W. Gordon Brown
Encyclopedia
William Gordon Brown was notable as the founder of Central Baptist Seminary, the leading Canadian training school for evangelical Baptist ministers from 1949 to 1993 when it merged with London Baptist Seminary to form Heritage Theological Seminary.
Known as W. Gordon Brown, he was born into the home of the Baptist minister, Rev. William J.Hay Brown and Elizabeth Greenwood Moore. His maternal grandfather was also a Baptist minister, James Beach Moore. He was the great-great-grandson of Samuel Moore, a leader in the Quaker movement, and a direct descendant of Samuel Moore
, an official in the American colony of East Jersey in the 1670s. His maternal uncle was William Henry Moore
, Member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1930 to 1945.
His childhood home moved according to his father’s changes of pulpits from their ancestral village of Brownsville, to Brantford to Hamilton
to West Toronto
, Ontario. He was ordained into the Baptist ministry in 1924.
His first administrative post in a seminary was Dean of Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College
, the school that had been started in 1927 by Baptist Fundamentalist T.T. Shields after a Modernist professor had been hired at McMaster Divinity College
. This post lasted until 1948 when he was dismissed by Shields for expressing more moderate positions, however it was perhaps the actions of a radical and no longer biblically-grounded Shields who often left rationality for fanaticism.
In 1949, Brown took 50 students and some faculty members from Toronto Baptist Seminary to start the Canadian Baptist Seminary (later Central Baptist Seminary). They had the blessing of the Bible Baptist Union. Central Baptist Seminary would become the conservative Baptist seminary of choice in Ontario until it merged with London Baptist Bible College and Seminary to form Heritage Baptist College and Heritage Theological Seminary
in 1993.
While Dean of Central Baptist Seminary, Brown also served as pastor of Runnymede Baptist Church
in Toronto for 25 years. After that post, he served as an associate pastor of Forward Baptist Church, also in Toronto.
In all, Brown served his denomination for over 50 years. At his 50th anniversary celebration in 1974, over 100 telegrams and letters arrived from all over Canada. More than 500 people attended the service. “The general secretary of the Fellowship [of Evangelical Baptist Churches], Dr. J. M. Watt, presented Dr. Brown with an illuminated citation. The citation appropriately recognized his abilities and contributions as a scholar of the Scriptures, as an administrator of and a professor in theological institutions; as a leader in the Baptist cause; as a pastor with a warm love for souls; as a Christian gentleman who loves and lives Christ.”
His peers in the The Evangelical Theology Society commented on his passing by noting that "thousands of workers in mission fields in far-off continents and in flourishing centers in Canada received their best inspiration and preparation for service from him. What they received from him was not building material fragile and flimsy but material of stone and iron to construct temples for the soul."
Even though Brown was a third generation Baptist preacher, and a notable leader in a conservative branch of that denomination, his brother L. Douglas Brown
served as an assistant priest at St.George's Anglican Church in Guelph, Ontario , and eventually converted to Roman Catholicism and was ordained in 1949 as a Roman Catholic priest. He pre-deceased W. Gordon in 1964 while serving in St. Stephen’s parish in Cayuga, Ontario
.
Known as W. Gordon Brown, he was born into the home of the Baptist minister, Rev. William J.Hay Brown and Elizabeth Greenwood Moore. His maternal grandfather was also a Baptist minister, James Beach Moore. He was the great-great-grandson of Samuel Moore, a leader in the Quaker movement, and a direct descendant of Samuel Moore
Samuel Moore (colonial official)
The Honorable Samuel Moore was born around 1630 and died on 27 May 1688, aged about 58, and was notable as one of the civil leaders in the early years of the Province of New Jersey....
, an official in the American colony of East Jersey in the 1670s. His maternal uncle was William Henry Moore
William Henry Moore
Willam Henry Moore was a lawyer, author and Member of the Canadian House of Commons.- Biography :...
, Member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1930 to 1945.
