Doctrinal Heritage Audio Archive
Lewis Sperry Chafer, D.D., Litt.D., ThD.

Lewis Sperry Chafer was born in Rock Creek, OH, on February 27, 1871. He was reared in a devout Christian home. As a young man, Dr. Chafer attended Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music.

He began his service as an evangelist, ministering in this work until 1914 both preaching and singing. In the year 1900, Dr. Chafer was ordained to the gospel ministry by a Council of Congregational Ministers in the First Congregational Church of Buffalo. In 1903, he moved to the Presbytery of Troy in Massachusetts. At that time C.I. Scofield was pastor of the Congregational Church of Northfield. Scofield and Chafer formed a fellowship that lasted until Dr. Scofield's death in 1921.

For years, Dr. Chafer participated in a powerful teaching ministry in every state of the union. In 1922 he went to Dallas, Texas, to establish Dallas Theological Seminary. The school was formed in 1924 and he was its first president. Dr. Chafer became the Professor of Systematic Theology and continued to concentrate on that division of ministerial training until the end of his life.

Some of the books that Dr. Chafer authored are: Satan 1909; True Evangelism 1911; The Kingdom in History and Prophecy 1915; Salvation 1916; He That is Spiritual 1918; Grace 1922; Major Bible Themes 1926; and The Ephesians Letter 1935. In 1947 he published his 8-volume Systematic Theology. This great classic includes a number of areas that are entirely new to the discipline.

On August 22, 1952, he died peacefully in the home of friends. A long life of service had come to a close and the servant had gone into the presence of his waiting Lord.

Click here to view audio lessons of some lectures taught by Dr. Chafer from 1945 to 1952 at Dallas Theological Seminary.