Biographical Sketches, Essay Example

Annie Armstrong (1850 – 1938)

• Southern Baptist denominational leader
• Creator of the Woman’s Missionary Union

Key Background Information: Annie Walker Armstrong was born in 1850 in Baltimore, Maryland to a family of tobacconists. Members of her family that were not in the agricultural profession were affiliated with the Baptist church, and her great-great-grandfather was responsible for its establishment. While in her early life, she was uncertain about the role that God played in her life, she had an experience at the age of 20 that caused her to accept Jesus Christ as her savior and she began to spend her life as a missionary to help the less fortunate be saved. Her focus was on helping individuals from minority groups in addition to women.

Key Ideas: Annie Armstrong was dedicated to upholding traditional Christian values in her missionary work. She became concerned when the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky spoke of implementing a missionary training school because she believed that the funds that would go to this program would be better spent supporting missionaries on the field. Furthermore, she became upset when she heard that the program would begin accepting female students, as she believed this would create a pathway for them to be ordained. She fought against this move because she was worried that it would alter the Baptist faith too significantly.

Key Events: Annie Armstrong fought hard to ensure that her traditional religious values would remain an essential component of the Woman’s Missionary Union in addition to the organizations with which it was closely affiliated. While her views were not held to be popular, it is likely that they served as a reminder of the roots and purpose of these organizations. When her opinions came under attack, she resigned from her position at the Woman’s Missionary Union but continued to dedicate her life to the mission in other ways. Despite the fact that her views were in conflict with the views held by the Woman’s Missionary Union at the end of her involvement with the organization, she provided them with monetary support so that they could continue to do good.

Key Works: To this day, people continue to donate to the missions on the behalf of Annie Armstrong. In her last days, she established an Easter Offering for North American missions. Today, many organizations give to the annual Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missions, which allows her life cause to be supported even in death. Through her life’s charity, she has convinced churches to do more and pray more for the people who need Christ in their lives.

Key Achievements: Annie Armstrong’s commitment to the Christian faith has lived on. While Annie was committed to increasing missionary efforts in the United States during her life, she has provided many Christian groups with the motivation necessary to break boundaries by traveling to areas that have previously been untouched by such groups. Furthermore, she facilitated the need for these missions in a manner that allows the church to become more involved which is in turn increasing the success of these actions. Armstrong’s involvement in the spreading of the Christian faith is a dream that many share and continue to implement today.