Murray, Andrew, Jr. (1828-1917)
South African Dutch Reformed Church minister, theologian, evangelist, and mission organizer
Murray was the second son of Andrew Murray of Graaff-Reinet; four of his brothers also became ministers. He was the prime shaper of the piety that came to characterize the Afrikaner people in the twentieth century. In 1838 he and his brother John were sent to Aberdeen to be educated at the grammar school and university. They then went on to Utrecht, Netherlands, to study theology. Virtually ignoring their professors, their piety and theology were shaped by membership in student societies inspired by the Reveil, a continental revival movement. After ordination at the Hague in 1848, Murray returned home, where he was sent to minister to the Voortrekkers beyond the Orange and the Vaal Rivers. For ten years he served this 100,000-square-mile parish, befriending and aiding them in negotiating their freedom from the British. In 1856 he married Emma Rutherfoord. The next year saw the first of his 250 publications, some of which were the only books in many Afrikaner homes except for the Bible. He became minister at Worcester in 1860, Cape Town in 1864, and then Wellington in 1871, where he stayed until his retirement in 1906.
Murray’s influence on South Africa’s Dutch Reformed Church cannot be exaggerated. He was on its initial foreign missions committee and organized and raised funds for its first mission. In 1877 he organized the Mission Training Institute at Wellington. He founded three key organizations: the Ministers Missionary Union, The Bible and Prayer Union, and the Layman’s Mission League. He was also an effective evangelist, both in South Africa and abroad. He received honorary degrees from Aberdeen in 1898 and the University of Cape of Good Hope in 1907.
Murray led a movement that transformed his church from an introverted into a missionary institution, but he also helped to confirm it as the church of the Afrikaner Volk, inadvertently setting it on the path that led to apartheid. Murray’s two most important books are The Key to the Mission Problem (1901) and The State of the Church (1911).
Andrew C. Ross, “Murray, Andrew, Jr.” in Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, ed. Gerald H. Anderson (New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 1998), 481-82.
This article is reprinted from Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, Macmillan Reference USA, copyright © 1998 Gerald H. Anderson, by permission of Macmillan Reference USA, New York, NY. All rights reserved.
Bibliography
Digital Texts
Murray, Andrew. Abide in Christ: Thoughts on the Blessed Life of Fellowship with the Son of God. Philadelphia: The Rodgers Company, [1907].
_____. Holy in Christ. New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1887.
_____. Jesus Himself. New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1893.
_____. Lord, Teach Us to Pray. Philadelphia: Henry Altemusm 1896.
_____. The Master’s Indwelling. [S.I].: s.n., 1953.
_____. The Ministry of Intercession: A Plea for More Prayer. 3rd edition. London: James Nisbett and Co., 1898.
_____. The Mystery of the True Vine. London: James Nisbett and Co., 1898.
Primary
Murray, Andrew. The Inner Chamber and the Inner Life. New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1905.
_____. The Key to the Mission Problem. 1901.
_____. A Life of Obedience.
_____. Pray Without Ceasing: Helps to Intercession. New York: Fleming H. Revell Co, 1898.
_____. The State of the Church. 1911.
Murray, Andrew, and J. I. Marais. Zijt mij genadig!: het gebed des boetvaardigen, in Psalm 51, voor allen uitgelegd en toegepast. Kaapstad: Zuid Afrikaansche Bijbel Vereeniging, 1917.
Secondary
Choy, Leona F. Andrew Murray: Apostle of Abiding Love. Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1978.
Conradie, Ben. Andrew Murray na honderd jaar. Stellenbosch: Christen-Studenteverenigingmaatskappy van Suid-Afrika, 1951.
Douglas, William M., Andrew Murray, Mary Murray, and Walter Searle. Andrew Murray and His Message: One of God’s Choice Saints. London: Oliphants, 1926.
Du Plessis, J. The Life of Andrew Murray of South Africa. 1919.
_____. Het Leven van Andrew Murray. Kaapstad: Zuid Afrika Bijbelvereniging, 1920.
Engle, John S. “‘What God Has Joined Together’ Andrew Murray’s Model for the Revival and World Mission of the Church. Thesis (D. Min.). Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA, 2004.
Lindner, William. Andrew Murray. Minneapolis, Minn: Bethany House Publishers, 1996.
Maris, J.W. Andrew Murray (1828-1917): profiel van zijn opwekkingstheologie. Apeldoorn: Willem de Zwijgerstichting, 1995.
McCleary, Walter. An Hour with Andrew Murray: A Biography. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1941.
Saxe, Raymond Hyman, “Some Contributions of Andrew Murray, Junior to the Missionary Cause.” Thesis (D. Miss.). Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1993.
Stucki, Alfred. Andrew Murray: ein Zeuge Christi in Südafrika. Basel: H. Majer, 1943.
Valen., L.J. van. Geworteld in Zijn liefde: leven en werk van Andrew Murray. [Bunnik]: De Banier, 2008.