Billy Graham Center
Archives
Papers of Robert Schneider - Collection 391
[Note: What follows is a description of the documents in this collection which are available for use at BGC Archives in Wheaton, Illinois, USA. The actual documents are not, in most cases, available online, only this description of them. Nor are they available for sale or rent. Some or all of this collection can be borrowed through interlibrary loan. ]
Brief Description.
Two oral history interviews in which Schneider discusses his
family; his conversion; Roger the Gospel Horse; the beginnings of
Youth for Christ; attendance at the Moody Bible Institute; his
work in Morocco and Spain for the Gospel Missionary Union from
1947 to 1982; reactions of the Arabs and Arabs and Berbers to
Christianity; his management of a Bible school, a correspondence
course, a summer camp for children, and a prayer conference; the
work of fellow missionary Maude Cary; political and social events
in Morocco.
Collection 391 [April 12, 2001]
Schneider, Robert; 1918-
Papers; 1988
Audio Tapes, Photograph
Restrictions
A portion of Tape T2 is restricted until April 28, 2013.
Biography
Robert Schneider was one of seven children born to Bill and Edith Dalby [?] Schneider. His
father owned and trained a horse named "Ranger the Gospel Horse" and together they took part
in Youth for Christ and other youth meetings. Schneider accepted Christ in 1940 and served as
song leader for evangelist Ernest Cober [?]. He attended Moody Bible Institute and graduated in
1946. While there, he felt God's call to missions, particularly in the Muslim world.
Schneider married Doris Gould in 1946 and together they attended candidate school for the
Gospel Missionary Union in Kansas City, Kansas. They began working in Morocco, North
Africa, in April 1947. They were first in Meknes for language study and then moved to
Khemisset in 1951.
Mr. and Mrs. Schneider served twenty years in Morocco. In Morocco, they were involved in
evangelism, summer camp work, Bible correspondence courses, and Bible Conferences. Due to
the difficult political situation, it was necessary to move their operations to Malaga, Spain, where
they spent fifteen years. In Spain, working on Bible correspondence courses, operating a print
shop, and overseeing a radio ministry. Early in his missionary career, Schneider also directed a
small Bible institute. In 1958 he became founder and director of the Arabic "Search the
Scriptures" Bible correspondence courses based in Spain. These ministries were carried out in
the Arabic and Berber languages and targeted North Africa and North African communities in
Europe.
After their return to the United States in 1982, the Schneiders were appointed as representatives
of the Gospel Missionary Union's ministry to Muslims. The Schneider's had three children, twin
boys, David and Daniel, and a girl, Susan [?]. In 1988, they resided in Elgin, Illinois.
Scope and Content
Robert Schneider was interviewed by Robert Shuster on April 28 and July 29, 1988, at his home
in Elgin, Illinois. The events described in the interview cover the time period 1930 to 1982.
Time elapsed in minutes and seconds is recorded to the left of the topics discussed in the
interview. The index is keyed to the cassette copy and not to the reel-to-reel original.
T1 - side 1
00:00 Start of tape
00:45 Introduction of interview on April 28, 1988
01:15 Family: father, Bill Schneider, and Ranger the Gospel Horse, Bob [Robert R.] Murfin
and Youth for Christ, father and sons work with landscaping in Elgin, mother,
conversion; impact of conversion of brother, Bill Jr., on family
10:15 Childhood on a farm, family togetherness with seven children, death of friend
influenced dedication to Christ
15:00 Robert's full assurance of faith, serving as song leader for an evangelist who used neon
signs and special effects to share the gospel. Meeting his future wife, a close friend of
the evangelist
25:00 Influence on Robert and his family by the Paul Rader radio programs; attendance at
Elgin Bible Church
29:45 Attendance at Moody Bible Institute in 1943 in the pastor's course, Moody prayer
bands; Schneider's attendance and leadership of several bands; work in juvenile
delinquency center; being asked to lead the Muslim prayer band; search for a mission
board that would allow him to work with Muslims (never met a Muslim until on the
ship going to the mission field). Reasons for attending Moody and influence of Moody
professors and staff members: Drs. Kenneth Wuest [?], Wilbur [Moorehead] Smith,
[Perry Braxton ?] Fitzwater, [Robert Andrew ?] Cook, Ray Talant [?]
