Arthur James Armstrong was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of the United Methodist Church

United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...

, elected in 1968 to become the youngest United Methodist bishop in the United States at the age of 44.

He was the son and grandson of Methodist Preachers. He earned academic degrees from Florida Southern College

Florida Southern College

Florida Southern College is a private college located in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It was selected by U.S...

 (A.B.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

), Candler School of Theology

Candler School of Theology

Candler School of Theology, Emory University, is one of 13 seminaries of the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1914, the school was named after Warren Akin Candler, a former President and Chancellor of Emory University and a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South...

, Emory University

Emory University

Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...

 (Bachelor of Divinity

Bachelor of Divinity

In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....

) and did graduate work at Boston University

Boston University

Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...

 and the University of Chicago

University of Chicago

The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...

. He was awarded honorary degree

Honorary degree

An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...

s by Florida Southern College, DePauw University

DePauw University

DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...

, Illinois Wesleyan University

Illinois Wesleyan University

Illinois Wesleyan University is an independent undergraduate university located in Bloomington, Illinois. Founded in 1850, the central portion of the present campus was acquired in 1854 with the first building erected in 1856...

, Dakota Wesleyan University

Dakota Wesleyan University

Dakota Wesleyan University is a four-year university located in Mitchell, South Dakota, founded in 1885, that is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The student body averages slightly less than 800 students...

, and Westmar College.

Prior to his election to the Episcopacy, Armstrong gained wide recognition as the innovative Pastor of the Broadway United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

. He also served on the U.M. Commission on Religion and Race.

James Armstrong is a strong voice for peace and human rights around the world and a frequent lecturer on subjects related to moral theology and the practice of ministry in today's society. The author of nine books and a contributor to many more, he has also written widely for Christian journals and periodicals. [2] He was past president of National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

2 http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/armstrong_3406.htm

Selected writings

• Truth Telling: The Foolishness of Preaching in a Real World
• The Nation Yet to Be
• Wilderness Voices
• The United Methodist Primer, (Revised Edition) Nashville, Discipleship Resources, 1976 (originally published Nashville, Tidings, 1972).
• Mission: Middle America
• The Urgent Now
• The Journey That Men Make
• The Pastor and the Public Servant

External links

• a Message by James Armstrong
• and another, with biographical information
• Bishop Armstrong and the National Council of Churches

2 http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/armstrong_3406.htm