Oct 31 2008
From Scotland to Canada
A version of this article first appeared in ChristianWeek (Vol 22 No 15 - October 15, 2008).
From Scotland to Canada: The life of pioneer missionary Alexander Stewart
Glenn Tomlinson
Joshua Press, 2008
ISBN: 9781894400299
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When Glenn Tomlinson began searching out the origins of his childhood church, he didn’t have in mind writing a historical biography of the founder of Toronto’s first Baptist Church. But his ten year quest, demanding work on both sides of the Atlantic, has produced a meticulously researched and well-written biography of a fiery, determined Scottish Baptist preacher.
As he pursued the origins of what became Jarvis St. Baptist Church (Toronto), Tomlinson realized he needed to learn more about its founding pastor. As he sought that information, he found his interests were changing: “The desire to discover the birth date of a church was supplanted by the challenge and spiritual benefit of reconstructing a life that was devoted to the cause of Christ.”
Fresh off the presses, From Scotland to Canada: The life of pioneer missionary Alexander Stewart is a fascinating account of God’s providence in saving, calling and using an unknown Scottish Highlander to plant a church in what would become Canada’s leading city - a church that would eventually impact the face of Baptist witness in Canada and give birth to a seminary that to this day continues to train individuals for worldwide gospel ministry.
Born in Perthshire, Scotland, the youngest of eight children, Alexander Stewart was born again during the great revival in the Scottish Highland community of Moulin, just a few miles from his birthplace. Shortly after, sensing God’s call on his life, Stewart was providentially brought under the influence of James and Robert Haldane, attending the theological seminary being operated by Robert.
Following those formative years, Stewart began a life of vocational ministry that included years of evangelistic church planting in Scotland and eventual emigration to Canada with his young family in 1818. During his Canadian years, Stewart planted the first Baptist congregation in York, now Toronto. That fledgling 19th century congregation would become Jarvis Street Baptist Church, arguably one of the Dominion’s most influential Baptist congregations during the early to mid 20th century.
In recent conversation with the author, I asked him what surprised he had encountered while researching his book. “What surprised me as I was doing my research”, he said, “was Alexander Stewart’s connections. It was neat to see his life intersect, in very close and intimate ways, the lives of prominent Scotsmen and Canadians of the time. Robert and James Haldane and William Lyon Mackenzie are two prime examples.” Readers will be delighted that, along with eight appendices and a bibliography of sources, the book includes a biographical glossary of fifty-four people whose lives were in some way connected with Alexander Stewart.
One reason many find biographies an interesting read is that they give context and perspective for why things are as they are. They provide important insights and lessons. Tomlinson shared two lessons he learned while writing this book:
Lessons learned
“The first lesson: Stewart’s persistent zeal to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Despite familial heartache, despite inner-church squabbling, despite pioneer hardships etc., he continually proclaimed to all the Gospel of God’s saving grace through Jesus Christ. This, I am convinced he did, because he was so aware of God’s mercy to his own soul. He embraced the truth that God makes things grow and it was for him to simply spread the Good News. This he faithfully did, never being the instrument of a revival and never pastoring a mega church. The subsequent history of his field of labor demonstrates that his ministry was not in vain.”
As for why this story needs to be told, Tomlinson says, “This work is important because it tells a story of how God has worked in Canada. Unfortunately, there are too few books being written that accomplish this. We Canadians are a self-effacing lot and are so prone to look for ‘heroes of the faith’ outside our own country not recognizing that God has worked in this land as well.”
This is Glenn Tomlinson’s first book, but hopefully not his last. When I inquired about that, he confessed: “I’m getting the research and writing ‘bug’ again. I’m in the process of doing some preliminary research on a prominent 19th century Canadian pastor who was much revered by the congregation and denomination in which he served. I won’t reveal his name but I’m thinking of entitling the work …. ”
Ok, we can wait, but please don’t make it ten years.
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This book is available for online purchase at amazon.ca.