Johan Oscar Smith
Johan Oscar Smith | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Naval Officer |
| Spouse | Pauline Smith |
| Children | Kristian Smith Johanne Sandvik Lydia Smith Aksel Johan Smith Rakel Bratlie Helge Smith |
Johan Oscar Smith (October 11, 1871 - May 1, 1943) was a Norwegian Christian leader and reformer who founded the non-denominational fellowship by some as "Smith's Friends".
Early life and career
Smith was born in Fredrikstad, Norway and grew up in a Christian family. In his early years he lived in three different towns: Fredrikstad, Kristiansand, and Oslo.
At the age of fifteen, after completing school and a watchmaker's apprenticeship, Smith went to sea. At seventeen, he joined the navy where he served for the next forty years.[1] Smith completed six years military training, graduating at the top of his class. He served with distinction, attaining the rank of Chief Gunnery Officer. Smith had a reputation for doing his work quickly and purposefully.[2]
Christian life
Conversion
Although he had grown up in a devoutly Christian home, Smith experienced a conversion in 1898 when he was 26 years old. This occurred while he was on watch duty on board the monitor HNoMS Thor. Earlier he had met a colleague who had joined the Navy on the same day that he did and attended a Methodist church service. Being deeply moved and sensing that he would find no true joy outside of God, he dedicated his life to serving Christ on May 17, 1898.[3]
Early christian activity
Smith began attending Methodist services regularly. Sensing that he wasn't getting enough spiritual nourishment, Smith began holding his own meetings with a small group of young people where they would pray and read the Bible.[4]. Smith soon left the Methodists and found that none of the believers he knew understood his seriousness in pursuing sanctification as this was not generally the focus of mainstream Christian teaching. Over the next few years, he began having fellowship with his younger brother, Aksel and in 1908 met a naval cadet, Elias Aslaksen with whom he also began to have fellowship with. During World War 1, Smith and Aslaksen were deployed to patrol Norway's west coast on HNoMS Sleipner. While on shore leave they held meetings wherever possible and through this work a group of people was formed who shared an interest in Smith's message.
Smith's Friends
This group grew into what is now known by some outsiders as Smith's Friends. Smith himself described the movement as "a free group of people without a name and without any human organization"[5]. Accordingly, Smith's Friends have never maintained membership records, rather its adherents seek to be registered in "The Book of Life" and believe that this comes about by living in obedience to Scripture and "walking in the light that God gives". Elias Aslaksen became a leading figure in the fellowship, taking overall responsibilty for it after Smith's death, until he passed away in 1976. Today "Smith's Friends" has an estimated 40,000 adherents and churches in 55 countries around the world. It is the only significant international religious movement founded in Norway.
Smith's preaching
Smith worked to expose what he believed to be widespread superficiality and hypocrisy in mainstream denominations. Not educated in theology, he took a practical and literal view of Scripture. He preached about complete victory over sin, transformation through sanctification and the building up of "Christ's body" (The Church) on earth, which remain key themes in "Smith's Friends'" doctrine.
Opposition
Smith encountered significant opposition from mainstream denominational churches in Norway. At the turn of the 20th century, the Holiness Movement resulted in an increased interest the theology of a obtaining a direct personal experience of God through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Smith himself experienced such a baptism in 1900. Smith was interested in the doctrine of obedience to the Spirit, believing that through such obedience it is possible to be cleansed from indwelling sin and partake of an ever increasing portion of Christian virtue. He felt that others placed emphasis on the experience of receiving the Spirit, but had little interest in a life of obedience. In the earlier years of his work, he spoke and wrote about this regularly. Not surprisingly, this resulted in widespread and open opposition to Smith himself and the "Smith's Friends" fellowship generally - not least from the then emerging Pentecostal movement. Such opposition has continued throughout the history of "Smith's Friends", although it is not as concentrated as when Smith was first active.
Published Works
Smith's Letters
A collection of some 280 letters written by Smith to Aksel Smith and Aslaksen has been published by Skjulte Skatters Forlag Publishing House under the title Letters of Johan O. Smith. The following extract is typical of the content of this correspondence, "We read that Christ and the church (the bride) shall become one flesh. This means that God's Word becomes flesh in us. The bride is not only one spirit with Him, but also one flesh. Through hearing, believing and obeying, our life will become so exact, our speech so perfect, and our relationships so pure that it can truly be said that the Word has become flesh in us" (From a letter to Aksel Smith, 1909).[6] Letters of Johan O. Smith has been translated into many languages and is widely read, particularly among "Smith's Friends".
Other works
In addition to his letters, Smith authored numerous books, articles, tracts and hymns. Among these is a commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians.
Death
Smith died at his home in Horten of a heart attack in the early hours of May 1, 1943. His last words were, "Yes, thanks and praise" as he was retiring to bed earlier that night. Smith's funeral was by far the biggest seen in Horten, despite stringent travel restrictions that were in place due to the German occupation of Norway. In his eulogy, Smith's son, Aksel Johan Smith stated that he had never seen his father unrestful or impatient.
Notes
- ^ Bratli, Kjell Arne, Voyage to Heaven, Skjulte Skatters Forlag, Stavanger, 1998. See [1].
- ^ Smith, Aksel Johan, Obituary, Skjulte Skatter, 1943.
- ^ Smith, Johan Oscar, Letters of Johan O Smith, #1 Horten May 19, 1898, Skjulte Skatters Forlag, Tanager 1985
- ^ Smith, Johan Oscar, Letters of Johan O Smith, #260 Horten May 31, 1933, Skjulte Skatters Forlag, Tanager 1985
- ^ ibid
- ^ Smith, Johan Oscar, Letters of Johan O. Smith, #98 Horten December 17, 1909, Skjulte Skatters Forlag, Tananger, 1985.
External Links
"Smith's Friends" Website
Biography of J. O. Smith by Kjell Arne Bratli
Wreck of the monitor Thor