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REPRESENTING THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF 2X2 HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS ON THE INTERNET
Letter to Wilson McClung, Head Worker of New Zealand, 1/21/31
References to Alfred Magowan in Publications
Outline of the History of a Peculiar People from 1900-1931
Testimony of a Witness for the Defence, January 13, 1956
About Alfred Magowan
TTT Editor's Notes: Alfred is sometimes called by the nickname "Alphie." His last name is pronounced Ma-GOW'-an, and is sometimes misspelled "McGowan" or "McGowen."
Alfred Magowan was born in 1883, died November, 1960 in Dublin, Ireland, at 77 years of age. (See December 7, 1960 and December 20, 1960 Letters in book: Selected Letters of Fred Wood 1890-1986 by Patricia Roberts). He used the address of Drumlellum, Portadown, N. Ireland on his publication “A Testimony of the Witness for the Defence.” Drumlellum may have been his home town or name of his residence.
When he was 19, he professed in 1902 in a mission held by Joe Kerr and Edward Cooney in Balteagh School, County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
Alfred went into the work sometime around 1907. His first mission was reportedly held in 1907 in Kentucky. Alfred would have been 24 years old at that time, and his companion, John Burns, was 19. He and John Burns also preached in Ohio.
Seventeen years later on September 27, 1919, Alfred was reportedly excommunicated by George Walker. According to Alfred, the cause was a letter he wrote: "That was all and it was enough." Willie Edwards wrote Caseys in New Zealand, December 20, 1942: "When Alphie McGowan was on trial with the head workers and judges, he asked if he might read a letter from me. [me=Willie Edwards] Jack Carroll asked if he corresponded with me. He said, "Yes." “Well then,” he said, "We need no further witness, as that is enough." Fred Wood gave the reason as: "Alfred trespassed on another man's field...in America...and he was put out by George Walker for doing that..." (Early Memories of Fred Wood).
Alfred married Sara Dawson, a sister worker from the Indiana USA workers' staff. Sara was a twin to a sister worker Jessie Dawson, who labored in Pennsylvania. Sara died in May, 1934 "at the age of 52 at the home of John West, Rossahilly, formerly of Crocknacrieve." (The Go Preacher Movement - An Anthology by Patricia Roberts). She and Alfred preached together and were in fellowship with Edward Cooney.
In 1938, Alfred visited Wm Irvine in Israel for three weeks, along with Ed Cooney and R. Irwin. (See Wm Irvine's Letters to Edwards dated 5/18/38 and 6/2/38). It was during this visit in 1938 that Wm Irvine made his famous, often quoted statement to Alfred Magowan,
to which Alfred replied, "It was A GREAT EXPERIENCE. (See Testimony of a Witness for the Defence by Alfred Magowan 1/13/56, p 5)
In 1939 the war had just started, Alfred married Isobel. He was 55 and Isobel was a 31-year old friend of Sara. They had four sons, and made their home near Portadown, Co Armagh, Ireland. Currently, two sons reside in Ireland, one son lives in Africa and Stephen, the youngest son who was born in 1948, lives in Kentucky, USA with his wife and family. The source of some of this information was Stephen Magowan, 1997
He also wrote a book titled: If our Civilization had Been Christian.
Alfred Magowan's Letter
To Wilson
McClung
Headworker of New Zealand
4 Kewi Street
Sandringham
Auckland
New Zealand
21 Januarv 1931
Dear Wilson:
We would have reported ourselves sooner but need a little time for reflexion (sic) after making some calls. It is hard to believe some of the things we have seen and heard, and we wondered whether you knew about them.
You and I came from the same county in Ireland and were brought up Protestants in the strained relations of a divided people. The city of Armagh has two cathedrals as witnesses to the division, and we have the peculiar distinction of not being on one side or the other. We breathed the atmosphere of Orange Protestantism as children and later on when we heard the gospel were willing to break with all tradition and become a people neither Catholic nor Protestant.
You and I heard the same words and made the same profession of faith in the same person, went forth to preach in the same way, saw the same works accomplished in those who believed our words, enjoyed the same fellowship, endured the same hardships, were victims of the same opposition, read the same Scriptures in the same light, and with the same historical background. There was no variance in anything we believed, or in the purpose with which we went out into the world
I do not know how far back your memory and experience goes; but in 1907, I remember seeing you at Crocknacrieve when, as a people with a testimony, we were at our spiritual best.
My own experience goes back to 1902, and my most real recollection of fellowship was that gathering in Portadown 28 or 29 years ago. There were no regulations and no asserting of authority. The Lord had mercifully set us free in spirit to worship and serve him under the guidance of the Holy Spirit through a good conscience; and there was neither machinery nor any of those things that religious people think necessary and which are necessary in sects under human control. There was nothing in the vision we had of 'the way in Jesus' that would have led us towards another kind of sectarianism, nor did we ever anticipate a time when we would become a strong people in an evil world.
