T.T. Shields’ Incognito Visit to Watch the Preaching of Aimee Semple McPherson

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One of the enjoyable aspects of archival research is the possibility of serendipitous discoveries – such as the account of T.T. Shields covertly attending an Aimee Semple McPherson service.

Aimee Semple McPherson and Thomas Todhunter (T.T.) Shields were two of the most well-known Southern Ontario preachers in the early twentieth century.
 
McPherson (1890-1944) was born in Salford, Ontario, and started a Pentecostal preaching ministry that eventually led to her planting a church (and eventually a denomination) in Los Angeles. In her prime she was one of the most famous preachers in America who was able to fill any venue.
 
Shields (1873-1955) was born in Bristol, England, but became famous during his long tenure at Jarvis Street Baptist Church, Toronto, Ontario. He too started a denomination, and he too was a gifted orator, with some saying that at his prime he was one of the best preachers in the British Empire. 
 
They shared much in common as Protestant Christians. However, both were worlds apart when it came to certain aspects of the Christian faith. McPherson was a Pentecostal, with preaching and dynamic services marked by an emphasis on spiritual gifts and miracles. Shields was a Fundamentalist Baptist leading a war against those who were compromising the faith.
 
Where they also differed was the role of women as pastors and preachers. McPherson was obviously in favour, with Shields against. What is fascinating is that despite his aversion to women preachers, Shields snuck into a service to watch her in action. Here is how I know…
 
Last week I was carrying out some research on Muriel M. Spurgeon, the first women ordained by Baptists in Ontario. I decided to look at Shields’ own paper, the Gospel Witness, to see what Shields thought about Spurgeon’s ordination. And in the midst of his commentary regarding his disapproval of Spurgeon he revealed that once while he was preaching in Los Angeles he attended a service incognito to watch the famous McPherson in action. Here is what he wrote: “Once when preaching in Los Angeles we went incognito, and after the lights were turned down so that we could not be recognized and called to the platform, to Amy McPherson’s temple on a Thursday night.” (Gospel Witness, 19 June 1947, 3)

​Shields doesn’t comment on her preaching, but he does state that he was impressed with McPherson’s ability to baptize dozens in one service, a backhanded swipe to those claiming a woman could not physically carry out such a responsibility (some thought that a woman was too weak to baptize). That said, Shields was still not supportive of women preachers and pastors. As the comments in the quote below indicate, he believed that any females raised up by God to lead in the church were only due to the apostate condition of men.

I find it a fascinating to think of Shields the great orator hiding in a dark and crowded auditorium watching yet another great orator. And I wonder what – if any – rhetorical lessons Shields learned from McPherson to take back to the pulpit at Jarvis Street.