John Christian Keener
Encyclopedia
John Christian Keener was an American
Bishop
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
, elected in 1870.
. His father, Christian Keener, was in his day a man of mark and one of the best-known Methodists of Baltimore. John was a pupil at Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy
, from which he graduated. At the age of 9 John was taken into the home of Doctor Wilbur Fisk
, who was Principal, and kept under his care for three years. John then became a member of the first graduating class of Wesleyan University
(1835), when Dr. Fisk became its first President.
to the Christian
faith in Baltimore at the age of 19 (1838). He was Superintendent
of a Sunday school
in Wesley
chapel
charge for two years, and in this work he felt the divine
call to preach. After graduating from college, he entered the mercantile business as a wholesale druggist, becoming prosperous and successful. He continued in business until 1841, when he resolved to close up his business and abandon secular pursuits.
Annual Conference
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
in 1843, and when the church was divided in 1844 remained with the Church, South. He was transferred to the Louisiana Conference in 1848. He was appointed to various churches in Alabama until 1853, when he went to New Orleans where he was Pastor successively of the Poydras Street
, Carondelet Street
, and Felicity Street
churches. He was Presiding Elder of that District in 1858 and 1860, living in New Orleans for twenty years total, all but two years during the American Civil War
.
Rev. Keener was highly esteemed by Jefferson Davis
, and served as Superintendent of C.S.A.
Chaplain
s west of the Mississippi River
during the Civil War. He was Presiding Elder again, 1865-70. From 1866 to 1870 he also edited the New Orleans Christian Advocate, an important periodical of his denomination.
All three of his sons followed him into the Methodist ministry.
, but also of general literature
. He had a delicate perception of literary beauty. One commentator wrote of him,
. He resided in a suburb of New Orleans, though he traveled through every part of the Church. He continued to pay special attention to the Mexico mission, its development and promising condition thought to have been largely due to this attention and his personal labor bestowed upon it.
Bishop Keener was honored with the D.D. degree in 1854, and that of LL.D. in 1880. He retired from the active Episcopacy in 1898, and died on January 19, 1906 in New Orleans, Louisiana
, where he was also buried.
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 Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
, elected in 1870.
Early life
John was born February 7, 1819 in Baltimore, Maryland, USAUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His father, Christian Keener, was in his day a man of mark and one of the best-known Methodists of Baltimore. John was a pupil at Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy
Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy
Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy was one of the oldest educational institutions of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was originally established by Methodist clergy of New England, in 1818...
, from which he graduated. At the age of 9 John was taken into the home of Doctor Wilbur Fisk
Wilbur Fisk
Willbur Fisk , also known as Wilbur Fisk, was a prominent American Methodist minister, educator and theologian. He was the first President of Wesleyan University. Willbur Fisk (August 31, 1792 – February 22, 1839), also known as Wilbur Fisk, was a prominent American Methodist minister,...
, who was Principal, and kept under his care for three years. John then became a member of the first graduating class of Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
(1835), when Dr. Fisk became its first President.
Conversion and business career
Keener was convertedReligious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
to the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
faith in Baltimore at the age of 19 (1838). He was Superintendent
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
of a Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
in Wesley
Wesley
Wesley is a name with an Anglo-Norman etymology. The "wes" portion of the name refers to the Western cardinal direction, while the word "lea" refers to a field, pasture, or other clearing in a forest. Thus, the name's origin refers to a "western lea," or a field to the west...
chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
charge for two years, and in this work he felt the divine
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
call to preach. After graduating from college, he entered the mercantile business as a wholesale druggist, becoming prosperous and successful. He continued in business until 1841, when he resolved to close up his business and abandon secular pursuits.
Ordained ministry
He then went south and was licensed to preach. Rev. Keener joined the AlabamaAlabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
Annual Conference
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
in 1843, and when the church was divided in 1844 remained with the Church, South. He was transferred to the Louisiana Conference in 1848. He was appointed to various churches in Alabama until 1853, when he went to New Orleans where he was Pastor successively of the Poydras Street
Famous streets of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana includes such notable streets as:* Audubon Place * Basin Street* Bienville Street* Bourbon Street* Bullard Avenue* Caffin Avenue* Canal Street* Carrollton Avenue* Chef Menteur Highway* Claiborne Avenue...
, Carondelet Street
Famous streets of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana includes such notable streets as:* Audubon Place * Basin Street* Bienville Street* Bourbon Street* Bullard Avenue* Caffin Avenue* Canal Street* Carrollton Avenue* Chef Menteur Highway* Claiborne Avenue...
, and Felicity Street
Famous streets of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana includes such notable streets as:* Audubon Place * Basin Street* Bienville Street* Bourbon Street* Bullard Avenue* Caffin Avenue* Canal Street* Carrollton Avenue* Chef Menteur Highway* Claiborne Avenue...
churches. He was Presiding Elder of that District in 1858 and 1860, living in New Orleans for twenty years total, all but two years during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Rev. Keener was highly esteemed by Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
, and served as Superintendent of C.S.A.
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
s west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
during the Civil War. He was Presiding Elder again, 1865-70. From 1866 to 1870 he also edited the New Orleans Christian Advocate, an important periodical of his denomination.
All three of his sons followed him into the Methodist ministry.
Keener the preacher
He was a student, not only of theologyTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, but also of general literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
. He had a delicate perception of literary beauty. One commentator wrote of him,
- "while the careful discriminations in his sermons satisfy the hearer of thoughtful preparation, the neat turns of expression, well-chosen words and chaste adornments prove him to be at once the enemy of slovenliness of style and a friend to the unaffected graces of speech. He is a preacher of profit; but while true in any case that full benefit can be gained from a sermon by the attentive hearer only, it is specially true when compactness of thought and a terse rhetoric distinguish it."
Episcopal ministry
Bishop Keener was elected to the Episcopacy in 1870. In 1873 he founded a M.E. Church, South Mission in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. He resided in a suburb of New Orleans, though he traveled through every part of the Church. He continued to pay special attention to the Mexico mission, its development and promising condition thought to have been largely due to this attention and his personal labor bestowed upon it.
Bishop Keener was honored with the D.D. degree in 1854, and that of LL.D. in 1880. He retired from the active Episcopacy in 1898, and died on January 19, 1906 in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, where he was also buried.
Selected writings
- The Post Oak Circuit, Nashville, 1857.
- Poem: "Bishop Marvin's Missionary Tour," Ladies' Repository, 1861.
- Editor of Munsey, W.E., Sermons and Lectures, Vol. I, 1883; Vol. II, 1886.
- Studies of Bible Truths, 1899.
- The Garden of Eden and the Flood, 1900.
Biographies
- Sermon, Galloway, C.B., Wesleyan Pulpit, Atlanta, 1905.
- Cyclopaedia of Methodism, Matthew Simpson, D.D., LL.D., Ed., (Revised Edition.) Philadelphia, Louis H. Everts, 1880.