Scofield: The Man Behind The Myth
This is a short biographical sketch
revealing little known facts about the celebrated dispensationalist saint Cyrus
Ingerson Scofield, author of the Scofield Reference Bible. We are
grateful to Joseph Canfield for his book
The Incredible Scofield and his Book and to Dave MacPherson for
providing a good portion of the
documentation.
Generally speaking,
dispensationalists tend to cherish his teachings without any concern whatsoever
for what kind of man Scofield really was. For some reason, his admirers
consider it unethical or possibly even contemptible to expose embarrassing
little known secrets about the man. Facts should not be buried because they
make people feel uncomfortable. Neither C.I. Scofield nor his work are above
reproach and considering the impact he has had on Christendom, his life should
be examined. The type of person that he really was will have a major influence
on the theology that he taught.
Former Dallas Theological Seminary
President and student of Scofield’s theology John F. Walvoord, has written
concerning the Scofield Reference Bible:
This
edition of the Bible, which has had unprecedented circulation, has popularized
premillennial teachings and provided ready helps of interpretation. It has
probably done more to extend premillennialism in the last half century than any
other volume. This accounts for the many attempts to discredit this work…The
reputation of the Scofield Bible is curious because each succeeding writer
apparently believes that his predecessors have not succeeded in disposing of
this work once and for all. This belief apparently is well-founded, for the
Scofield Bible continues to be issued year after year in greater numbers than
any of its refuters.[i]
This is the general concensus among
dispensationalist leaders that because his work is around in such great
quantity it must be correct, so they plug it. These men, however, through their
heavy promotion of Scofield’work, are largely responsible for the popularity of
it (they exhibit circular reasoning).
When giving the qualifications of a
bishop, Paul states in 1 Timothy 3:2,4
2 A
bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of
good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
4 One
that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all
gravity;
Did Scofield meet the qualifications
for a leader in the church? His friends
and colleagues have tried to hide the fact that he was married twice, had two
daughters with his first wife and was divorced by her due to how he treated her
and their daughters. Scofield began courting his future second wife Hettie van
Wark before the divorce was finalized and they got married only three months
after it was.[ii] Below is a
copy of the divorce decree filed by the court in Atchison County Kansas. His
divorce was finalized at least four years after he became ‘born again’.
( typewritten copy of
Scofield divorce decree )
Journal M, November
Term, A.D. 1883 8th day of December
1883
Leontine Scofield Plaintiff
Vs
C. I. Scofield Defendant
Now comes the plaintiff by her attorneys
Tomlinson and
Griffin and the
defendant enters for appearance and files
answer and makes no
further appearance.
And thereupon this cause came on for hearing upon
the pleadings and
testimony and was argued by counsel
upon consideration
whereof the Court does find that the
defendant has been
guilty of wilfull abandonment of the
plaintiff for more
than one year prior to the commencement
of this action.
It is therefore adjudged and decreed by the Court
here that the marriage
relation heretofore existing between
the said parties be
and the same is hereby set aside and
wholly annulled and
the parties wholly released from the
obligations of the
same.
It is further ordered and decreed that the custody
nurture education and
care of the said minor children
Abigal Scofield and
Helen Scofield be and the same is
hereby given to the
said plaintiff and the said defendant
is hereby forever
enjoined from interfering with or disturbing
the said plaintiff in the
custody care nurture and education
of the said above
named children until the further order of this
Court.
Scofield abandoned his wife and children
and refused to support them. I Timothy 5:8 says “ But if any provide not for
his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith,
and is worse than an infidel.”
When
his first wife Leontine originally filed for divorce in July 1881, she listed
the following reasons:
“ (he had)…absented
himself from his said wife and children, and had not been with them but abandoned
them with the intention of not returning to them again…has been guilty of gross
neglect of duty and has failed to support this plaintiff or her said children,
or to contribute thereto, and has made no provision for them for food, clothing
or a home, or in any manner performed his duty in the support of said family
although he was able to do so.”[iii]
Below is a photo of the
gravestone of Leontine in Mt. Calvery Cemetary in Atchison, Kansas. This is the
woman that Scofield pretended never existed (he never referred to her publicly
after he became famous).
Cyrus Scofield had several other
incidents of a downright dishonest nature after he supposedly became saved. The
fact that in 1892 he began calling himself Doctor Scofield without producing
any Doctorate degree from any Seminary or University is the least of his
devious activities. Even the details he gave in his story of conversion are
proven to be fabricated, including the time, place and other particularities,
thereby placing doubt on the whole story.[iv]
He was a self-promoter in every sense of the word, even
lying about being able to comfort and calm the entire city of Belfast, Ireland
with a sermon he delivered there the Sunday after the Titanic sunk.[v] His behind-the-scenes handlers saw to it
that his swindles and schemes were swept under the rug and that only a positive
image of him was promoted, especially an exaggeration of his Biblical knowledge
and wisdom. Men like 33rd degree freemason George Bannerman Dealey
owner of the Dallas Morning News and member of Scofield’s church
contributed greatly to the cause . But occasionally, newspapers who weren’t
loyal to his cause would put out damaging information on him. Here is an
excerpt from the Topeka newspaper The Daily Capital dated August 27,
1881:
CYRUS I. SCHOFIELD IN THE ROLE OF A
CONGREGATIONAL
MINISTER
“ Cyrus I. Schofield, formerly of Kansas, late lawyer, politician and
shyster generally, has come to the surface again, and promises once more
to gather around himself that
halo of notoriety that has made him so prominent in the past. The last personal
knowledge that Kansans have had of this peer among scalawags, was when about
four years ago, after a series of forgeries and confidence games he left the
state and a destitute family and took refuge in Canada. For a time he kept
undercover, nothing being heard of him until within the past two years when he
turned up in St. Louis, where he had a wealthy widowed sister living who has
generally come to the front and squared up Cyrus’ little follies and foibles by
paying good round sums of money. Within the past year, however, Cyrus committed
a series of St. Louis forgeries that could not be settled so easily, and the
erratic young gentleman was compelled to linger in the St. Louis jail for a
period of six months.
Among the many
malicious acts that characterized his career, was one peculiarly atrocious,
that has come under our personal notice. Shortly after he left Kansas, leaving
his wife and two children dependent upon the bounty of his wife’s mother, he
wrote his wife that he could invest some $1,300 of her mother’s money, all she
had, in a manner that would return big interest. After some correspondence he
forwarded them a mortgage, signed and executed by one Chas. Best, purporting to
convey valuable property in St. Louis. Upon this, the money was sent to him.
Afterwards the mortgages were found to be base forgeries, no such person as
Charles Best being in existence, and the property conveyed in the mortgage
fictitious…”[vi]
