He was a “Bible Calvinist not a system Calvinist,” and, at a time in which the glorious doctrines of grace are being found by large generations of young people, the need to rediscover Martyn Lloyd-Jones increases in importance. Reformed doctrine is not something of historic interest alone, but is also profoundly relevant to how to live and think today. No one was more conversant with the works of, say, John Owen or Jonathan Edwards, than the Doctor. But he made them and their interpretation of Scripture alive and even life-changing. According to Lloyd-Jones, preaching was logic on fire, to the whole person, not just to the heart or to the head.

Christopher Catherwood, is author of Martyn Lloyd-Jones: His Life and Relevance for the 21st Century, and eldest grandson of Dr. Lloyd-Jones.

The Doctor

Martyn Lloyd-Jones—often known as “the Doctor” from his medical degree—was one of the greatest preachers of the twentieth century, if not one of the most distinguished since his hero Jonathan Edwards in the eighteenth century.

I must of course admit to a prejudice as I write that; I am his eldest grandchild! But I am not alone in my high regard for him personally and for his many decades of ministry, which spanned the years 1927, when he started to preach, until his death in 1981. I am also the author of a new biography entitled, Martyn Lloyd-Jones: His Life and Relevance for the 21st Century.

What is different about this book, apart from the family relationship?

Many works on the Doctor are histories, looking back at past events and often controversies of long ago. Dr Lloyd-Jones was a man of passionate conviction, and it is fascinating (and also alarming) to see how people on very different sides of some controversial issues each claim the Doctor was exclusively on their side! However, in this work I do not take sides, but allow readers to make their own minds up, on the basis of scripture as the Doctor always insisted was the only way in which such matters should be decided.

My book deliberately also looks forward, not backwards, to show how relevant both he and his ministry are today and to the future. The Doctor was someone highly regarded worldwide. His works were translated into countless languages, with eager readers from every country imaginable under the sun. Much of his ministry was in the USA, a country he loved, and he was a truly global figure, patriotic Welshman though he was! With Evangelicalism now also spreading everywhere, his international outlook remains vital.

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