His childhood home moved according to his father’s changes of pulpits from their ancestral village of Brownsville, to Brantford to Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
to West Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario. He was ordained into the Baptist ministry in 1924.
His first administrative post in a seminary was Dean of Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College
Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College
Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College is a theological college in Toronto, Canada.-Mission:"We believe God's inerrant and infallible Word is the rule for all of life and faith, and the principal means by which the Holy Spirit transforms lives so that the Lord Jesus Christ might be glorified...
, the school that had been started in 1927 by Baptist Fundamentalist T.T. Shields after a Modernist professor had been hired at McMaster Divinity College
McMaster Divinity College
McMaster Divinity College, also known as MacDiv, is a Christian seminary in Hamilton, Ontario. It is affiliated with the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec, although in practice it is interdenominational, and could be said to more closely align with the broader Evangelical tradition...
. This post lasted until 1948 when he was dismissed by Shields for expressing more moderate positions, however it was perhaps the actions of a radical and no longer biblically-grounded Shields who often left rationality for fanaticism.
In 1949, Brown took 50 students and some faculty members from Toronto Baptist Seminary to start the Canadian Baptist Seminary (later Central Baptist Seminary). They had the blessing of the Bible Baptist Union. Central Baptist Seminary would become the conservative Baptist seminary of choice in Ontario until it merged with London Baptist Bible College and Seminary to form Heritage Baptist College and Heritage Theological Seminary
Heritage Baptist College and Heritage Theological Seminary
Heritage Baptist College and Heritage Theological Seminary is an evangelical Canadian institution of higher education located in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Heritage was founded in 1993 through the merger of the former London Baptist Bible College and Seminary of London, Ontario and Central...
in 1993.
While Dean of Central Baptist Seminary, Brown also served as pastor of Runnymede Baptist Church
Runnymede, Toronto
Runnymede is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada located north of Bloor Street West between Jane Street and Runnymede Road north to Dundas Street West. It is located directly north of the former village of Swansea and west of the High Park North neighbourhood...
in Toronto for 25 years. After that post, he served as an associate pastor of Forward Baptist Church, also in Toronto.
In all, Brown served his denomination for over 50 years. At his 50th anniversary celebration in 1974, over 100 telegrams and letters arrived from all over Canada. More than 500 people attended the service. “The general secretary of the Fellowship [of Evangelical Baptist Churches], Dr. J. M. Watt, presented Dr. Brown with an illuminated citation. The citation appropriately recognized his abilities and contributions as a scholar of the Scriptures, as an administrator of and a professor in theological institutions; as a leader in the Baptist cause; as a pastor with a warm love for souls; as a Christian gentleman who loves and lives Christ.”
His peers in the The Evangelical Theology Society commented on his passing by noting that "thousands of workers in mission fields in far-off continents and in flourishing centers in Canada received their best inspiration and preparation for service from him. What they received from him was not building material fragile and flimsy but material of stone and iron to construct temples for the soul."
Even though Brown was a third generation Baptist preacher, and a notable leader in a conservative branch of that denomination, his brother L. Douglas Brown
L. Douglas Brown
Rev. Lloyd Douglas Brown was born December 10, 1907, in Waterford, Ontario, Canada into the home of a Baptist minister, to the daughter of a Baptist minister, James Beach Moore who was the son of a Quaker...
served as an assistant priest at St.George's Anglican Church in Guelph, Ontario , and eventually converted to Roman Catholicism and was ordained in 1949 as a Roman Catholic priest. He pre-deceased W. Gordon in 1964 while serving in St. Stephen’s parish in Cayuga, Ontario
Cayuga, Ontario
Cayuga is an unincorporated community and county seat in the province of Ontario, Canada located at the intersection of Highway 3 and Munsee Street and along the Grand River in Haldimand County. Cayuga is about a 20 minute drive from Lake Erie and 30 minutes south of Hamilton and 115 minutes south...
.