Samuel Marinus Zwemer (April 12, 1867 – April 2, 1952), nicknamed The Apostle to Islam, was an American missionary, traveler, and scholar. He was born at Vriesland, Michigan. In 1887 he received an A.B. from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and in 1890, he received an M.A. from New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey His other degrees include a D.D. from Hope College in 1904, a L.L.D. from Muskingum College in 1918, and a D.D. from Rutgers College in 1919.
After being ordained to the Reformed Church ministry by the Pella, Iowa Classis in 1890, he was a missionary at Busrah, Bahrein, and at other locations in Arabia from 1891 to 1905. He was a member of the Arabian Mission (1890–1913). He is the founder of American Mission Hospital in Bahrain.
Zwemer served in Egypt from 1913 to 1929. He also traveled widely in Asia Minor, and he was elected a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of London.
On 1 October 1930, he was appointed at the Princeton Theological Seminary, as the Professor of the History of Religion and Christian Missions, where he taught until 1937. He had married Amy Elizabeth Wilkes on May 18, 1896. He was famously turned down by the American Missionary Society, which resulted in him going overseas alone. He founded and edited the publication The Moslem World for 35 years. He was influential in mobilizing many Christians, especially doctors, nurses, preachers and teachers, to go into missionary work in Islamic countries.
Zwemer retired from active work on the faculty of Princeton College Seminary at the age of seventy, but continued to write and publish books and articles as well as doing a great deal of public speaking. Zwemer died in New York City at the age of eighty-four.
According to Ruth A. Tucker, PhD, Samuel Zwemer's converts were "probably less than a dozen during his nearly forty years of service" but his "greatest contribution to missions was that of stirring Christians to the need for evangelism among Muslims".Ruth A. Tucker. From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions. p. 241.
Career In his biography of Raymond Lull, Zwemer divided Lull's ministry threefold'Lull's lifework was three-fold: he devised a philosophical or educational system for persuading non-Christians of the truth of Christianity; he established missionary colleges; and he himself went and preached to the Moslems...' Zwemer, Raymond Lull: First Missionary to the Moslems (New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1902), 63-64. and we may use the same broad categories to examine Zwemer's own ministry: Evangelism, Writing and Recruitment.
Evangelism
In 1889, Zwemer co-founded with James Cantine at the Seminary, the American Arabian Mission. Zwemer saw his first milestone in his ministry as leaving for Arabia in 1890 to work directly with the Muslim community.He settled at first in Basrah and then he moved with his wife Amy to Bahrain, where they stayed until 1905. Ruth Tucker, From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya, 240. At this time, his main mode of evangelism was distribution of literature'The distribution of the Word of God always holds the first place. It has always proved its power.' Zwemer, 'A Call to Prayer', 152. and personal conversation.Ruth Tucker, From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya, 239. He thought personal interaction was always the most effective mode: Samuel Zwemer, 'Broadcasting our message', The Moslem World 29/3 (1939): 217. He combined models of confrontational and a more irenic approach of presenting the love of Christ, 'characteristic of the student volunteers'.Ruth Tucker, From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya, 241. cf. Zwemer, 'A Call to Prayer' in Islam and the Cross. Edited by Roger S. Greenway. Original year 1923. Phillipsburg: P&R, 2002. 147. Two methods stand out in clear contrast: the polemic and the irenic; the method of argument, debate, contrast, and comparison on the one hand, and on the other had the method of loving approach along lines of least resistance.' Stories of his spontaneous interaction with people suggest that he was a capable and creative personal evangelist.e.g. The story of the Cretan Tavern keeper and asking the fruit vendor for 'fruit of the Spirit'. Jesse R. Wilson, 'One of a kind', Christian Century 84/21 (1967): 687-688.
