Hi Matthew_s...!I would venture to say that Leonard Ravenhill was quite different than many other "revivalist" or "holiness" preachers in the past 100 years. While he wrote several biographical sketches about others, he allowed very little to be written about himself. Thus, very little personal information is available online or in the form of biographical books. Even if you visit his own website that is still operated by his granddaugter (www.ravenhill.org), you will find very little personal information. Brother Ravenhill was a very private man with a heart that burned for the honor of God.He was deeply burdened with much of what he saw in today's modern Church. He was most definitely "pentecostal" -- but not in a modern or denominational sense of the word. He boldly preached repentence, yet mingled his words with undeniable love for God. He played an important personal role in the lives of many men of God, such as David Wilkerson, Keith Green, Dallas Holm, and countless others. David Wilkerson tells of how, at the height of Wilkerson's The Cross and the Switchblade fame, Leonard Ravenhill still had the spiritual audacity to tell him, "Thou art the man!" He gave Brother Wilkerson the 1200+ page 17th century Puritan book, The Christian in Complete Armour, and told Brother Wilkerson to read it as soon as possible. The book, along with Brother Ravenhill's example, changed his life and ministry.During his years in ministry, Leonard Ravenhill preached and fellowshipped in many churches of various denominations. However, like most men that go deep with God, Brother Ravenhill did not allow a denomination to restrict him from his constant search for truth in matters of doctrine and faith. The following was written by David Bercot, and is included on the SermonIndex link following the quote:"Leonard Ravenhill was one of Britain’s foremost outdoor evangelists of the 20th century. God used him to help bring thousands of people to Christ throughout Britain. Unlike the case with many of today’s evangelists, the conversions that Leonard helped to bring about were generally lasting conversions. That’s because he did not water down the Gospel when he preached it. Later in life, Leonard and his family moved to the United States, where he worked with Bethany House Publishers. In the 1980s, Leonard and his family moved to a home near Lindale, Texas, a short distance from Last Days Ministries. Leonard regularly taught classes at Last Days Ministries, and he was a mentor to the late Keith Green. A. W. Tozer, who was a friend of Leonard, said this about Leonard: “To such men as this the church owes a debt too heavy to pay. The curious thing is that she seldom tries to pay him while he lives. Rather, the next generation builds his sepulcher and writes his biography—as if instinctively and awkwardly to discharge an obligation the previous generation to a large extent ignored. “Those who know Leonard Ravenhill will recognize in him the religious specialist, the man sent from God not to carry on the conventional work of the church, but to beard the priests of Baal on their own mountain-top, to shame the careless priest at the altar, to face the false prophet and to warn the people who are being led astray by him. “Such a man as this is not an easy companion. He is not the professional evangelist who leaves the wrought-up meeting as soon as it is over to hurry to the most expensive restaurant to feast and crack jokes with his retainers. Such evangelists will find this man something of an embarrassment, for he cannot turn off the burden of the Holy Ghost as one would turn off a faucet. He insists upon being a Christian all the time, everywhere. And again, that marks him out as different.” I first met Leonard in 1989, when he was eighty-two years old and in frail health. At first glance, I would not have thought that God could still use this fragile, white-haired man. He walked slowly and unsteadily, and he sometimes needed help to get up and down from his chair. Yet, as soon as he opened his mouth, I immediately realized that my initial impression was wrong. At eighty-two, Leonard still spoke with fire and conviction, and it felt like his eyes were piercing right through to my soul. During the last few years of his life, Leonard moderated a prayer meeting held once a week (later once a month), which was attended primarily by pastors and evangelists. Some of these men made a four-hour round trip to attend those prayer meetings. I attended those prayer meetings from 1989 until they ended in the summer of 1994, a few months before Leonard’s death. During the years that I attended those prayer meetings, I never once left without being deeply challenged by what Leonard had said."https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=29&forum=26&start=10&viewmode=flat&order=1As for his doctrinal beliefs, I don't think that he had a "denominational doctrine" that he lived by, so to speak. He did not at all feel restricted to denominationalism. He believed in a true, broad church that is much larger than denominational walls or beliefs. I know that he did believe in tongues, but not in the ways that they are flagrantly used today by many pentecostals and charismatics (like "tongues on demand"). He was not given to modern ecclesiastic or evangelical gimmicks. As far as the question of salvation, it seems that he was definitely not a Calvanist (as most understand calvinism). He stressed the importance of "testing everything" within the Church (I Thess. 5:21). Perhaps the best way to "get to know" Leonard Ravenhill is by reading his books, maxims and listening to his messages. There is just something about "listening" to a man that allows you a greater understanding of who and what he believes in. Many of his messages are available here at SermonIndex, and his books can be purchased through many websites and bookstores. Interestingly, Brother Ravenhill's books and messages are listened to, read, and often quoted by people belonging to many denominations (and non-denominations). I know that this was not much, and didn't offer a direct answer to your questions. But hopefully, it will be a good start. :-)
