Ernest T. Campbell
Ernest T. Campbell | |
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Born | New York City, U.S. | August 14, 1923
Died | July 9, 2010 New York City, U.S. | (aged 86)
Education |
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Occupation | Protestant Christian minister |
Spouse(s) | Frances E. Parker[2] Joan P. Walsh |
Parent(s) | William and Carolyn Campbell |
Church | Presbyterian Church (USA) |
Ordained | 1949 |
Writings |
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Congregations served |
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Ernest T. Campbell (August 14, 1923 – July 9, 2010) was an American Presbyterian clergyman, theologian, and writer. He is most remembered as senior minister of New York City's prominent Riverside Church from 1968 to 1976.[3] A native of New York City, Campbell previously served as minister at churches in Pennsylvania and the First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor, Michigan.[3][4] After resigning from Riverside Church, he lectured at various seminaries including his alma mater, Princeton Theological Seminary, and was Professor of Homiletics at Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary between 1982 and 1989.
Early years and education
Campbell was born in New York City, the son of working class Irish immigrants William and Carolyn Campbell, and lived in the
Campbell soon found that he aspired to the ministry, deciding to attend Bob Jones University because it was the only school his parents could afford and he was impressed by Bob Jones Jr., after hearing the son of the school's namesake preach at Broadway Presbyterian Church.[5] While at Bob Jones University, where he gained a thorough knowledge of the Bible, Campbell preached as a ministerial student at Central Presbyterian Church in Anniston, Alabama, in 1944 and 1945.[6][7] After graduation from the conservative school with a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree,[8] Campbell then studied at Princeton Theological Seminary, beginning in 1945.[2] He earned his Bachelor of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees at Princeton in 1948 and 1949, respectively.[2][9][10]
As a Presbyterian minister
Pennsylvania churches
Following his ordination by the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1949, Campbell was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, between 1949 and 1954, where his weekly sermons were broadcast on a local radio station, WVPO.[5][4] He then became minister at another Pennsylvania church, the First Presbyterian Church of York, serving there for eight years, from 1954 to 1962.[11] While in the "White Rose City", as York is called, Campbell had a weekly radio program, Treasury of Christian Devotion, on a local York station, WSBA (AM).[12] He also spoke at mission churches in Alaska and Cuba.[4]
First Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Between 1962 and 1968, Campbell was minister at the 2,300-member First Presbyterian Church of
Campbell's collected sermons preached at the Ann Arbor church are now archived at the University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library.[15]
Riverside Church, New York City
Campbell was called to be the first Presbyterian preaching minister at the interdenominational
When Campbell was installed at Riverside on November 17, 1968, he said his approach to ministry was to reconcile the polarization between those who emphasize personal Christianity in the life of the believer and those who stress social activism, believing that both are needed for the individual to have an effective faith in the modern world.
Later years, legacy and death
Campbell influenced aspiring ministers, lecturing at various seminaries besides his own alma mater, Princeton Theological Seminary, including Union Theological Seminary near Riverside Church, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and Fuller Theological Seminary in California.[16] Between 1982 and 1989, Campbell was Professor of Homiletics at Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary. In 2005, he created the Ernest Campbell Endowed Fund in Homiletics to reward a graduating senior at Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary for outstanding preaching.[18] Campbell authored three books: The Christian Manifesto, Where Cross the Crowded Ways, and Locked in a Room with Open Doors.[1] He wrote hymn lyrics, A City Dweller's Prayer, in 1971.[10] Set to the tune "All Saints New" by Henry Cutler (1824–1902), it was added as an endpaper pastedown to the inside back cover of the Pilgrim Hymnal (1958) for congregational use at Riverside Church in the 1970s.
Campbell was awarded an honorary
In the 1980s–1990s, Campbell continued to speak frequently as a guest preacher at various churches and Bible conferences nationwide.
Campbell died at his New York City home on July 9, 2010, at age 86.[5] He was survived by his wife, Joan Campbell, two sons, and two stepsons.[9] A memorial service was held in September at Riverside Church, where he was extolled as "active on behalf of civil rights, migrant workers, a more humane national budget and fairer treatment for the LGBT community".[16] He is remembered for some of his quips and sayings, such as: "Some people have the idea that if you raise hell, you're prophetic. I have the idea that if you lower heaven, you're prophetic".[24]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Briggs, Kenneth A. (June 25, 1976). "Campbell Quits Ministry At the Riverside Church". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2021.(subscription required)
- ^
- ^ a b c d Dugan, George (November 18, 1968). "Dr. Campbell Is Installed at Riverside Church; Predecessor, Dr. McCracken, Gives Him the Charge Dr. Marney Calls in Sermon for 'Vast Repentance'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2021.(subscription required)
- ^
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8147-6836-5.
- ^ a b c Rhebergen, Marianne Okkema (2002). A Lover's Quarrel: The American Jeremiad in Twentieth Century Mainline Protestant Preaching at the Riverside Church in the City of New York, 1930–1987 (PhD). Princeton Theological Seminary.
- Anniston Star. January 19, 1945. p. 1.
- ^ Holland Evening Sentinel. Holland, Michigan. September 13, 1963. p. 11.
- ^ New York Times. September 24, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Dr. Ernest T. Campbell – 1973 Perkins Lecturer". Wichita Falls, Texas: First United Methodist Church of Wichita Falls. March 8, 1973. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ "Funerals becoming 'Increasingly Pagan'". The Gazette and Daily. May 11, 1956. p. 1.
- ^
- ^ "Ernest T. Campbell sermons: 1963–1968". Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ Christian Century. September 24, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ Paris et al., pp. 45–47, 89–91.
- ^ "Ernest T. Campbell, Former Faculty Member, Has Died" (PDF). Aware Magazine. Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary: 15. July 2010.
- OCLC 41295115. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. October 2, 1993. p. 2D.
- ^ "Bible Conference". The News Leader. Staunton, Virginia. July 29, 1994. p. B6.
- Miami, Florida. January 14, 1999. p. 8.
- ^ "Camp Meeting Association Sets Conference". Lebanon Daily News. July 18, 1981. p. 5.
- Hanford Sentinel. Hanford, California. October 14, 2000. p. 9.
External links
- How to Cope with Current Issues, sermon preached by Ernest T. Campbell at the Riverside Church on January 4, 1970. From "The WRVR-FM (Riverside Radio) Collection" at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (WGBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC (audio begins at 0:53 and ends at 25:13).