44:00 End of side 1
T1 - Side 2
00:00 Beginning of side 2
00:06 Missionary Ila Davis still in Morocco today, friend of Doris, but Schneider was only
man in Morocco who spoke the language.
01:30 Fox Valley young people had Billy Graham speak once; analysis of Graham's message.
Schneiders left for mission field before Youth for Christ really took off; Billy Graham
as a speaker, reasons for his success.
09:45 Doris had same heart for Muslims that Robert had; meeting with representative from
British Syrian Mission board, which insisted on a two-year wait before marriage; work
with Jews in Morocco by John Barcus of Gospel Missionary Union (GMU); Dr.
Harvey Farmer of North African Mission recommended the GMU, which allows them
to marry; candidate school; home church support; $35 a month supported a missionary
on the field
15:30 Schneiders go to the field in April 1947; Bible study on the ship; candidate school
classes about mission, field work, and operations as well as a study of candidates
commitment, spirituality, scriptural knowledge, trustworthiness
20:00 End of tape T1
T2 - side 1
00:00 Start of tape
00:30 Introduction of continuation of interview on April 28, 1988
01:00 Printer helped with language; friend [John Barcus] went to French grade school to
learn French; Dr. George Christian Weiss was instructor for a time.
03:15 Few Americans know what Muslims believe; story of hearing Muslim lecturer at
College of DuPage, incompatibility of Islam and Christianity theology, details of
Muslim beliefs; Muslims converted North Africa by marrying African women and
raising families; Muslims push to "add" Koran to Old and New Testaments; Koran's
contradiction concerning whether or not Christ died; various doctrinal topics
10:30 Muslims do not really believe in the integrity of Scripture; correspondence courses
showed error of Koran without directly attacking it; story of man who accepted Christ
through course and became the voice for Christian radio to the Muslims; importance of
knowing Scriptures [portion restricted, not included on tape]
16:00 Illustrations used by Schneider to present gospel; usefulness of Moody training on
mission field; length of mission trips tend to diminish commitment over the long term;
dedication and dying to one's self needed
21:45 Extravagance of American life compared to Moroccan life; support of families;
contentedness of being where you know the Lord wants you to be; atrocities against the
French during coup (ca. 1955); Berber tribesmen watch over Schneiders; local people
respected and liked the Schneiders
27:30 Looking back on missionary service
27:00 End of tape
T3 - side 1
00:00 Start of tape
00:15 Introduction to interview on July 29, 1988
00:30 Arrival in Casablanca after a week on the sea; conditions due to war; occupied home
with no windows, only an open court in the center for air and light; Schneider first man
in mission to learn Arabic after war
05:15 Playing records in a book store owned by the mission as evangelization tool; learning
Arabic from Miss Maude Cary; Doris learning Arabic along with Robert; Arabic
language and idiomatic expressions; problems with modern speech in Arabic solved by
adoption of French terms; could give testimony in Arabic by nine months and preach
after a year
13:30 Typical day; various services and classes that took place throughout the day
16:45 Description of building where services met; description of services; western hymns
sung in Arabic; conversion of women; woman told of dream where people were in the
street, fearfully saying "Jesus has come!"; opportunities for witnessing to Muslims;
sermons aimed at helping Christians; Bible correspondence course; impact of vine and
branches analogy and house built on rock/sand story
27:15 Boys' class: well-attended because they were looking for something to do; story of
boys who said they wouldn't leave until they had something to eat; Bible stories main
method of evangelism; boy who never showed up again and friends said he had died,
saying he wasn't afraid because he was going to see Jesus; boys not deeply rooted in
Islam, but questioned contradictions between Bible and Koran; memorization program;
incentives
39:15 Methods and accounts of market evangelism: confrontations and objections happened
but were rare; story related to Moroccan culture, plan of salvation, handed out tracts
and other materials. Muslims' unbelief in man's inherent sinfulness; story of
conversion of man who had killed another man in his youth but believed in Christ and
the Trinity after seeing a three-branched fig tree
44:00 End of side 1
T3 - side 2
00:00 Start of side 2 of tape
00:15 Overlap from side 1
02:30 No formal follow-up to market evangelism; persecution and jailing of Christian men;
difficulties of getting food in jail; several Christian groups in Casablanca were
underground; attempts to turn over as much leadership as possible to national
Christians
06:45 Dr. George Christian Weiss and land for founding of Bible school with goal of
teaching meaning of being a Christian and sharing Christ with others
11:00 Study of the Koran, which taught "Don't do as we do, do as we say"; underground
nature of school; Berbers more easily converted than Arab Muslims, and outnumber
Arabs in Morocco; economic oppression of Berbers; Doris's work among the sick;
Schneiders gained acceptance among the Berbers; passing out tracts, summer camps,
prayer conferences, translating tapes, etc.
