Lived 1851 - 1897
Drummond was a man of varied talents. Perhaps best remembered as a gifted evangelist who assisted Dwight L. Moody during his revival campaigns, he was also a lecturer in natural science.
Although he never received a degree, he was an ordained minister and a professor of theology. He also wrote several books. “Natural Law in the Spiritual World”, published in 1883, sold 70,000 copies in five years and made him famous. He published another popular book, “Tropical Africa”, after making a geological survey of southern Africa. “The Ascent of Man” was also a significant book during his lifetime.
However, “The Greatest Thing in the World” – a meditation he wrote in 1874 that illuminates the importance of 1 Corinthians 13 – is the one that assured he would be remembered by later generations. Widely read and quoted during his lifetime, it went on to sell over 12 million copies and it continues today to influence people to follow God’s two great commandments: to love God and to love each other.