A. M. Hills

 1848-1935

Pamphlets

Much That These Preachers Call Holiness Is Only Regeneration

Unsound Philosophy About Self, And The Nature Of The Flesh Or Depravity

The 87 years of A. M. Hills' life spanned the most vigorous days of the Holiness Movement in America, reaching back to the time of Charles G. Finney and Asa Mahan down to the days of the Holiness denominations.

He first became a seeker for heart holiness as a student at Oberlin but did not succeed in his quest until 24 years later. Soon thereafter he became a central figure in the burgeoning full salvation movement, and he remained so until his death. The famous Holiness General Assembly, held in Chicago in 1901, was opened with an address declaring the doctrinal position of the assembly. This document carries the name of A. M. Hills, as a coauthor, along with Bishop Hogue, E. F. Walker, Hiram Ackers, M. L. Haney, L. B. Kent, and W. E. Shepard.

From his original goal of law, Hills surrendered to a long-haunting call to ministry. He was for at least 16 years a successful pastor in Congregational churches. Educated in Oberlin and Yale, he possessed a first-rate mind, together with thorough orthodoxy and a deeply serious piety. Naturally a careful scholar, he became after his own "Jordan crossing" one of the Holiness Movement’s most able and articulate exponents. As one of its most effective educators, he trained such leaders as J. B. Chapman and R. T. Williams Sr.

The classic most commonly associated with Hills’s name is Holiness and Power. It was originally published by Martin Wells Knapp in 1897, though written in 1896, the year following Hills’s own Canaan experience, December 7, 1895. In readership and influence the book swept the country and is still in print. Written in only 14 weeks during hectic travels as a busy evangelist, the book is perhaps the most comprehensive collection of arguments, exposition, and documentation produced during that time. With great skill, Hills organized a massive array of material to create an irresistible avalanche of argument. The book reflected the months of arduous research on the subject before December 7, as well as Hills’s wide reading after coming into the experience.

The breadth of the man’s interests is indicated by the scope of his Christian writings, from theology to homiletics and evangelism. He also developed a special ministry to children, represented by his widely used book Food for Lambs. As an educator, he was the pioneer president of three Holiness colleges and spent some time teaching and evangelizing in the British Isles. For the last 16 years of his active life he was professor of theology at Pasadena College, Pasadena, California.

Hills’s other books include Pentecost Rejected and Whosoever Gospel. His largest works and in some respects the climactic achievement of his long life were written in his 70s and 80s: Homiletics and Pastoral Theology, and a two-volume work, Fundamental Christian Theology published by C. J. Kinne, 1931.

A. M. Hills is a sharp, clear thinker and a gripping writer. Even his theology is marked by simplicity and clarity. His special interest is Holiness doctrine, though not narrowly conceived. To Hills, Holiness doctrine is rooted in every branch of theology; therefore he does battle with his razor-edged verbal sword on every theological front. His special antipathy is toward Calvinism because of its antiholiness implications. As a polemist he is a formidable foe, at times drawing blood when balm might have been better. However, this weakness should not be exaggerated or permitted to spoil the student’s appreciation for an outstanding thinker and excellent writer. While there is rigor and sharpness, there is also warmth, intense devotion, and love of people.