Luther Tracy Townsend
Luther Tracy Townsend (September 27, 1838 – 1922) was an American Methodist minister, professor at Boston University, and author who defended traditional evangelical beliefs and opposed Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Born in Orono, Maine, Townsend faced early hardship when his father died as a child, and his family moved to New Hampshire. He worked on a railroad as a boy, attended the New Hampshire Conference Seminary on and off, and earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in 1859. He studied at Andover Theological Seminary, graduating in 1862, and served as a private in the 16th New Hampshire Infantry during the Civil War. He was ordained in 1864 and married Laura C. Huckins in 1865.
After the war, Townsend became a pastor and, in 1868, began teaching Biblical languages, church history, and theology at Boston Theological Seminary (later part of Boston University School of Theology). He gained a reputation as a defender of evangelical faith and a critic of evolution. Townsend resigned from Boston University in 1893 to devote himself to writing and lecturing, and he attended the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago.
As a Christian creationist, Townsend argued for a literal interpretation of Genesis and published works such as Evolution or Creation (1896), Adam and Eve (1904), and Collapse of Evolution (1905). He warned that accepting evolution would lead to moral decline and social problems. He was involved with the Victoria Institute, a creationist group, and also supported research on demonic possession by William Menzies Alexander. Townsend passed away in 1922.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 19:56 (CET).