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254
book reviews
Ayodeji Abodunde
Messenger: Sydney Elton and the Making of Pentecostalism in Nigeria(Lagos,ng:
Pierce Watershed: 2016). xii + 479 pp. $30.00 hardcover.
Christianity seems to have slipped into Nigeria much in the same way one falls asleep—slowly, then all at once. The expansion of the Christian faith owes its success to many missionaries and evangelists who sacrificed their entire lives to advance the cause of Christ. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the life of Sydney Granville Elton, a missionary from Great Britain who arrived on the shores of Nigeria in 1937. Elton grew to adopt Nigeria as his home and worked tirelessly to further God’s mission until his death in 1987. Messenger tells his and Nigerian Pentecostalism’s story at the same time. Indeed, the two are so closely entwined that it would be impossible to separate them. Abodunde sets out not only to write a history, but to trace the prophetic calling on Elton’s fifty- year tenure in Nigeria.
The book begins with an account of Elton’s early life, salvation, and subse- quent marriage to the woman who led him to the Lord, Hannah Cartwright. He received a prophetic call to Nigeria in 1934. Elton first went under the auspices of the Apostolic Church which had already embraced Pentecostal teachings. Laboring for many years with the Apostolic Church, he eventually broke away to continue the work without the encumbrances of denominational affiliation. Elton felt very strongly that the mission of God was hindered by intra and inter denominational conflict. He was not afraid to speak candidly about issues in the church in the hopes that it would effect change and growth. An example of his frankness: “The healing revival turned inwards and became a denomination and the healing power largely evaporated … It turned inwards and it began to die and it will continue to die as long as mankind gets his hands on it, and turns it inwards to build a commercial system for itself” (99).
Messenger unearths the life of a man whose level of dedication to the Spirit of God and missionary calling is arguably unparalleled in Nigeria. Elton was connected to nearly every revivalist outbreak, was intimately involved in the training of thousands of Nigerian ministers of the gospel, and distributed millions (perhaps billions) of tracts along with other biblical literature items throughout the country. Pentecostalism may still have taken hold in Nigeria without Elton, but certainly not at the level that it reached. Even to the very end of his life, Elton dedicated his time to preaching, teaching, and training evan- gelists within the church in addition to his work with students. He supported many ministers out of his own pocket without expectation that he would be repaid.
Above all, Elton was Pentecostal, through and through. He was fiercely com- mitted to protecting and nurturing the Pentecostal movement in Nigeria.While
© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2017 | doi: 10.1163/15700747-03901013
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outside resources and assistance from around the world was accepted with gratitude, Elton desired that the Nigerian movement remain Nigerian, a true testament to the work of Christ in the country. Elton taught extensively on the gifts of the Spirit, offering classes that would teach Christians how to function and move in those gifts. Prophecy and words of knowledge were frequent in his daily life; he became a beacon of truth for young ministers seeking discernment and counsel. Through it all he offered every resource at his disposal to the furtherance of the gospel in Nigeria.
It is impossible to capture the true scope of Messenger in this brief review. This book is an extensive history of Elton and Pentecostalism in Nigeria. Yet, Messenger is not a history alone. It is a work that seeks to ignite passion in its readers, just as Elton continually strove to do. It is impossible to read Messenger without getting caught up in Elton’s excitement as he performed God’s work. It is also impossible to escape without being convicted. The writer has captured the sense of the power of God in the retelling of Elton’s story as it must have been when Elton was alive. Abodunde has accomplished something remarkable in writing Messenger—one will not be able to merely read this work and proceed unaffected. One way to conclude this review is to quote the words that defined Sydney Elton’s life: “There is a responsibility upon me and a burden on my heart. I bring that responsibility and that burden to you. What will be your response?” (157).
Hannah Siegmund
Asbury Theology Seminary, Orlando, Florida
PNEUMA 39 (2017) 241–257
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