North , Rev. John James OBE, DD

- bn Staleybridge, England 26 July 1871 d. Auckland 14 July 1950. Leading Minister, Editor, Theological College Principal. Trained under the Union Students Committee 1892-1894. Churches: Spreydon 1895-1903; Oamaru 1903-05; Wellington/Vivian St 1905-12; Oxford Tce 1913-1926. President Union 1904/5, 1932/3. Secretary N.Z.B.M.S. 1901-1904. Baptist Theological College Principal 1926-1945. Editor NZB 1915-1948. The outstanding figure of the first half of the twentieth century, North was the leader of the first generation of ministers trained in N.Z.. A powerful preacher and polemicist he was an open thinker who promoted a brand of Baptist life which preserved freedom of conscience. In North this led to incisive comment on the First World War but also to a strong anti-Catholicism. Dominant for forty years in denominational affairs North was suspected of ‘modernism’ by conservative elements but, through his personal impact on his students, extended his influence into the 1960s.