Many have read Leonard Ravenhill’s classic ‘Why Revival Tarries’, a no-compromise call to biblical revival and personal holiness. But few know much about the man who wrote it (after all, he rarely spoke about himself; his focus was invariably Christ). 25 years after his death, this formidable tome remains the only biography to be written of him.

Early life and ministry

Though better known in America, Ravenhill was in fact Yorkshire born-and-bred, having lived almost as many years in Britain as he did in the States. His grandmother, mother and father were all converted to Christ through the Methodist Church in northern England. Leonard was born in Leeds in 1907. Having found salvation at 15, he later trained for Christian ministry under the saintly influence of Samuel Chadwick at Sheffield’s Cliff College.

It was here that he became one of the College ‘trekkers’, a group of zealous young evangelists who spread the gospel around northern England on foot. The book also spells out Ravenhill’s full-time evangelistic ministry during the 30s and 40s, first with the International Holiness Mission, and then via the new Calvary Holiness Church, of which he was a co-founder. During these exciting years of intense gospel witness, his intrepid team saw God remarkably at work, with localised revival bursting forth in places like Oldham, Burnley and Salford.

Afflicting the comfortable!

Ravenhill married in 1939, and with his wife Martha went on to raise three sons: Paul, David, and Philip. In 1950 the family moved to America, initially to serve with a missions agency in Minneapolis. Over the course of the following 40 years, the evangelist followed God’s calling, first to New York; then to Rockford, Illinois; to the Bahamas; to Zachary, Louisiana and finally to Texas. From each of these bases, Ravenhill served as either church pastor or itinerant evangelist, often both.

It was said of him that he feared the Lord so much that he had no fear of man.

His preaching took him all over the United States and beyond, with a hectic schedule of church services, tent meetings and conventions. Ravenhill had become well-known nationally for his direct, fearless preaching, which struck deep into the very heart of his hearers. There was an obvious anointing on his lengthy addresses, which often centred on the disparity between the New Testament Church and what passes for the Church today. His preaching was said to have comforted the afflicted and afflicted the comfortable!

The dangers of plucking “unripe fruit”

He was an Old Testament style preacher, emphasising the seriousness of sin, but always pointing to relief through Christ. It was said of him that he feared the Lord so much that he had no fear of man. With this, however, came a directness that at times came over as abrupt or occasionally even rude.

The book gives many examples of entire churches being turned around as a result of a single Ravenhill sermon. On occasion, glorious revival broke out. But everywhere, after hearing him, numerous individuals had their lives radically transformed, with lasting effect.

Tomlinson includes individual chapters on Ravenhill’s theology, his passion for revival, his love for books (he wrote numerous), and hymns (he composed many), as well as his life-long ministry in letter-writing.

The chapter on evangelism confirms his lack of patience with the shallow, man-centred evangelism often encountered in the States. He lamented the fact that modern evangelism was seeking to pluck “unripe fruit….We try to get folk saved before they know they’re lost” (p. 395).

Prayer was his life

But it’s the section on Ravenhill’s prayer life that impressed this reader most. Prayer was not a part of his life – it was his life. He prayed more than he read, or prepared sermons. At bedtime he normally slept for a couple of hours, would rise around midnight, go to his study, and meditate, worship, read and pray for several hours, before returning to bed. He also spent extended time in prayer each morning, and afternoon.

At bedtime he normally slept for a couple of hours, would rise around midnight, go to his study, and meditate, worship, read and pray for several hours, before returning to bed.

According to his biographer, Ravenhill “had utterance in prayer, an intimacy with God that was at times almost embarrassing. It was the kind of praying that rebuked the lukewarm, stirred the godly, and inspired anyone who had a heart for God” (p. 261). Yet, this humble servant also said towards the close of his life that he wished he had spent “more time alone with God rather than preaching and planning how I was going to change the world” (p. 496).

He once said, “I don’t want to meet a man who has written more books than me or is a better preacher….I want to meet a man who has more of God in his life than I do” (p.261).

Remarkable LegacyRavenhill's simple gravestone - preaching even in death!

The book is thoroughly researched and includes interviews with scores of people who either knew the man well, worked with him, or were profoundly influenced by his ministry. Among the latter were David Wilkerson, Charles Stanley, Shane Idleman and musician Keith Green, to name a few.

This worthy study comes replete with several photo sections, a glossary of Ravenhill’s poems, and a collection of some of his most pithy sayings. Here are a few of his finest….

“Lord, let nothing live in me that should die, and let nothing die in me that should live.”

“Entertainment is the devil’s substitute for joy.”

“The cardinal ethic of Christianity is sacrifice, not success.”

“Think twice before you speak; think three times and you may not speak at all.”

(To a pastor who complained of being worn out) “You don’t need a vacation – you need a cave!”

‘In the Light of Eternity: The Life of Leonard Ravenhill’ (597pp) is published by Granted Ministries Press, and is available from Amazon