Alexander later attended Washington College to study music and also attended a singing school in North Carolina. He traveled at that time as a song leader to many mountain communities, including a Cherokee reservation. In 1892, he moved to Chicago to study at Moody Bible Institute, where he gained greater fame as a Gospel song leader and where he met Dr. R.A. Torrey.

The Torrey-Alexander Ministry

Dr. Torrey was very impressed by his former student's powerful ministry, and in 1902, asked Alexander to be his song leader on a global evangelistic tour. This tour first took them to Melbourne, Australia, where their ministry flourished and where Alexander met and converted a young musician named Robert Harkness, who would become his partner in the music ministry as his pianist. One of Alexander's signature songs which would often stir his Australian audiences was the hymn "Glory Song," which would be sung first by the choir and then by the audience. The chorus of the song is:

Almost immediately after Alexander introduced this song to his audiences, the first "Alexander hymn-book" was published, containing this song and many others which Alexander used in his song leading.
Later the team traveled throughout Australia, New Zealand, Calcutta, and Bombay, leading sweeping revivals with Torrey's hard-hitting messages and Alexander's inspirational song leading and poignant solo singing.
In 1903, Torrey-Alexander traveled to England, where they had a three-year ministry. While in Edinburgh, just as in Australia, Alexander inspired the audience with "Glory Song" and similar new redemptive hymns. Also while in England, Alexander met his wife, Helen Cadbury, the daughter of Christian philanthropist Richard Cadbury, the founder of Cadbury's Cocoa and Chocolate Company. Helen served with Alexander in his ministry and also sang with him. Together the couple founded the Pocket Testament League. The Torrey-Alexander campaign later brought revival to London, and then back across the Atlantic to Toronto, Ottawa, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. On a second world tour, the team went to China and other Asian countries.

Ministry with John Wilbur Chapman

In 1908, Alexander joined acquaintance John Wilbur Chapman in strengthening churches and encouraging ministers to cling to the Truth of the Scriptures. Chapman and Alexander did prison and rescue work, trained personal workers, and officially founded and worked in the Alexanders' Pocket Testament League. Once on a three-and-a-half week trip by boat across the Pacific, Alexander was so eager to take this opportunity to share the Gospel with everyone on the ship that he brought aboard a printing press to print a newspaper for the whole ship. This paper, called the Makura Herald, covered news from the voyage, sports, poetry, and various articles, but most importantly it contained a brief message from Dr. Chapman, a hymn with both music and words, and information about the Pocket Testament League. Many passengers accepted Christ and became members of the League as a result of reading the paper. The Chapman-Alexander party also spent several months inspiring the missionaries, pastors, and Christians in China, Japan, and Korea, and converting many others to Christ. In addition to traveling to many other countries, Alexander and Chapman spent much time in summer Bible conferences and revival meetings back in America.

Alexander at Biola

While traveling around America, Alexander visited Southern California for the first time in 1919, where he met up again with Dr. Torrey. Alexander held meetings every day from noon until one o'clock in Biola Hall, which was an old downtown movie theater the Institute had rented. Alexander was solely responsible for these meetings, so he made the hour devoted entirely to singing and to the Pocket Testament League. Not long after these meetings began did they receive a large crowd, often filling the whole theater. The Alexanders purchased enough New Testaments to give to everyone who attended their meetings and joined the League. Anyone who joined the League had to sign a membership pledge, where they promised to carry their New Testament with them everywhere so they could be ready to share the Gospel, and they also promised to read at least a chapter from the Bible every day.

Death and Legacy

Alexander continued his ministry and Pocket Testament League work all the way until the day he passed away in October 1920 of a heart attack. On his headstone is a reproduction of his signature, which includes his name and his favorite Bible reference under it, II Timothy 2:15. This is how he always signed his name and this verse was his life-motto which best exemplifies how he lived his life.

External Links

"Why God Used D.L. Moody, by R.A. Torrey: http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biomoody6.html