Seeking Solace: The Life and Legacy of Horatio G. Spafford

Never had Horatio and Anna Spafford imagined that a family vacation to Europe would forever change their lives. In 1873, the ship Ville du Havre was nicknamed the "floating palace" -the finest, most luxurious steamer on the Atlantic. "Unsinkable" was the word used to describe her safety and sturdiness of construction. One week after departure from New York, unsuspecting passengers of the Ville du Havre were shuffled from their beds and flung into the dark Atlantic when their ship was dissected by another-the Loch Earn. Many lives were saved, but many were lost at sea, including the four daughters of Horatio and Anna. Heartbroken, Horatio put the ebb and flow of his emotions and faith to paper and penned the poem "It Is Well." Later, Philip P. Bliss, a well-known author of hymns and gospel songs, composed a melody, and the result was the hymn "It Is Well with My Soul," which has lent comfort to many grief-stricken souls. Too often the telling of the Horatio Spafford story ends with the writing of this hymn. Instead, Dr. Corts takes you to the end of Horatio and Anna's lives. After the shipwreck, the grieving Spaffords conducted a relentless search for spiritual guidance that ultimately led to Anna's declaration that she was a prophet of God. The years that followed were ones of spiritual and financial havoc for the Spaffords. What Dr. Corts's research revealed was that the Spafford story is an example of the indomitable human spirit to survive when faced with personal calamity. More importantly, it is the story of the devastating consequences that can occur when sincere, well-meaning Christians abandon the Bible as their guidebook and seek answers elsewhere.

Thomas E. Corts was born in Terre Haute, Ind., and grew up in Ashtabula, Ohio. He graduated from Georgetown College in -Kentucky, in 1963, and received master’s and doctorate degrees from -Indiana University. He received honorary degrees from Georgetown College (Ky.), -Campbell -University (N.C.), and the University of Alabama. He was president of Wingate College (N.C.); seventeenth -president of Samford University (Ala.); president, -Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; president, American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities; president emeritus, Samford University; -interim chancellor, Alabama College System; executive director, -International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities; and -coordinator of the President’s Initiative to Expand Education and -subsequently coordinator of Basic Education in the Office of the Director of Foreign Assistance, U.S. State Department. Dr. Corts researched and published many articles, chapters and books, -particularly on two of his favorite individuals, Henry Drummond and Philip P. Bliss. He completed this book shortly before his death in 2009.