Thinking about Pink

A.W. Pink, hmmmm…

He is a hero to many, and for lots of reasons probably should be. His impact on the Evangelical Church is enormous.

But man, what a strange character.

If I am totally honest with myself he is one of those ‘greats’ who I have been told I should like, but deep down after reading some of what he says I am just not sure what to think.

'The Sovereignty of God' is brilliant (strangely I once went to a conference totally dedicated to its teaching) and some other stuff I have read has been massively helpful.

But when I look to some other books and articles of his, and indeed to the man himself, I can’t help but feel just a little off.

Dan Phillips over at Pyromaniacs put it so well a while back:

‘For my part, I've never been a huge fan. I've tried reading him, and generally been defeated by his verbosity or his fanciful exegesis. I've other books that do a better job of what he tries to do, so they take up my time instead of Pink’.

Pink was born in Nottingham in April 1886 and was converted at age 22. Sometime after he emigrated to the US to study at Moody Bible Institute, but stuck it out for only two months instead desiring to do his own thing.

He then made an attempt to pastor, but ended up moving from place to place after short periods of time. He soon realised that he preferred to teach people through writing rather than face to face, and ended up in complete isolation on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland doing just that until the end of his life.  

Gary Benfold points out that ‘though he travelled the world, living on three continents, he could not find a single church that was worth joining – and this at a time when, for example, Lloyd-Jones was ministering in Westminster’.

Tom Chantry helpfully hightlights the good in this very imbalanced ministry:

‘He insisted that the Bible was the Word of God and therefore true in all its particulars. He taught the gospel of personal salvation from sin by the blood of Jesus, not societal salvation by the example of Jesus. and he insisted on the sovereignty of God in salvation and in all of life. The people to whom Pink ministered had never heard such things before. There were no biblical churches in their areas, and there was no Christian publishing industry to speak of. This was before P&R - before Banner of Truth even.

The thing about Pink was that for all of his imperfections and in spite of the sins which became so obvious in his life, he was a voice. It wasn’t that he was the best voice or the strongest voice or the most uncompromised voice - it’s just that he was it. He was the only voice - at least among the people to whom he ministered’.

But he also cannot ignore the bad:

‘Pink on the Isle of Lewis was living in rebellion against God's word. There is no getting around it, and the people who were his friends in America sort of thought he was and eventually became convinced that he was.

It's why Pink had no influence there, and relatively little in the South, where he lived for some years. His lasting influence was in rural Pennsylvania and New York - places which hadn't seen anyone with Pink's (good) convictions in a century’.

Dan Phillips notes the very real extremity of his self-imposed separation from the Church of Christ:

‘a private correspondence from someone who (unlike me) is an authority on church history…noted that the Isle of Lewis, where Pink ended up, was very doctrinally orthodox and Presbyterian in the best sense. Pink wouldn't have anything to do with them’.

I think one of the main reasons I find him discouraging in some ways is that he was clearly so dedicated to Christ, almost fanatical. You can see this so strongly in his writings. But what is so disappointing is that this dedication led him towards such a strange life. The isolation he chose is certainly unbiblical and therefore not Gods will for him. But there he was for 18 years, writing and praying and feeling he was faithfully serving the Lord.

I suppose a life like this can perhaps inadvertently put you off being so dedicated yourself. You can end up telling yourself: ‘I don’t want to end up like him, maybe I should cool off my spiritual fervour a bit’.

I have certainly come across many Christians who are ridiculously dedicated and sincere. But this same dedication for some reason has also led them into some ways and practices which I find very unattractive. Extreme separation, obsessiveness, stereotypical language etc etc

But we need to be careful not to let these kinds of people to put us off.

Gary Benfold closes his analysis of Pink with a very strong warning:

‘But let it be faced about professed Bible teachers who dismiss all of evangelicalism that does not agree with them on every jot and tittle. Such men are not to be followed. They are not to be supported.  They are not to be admired. Their souls are in danger’.

This is a very good important point to make. Especially in light of todays many extreme so called ‘discernment’ ministries. But I’m not so sure that it should definitely be applied to A.W. Pink.

Iain Murray reminds us in his biography of Pink that ‘the widespread circulation of his writings after his death made him one of the most influential evangelical authors in the second half of the twentieth century’. And for that I for one am extremely thankful.

So here is a closing point for encouragement. If we only learn one thing from this man’s life, it is that God can certainly still use us, even with our many imperfections.

And that is a real reason for hope.