Editor's note:  Presented for the reader's consideration are three very different biographies of John Alexander Dowie.  Please click on the links below to go to each text.  The one article and two books allow the reader a good understanding of the character of Dowie, the amazing growth of his work in Chicago, the founding of his beloved city of  Zion, and the powerful and lasting influence of his ministry.

In 1957, Gordon Gardiner, author of Radiant Glory - The Life of Martha Wing Robinson, wrote a short biography of Dowie for Bread of Life, a monthly publication of the Ridgewood Pentecostal Church of Brooklyn, NY.  Gardiner lived in Zion City as a boy and  later became personal friends with many of the saints and ministers who were greatly influenced by Dowie, including Martha Wing Robinson.   Some of the anecdotes  in his article are not only unique and valuable additions to Dowie's history but are extremely helpful in understanding the man and the reason for his continued influence.   Please click below to read

The Apostle of Divine Healing

Gordon Lindsay, founder of Christ For The Nations in Dallas, Texas,  published his  biography of Dowie in 1951.  It was reprinted in 1980 and is currently out of print.  Lindsay's parents were devoted followers of Dowie and lived in Dowie's city of Zion for some years.  Lindsay's book offers the reader a thorough, honest, and sympathetic accounting of Dowie's complex life and character.  Please click below to read

John Alexander Dowie, A Life Story of Trials, Tragedies, and Triumphs

Arthur Newcomb published his fictionalized account of Dowie's life in 1930. Newcomb was  Dowie's associate editor and thus had an insider's understanding of Dowie and his ministry.  His book offers the reader a real feel of what life was like for an associate of Dowie and what went on behind the scenes of Dowie's ministry. His descriptions of Dowie's meetings are  moving.  As Newcomb states in the beginning, he attempts to present an accurate - although abridged - account of the personality, words, acts, and experiences of Dowie.  Exactly what is fiction and what is fact?  We cannot be sure but many of the startling incidents in his book have the aura of authenticity.  Through his fictional characters, Newcomb himself is revealed as one who was deeply involved with Zion, one who was deeply committed to Dowie and thus, understandably, one who was deeply hurt and disillusioned by Dowie's downfall.  Please click below to read

Dowie,  Anointed of the Lord