Early life Chafer was born in
Rock Creek,
Ohio to Thomas and Lomira Chafer and was the second of three children. His father, a
parson, died from tuberculosis when Lewis was 11 years old, and his mother supported the family by teaching school and keeping boarders in the family home. Chafer attended the Rock Creek Public School as a young boy, and the New Lyme Institution in
New Lyme, Ohio from 1885 to 1888. Here he discovered a talent for music and choir. Chafer quit his studies at Oberlin to work with YMCA evangelist, Arthur T. Reed of Ohio. From 1889 to 1891, Chafer attended
Oberlin College, where he met Ella Loraine Case. They were married April 22, 1896 and formed a traveling evangelistic music ministry, he singing or preaching and she playing the organ. Their marriage lasted until she died in 1944.
Ministry Ordained in 1900 by a Council of
Congregational Ministers in the First Congregational Church in Buffalo and in 1903 he ministered as an evangelist in the Presbytery of Troy in
Massachusetts and became associated with the ministry of
Cyrus Scofield, who became his mentor. During this early period, Chafer began writing and developing his theology. He taught Bible classes and music at the Mount Hermon School for Boys from 1906 to 1910. He joined the Orange Presbytery in 1912 due to the increasing influence of his ministry in the south. He aided Scofield in establishing the
Philadelphia School of the Bible in 1913. From 1923 to 1925, he served as general secretary of the Central American Mission. When Scofield died in 1921, Chafer moved to
Dallas,
Texas to pastor the First Congregational Church of Dallas, an independent church where Scofield had ministered. Then, in 1924, Chafer and his friend
William Henry Griffith Thomas realized their vision of a simple,
Bible-teaching theological
seminary and founded
Dallas Theological Seminary (originally Evangelical Theological College). Chafer served as president of the seminary and professor of
Systematic Theology from 1924 until his death. He died with friends while away at a conference in
Seattle, Washington in August 1952. In 1953, the newly built chapel was designated the Lewis Sperry Chafer Chapel after the recently passed leader. During his life, Chafer received three honorary doctorates:
Doctor of Divinity from
Wheaton in 1926,
Doctor of Letters from Dallas in 1942, and
Doctor of Theology from the Aix-en-Province, France, Protestant Seminary in 1946. Chafer had a tremendous influence on the evangelical movement. Among his students were
Jim Rayburn, founder of
Young Life (as well as many of Young Life's first staff members),
Kenneth N. Taylor, author of
The Living Bible translation, and numerous future Christian educators and pastors, including
Howard Hendricks,
J. Dwight Pentecost,
Charles Caldwell Ryrie,
J. Vernon McGee, and
John Walvoord, who succeeded him as president of DTS.
Personality Chafer was recognized among his friends and peers for his balanced, simple life. He was a well-spoken and relaxed leader and was not a
fire and brimstone preacher. Chafer believed the basic truths for Christian living are found in , a chapter which teaches about peace, grace, weakness, hope, sacrifice, love, and joy. In recognition of this, Dallas Theological Seminary offers a commencement award, the Lewis Sperry Chafer Award, every year to the graduating master's student who: "in the judgment of the faculty because of his well‐balanced Christian character, scholarship, and spiritual leadership, best embodies and portrays the ideals of Dallas Theological Seminary." An additional award, the Lorrain Chafer Award, is awarded to the graduating international master's student who: "in the judgment of the faculty, best evidences well‐balanced Christian character, scholarship, and spiritual leadership." The Dallas Seminary Foundation has also set up a charitable giving program called the Lewis Sperry Chafer Legacy, recognizing the graciousness in Chafer's life. ==Theology==