Donald Grey Barnhouse (March 28, 1895 – November 5, 1960), was an American
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
preacher, pastor,
theologian
Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...
, radio pioneer, and writer. He was pastor of the
Tenth Presbyterian Church
Tenth Presbyterian Church is a congregation of approximately 1,600 members located in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Tenth is a part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a denomination in the Reformed (Calvinist) ...
in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, from 1927 to his death in 1960. His pioneering radio program ''The Bible Study Hour'' continues, now known as ''Dr. Barnhouse & the Bible''.
Career
Barnhouse pastored the
Tenth Presbyterian Church
Tenth Presbyterian Church is a congregation of approximately 1,600 members located in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Tenth is a part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a denomination in the Reformed (Calvinist) ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, Pennsylvania, from 1927 until his death in 1960.
He was a pioneer in preaching over the radio; his program was known as ''The Bible Study Hour''.
["Donald Grey Barnhouse" (biography)]
, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals His broadcasts were taped, and today the program continues to air as ''Dr. Barnhouse & the Bible.'' In 1949, he began a weekly, in-depth study of the
Book of Romans
A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, mo ...
on his program, which lasted until his death in 1960. He also wrote many articles and books. For many years, Barnhouse held a Bible class on Monday evenings at
St. Luke's Lutheran Church near
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, which lasted until his death.
In 1931, Barnhouse began publishing ''Revelation'', a magazine which published his sermons, expositions, and religious interpretations of current events. ''Revelation'' was published until 1950.
Barnhouse also founded ''
Eternity
Eternity, in common parlance, is an Infinity, infinite amount of time that never ends or the quality, condition or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside tim ...
'' magazine in 1950 and was editor-in-chief of the monthly publication.
He wrote a "Window on the World" column for each issue between 1931 and 1960 and discussed contemporary concerns from a biblical perspective.
In September 1956, ''Eternity'' magazine published his article, "Are the
Seventh-day Adventists
The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabba ...
Christians?" He answered affirmatively, but in the past, he had excluded them for some of their teachings.
The article was described as a "blockbuster" by his wife, Margaret Barnhouse, in her biography, ''That Man Barnhouse'' (1983). She wrote that the "reaction was immediate: outraged canceling of subscriptions or grateful commendation because
ehad the courage to... admit he had been wrong in the past about the Adventists."
[ Along with fellow ]evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
Walter Martin, Barnhouse argued that the "Adventists hold all the basic doctrines of Christianity" with some heterodox
In religion, heterodoxy (from Ancient Greek: , + , ) means "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position".
''Heterodoxy'' is also an ecclesiastical jargon term, defined in various ways by different religions and ...
teachings. ''Eternity'' published a cover story and memorial issue tribute to Barnhouse shortly after his death.
C. Everett Koop
Charles Everett Koop (October 14, 1916 – February 25, 2013) was an American pediatric surgeon and public health administrator who served as the 13th surgeon general of the United States under President Ronald Reagan from 1982 to 1989. According ...
, the former U.S. Surgeon General
The surgeon general of the United States is the operational head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. T ...
, attended the Tenth Presbyterian Church for more than twenty years. He said of Barnhouse:
Personal life
Barnhouse was born March 28, 1895, in Watsonville, California
Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, in the Monterey Bay Area of the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. The population was 52,590 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Predominantly Latino and ...
. His parents were Theodore and Jennie Carmichael Barnhouse. After graduating high school, he enrolled at the Biola Institute, in 1912. He also studied at the University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
and Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...
. He enlisted in the army in 1917 before completing his studies at Princeton. First Lieutenant Barnhouse of the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps was ordained in April 1918 by the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.[Donald Grey Barnhouse Papers Finding Aid "http://www.history.pcusa.org/collections/findingaids/fa.cfm?record_id=480"]
Barnhouse married in 1922 the missionary Ruth Tiffany. They had four children: sons Donald Jr. and David, and daughters Ruth
Ruth (or its variants) may refer to:
Places France
* Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France
Switzerland
* Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny
United States
* Ruth, Alabama
* Ruth, Ark ...
and Dorothy. Wife Ruth died of cancer in 1944.
Several years later, he married his second wife Margaret (née Nuckols) Bell, the widow of Douglas Bell. They made their home on an farm near Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Doylestown is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the borough population was 8,300.
Doylestown is located northwest of Trent ...
. Donald Grey Barnhouse died in a Philadelphia hospital one month after being diagnosed with a large, malignant brain tumor
A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...
.
Works
Many of the books authored by Donald Grey Barnhouse have been re-published since his death, some in their tenth or more printing. Some of his works include:
* ''Acts'' (1979), Zondervan
* ''Bible Truth Illustrated'' (1979), Keats
* ''The Cross Through the Open Tomb'' (1961), Eerdmans Publishing
* ''Genesis'' (1970), Zondervan, 2 vols.
* ''God's Methods for Holy Living'' (1949), Revelation Publications
* ''Guaranteed Deposits'' (1949), Revelation Publications
* ''The Invisible War'' (1965), Zondervan
* ''Let Me Illustrate'' (1967), Revell
* ''Revelation'' (1971), Zondervan
* ''Romans'' (1982), Eerdmans Publishing, 4 vols.
* ''Teaching the Word of Truth'' (1940), Eerdmans Publishing
* ''Thessalonians'' (1977), Zondervan
* ''Words Fitly Spoken'' (1969), Tyndale House Publishers
* ''Your Right to Heaven'' (1977), Baker Book House
Archives
The Presbyterian Historical Society
The Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS) is the oldest continuous denominational historical society in the United States.Smylie, James H. 1996. ''A Brief History of the Presbyterians.'' Louisville, Kentucky: Geneva Press. Its mission is to coll ...
in Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, has a large collection o
Barnhouse’s papers
including correspondence, photographs and audio records documenting his personal and professional life. The collection includes materials from his media ventures including his broadcasts and the magazines ''Revelation'' and ''Eternity''. The material includes sermons, radio scripts, correspondences, articles, and a diary of his personal life. The Barnhouse collection also includes photographs that depict his family, friends, ministry and travels.
References
External links
Dr. Barnhouse & the Bible on OnePlace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnhouse, Donald
1895 births
1960 deaths
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American Presbyterian ministers
20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
American Calvinist and Reformed theologians
American evangelicals
American radio personalities
Biola University alumni
Calvinist and Reformed writers
Clergy from Philadelphia
People from Watsonville, California
Presbyterian writers
Princeton Theological Seminary alumni
University of Chicago alumni