Foy Short, A Life in Southern Africa

by Gardner S. Hall

Biography of Foy Short, a pioneer evangelist who lived in what is now Zambia and Zimbabwe from 1922 through 1995. The book explores not only the traditional hazards he faced as an African “missionary” (wild animals, primitive tribesmen and dangerous travel) but also the doctrinal and spiritual challenges that he and his family had to battle in establishing churches of Christ and training African evangelists.

244 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2012

Reviews

[Wayne Walker]

Foy Short is a “pioneer” gospel preacher associated with non-denominational, New Testament churches of Christ who has spent most of his life in southern Africa. Foy was born in Harper, KS, on Jan. 17, 1921, but his parents, Will and Delia Short of Harper, left later that year with their infant son to do mission work in what was then called Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, where their three other children were born. Returning to the States in 1940, where he attended Abilene Christian College and married Margaret Hall, Foy did some preaching in northern Alabama, and the Shorts’ oldest son Harold while they lived in Decatur, but in 1947 the family returned to Rhodesia where Foy worked with churches in Bulawayo, then moved to Gwelo for a time, but eventually returned to Bulawayo. Finally, due to health and age, Foy and Margaret made a permanent return to the States in 1995, but he has remained active in writing religious materials in native Zimbabwian languages.

I believe that it is good for members of the Lord’s church to read biographies of faithful servants of the Lord, both from our past and from the present. While we must be careful not to think of men above what is written, we can mark those who walk in righteousness and learn important lessons from their examples. And we should always honor those to whom honor is due. While the book is well written, the subject matter would probably not be of interest to most of the general public, but those of us in churches of Christ should appreciate learning about the good work done by Foy and Margaret Short and their family. The author, Gardner Hall, has been a good friend of mine through the years since we first met in college. Hall has been active in preaching among Spanish speaking people both in this country and abroad. This excellent biography of Foy Short also includes an introduction about the Restoration Movement in Rhodesia, and two appendices about the history of Zimbabwe and early American evangelists in Rhodesia. Thus, it would be a great complement to a homeschool study of southern Africa.