Charles D. Alexander (minister)

Charles David Alexander (January 1, 1904 – 1991) was a Baptist Minister.

Alexander was born in Liverpool, to Scottish parents. He grew up in the city and converted to Christianity on March 7, 1921 at the age of 17.

He began a journalistic career and rose eventually to become the Editor of the Bootle Times, and the Birkenhead News, both provincial newspapers.

In his late teens he began to preach in the 'open-air' in the city centre. His diaries record how that each evening several, and sometimes many, would be converted to Christianity.

His original aim was to work on the mission field. He approached the then China Inland Mission and progressed in his application as far as the medical. However, this was not to be and inexplicably, for the first and only time in his life, he fainted and failed the medical. Distraught at the thought of this avenue of service being closed, he returned to his journalistic career, while becoming a prominent local preacher.

Always an early riser, 5 a.m. being the norm, he threw himself into his studies of the Bible. He was turned from the prevailing Arminianism of the day, and found himself imbibing the Calvinist doctrines of grace, then largely unheard of.

He married Marjorie, in 1928 and they had four children. He took on the honorary pastorate of Fabius Chapel in the city centre in 1938 and served during the war years, before moving to Dundee in 1949.

In 1954 he returned to his home city to take up the pastorate of Norris Green Mission Church. This obscure little work, later to be known as Norris Green Independent Baptist Church, had been founded in the centre Norris Green council estate by a number of unemployed men during the depression years. It had only known one pastor, Rev William Hudson, and here he continued until his retirement due to failing health in 1977.

In 1966 his wife, Marjorie, was called home, being buried in Inverness on the 'Hill of the Fairies.' Following his wife's death a new ministry opened and several times in the early 1970's he visited North America for extended preaching tours lasting several months, sometimes preaching three times a day. His ministry was appreciated as much in the obscure churches of the Carolinas as in the theological colleges, while his copious and entertaining correspondence home was much enjoyed by his friends in England.

He wrote and preached extensively on the contemporary scene of the 1950's and early 1960's, particularly in his work with the National Union of Protestants and gained a national reputation. In 1965 an opportunity arose for a written ministry, which would in time bring him an international reputation. A friend and colleague of Charles Alexander, John Wesley Walker of Kent, founded the Bible Exposition Fellowship in association with Charles Alexander. Its appointed goal was a more serious approach to the exposition and understanding of the Word of God. Rapidly this became a vehicle whereby the ministry of Charles Alexander was circulated internationally. It was and remains 'committed entirely to the doctrines of the Reformation of the 16th century and the upholding of the historic creeds of the Christian Church.' It believed and still holds that 'the evangelical doctrines restated at the Reformation should be reinforced by a thorough exposition of the Doctrine of God as expressed in those historic creeds.'

Charles Alexander began a series of expositions, which were published in 'Broadsheet' and pamphlet format and dispatched, free of charge, all over the world. There were series on 'The Gospel of John Spiritually Understood', 'The Problem of Evil', as well as defences of the heroes of the faith known as 'Heroes and Hawks', and many publications on the subject of Israel and its position in the purposes of God, as well as many other publications. He commenced a commentary on the 'Song of Solomon' but this did not get past chapter 2 of the book before failing health brought this ministry to a conclusion. The work for which is best known was the series "Revelation Spiritually Understood" which was a rigorous defence of Amillennialism and was distributed all over the world. "Revelation Spiritually Understood" was published by "K & M Books" and "The Bible Exposition Fellowship" in the year 2000.

Many of these Broadsheet pamphlets were to prove particularly controversial. "The Concert of the Trinity", in which Charles Alexander argued that Christ was not forsaken of the Father during the so called "Cry of Dereliction" was greeted with outrage in many quarters. Equally his many Broadsheet publications on the subject of the errors of Post-Millennialism and Dispensationalism also caused controversy; Particularly his series "The Puritan Illusion" which was written in response to Ian H. Murray's Post-Millennial "The Puritan Hope".

He died in 1991, after hospitalisation, and his remains were laid beside those of his wife in Inverness.

In 2000 the "Bible Exposition Fellowship" and "K & M Books" published "Revelation Spiritually Understood" under a single cover, lightly editing the earlier Broadsheet pamphlets so as to avoid needless repetition.

"The Bible Exposition Fellowship" also published a book containing series of sermons on the Incarnation by Charles Alexander in 2008.

Links to works by Charles D. Alexander

* [http://www.allbygrace.com/chasalexander.html] Allbygrace.com
* [http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/theword/kandm/revelation.html] K & M Books