I've heard from various editors that it had a similar
effect on them. As you go through words written,
many over 100 years ago, they still have a powerful
ability to disturb the human heart, to revive a person's
relationship and to draw them closer to God, even into
an experience of holiness. That's what it did for me.
I've been adapting, updating and revising Brengle's
words, treating them with the utmost respect and
appreciation, and as I did it fanned the flames of
revival in my heart.
ness. I know the Scriptural warrant from First Thes-
salonians and other passages, and yet it was a surprise
the things that Brengle returned to over and again.
His most referenced verse of the Bible was Joshua 1:8,
"Be of good courage. Be strong and courageous." One
subject he returned to often was the power of testi-
mony. It's not enough to submit entirely to God, to
make a full consecration and then be made holy
through the work of the Holy Spirit. He emphasized
that when that happens, you have to testify. Something
that has been lost in the 21st-century church is the
power of testimony to confirm, solidify and advance
our spiritual experience.
always preaching and teaching and writing. He was
such a hard-working man; so driven, so busy, that he
actually had a few physical breakdowns [from which]
he had to recuperate because his work had become so
heavy for him. The kind of busyness we have in our
lives is of a different order than what Brengle wrote to.
His prescriptions for the holy life included prayer and
Bible study, time alone with God as well as worship-
ping with other people. All those are even more neces-
sary today. In his day, the fastest way to get from one
city to another was on a train, leaving him time to
read, study or witness. The contrast between the life-
styles of the early 20th century and the early 21st cen-
tury are so stark...that's one of the reasons why we see
and hear so little witness to the experience of holiness.
it was 100 years ago. What he taught and prescribed
is much more critical today than it would have been
during his lifetime.
books you encounter vulnerability and an awareness of
his own failings and shortcomings, and sometimes an
overwhelming sense of his own need of grace. I'd love
to see Salvationists understand that the things that he
wrote and taught are not for some elite class of people,
but for everybody.
had a different style of writing, and yet the beauty of
his phrasing, the language he used, the pictures he
drew is so powerful. I want people outside the ranks of
The Salvation Army to discover Samuel Logan Brengle
as someone worthy of their attention, and if they read
him they will be blessed.
about the partnership between The Salvation Army
and Wesleyan Publishing House to produce these books
in a format and as a collection in a way that will be
commercially viable and accessible to a wide audience
and yet totally keeping with the Army's ministry, pri-
orities and personality. The time has come for Brengle
to be discovered, or rediscovered, by a lot of people.
That's my prayer.
Samuel L. Brengle. It is edited for modern readers by
popular author and Brengle devotee Bob Hostetler. Brengle
was an internationally renowned preacher, ambassador
updated volumes prom-
writings to new readers
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