Words attributed to Henry Ward Beecher, 1813-1887, American Clergyman.

• Similar: There are risks and costs to a program of action…

ABOUT BEECHER

HENRY WARD BEECHER was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery and his emphasis on God’s love.

He was the son of Lyman Beecher, a Calvinist minister who became one of the best-known evangelists of his age. Several of his brothers and sisters became well-known educators and activists, most notably Harriet Beecher Stowe, who achieved worldwide fame with her abolitionist novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Henry Ward Beecher graduated from Amherst College in 1834 and Lane Theological Seminary in 1837 before serving as a minister in Lawrenceburg, Indiana and Indianapolis.

In 1847, Beecher became the first pastor of the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York. He soon acquired fame on the lecture circuit for his novel oratorical style, in which he employed humour, dialect, and slang. Over the course of his ministry, Beecher developed a theology emphasising God’s love above all else, a contradiction of his father’s stern Calvinism. He also grew interested in social reform, particularly the abolitionist movement.

After the American civil war, Beecher supported social reform causes such as women’s suffrage and temperance. He also championed Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, stating that it was not incompatible with Christian beliefs.