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Collection 421 Oral History Interviews with Arthur F. Glasser

 Collection
Identifier: CN 421

Scope and Contents

Oral history interviews with Arthur Frederick Glasser (1914-2009) in which he discusses his family background; conversion to Christianity at a Keswick conference; his education at Moody Bible Institute and Faith Seminary in Wilmington, DE; service as a chaplain during World War II; marriage, work with Dawson Trotman and the Navigators; service as a missionary in China with China Inland Mission; the Communist revolution in China; the 1951 Bournemouth conference to determine CIM's future; and Commission on World Evangelism & Missions (WCC). Other topics include: Glasser’s experiences as a faculty member at Fuller Theological Seminary and other schools; views on ecumenicalism; involvement in Evangelical conferences, especially those of the Lausanne movement; contrasting World Council of Churches and Lausanne Congress; and involvement in Christian evangelism to the Jewish community; and serving as the home director of the United States branch of Overseas Missionary Fellowship (formerly China Inland Mission). The time period covered by the interviews is 1914-1998.

Arthur Glasser was interviewed by Robert Shuster for the Billy Graham Center Archives at Glasser's office at Fuller Theological Seminary on September 14 and 18, 1989; April 17 and 18, 1995; and April 21, 1998.

Dates

  • Created: 1989-1998

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

Biographical Information

Full Name: Arthur Frederick Glasser

Birth Date: September 10, 1914 in Paterson, New Jersey

Death Date: December 8, 2009 in Seattle, Washington

Family:

Parents: John Emil Glasser and Clara (Weise) Glasser

Married: Alice M. Oliver on September 13, 1942

Children: Samuel M., Anne, Carol A.

Conversion: June 1932 while attending an American Keswick conference in New Jersey

Education:

Attended public schools in Patterson and Augusta Military Academy in Virginia

1936 Graduated Cornell University, engineering degree

1939 Graduated Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois

1942 Graduated Faith Theological seminary with a Bachelor's of Divinity Degree

1966 Graduated Covenant Theological Seminary with a Doctor of Divinity

1970 Graduated Union Theological Seminary of New York City with an S.T.M.

Career:

1936-37 Worked as an engineer for the Dravo Corporation in Pittsburgh, PA

1942-44 United States Naval Reserve chaplain in the South Pacific

1944-46 Stationed as a chaplain in southern California; after leaving the service assisted Dawson Trotman and the Navigators

1946-50 Missionary with his wife for China Inland Mission in Yunnan Province

1951 Attended CIM's Bournemouth Conference

1951 Taught Old Testament at Columbia Bible College in Columbia, South Carolina

1955-69 Assistant home director, then home director of the United States branch of Overseas Missionary Fellowship (formerly China Inland Mission). When he rejoined the staff, it was the North American branch of OMF. Canada set up its own board during his administration.

1965 Taught at Covenant College and Theological Seminary

1966 Attended the Congress on the Church's Worldwide Mission in Wheaton, Illinois

1967-69 Lectured on missions at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia

1970 Joined missions faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California

1971-1980 Dean of the School of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary 1972 Attended the meeting of the World Council of Church's Commission of World Mission and Evangelism in Bangkok, Thailand

1972 Founding member of the American Society of Missiology

1974 Attended the International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland

1976-1982 Editor of the ASM's journal, Missiology

1980 Attended the meeting of the World Council of Church's Commission of World Mission and Evangelism in Sydney, Australia

1982-1983 President of the American Society of Missiology

1999 Retired from the faculty of Fuller and moved with his wife to Seattle, Washington

Actively involved in Jewish evangelism efforts and in the founding of Zweimer Institute for Islamic studies

Extent

8.00 Audio Tapes

507 Minutes

Language of Materials

English

Accruals and Additions

The materials in this collection were given to the Billy Graham Center Archives by Arthur Glasser in September 1989 and April 1995 and April 1998.

Accession 89-98, 95-66, 95-69

February 20, 1996

Robert Shuster

Accession 98-19

May 5, 2011

Bob Shuster

Title
Collection 421 Oral History Interviews with Arthur F. Glasser
Author
Bob Shuster
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Evangelism & Missions Archives Repository

Contact:
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