By Elizabeth Prata
One hundred-and-fourteen years ago, the world awoke this day to the tragic and shocking news that the world’s most luxurious, biggest, and ‘unsinkable’ passenger ocean liner on its maiden voyage, had foundered, taking with it 1500 people down to the icy waters of the North Atlantic.
Initially, it was widely reported that all were safe. It was thought that the passengers and crew had been put off to other ships.
But that was soon to be corrected, with the enormity of the disaster soon impacting the world- and all the lives associated with the ship.
Here is the New York Times’ article:
The entire history surrounding Titanic is rich with lore, history, and melancholy, from its building, to the launch, to the rich appointments aboard, to its treatment of steerage passengers (good and bad), to its final plunge. The inquest itself was a massive part of its history, and also the results- changes in maritime safety which stand to this day.
There are many individual stories told which have been verified and remain carved into the memory of their families and Titanic-history- the Macy’s founders choosing to die together. Isidor refusing to get into a lifeboat and his wife Ida refusing to leave his side, saying, “Where you go, I go.” Benjamin Guggenheim famously chose to face the Titanic sinking with all the refinements of his class, in dignity, changing into evening wear and declaring, “We’ve dressed up in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.” He was seen aiding women into the lifeboats, and in the end, drinking brandy with his valet in the first class smoking room.
Yet there is one man who stands out above the rest whose story is not as well known. He was a Scottish evangelist named John Harper. He ensured his daughter a spot on a lifeboat, then vigorously evangelized to those remaining on board as the ship went down. He is known to have said “Let the women, children, and the unsaved into the lifeboats!” Harper took seriously the verse that commanded our lives be dedicated to the Lord, putting others before self, and valuing souls above things. His life is recounted in the book “The Titanic’s Last Hero” which I own and plan to read this summer.
There have been many other maritime disasters, such as the famed ‘ship of gold’ USS Central America, sunk in a hurricane in 1857 taking with it 425 people and the loss of so much gold it sparked an economic panic in the US. The Lusitania, a British British luxury passenger liner torpedoed by a German U-boat in WWI taking with it nearly 1200 passengers, and more recently the Tall Ship HMS Bounty replica sinking off Cape Hatteras.
But the romanticism surrounding Titanic is still the number one capture for our attention and remembrance in maritime history. And for me, remembering John Harper. He was so famous as a speaker and evangelist he had been invited to preach at Moody Church in 1910. He was in fact, returning to Moody to peach again, this time with his sister and 6-year-old daughter. When knowledge of his last breath’s efforts became known, Moody Church memorialized him by naming one of the church rooms Harper Hall. Upon the occasion of the 100 year anniversary of Titanic’s sinking, in 2012 Erwin Lutzer wrote about “John Harper’s Last Convert“:
One report says Harper, knowing he could not survive long in the icy water, took off his life jacket and threw it to another person with the words, “You need this more than I do!” Moments later, Harper disappeared beneath the water. Four years later, when there was a reunion of the survivors of the Titanic, the man to whom Harper had witnessed told the story of his rescue and gave a testimony of his conversion recorded in a tract, I was John Harper’s Last Convert. …
This past April, Rebecca and I were invited to help commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic with the congregation at the Harper Memorial Baptist Church in Glasgow. To our delight we discovered that this church, founded by Harper, is still preaching the same Gospel that he preached on the Titanic a hundred years ago. We also learned that his daughter later married a pastor. She died in 1986, but her daughter and grandchildren were with us for the celebrations! A reminder that there is no substitute for the torch of faith being passed from one generation to another through the influence of godly families.
It is reported that only 6 people were rescued from the water alive, and one of those was George Henry Cavell, the last man to whom Harper spoke. God makes a way.
Perhaps I am captured by the Titanic because it took so long to sink, thus we have these testimonies from survivors that show us the tableau of responses to looming death. Some cried, some became paralyzed by fear, some became raving maniacs, some stood stoically…but John Harper was about his Father’s business, concerned for souls above his own life.
Only God knows how I would react if I was trapped in a situation where death is almost sure. I’d be praying, I know, but would I be praying for myself, or others? Let me pray now that the Lord would instill in me a concern for others that rises above my own doings.
Philippians 2:3-4, Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Romans 12:10, Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor,
1 Corinthians 10:24, No one is to seek his own advantage, but rather that of his neighbor.
Galatians 5:26, Let’s not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
Further Reading
the-end-time.org 