22:00 End of tape T3
T4 - side 1
00:00 Start of tape
00:33 Introduction of continuing interview on July 29, 1988
01:05 Summer camps for children; Morocco Bible Conference of about 125 Christians from
all over Morocco; 450 service men show up for a baptism service; topics covered
included the return of Christ, being dedicated to Christ; Roy Smith and Schneider
started Prayer Conference which still operates today; letters prove effectiveness of
radio programs, despite illiteracy
11:30 History of Moroccan rule; French held onto rule until Moroccans began atrocities
against French; in 1956, exiled King was returned from Madagascar; King Mohammed
V defended Christian missionaries; King died of minor nose operation, his playboy son
succeeded him; relations with France and missionaries and Moroccans and
missionaries;
21:30 Missionaries prepared for possible eviction; Christian literature booth at a trade fair;
over four hundred requests in two weeks for the Life of Christ course; over fifty
thousand in courses by 1963; shut down by local police in 1967
27:30 Move to Spain and continuing the correspondence course; reasons for interest in the
gospel; most Moroccans had no way to find out about Christ so Bibles became popular;
course contents; adapted Navigator's courses to Arabic
35:15 Difficulty of leaving Morocco, especially for daughter; move to Spain seemed like the
Lord's leading; gave them access to Morocco fairly easily; decision to leave was
unanimous as it became obvious that no more work could be done from within
Morocco
44:30 End of tape T4
*****
Provenance
The material in this collection was given to the Archives of the Billy Graham Center by Robert
Schneider in April and July 1988.
Accession 88-44, 88-84
March 7, 1995
Janyce H. Nasgowitz
K. Cox
LOCATION RECORD
Accession 88-44, 88-84
Type of Material: Audio Tapes
The following items are located in the AUDIO TAPE FILE:
T1 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips, one side only, approximately 65 minutes. Oral history interview
of Robert Schneider by Robert Shuster on April 18, 1988. Schneider discussed his family,
childhood, Ranger the Gospel Horse, his conversion, evangelistic work, attendance at Moody
Bible Institute, meeting his future wife, Doris Gould, and professors at Moody. Events cover the
dates from 1928 to 1946.
T2 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips, one side only, approximately 25 minutes. Continuation of
interview on April 18, 1988. A portion of this tape is restricted until April 28, 2013. Discussed
Muslims, the Koran, a convert who became the voice of Christian radio in Arabic, illustrations
used to present the gospel, and Berber tribesmen.
T3 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips, one side only, approximately 65 minutes. Oral history interview
of Robert Schneider by Robert Shuster on July 29, 1988. Schneider discussed his years in
Morocco as an evangelist, Bible teacher, camp counsellor, and organizer of a Bible
correspondence course under Gospel Missionary Union. Events covered date from 1947 to 1982.
T4 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips, one side only, approximately 45 minutes. Continuation of
interview of July 29, 1988. Discussed summer camps for children, a baptism service, history of
Moroccan rule by French and the return of the exiled king, move to Spain, and correspondence
courses offered by radio.
*****
LOCATION RECORD
Accession: 88-44
Type of Material: Book
The following item has been returned to donor; a copy is in the BGC LIBRARY:
Stenbock, Evelyn. Miss Terri! The Story of Maude Cary, Pioneer GMU Missionary in
Morocco. Smithville, MO: Gospel Missionary Union, 1970.
*****
LOCATION RECORD
Accession 88-44
Type of Material: Photograph
The following item is located in the PHOTO FILE:
SCHNEIDER, ROBERT AND DORIS. Gospel Missionary Union missionary prayer card with
photograph of Doris and Robert Schneider, 1 color; n.d.
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Last Revised: 4/12/01
Expiration: indefinite