William Boardman

{{Short description|American pastor and teacher (1810–1886)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}} {{About|an American pastor and teacher|the U.S. Representative from Connecticut|William Whiting Boardman|the American politician in Alaska|William K. Boardman|American politician in Massachusetts|William W. Boardman (Massachusetts)}} {{Infobox person | name = William Edwin Boardman | image = | image_size = 150px | caption = | birth_date = October 11, 1810 | birth_place = Smithboro, New York, U.S. | death_date = February 4, 1886 | death_place = London, England, U.K. }} '''William Edwin Boardman''' (October 11, 1810 – February 4, 1886) was an American pastor, teacher, and author. His 1858 book, ''The Higher Christian Life'', was a major international success and helped ignite the Higher Life movement. Boardman's work attracted international attention, especially in England, where Boardman exercised great influence during 1873–1874.

==Life== Boardman was born in 1810 to Isaac Smith and Abigail Saltmarsh Boardman. In his youth he had religious training and had a knowledge of the gospel. He married Mary Adams in 1837.

In 1858 he published the first edition of ''The Higher Christian Life''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Boardman|first=William Edwin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kAADAAAAQAAJ&q=the+higher+christian+life+boardman|title=The higher Christian life. ed. by the author of 'Memorials of captain Hedley Vicars'.|date=1860|publisher=A. Strahan|language=en}}</ref> Elizabeth Baxter reported that reading "Gladness in Jesus" in 1873 had caused her to re-evaluate her beliefs and to trust more to God. Baxter was to found the Bethshan mission which was base for healing by prayer. She would say that Boardman was the founder of the mission, but others see Baxter as the driving spirit.<ref name=liz>{{Cite book|last=Robinson|first=James|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l2pJAwAAQBAJ&q=elizabeth+baxter&pg=PA249|title=Divine Healing: The Formative Years: 1830–1890: Theological Roots in the Transatlantic World|date=April 13, 2011|page=208 to 212|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers|isbn=978-1-62189-586-2|language=en}}</ref>

In 1885, he co-authored a book called ''Skilful Susy: A Book of Fairs and Bazars'', with American author and journalist Mary Gay Humphreys.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Humphreys |first=Mary Gay |date=1885 |title=Skilful Suzy |url=https://archive.org/details/skilfulsusybooko00hump/page/n85/mode/2up |access-date=July 19, 2022 |via=Library of Congress|publisher=New York, Funk & Wagnalls |oclc=1157217061 }}</ref>

Dwight L. Moody and Ira Sankey led evangelistic campaigns and Boardman was speaking throughout England on Holiness and the Higher Life. This led to the establishing of the Keswick Conventions.

Boardman also came to be a leader in the ministry of spiritual healing, and he had inspired the Bethshan Healing Home in London.<ref name=liz/>

In 1885, he organized the International Convention of Holiness and Divine Healing in London, and invited the Canadian pastor A.B. Simpson to be one of the speakers.<ref> Michael G. Yount, ''A. B. Simpson: His Message and Impact on the Third Great Awakening'', Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2016, p. 75</ref> This conference is regarded by many as a turning point in the origins of the modern Pentecostal movement.

Boardman's ministry would continue until his death on February 4, 1886, in London. The Bethshan mission continued and Baxter visited the Indian mission twice after his death.<ref name=liz/>

==Works== *''[http://www.openlibrary.org/details/higherchristianlife00boarrich The Higher Christian Life]'', Boston: Henry Hoyt (1858) *''[https://books.google.com/books?id=7gEDAAAAQAAJ He That Overcomenth: or the Conquering Gospel]'', London: James Nisbet & Co. (1869) *''Gladness in Jesus''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Boardman|first=William Edwin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9HycvgEACAAJ&q=gladness+in+Jesus+boardman|title=Gladness in Jesus|date=1873|publisher=Morgan & Scott|language=en}}</ref> *''[http://www.openlibrary.org/details/faithworkunderdr00boaruoft Faith Work under Dr Cullis, in Boston]'' 1873 (biography of Charles Cullis) *''[https://books.google.com/books?id=29ECAAAAQAAJ In The Power Of The Spirit, or, Christian experience in the light of the Bible]'' 1875 *''The Great Physician (Jehovah Rophi)'' 1881

== References == {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{Internet Archive author |sname=William Edwin Boardman |sopt=t}} *[http://healingandrevival.com/BioWEBoardman.htm "The Higher Christian Life" article about Boardman]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boardman, William E.}} Category:1810 births Category:1886 deaths Category:American evangelists Category:American Christian writers Category:Founders of Christian new religious movements Category:19th-century American Christian clergy