R. A. Torrey Books: A Guide to All 40 and Where to Start

Prayer Holy Spirit Bible Study Evangelism Revival

R. A. Torrey (1856–1928) was an American evangelist and Bible teacher. He led the Bible institute D. L. Moody founded in Chicago, preached in revival campaigns around the world, and later led the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. He wrote the way he taught: in numbered points, with a Bible verse for every one. TheWay Library has forty of his books, free to read. Most are short and practical, with titles that start with "How to." For his life story, see who was R. A. Torrey.

Where to start

Start with How to Pray. It's about two hours long and it's the book Torrey is best known for. Our chapter-by-chapter summary walks through it.

Then choose by what you need:

To study the Bible on your own: How to Study the Bible for Greatest Profit.
To understand the Holy Spirit: The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.
To share your faith: How to Bring Men to Christ.
If you're a new Christian: How to Succeed in the Christian Life.

For his best lines across all of these, see R. A. Torrey quotes and R. A. Torrey quotes on prayer.

Prayer

How to Pray: his handbook on prayer: praying to God Himself, obedience, praying in Jesus' name and by the Spirit, persistence, thanksgiving, when to pray and prayer in revival. See also hindrances to prayer.
The Power of Prayer and the Prayer of Power: a later book of addresses on James 4:2, "Ye have not, because ye ask not": what prayer has done, how to pray and get what you ask, praying through and prayer for revival.

The Holy Spirit

Torrey taught that the baptism with the Holy Spirit is a gift of power for service that every believer may have, and he wrote on it again and again.

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit: his fullest study, twenty-two chapters. First he shows from Scripture that the Spirit is a divine Person, then traces His work in conviction, the new birth and the believer's life. See our summary and is the Holy Spirit a person?
The Baptism with the Holy Spirit: five short chapters on what the baptism is, why every worker needs it and seven steps to receive it. See our guide to the book.
How to Obtain Fulness of Power: five chapters on Psalm 62:11, "Power belongeth unto God," and how that power comes through the Word, the blood, the Spirit, prayer and surrender.
The Holy Spirit: Who He Is and What He Does: a series of talks on the same themes. Our copy is a badly damaged scan, so read The Person and Work first.

Bible study

How to Study the Bible for Greatest Profit: seven methods of study, by books, topics, people, types and more, then the conditions that matter more than any method.
The Importance and Value of Proper Bible Study: four addresses to students, with eleven rules for study and principles for interpreting the Bible rightly.
What the Bible Teaches: his big reference book. For each doctrine, from God to angels and the devil, he gathers the Bible's statements and sums them up in numbered propositions.
Studies in the Life and Teachings of Our Lord: a course of 140 question-based lessons through the Gospels in order. It's meant to be worked through with an open Bible. The scan has many errors.

Doctrine

The Fundamental Doctrines of the Christian Faith: fifteen sermons to his own church on the Bible, God, Christ, the Spirit, the atonement, justification, the new birth and the last things. A clear one-volume summary of what he believed.
The God of the Bible: twelve addresses on who God is, set against the "gods" of the new religions of his day.
The Christ of the Bible: seven chapters on Christ's deity, humanity, death, resurrection and return.
The Real Christ: sermons on the character of Jesus: His holiness, love, compassion, humility, joy and prayerfulness.

Defending the Bible

Torrey's ministry ran through the years when critics were questioning the Bible's truth. He answered them head-on.

Difficulties and Alleged Errors and Contradictions in the Bible: why difficulties are to be expected, then specific cases: Cain's wife, Joshua's long day, Jonah, the genealogies of Jesus and more.
Is the Bible the Inerrant Word of God?: addresses on inerrancy and difficulties, with two chapters on the resurrection.
The Bible and Its Christ and Talks to Men about the Bible and the Christ of the Bible: two books of much the same talks to men: ten reasons he believed the Bible, the evidence that Jesus rose, and the cure of unbelief.
The Higher Criticism and the New Theology: essays Torrey compiled, many from The Fundamentals. Most are by other writers.
Will Christ Come Again?: his answer to a leaflet by Shailer Mathews, defending Christ's personal, visible return.
Ought Christians to Keep the Sabbath?: a tract arguing that Christians rightly keep the first day, the day of resurrection.

The Fundamentals

Torrey was one of the editors of The Fundamentals, the famous essays of the 1910s defending the faith. The library has the four-volume 1917 edition. Most essays are by other writers, such as James Orr and Sir Robert Anderson. Start with what are The Fundamentals and the contents, volume by volume.

Volume 1: the Bible and the higher criticism. See The Fundamentals on higher criticism.
Volume 2: inspiration, the deity and virgin birth of Christ, His resurrection and the Spirit. See The Fundamentals on the deity of Christ.
Volume 3: sin, the atonement, grace, evangelism and missions. See The Fundamentals on sin, salvation and missions.
Volume 4: evolution, the cults, Christ's coming and personal testimonies. See The Fundamentals on Darwinism and the cults.

Soul-winning and Christian work

How to Bring Men to Christ: his short manual for personal work. He sorts the people you meet, from the careless to the skeptic, and gives the verses to use with each.
How to Work for Christ: the large version, fifteen hours, covering personal work and then every kind of public work, from tracts and tent meetings to sermon preparation. Chapters II and XII are missing.
How to Promote and Conduct a Successful Revival: twenty chapters on revival work: prayer, preaching, children's meetings, open-air work, the after-meeting and keeping the results.
Anecdotes and Illustrations: over a hundred short true stories from his ministry, gathered for preachers and teachers.

Evangelistic sermons

These are the sermons he preached in his campaigns, each pressing hearers to decide for Christ.

Revival Addresses: seventeen sermons, from God and God's love to the plain way of salvation.
Real Salvation and Whole-Hearted Service: seventeen more, the last three on winning others.
How to Be Saved and How to Be Lost: addresses on the Pharisee and the publican, Cornelius, the blood of Christ, heaven and hell.
The Gospel for To-day: sermons on John 3:16, the uplifted Christ and what to do with Jesus.
The Voice of God in the Present Hour: nineteen sermons from Los Angeles during the First World War.

For new Christians

How to Succeed in the Christian Life: fifteen short chapters for new converts: confess Christ, be sure of salvation, study the Bible, pray, work for Christ, and handle companions and amusements.
Traits and Tracts of Torrey: an appreciation of Torrey by Herbert Lockyer, with a set of Torrey's own tracts on Christ's return, growing in grace and Psalm 23.

On D. L. Moody

Why God Used D. L. Moody: seven reasons, from a man who worked beside him: surrender, prayer, Bible study, humility, freedom from the love of money, passion for the lost and power from on high. See also our D. L. Moody books guide.
Lessons from the Life and Death of D. L. Moody: an address given just after Moody's death, drawing twelve lessons from his life.

Wartime addresses

Peanut Patriotism and Pure Patriotism and What the War Teaches: two short addresses from 1918 on the Christian's duty during the First World War and the lessons of the war.

A note on these editions

Many of these books were restored from scans and are still being proofread. The Holy Spirit: Who He Is and What He Does is the most damaged. How to Pray, Difficulties, Studies in the Life and Teachings of Our Lord, The Christ of the Bible, The Real Christ and The Power of Prayer have scattered misread words or broken headings.

Why read Torrey today

Torrey is easy to follow and hard to argue with, because nearly every sentence he wrote points to a verse. He wanted ordinary Christians to pray, study the Bible and win others, and he showed them how. Begin with How to Pray, and find all forty books on the R. A. Torrey author page.