F.B. Meyer

The Rev. Frederick Brotherton Meyer (April 8, 1847 – March 28, 1929), a contemporary and friend of D.L.Moody was a Baptist pastor and evangelist in England involved in ministry and inner city mission work on both sides of the Atlantic. Author of numerous religious books and articles, many of which remain in print today, he has been described as The Archbishop of the Free Churches.

Frederick Meyer was born in London. He attended Brighton College and graduated from the University of London in 1869. He studied theology at Regent’s Park College, Oxford.

The Rev F.B. Meyer (commonly styled F.B.Meyer), was part of the Higher Life movement and preached often at the Keswick Convention. He was known as a crusader against immorality. He preached against drunkenness and prostitution. He is said to have brought about the closing of hundreds of saloons and brothels.

While in York in the early 1870s F.B.Meyer met the American evangelist Dwight L. Moody, whom he introduced to other chapels, churches, and ministers in England, and by exchange was invited to make several trips to minister in America. The two preachers became lifelong friends.

F.B.Meyer wrote over 40 books, including Christian biographies and devotional commentaries on the Bible. He, along with seven other clergymen, was also a signatory to the London Manifesto asserting that the Second Coming was imminent in 1918.

An illustrated biography of his life was published in 1929, with a new edition a few years later. 2007 saw the release of a new biography of Meyer;F.B. Meyer: If I had a hundred live, written by Professor Bob Holman and published by Christian Focus publications.