Writing In the tradition of Lull,'It was said that of Raymond Lull that he wrote an unbelievable number of books - hundreds of manuscripts of his works may be found in European libraries to this day. In this particular, as in others, Zwemer ranks as a disciple of his famous precursor in missionary work for Moslems.' J. Christy Wilson Sr. Apostle to Islam: a biography of Samuel M. Zwemer (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952), 193. Zwemer 'left behind a mighty highway of print almost a book a year in English for over half a century.'J. Christy Wilson Sr. Apostle to Islam: a biography of Samuel M. Zwemer (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952), 205. As part of this great literary undertaking, he settled in Cairo in 1912 to work with the Nile Mission Press to make it 'a production point for Christian Literature for Muslims.'Lyle Vander Werff, Christian Mission to Muslims, 226. As an outcome of the Edinburgh World Missionary Conference in 1910, he established the quarterly The Moslem World in 1911 because 'If the Churches of Christendom are to reach the Moslem world with the Gospel, they must know of it and know it.'Zwemer, 'Editorial', The Moslem World 1/1, 2. He edited it until 1947, paying for much of it out of his own pocket.J. Christy Wilson Sr. Apostle to Islam: a biography of Samuel M. Zwemer (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952), 182. He founded the American Christian Literature Society for Moslems (A.C.L.S.M) which raised over a quarter of a million dollars for the production of evangelical literature.Wilson Sr. Apostle, 14. cf.188-9. Its Constitution expressed Zwemer's belief that the printed page 'has a unique value as a means of carrying the Gospel to Mohammedans... [it] finds an entrance into many doors closed to the living witness and can proclaim the Gospel persistently, fearlessly and effectively.'Cited in J. Christy Wilson Sr. Apostle to Islam: a biography of Samuel M. Zwemer (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952), 186-7. Zwemer saw printed page as 'the "leaves for the healing of the nations" in his program of mission strategy.'J. Christy Wilson Sr. Apostle to Islam: a biography of Samuel M. Zwemer (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952), 13.
Recruitment Zwemer's third milestone was accepting a professorship at Princeton in 1929 and marked an era of equipping and recruiting for the missionary movement, though this had been a significant aspect of his career from the beginning. In an extended period of furlough he was a traveling representative for the Student Volunteer Movement, and his speaking ability in motivating for missions was legendary.J. Christy Wilson Jr. 'The Apostle to Islam: The Legacy of Samuel Zwemer', IJFM 13:4 (1996): 165. 'Certainly no missionary of our time has been more widely quoted' J. Christy Wilson Sr. Apostle to Islam: a biography of Samuel M. Zwemer (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952), 14. His itinerary was herculean: in America in 1914 he gave 151 addresses in 113 days across the country.J. Christy Wilson Jr. 'The Apostle to Islam: The Legacy of Samuel Zwemer', IJFM 13:4 (1996): 166. W.H.T. Gairdner called him 'a steam engine in breeches'. His talent for fundraising was equally impressive, one year raising $32,886 for the Reformed Board of Foreign Missions, when the salary of a missionary on the field at this time was $900 a year.J. Christy Wilson Sr. Apostle to Islam: a biography of Samuel M. Zwemer (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952), 69. J. Christy Wilson Jr. summarizes: 'Speer and Zwemer probably influenced more young men and women to go into missionary service than any two individuals in all of Christian history.'
Legacy As a result of his direct pioneering work, four mission stations had been set up, and though only small in number,'At the great Tambaram Missionary Conference of 1938, the most moving of all the speeches was that of the veteran Dr Paul Harrison, who, having told the story of the five converts that the mission had won in fifty years, sat down with the quiet words: 'The Church in Arabia salutes you'. Stephen Neill, A History of Christian Missions (2nd ed.; rev. Owen Chadwick; Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin, 1986),311. 'the converts showed unusual courage in professing their faith.'Tucker, From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya, 240 The resulting church in Bahrain of the National Evangelical Church of Bahrain continues to this day. It is impossible to know how many people were affected by the large volume of tracts and scripture that he helped distribute. His books continue to make a significant difference today and his quarterly journal remains in publication as a significant scholarly journal. Through the work of the Student Volunteer Movement, with which Zwemer was strongly connected, 14,000 young people went out to the mission field.Wilson Sr. 'The Significance of Samuel Zwemer', 54. Kenneth Scott Latourette says that only on the last day 'will it be clear how many countries have been touched by them or how many thousands have been introduced to eternal life by their witness.' Kenneth Scott Latourette in J. Christy Wilson Sr. Apostle to Islam: a biography of Samuel M. Zwemer (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952), 5. The Zwemer Center offers comprehensive courses on Islam, facilitates research, fosters dialogues, offers seminars, conducts training, and provides resources.
Beliefs Theology