Category Archives: Books

Josh McDowell

Alumni, Books, Wheaton College Archives

Josh McDowellIn 1960 a young man named Joslin “Josh” David McDowell transferred to Wheaton College from Kellogg, a community college in Michigan. His pastor had recommended the move. “Wheaton?” asked Josh. “Where’s that, Maryland?” Josh adjusted to Wheaton with some difficulty, his time fully occupied with studies or his house painting job. Advised by his pastor to gravitate toward the more pious students for fellowship, Josh did so, developing solid friendships with godly classmates, all eager to seek God’s face. One day as he waited at a crossing gate near campus, he noticed a car speeding up behind him. To his horror, the car – driven by a drunk – did not stop and barreled into him, pushing Josh’s vehicle onto the tracks at 45 mph. Fortunately Josh missed the path of the train. Though there was no visible injury, a sore neck indicated internal damage. Admitted to the college infirmary where he was confined to a cast and traction, he received a friendly visit from V. Raymond Edman, who stayed for two hours, praying with Josh. He later received a visit from Rev. Torrey Johnson, then-pastor of First Evangelical Free Church and founder (with Billy Graham) of Youth for Christ, who encouraged him in his desire to preach. After recovering, Josh and two friends met a visiting speaker named Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. Joining the famous evangelist for coffee in the Stupe, Bright drew for them three circles with three thrones, each representing the kinds of people in the world, and who sits on their thrones: 1) the self-controlled unbeliever 2) the Christ-controlled Christian and 3) the carnal Christian. Josh then realized that he must endeavor to place Christ on the throne of his life. At that instant he entered a reinvigorated phase of evangelistic zeal, though he was still resistant to fully surrendering his life for service. Challenged by a “Spiritual Emphasis Week” message from Dr. Richard Halverson, Josh moved yet further toward yielding his will to Christ. That night, after late-night coffee at the Round the Clock cafe in downtown Wheaton, he walked Union Street in the cool, early hours of the morning, prayerfully struggling with the undeniable fact that God was beckoning, overwhelming Josh’s ambitions, calling him to a higher plane. Evidence that demand a verdictBut it was not until he discovered Bright’s “Four Spiritual Laws” among his notebooks that he discerned a distinct purpose and direction for his ministry; and so he finally committed to the Spirit-filled life. This provided the basis for his public ministry, wherein he would engage unbelievers through apologetic debates and exhort weak or undecided believers to pursue the same dynamic empowerment that had revolutionized his own life.

After Wheaton Josh attended Talbot Theological Seminary, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Master of Divinity degree. In 1964 he joined the staff of Campus Crusade, preaching to thousands of students the world over; and in 1991 he founded Operation Carelift (now called Global Aid Network), one of the largest humanitarian aid organizations in the U.S. Among the 108 books he has authored or co-authored are Evidence that Demands a Verdict (1979), More than a Carpenter (1977) and The Last Christian Generation (2006). Still lecturing, he currently serves as president of Josh McDowell Ministries. His story, up to 1981, is told in Joe Musser’s Josh: The Excitement of the Unexpected.

Kilby and Gormenghast

Books, Collection-related Publications, College-related Publications, Special Collections, Wheaton College Archives

Clyde KilbyThe seven authors featured in Wheaton College’s Wade Center are well-known: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dorothy Sayers, George MacDonald, G.K. Chesterton, Charles Williams and Owen Barfield. The acquisition of manuscripts, both primary and secondary, surrounding these authors was masterminded by Dr. Clyde Kilby, professor of English. Through the 1960s and 1970s Kilby cultivated a wide-ranging network of relationships with collectors, authors and librarians, laboriously assembling the collection that provides the heart of the Wade Center. A lesser-known fact is that Kilby pursued material from other “mythopoeic” creators, most of which did not make it to Wheaton College. A spectacular example of “the-one-that-got-away” is Mervyn Peake (1911-68), English poet, illustrator and deviser of the gothic Gormenghast Trilogy. Peake, the son of medical missionaries to China, wrote of the ancient, gargantuan Gormenghast Castle inhabited by the mad Groan family and the subsequent birth and adventures of its royal heir, Titus GroanTitus. Peake intended to continue the narrative, but the series sadly ended with his early death from Parkinson’s Disease, leaving the third volume, Titus Alone, somewhat patchy. He counted among his admirers C.S. Lewis, who wrote at least two fan letters, and Orson Welles, who once bought cinematic rights, as did Gordon Sumner (also known as Sting) and Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam. Gormenghast was finally filmed in 2000 by the BBC, starring Jonathan Rhy Meyers, with Christopher Lee and Fiona Shaw among its supporting cast. The somber, opulent tale was voted by British readers as one of the Top 100 Books, ranked with such luminaries as Orwell, Austen, Tolstoy and Dickens. Though Peake was a contemporary of Lewis and Tolkien, he was decidedly bourgeoisie in taste and temperament, and viewed with disdain these seemingly-elitist Oxford dons. Shortly after Peake’s death Kilby contacted his widow, Maeve, requesting an opportunity for discussion regarding the archiving of Peake’s papers at Wheaton College. Maeve responded that, due to her still-raw grief, she was unable to talk at that time. They eventually met in England during the summer of 1969. However, the plan was aborted and Peake’s papers remain largely uncollected under one roof, though the family continues seeking an archive. Kilby’s papers (SC-90), including his correspondence with Maeve, are housed in Special Collections at Wheaton College.