A Brilliant Brain

Biography

David Brainerd was a missionary who dedicated his short life to evangelizing among Native American tribes in the American colonies, particularly the Delaware people. Though he lacked formal theological training initially, his unwavering commitment to his calling and meticulous spiritual diary became a template for missionary work. His death from tuberculosis at 29 transformed his journal into an influential devotional text that inspired generations of Christian missionaries.

Key Facts

• Expelled from Yale College in 1744 for criticizing the spiritual state of the faculty
• Learned the Delaware language to preach directly to Native Americans without interpreters
• His diary, published posthumously by Jonathan Edwards, became one of the most widely read religious texts of the 18th century
• Traveled on horseback through wilderness, often sick, covering hundreds of miles to reach remote Native American settlements
• Never married, viewing celibacy as essential to his missionary calling, though he was briefly engaged before his death