John Alexander Dowie

John Alexander Dowie (1847-1907) was a Scottish-Australian minister known as an evangelist and faith healer. He started his career as a conventional minister in South Australia, After becoming both an evangelist and faith healer he immigrated with his family to the USA in 1888

He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 25th May 1847. In 1860 the family immigrated to Adelaide, Australia.

He found work with his paternal uncle, Alexander Dowie in a prosperous bootmaker retail and factory business.

In 1868, aged 21, he returned to Scotland to study theology.

Back in Australia he was ordained in 1872 as pastor of a Congregational church at Alma, South Australia. 1873 moved to Manly, New South Wales. In 1875 moved to Newton.
On 26th May 1876 he married his cousin, Jane Dowie, they had 3 children.

About this time he became an independent evangelist. He held meetings in a theatre and claiming powers of healing. He was briefly involved with the Salvation Army. In early 1880s he went to Melbourne and attracted many followers.
1882 invited to Sackville Street Tabernacle, Collingwood. He forceful leadership caused a split in the church. He was fined and jailed briefly for leading unauthorised processions. His church was burnt down - arson suspected. Insurance paid off debts. By this time he had published 3 books based mainly on his lectures.

In 1888 John immigrated with his family to the USA. He settled in San Francisco where he built a following by performing faith healings across the state. His ministry- International Divine Healing Association (IDHA), was run largely as a commercial enterprise. All members were expected to tithe (10%) - this made them eligible to request Dowie’s aid to heal their ills. Not all of his business was legal and 2 women sued and won their cases.

As a result he moved to Chicago in 1890 to take advantage of the crowds attracted to the 1893 World Fair. At the fair he staged ‘Divine Healings’ -he used audience ‘plants’ and other dubious methods.

Numbers continued to grow and in 1894 he established the Zion Tabernacle downtown and many Zion buildings. He held services at Chicago’s Auditorium building ( See notes). He launched Zion publishing and started a weekly newsletter- Leaves of Healing (See notes)

In 1896 IDHA, renamed Christian Catholic Apostolic Church in 1903. (See CCC)

With a following of 6,000 he secretly bought land 40 miles north of Chicago and founded in July 1901 the city of Zion, Illinois. He personally owned all the land and all the property. Followers forced to to deposit their funds in the Zion ‘bank’-never registered. His family lived in luxury but Zion was continually in debt.

His wife and family left him in 1903 because of his questionable practices
1904 visited Australia. Deposed in 1905.
He suffered a stroke and recuperated in Mexico.

John died on the 9 March 1907 and is buried in Lake Mound Cemetery, Zion, Illinois.