Occasionally, I highlight books that I believe are of particular value to the Church of God, including this one:
I Am the Lord’s: The Story of Daniel Otis Teasley, His Impact on the Church of God, and His Disappearance from a Holiness Movement by David L. Neidert (Anderson: Warner Press, 2021)
Historical accounts of our movement written from within often lack the candid objectivity needed to fully examine our story within the larger landscape surrounding it, and to reveal the dark elements that have emerged at times. I Am the Lord’s is a fresh contribution to our self-understanding, especially during the years when the Church of God began to transition from a scattering movement to one establishing clearer organizational shape.
Former Anderson University professor, David Neidert, took on the challenge by focusing on the somewhat enigmatic story of D. O. Teasley (1876-1942), a prominent young Church of God leader at the beginning of the 20th century. By current definition, Teasley was a “superstar” within our movement, having reached levels of prominence and success unparalleled at the time. He was highly regarded and noted for his ministry impact, writing of numerous books and articles, beloved songwriting, and managerial skills. He was a leading figure in The Gospel Trumpet Company, but also directly involved in ministries proclaiming the reformation message across the country and in the establishment of a missionary home in New York City. D.O. left his mark virtually everywhere.
If you have spent any considerable amount of time in the Church of God, Teasley’s name will be somewhat familiar to you, even if just from regular glimpses of his name in our hymnals. Of course, he will pop-up further with any deeper dive into our history. What almost everyone has not known, however, is the fact that around 1921 he suddenly disappeared from the movement’s radar, almost never to be heard of again. It is this mystery that Neidert felt the need to uncover. There were rumors and a few signs here and there, but no clear explanation for the loss of one of most influential leaders of the first two centuries of the 1900s.
At first glance, I Am the Lord’s might seem to be just another biography praising one of our early pioneers. If you do not explore further, you will miss one of the most important books for understanding how our movement formed, and perhaps some of the factors behind why we lost momentum following the rabid enthusiasm of the D. S. Warner formational era.
So, this book is much more than a biography. In fact, it does not even read like one, even though it reconstructs the noteworthy elements of Teasley’s life. Neidert has done a masterful job of research, uncovering sources previously unknown among us, but there is still more we do not know about Teasley than we actually do know. We can surmise how to fill in some gaps or what D.O.’s thinking might have been, but these remain largely conjectures. Instead of trying to create an easy-to-read account of his life, the book’s strength is in providing readers the larger context in which Teasley lived. There is meticulous detail on what was going on within the Church of God and in society at large during various key moments. As a result, the book reads more like a well-documented academic paper. There are literally over a thousand endnotes that the careful reader will find fascinating in themselves. In fact, the “Appendices, Endnotes, Indexes” section at the end of the book takes up more space than the actual text (although several trees could have been saved with more conscientious formatting techniques).
You may still be wondering: what happened to Daniel Otis Teasley? Of course, this curiosity should drive you to read the book. But, let me tease a few key discoveries. Ultimately, Teasley’s prominence within the Church of God took a rapid decline because of sexual misconduct, a matter that was not handled well by our movement leaders one hundred years ago (and arguably most of the time since). The exposure of his actions eventually led to his exile, but there is more to the story. Teasley was an ambitious man who worked extremely hard. He had his hands in so many aspects of the movement’s ministries, and that was not healthy. For example, for a time he was regularly “commuting” by train back and forth between his local ministry in New York and his Gospel Trumpet work in Anderson. Add to this, the many other projects he led and was involved in. Rationalizing this all for the sake of the growth of the reformation left D.O. vulnerable and unhealthy. No one was there to hold him accountable for how he lived, and to protect him, his family, and those around him. There are many lessons to be learned that are just as pertinent for today. Neidert concludes the book with his own reflections on all that he has discovered in this writing endeavor.
In the end, I Am the Lord’s is a must read if you want greater insight into the Church of God. This book will provoke you to consider our collective story in ways that other accounts of our history are unable to do.
If you have not already read it, make it part of your reading list for 2024.
I'm in the midst of reading this book as well. I'm not quite half-way in and am finding it engrossing. (I'm guessing it might not be all that fascinating if you didn't have a cursory understanding of ChoG history, however.) Thanks for mentioning it a few posts back.
David does spend quite a bit of time putting Teasley in his historical context both within society at large and within the ChoG. While I love his efforts and believe that we tend to be products of our times, it's always hard to know what forces shaped a person (i.e. did spending time in a Texas town with lots of colleges increase his love for learning?). Still, I marvel at the amount of work David put into this book. He deserves high praise. I'm sure it will benefit the church for years to come and perhaps spur future biographical stories.