Roswell Parkhurst Barnes
Encyclopedia
Reverend Roswell Parkhurst Barnes (1902 – 1969) was an American significant theologian and Christian religious leader, advocate and author in the 20th century. Roswell Parkhurst Barnes was married to Helen Bosworth.
Roswell P. Barnes, after attending New York University
and Columbia University
, Roswell P. Barnes spent several years as an educator. He became an active leader during this time of the Andiron Club. While teaching he completed doctoral work at Union Theological Seminary
, preparing to be a Protestant clergyman and a religious leader, which would be his life's work.
By the late 1920s The Rev. Barnes moved away from fashionable Presbyterian pulpits to concern himself with an array of social justice and political issues, in many cases being ahead of his time.
He was active in the 1920s in the Committee on Militarism in Education (CME), established in 1925 by John Nevin Sayre
, Norman Thomas
, and E. Raymond Wilson to combat then required military training at public schools and universities; the CME fought to remove military training, in the form of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), from high schools and to eliminate then compulsory ROTC service at state universities. In 1928 he resigned out of protest to red-baiting of opponents of such training.http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:3_2nFr-ss5cJ:www.galegroup.com/pdf/scguides/committeemilitarism/committeemilitarism.doc+%22Roswell+P.+Barnes&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=12&gl=us
The Rev. Roswell P. Barnes, served as the American leader or U.S. secretary of the World Council of Churches
(WCC), serving with the aid of Charles Taft - son of President William Howard Taft
- who supported the ecumenical movement and Rev. Barnes belief for a need for a blueprint for the Protestant community to affect the world; and to serve as a counterpoint to Catholicism's increasing popular influence led by Archbishop Fulton Sheen. http://www.wcc-usa.org/about-us/our-history.html The WCC hasd strong support by leaders of the Republican Party
. Rev. Barnes was noted for his strong views regarding social justice and economic equality of opportunity, in keeping with a vein of Republicanism during his day, and spent a great deal of energy in social causes, including befriending and aiding Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois. He also served as Executive Secretary of the NCC's Division of Christian Life and Work, a social welfare organization associated with the Union Theological Seminary. For this, he and many of the prominent blue-blood social activists whom he was closely associated with, such as Harry F. Ward
, Jerome Davis, William B. Spofford, and Albert Rhys Williams
were accused of being communist spies after testimony was given by the "communist turncoat" (later confirmed also as paid informant) and favorite McCarthyite witness Benjamin David Gitlow.http://reformed-theology.org/html/issue07/apostasy.htm
Rev. Barnes was requested to perform the burial service for John Foster Dulles
despite Barnes bitter opposition to Dulles' foreign and domestic policies due to their close personal friendship with him and their activities together with the WCC. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,892561,00.html http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Last_Salute/Ch16.htm His appeal as a religious leader and thinker would continue to give him popularity among a wide set of followers.
In keeping with his ideas on (conservative) Protestantism, and (liberal) social justice and politics, he wrote the influential, "A Christian Imperative: Our Contribution to a New World Order" (1941) and "Under Orders: the Churches and Public Affairs" (1961). As a leader of Ecumenicalism, Dr. Barnes often said it was through work that agreement could be reached rather than expecting accord on the basis of faith. From that he coordinated a multitude of religious based charitable works and community building. After almost two decades of leadership, his retirement from the WCC came as a result of his increasingly poor health. Said a July 1964 Time Magazine article,
Roswell P. Barnes, after attending New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Roswell P. Barnes spent several years as an educator. He became an active leader during this time of the Andiron Club. While teaching he completed doctoral work 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...
, preparing to be a Protestant clergyman and a religious leader, which would be his life's work.
By the late 1920s The Rev. Barnes moved away from fashionable Presbyterian pulpits to concern himself with an array of social justice and political issues, in many cases being ahead of his time.
He was active in the 1920s in the Committee on Militarism in Education (CME), established in 1925 by John Nevin Sayre
John Nevin Sayre
The Reverend John Nevin Sayre, , brother of US State Department offiicial Francis B. Sayre, was an Episcopal minister, peace activist, and author...
, Norman Thomas
Norman Thomas
Norman Mattoon Thomas was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.-Early years:...
, and E. Raymond Wilson to combat then required military training at public schools and universities; the CME fought to remove military training, in the form of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), from high schools and to eliminate then compulsory ROTC service at state universities. In 1928 he resigned out of protest to red-baiting of opponents of such training.http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:3_2nFr-ss5cJ:www.galegroup.com/pdf/scguides/committeemilitarism/committeemilitarism.doc+%22Roswell+P.+Barnes&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=12&gl=us
The Rev. Roswell P. Barnes, served as the American leader or U.S. secretary of the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
(WCC), serving with the aid of Charles Taft - son of President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
- who supported the ecumenical movement and Rev. Barnes belief for a need for a blueprint for the Protestant community to affect the world; and to serve as a counterpoint to Catholicism's increasing popular influence led by Archbishop Fulton Sheen. http://www.wcc-usa.org/about-us/our-history.html The WCC hasd strong support by leaders of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. Rev. Barnes was noted for his strong views regarding social justice and economic equality of opportunity, in keeping with a vein of Republicanism during his day, and spent a great deal of energy in social causes, including befriending and aiding Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois. He also served as Executive Secretary of the NCC's Division of Christian Life and Work, a social welfare organization associated with the Union Theological Seminary. For this, he and many of the prominent blue-blood social activists whom he was closely associated with, such as Harry F. Ward
Harry F. Ward
Harry F. Ward was an American Methodist minister and left-wing activist. He was the first chairman of the ACLU, leading the group from its creation in 1920 until 1940. Ward was a prominent defender of Soviet Communism, although he didn't label himself as a Communist; this ultimately led to his...
, Jerome Davis, William B. Spofford, and Albert Rhys Williams
Albert Rhys Williams
Albert Rhys Williams , American journalist, labor organizer and publicist. Wrote memoirs about the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia which he has been both witness and participant.- Biography :...
were accused of being communist spies after testimony was given by the "communist turncoat" (later confirmed also as paid informant) and favorite McCarthyite witness Benjamin David Gitlow.http://reformed-theology.org/html/issue07/apostasy.htm
Rev. Barnes was requested to perform the burial service for John Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959. He was a significant figure in the early Cold War era, advocating an aggressive stance against communism throughout the world...
despite Barnes bitter opposition to Dulles' foreign and domestic policies due to their close personal friendship with him and their activities together with the WCC. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,892561,00.html http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Last_Salute/Ch16.htm His appeal as a religious leader and thinker would continue to give him popularity among a wide set of followers.
In keeping with his ideas on (conservative) Protestantism, and (liberal) social justice and politics, he wrote the influential, "A Christian Imperative: Our Contribution to a New World Order" (1941) and "Under Orders: the Churches and Public Affairs" (1961). As a leader of Ecumenicalism, Dr. Barnes often said it was through work that agreement could be reached rather than expecting accord on the basis of faith. From that he coordinated a multitude of religious based charitable works and community building. After almost two decades of leadership, his retirement from the WCC came as a result of his increasingly poor health. Said a July 1964 Time Magazine article,
- "Barnes belongs — along with such figures as Willem Vissert Hooft, Henry P. Van Dusen, and the late Anglican Bishop of Chichester, Dr. G. K. A. Bell — to the great generation of ecumenical architects".