John David Pawson (February 25, 1930 – May 21, 2020) was a renowned British pastor in contemporary times, excelling in Bible exegesis and Christian apologetics. He hoped for the unity of the charismatic and evangelical branches within the Christian faith. He published over 30 books on Bible interpretation and widely spread a series of his sermons through audio – visual products, thus having a global impact.
Table of Contents
- Biography
- Perspectives
- 2.1 Views on Bible Reading
- 2.2 Views on Salvation
- 2.3 Views on the Charismatic Movement
- 2.4 Views on Eschatology
- 2.5 Views on Hell
- 2.6 Views on Other Religions
- Influence
- Original Works
- Chinese Translations
- References
- Video, Audio, and Text Resources
1. Biography
John David Pawson was born in 1930. His ancestor, John Pawson, adhered to the Methodist faith in the UK and was a friend and follower of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. His grandfather was a pastor, and his father, Henry Cecil Pawson, served as the head of the Department of Agronomy at Durham University and the vice – president of the local Methodist Church. His family had generations of involvement in farming and preaching.
Pawson spent his childhood in northern England and initially aspired to be a farmer. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Durham University, he felt called by God to become a full – time preacher. He then pursued a master’s degree in theology at Wesley College, Cambridge University, and became a Methodist preacher, ministering in areas ranging from the Shetland Islands to the Thames Valley.
In 1957, Pawson served as a chaplain in the Royal Air Force on the Arabian Peninsula, stationed in Aden, Yemen, in the Middle East. After leaving the Royal Air Force, he became a Methodist pastor. Due to his disagreement with the denomination’s view on infant baptism, he voluntarily left and became the pastor of Gold Hill Baptist Church in Buckinghamshire. He also participated in the design of the Millmead Centre.
Pawson said that the sermon tapes of his Bible – study lectures were recorded by church members using Grundig open – reel tape recorders for the elderly, sick, or disabled members who couldn’t attend church gatherings. These tapes later spread widely and became popular in over 120 countries around the world.
In 1968, Pawson was invited to serve as the pastor of Guildford Baptist Church, which was established in 1824 in Guildford, Surrey, southwest of London, UK. His sermons brought revival to the church, which gradually grew into the largest Baptist church in the UK.
In 1972, the Millmead Centre, which Pawson had helped design, was completed and opened. It featured an auditorium with 500 seats arranged in a staggered pattern. As an exegetical pastor, both the evangelical and charismatic branches of the Christian faith regarded him as an effective and balanced interpreter of the Bible.
In 1979, Pawson left the Millmead Centre and began a global circuit of Bible – study preaching.
In 1981, he left Guildford Baptist Church to focus on his global preaching tours.
In 2003, his oral overview of the Old and New Testament books of the Bible was transcribed into a book titled Unlocking the Bible – A unique overview of the whole Bible, which was translated into Chinese as two books: A Survey of the Old Testament and A Survey of the New Testament. There were also CD and DVD versions, and the content could be found on YouTube.
In early September 2010, at the invitation of Good News Satellite TV, Pawson visited Lingliang Mountain Villa in Taipei, Taiwan, to hold a four – day “Taipei Bible – Study and Spiritual Revival Conference.” Due to the high number of applicants, the organizers had to open a closed – circuit TV live – broadcast area. The event received excellent reviews within the Christian community in Taiwan.
2. Perspectives
2.1 Views on Bible Reading
Pawson believed that each book of the Bible should be read continuously from beginning to end. Since there were no chapter and verse divisions when the books were written and compiled until the 13th century, referring to numbered verses alone could easily lead to misinterpretations. To fully understand the meaning of the scriptures, it was necessary to know when, why, and for whom the scriptures were written. Therefore, from 1960 – 1970, he spent a decade researching the background of the Bible, studying nearly half of the Old Testament and the entire New Testament line by line to explore the writing background, purpose, meaning, and revelation of each book.
2.2 Views on Salvation
Pawson believed that salvation couldn’t be achieved merely through a repentance prayer, and he didn’t fully agree with the view of “once saved, always saved.” He emphasized that faith must be persevered in and that people should act strictly in accordance with the teachings of the Bible. Based on the doctrine of “saved by faith,” he integrated the concepts of the freedom of repentance, the faith of the gospel, the rite of baptism, and the descent of the Holy Spirit. He believed that for Christians to be reborn and enter the kingdom of God, they must go through four steps: confessing and repenting of sins, believing in Jesus, receiving baptism, and accepting the Holy Spirit.
Pawson further pointed out that receiving the Holy Spirit was independent of confessing and repenting of sins, believing in Jesus, and receiving baptism. The prerequisite for receiving the Holy Spirit was to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This was different from the Reformed view that one automatically received the Holy Spirit upon believing in the Lord and the charismatic view that receiving the Holy Spirit and receiving baptism were two experiences with different purposes.
2.3 Views on the Charismatic Movement
In his book Fourth Wave: Charismatics and Evangelicals – Are We Ready to Come Together?, Pawson criticized and reconciled the views of the evangelical and charismatic branches. He encouraged the unity of the two, calling for an end to their disputes. He argued that the spiritual gifts in dispute were bestowed upon the church, but the use of these gifts must be based on the original meaning of the Bible. Therefore, the two sides should learn from each other for mutual benefit.
2.4 Views on Eschatology
In his book When Jesus Comes Again, Pawson interpreted the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. Regarding eschatology, he advocated “premillennialism” and opposed “postmillennialism.” He believed that Jesus would return before the Millennium and reign in Jerusalem for a thousand years. The saints who were raptured after the Great Tribulation would return with Jesus to reign on earth when he came again. He also believed that the Bible predicted that the Jews would return to the holy city of Jerusalem, and this would be fulfilled before the end times. Thus, Pawson supported Zionism, which aimed at the establishment of a Jewish state.
2.5 Views on Hell
In his book The Road to Hell with No Return, Pawson discussed God’s judgment of sinners in the end times. He criticized the “soul annihilation theory” which claimed that the punishment in hell was not eternal. He believed that according to the Bible, if people did not repent and be saved, they would suffer endless pain in hell.
2.6 Views on Other Religions
In his book The Challenge of Islam, Pawson described the rapid growth of Islam in Western society. He expounded on the nature of Islam, believing that since Islam rejected Jesus Christ as God, the two religions were incompatible. From the perspective of a Christian, he responded to this challenge from the aspect of the purification of the church. In this book, he also elaborated on his prediction that the UK would be Islamized and that the rise of Islam would test whether Western churches and secular society had morally decayed.
3. Influence
Reverend Pawson’s influence spread globally, mainly due to his Old Testament Survey and New Testament Survey series. With a clear train of thought, he outlined the context of each scripture passage and provided detailed historical and geographical backgrounds, helping readers grasp the essence and overview of each book. This was of great help to both new believers and committed faith – seekers.
The John David Pawson Teaching Trust published a series of books on Bible interpretation and widely spread a series of his sermons through audio – visual media, thus having a global impact. The voice – over in Chinese for his works was provided by Li Ying, which also contributed to his influence, allowing people to be influenced by his teachings even without seeing him in person.