We had only one commission and that was to make disciples as we had been made; and we had only one authority, viz., if the Lord was with us we would so live and speak that He would use us in getting people saved. And as they listened to us they would recognize the voice of Him because of the anointing. That was the simple outline in the days of our beginning.
Afterwards, dominion began to appear, and God’s answer was the casting of it down in the person of William Irvine. That ought to have been the end of it, but it was not taken to heart by those who exulted under him. And the same spirit that had set him above his brethren began to be seen in them, so that in a little while they had divided the earth among themselves as rulers over little kingdoms, exercising authority after the way and according to the spirit of Rome, and doing violence to the consciences of men in the name of the ‘Truth' or the 'Testimony'. When the anointing ceased, authority took its place, and then cruelty had to be resorted to in keeping people under control. It has always been so, as in the case of Saul toward David; but it always works out in the triumph of the anointing, and martyrs have been made in that conflict.
I do not know how far you have gone in the way of religious dominion, but if you gave encouragement to some of the things which have been told us, I would tremble to be in your shoes. You know the history of Rome and how cruelty was her characteristic under the cardinals and the popes. The persecutions and the martyrdoms of the early Christians was only a testimony to the insatiable desire for dominion, not only over the bodies of people, but also over their souls.
Now, if the things that we have heard here and elsewhere are required by those among us who are looked upon as leaders, then I say we have ceased to be disciples of Jesus and have joined the ranks of his enemies. People are forbidden to visit friends, and some have been excommunicated on that miserable ground. Letters have been intercepted and sent to others or destroyed and the person to whom they were addressed never saw them. Pressure has been brought to bear on struggling souls to compel them to deny the truth that was in them. Even bodily violence has been done, that through fear of pain they might be brought back to the ‘church’. If Rome did that in these days the world would be horrified, and we would raise our voices in loud protest against the spirit of antichrist. But for some strange reason, when the same spirit is revealed among ourselves we justify it because the welfare of what we call the 'Testimony' is at stake.
Now I want it to be known that we are against that spirit wherever it shows itself, and that we will devote all the power that God gives us to withstand it. No godly end justifies cruel means, and persecution is always wrong no matter how 'holy' the cause may seem to be in which it is used as a weapon. If the work of God seems to require dominion and cruelty so that a 'Testimony' may be preserved, then the sooner it is dissolved the better.
It would ill become you or me to turn away from the tradition of our fathers and give our lives to a cause that we once abhorred when we saw it under Roman robes.
I have written to most of our leaders, and they think it beneath them even to say they got my letters. They have never seen me, yet they know all about me from prejudiced witnesses. One is afraid that if he acted the decent human part it would be noised abroad and he would get into trouble when his brethren heard it. They have entered into a conspiracy of secrecy and fear, and have set the approval of one another above the approval of God. May the Lord give us all a fresh vision of Jesus and what it means at the end of the world to be his disciples. Beating our fellow servants will be a miserable occupation when he returns suddenly, and no excuses will be taken or reasons given in the light of his kindling anger.
Suppose he came now and found his servants labouring to build up a little sect in the world and defending it by outraging the souls of those who were devoted only to him, what do you think he would say to then? And how would they explain that it was His testimony they were building and protecting? I think they would be speechless.
Now don't deny or belittle these things because an 'outsider' calls then to your attention. Both you and I have responsibility, and part of mine is to find and feed lost sheep and to protect then against cruel shepherds who drive then out of the fold and compel them to go astray. Ezekiel 34 is good to read, not as we once did with the preachers of the world in our mind, but thinking about ourselves.
Now may the grace of God abound toward us, softening our hearts towards
one another and toward all who need our compassion.
.
Yours truly,
.
Alfred Magowan
References to Alfred Magowan
In The Secret Sect
by Doug & Helen Parker, 1982 (ISBN 0-09593398-0-9)
Chapter 1: Pages 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 (Footnotes 12, 13, 22)
Chapter 2: Pages 12, 18, 20-22 (Footnotes 1, 18, 21)
Chapter 3: Page 25, 26, 32-33, 34-37 (Footnotes 8, 9, 10, 32)
Chapter 4: Page 45 (Footnote 10)
Chapter 6: Page 61 62, 63, 65, 67, 68 (Footnotes 5, 8, 10, 12, 20, 23)
Chapter 7: Pages 58, 61, 69-70 (Footnotes 1, 5)
Chapter Doctrine: Pages 9, 100, 108-109 (Footnotes 2, 6)
Appendix: Page 113
In Life & Ministry of Edward Cooney 1867-1960
by Patricia Roberts, 1990 (ISBN 0 9510109 4 8)
Pages: 23-24, 104-105, 117, 153, 180, 186-187; 256
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