Ralph Washington Sockman
Encyclopedia
Ralph Washington Sockman (October 1, 1889 – August 29, 1970) was the senior pastor of Christ Church (United Methodist) in New York City, United States
. He gained considerable prominence in the U.S. as the featured speaker on the weekly NBC
radio program, National Radio Pulpit, which aired from 1928 to 1962, and as a writer of several best-selling books on the Christian life.
Time Magazine reported in 1946 that Sockman's National Radio Pulpit program received 4,000 letters weekly, making him "the number one Protestant radio pastor of the U.S. ...rated by volume of fan mail". Fifteen years later in 1961, Time said that Sockman was "generally acknowledged as the best Protestant preacher in the U.S.".
In 1950, he was also appointed associate professor of practical theology at Union Theological Seminary
in New York. Time Magazine said of him at the time:
He toured extensively for speaking engagements nationwide and often preached at the 6,000-seat Ocean Grove Auditorium
on New Jersey
's seashore, which was packed to capacity on "Sockman Sundays", as those occasions were popularly called. Some of his sermons from those appearances were subsequently published in 1939 as Ways of the Christian Life – Sermons by the Sea.
, Ralph W. Sockman graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University
, where he earned a Phi Beta Kappa key. He studied for the ministry at Union Theological Seminary
in New York City. In 1916, he married Zellah Endly, the daughter of a Methodist minister, and became pastor of what was then called the Madison Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, the forerunner of Christ Church in New York City.
Other books include:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He gained considerable prominence in the U.S. as the featured speaker on the weekly NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
radio program, National Radio Pulpit, which aired from 1928 to 1962, and as a writer of several best-selling books on the Christian life.
Time Magazine reported in 1946 that Sockman's National Radio Pulpit program received 4,000 letters weekly, making him "the number one Protestant radio pastor of the U.S. ...rated by volume of fan mail". Fifteen years later in 1961, Time said that Sockman was "generally acknowledged as the best Protestant preacher in the U.S.".
In 1950, he was also appointed associate professor of practical theology at Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
in New York. Time Magazine said of him at the time:
"Sunday morning at 10 E.S.T., from October through May, 60-year-old Dr. Sockman preaches on NBC's National Radio Pulpit to one of the biggest religious radio audiences in the U.S. Then, at his Byzantine-style church on Manhattan's Park Avenue, he holds a regular Sunday morning service (with enough ceremony and liturgy to jolt many a low-church Methodist). So many people come to hear him that at 5 in the afternoon he repeats his morning service".
He toured extensively for speaking engagements nationwide and often preached at the 6,000-seat Ocean Grove Auditorium
Ocean Grove, New Jersey
Ocean Grove is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Neptune Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. It had a population of 3,342 at the 2010 census. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean Jersey Shore, between Asbury Park to the north and Bradley Beach to the south...
on New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
's seashore, which was packed to capacity on "Sockman Sundays", as those occasions were popularly called. Some of his sermons from those appearances were subsequently published in 1939 as Ways of the Christian Life – Sermons by the Sea.
Early years
Raised on a farm in Mount Vernon, OhioMount Vernon, Ohio
Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 16,990 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is named after Mount Vernon, the plantation owned by George Washington.-History:...
, Ralph W. Sockman graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
, where he earned a Phi Beta Kappa key. He studied for the ministry at Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
in New York City. In 1916, he married Zellah Endly, the daughter of a Methodist minister, and became pastor of what was then called the Madison Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, the forerunner of Christ Church in New York City.
Writings
Sockman was a prolific writer, with some of his books still available and one, Now to Live!, reprinted in July, 2007.Other books include:
- The Paradoxes of Jesus (1936)
- Live for Tomorrow (1943)
- Date With Destiny; A Preamble To Christian Culture (1944)
- The Lord's Prayer (1947)
- How to Believe, Answering the Questions that Challenge Man's Faith (1953)
Quotations
Ralph W. Sockman was especially noted for his memorable quips and sermon lines, such as:- "The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority."
- "The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder."
- "Nothing is so strong as gentleness and nothing is so gentle as real strength" in which he was quoting St. Francis de Sales.