by Peter James | Mar 31, 2024 | George Duffield
It was his first Sunday at Old Pine Street Church in Philadelphia. The congregation voted by a strong majority to call George Duffield (1732-1790) to be its pastor in 1771. A large crowd gathered to hear his inaugural sermon, but the old guard (called Old Siders)...
by Peter James | Mar 30, 2024 | Sabine Baring-Gould
I’m searching for the right word to introduce Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924). Eccentric? Unconventional? Quirky? He reportedly taught with a pet bat on his shoulders. You get the picture! A recent biographer wondered how he had the capacity for such expansive...
by Peter James | Mar 29, 2024 | Henry Ward Beecher
The dilemma of unanswered prayer is particularly vexing for us who pray. We who try to be diligent in prayer know the disappointment that attends prayers that seemingly go unanswered. Why doesn’t a loved one recover from illness? Why can’t family members...
by Peter James | Mar 28, 2024 | Ernest T. Campbell
Political activist James Foreman asked Pastor Ernest T. Campbell (1923-2010) for permission to read the Black Manifesto in worship the next day at Riverside Church in upper Manhattan. The manifesto called for 500 million dollars in reparation from white churches and...
by Peter James | Mar 27, 2024 | Maltbie Babcock
Suicide is on the rise in our country, yet we still don’t know how to talk about it. We speculate in hushed tones about the deceased mental state and rush to conclusions, yet we are hard-pressed to know what to say to grieving family members. This is not a new...
