Lyman Pierson Powell (September 21, 1866 - February 10, 1946) was an American

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and college president. Powell was originally a critic of

Christian Science Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices which are associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes in ...

but later became a sympathizer and wrote an authorized biography of its founder.

Biography

He was born in

Farmington, Delaware Farmington is a town in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It is part of the Dover metropolitan area. The population was 92 in 2020. History Farmington was originally settled as Flatiron in 1855 when the railroad built a station at a crossroa ...

. He graduated from

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

in 1890, studied at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, and the Philadelphia Divinity School where he graduated in 1897. He was ordained a priest in 1898. He became president of Hobart College and of

William Smith College William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

(

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

) in 1913. He died in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a Town (New Jersey), town in and the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

at the

Morristown Memorial Hospital Morristown Medical Center (MMC) is a 735 bed non-profit, tertiary, research and academic medical center located in Morristown, New Jersey, serving northern New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area. The hospital is the flagship facility of ...

on February 10, 1946. Fellow minister Rev. Dr. Charles S. Macfarland wrote a biography of Powell in 1947.

Christian Science

Powell wrote a critical book, denouncing

in 1907. The book described Christian Science as "neither Christian nor scientific." Powell's own biographer, Charles S. Macfarland, wrote that this first book on the subject "it was clear, had been written in a spirit of extreme irritation." Powell later changed his position, stopped being antagonistic towards Christian Science, and wrote another biography of

Mary Baker Eddy Mary Baker Eddy (née Baker; July 16, 1821 – December 3, 1910) was an American religious leader and author, who in 1879 founded The Church of Christ, Scientist, the ''Mother Church'' of the Christian Science movement. She also founded ''The C ...

in 1930 which presented her and the religion she founded in a positive way. This change was the result of interactions with Christian Scientists. Before writing the new book, Powell told Macfarland, "Mary Baker Eddy should be made known to the world - through the medium of one who was neither her disciple nor her enemy." He traveled to Boston, and despite his previous negative book, the

Mother Church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral church, or ...

gave him access to their extensive archives; in hope that the biography would rebut the recent criticisms of

Edwin Franden Dakin Edwin Franden Dakin (1898–1976) was an American advertising executive and author who wrote a critical biography of Mary Baker Eddy. Biography Dakin was associate editor of the weekly magazine ''Commerce and Finance '' (1922-1926). He also edit ...

. Macfarland described Powell as a "warm sympathizer" of Christian Science. Originally published by Macmillan, it was later revised and published by The Christian Science Publishing Society in 1950 and 1991. The new book became an authorized biography printed by the

Christian Science Publishing Society The Christian Science Publishing Society was established in 1898 by Mary Baker Eddy and is the publishing arm of The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, Massachusetts. Origin and purpose The Christian Science Publishing Society and ...

and was sold in Christian Science Reading Rooms.

Ernest Sutherland Bates Ernest Sutherland Bates (14 October 1879 – 4 December 1939) was an American academic and writer. He taught English and philosophy at Oberlin College from 1903 to 1905, the University of Arizona until 1915, and the University of Oregon from then ...

, a critic of Christian Science, negatively reviewed Powell's 1930 biography commenting "His method of vindicating Mrs. Eddy is simply to ignore all the charges against her including those which he himself has made." Bates noted that Powell's criticisms of Eddy that he made in 1907 such as the accusations of indebtedness to

Phineas Quimby Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (February 16, 1802 – January 16, 1866) was an American folk healer, mentalist and mesmerist. His work is widely recognized as foundational to the New Thought spiritual movement. Early life Born in the small town of ...

do not appear in his later biography. Bates, Ernest Sutherland. (October 25, 1930). 'Before and After Taking''. '' The Saturday Review''. p. 268

Selected Publications

Author

* ''The History of Education in Delaware'' (1893) * ''Family Prayers'' (1905)
''Christian Science: The Faith and its Founder''
(1907) * ''The Art of Natural Sleep'' (1908) * ''The Emmanuel Movement in a New England Town'' (1909) * ''Heavenly Heretics'' (1909) * ''Mary Baker Eddy: The Second Seventy''
''The Spirit of Democracy''
(1918) * ''The Social Unrest; Capital Labor, and the Public in Turmoil'' (1919) *
Mary Baker Eddy: A Life Size Portrait
' (MacMillan, 1930) ** Reprinting:
Mary Baker Eddy
' (Christian Science Publishing Society, 1991)

Editor

* ''American Historic Towns'' (four volumes, 1898–1902)
Southern StatesWestern States
* ''Current Religious Literature'' (1902); ''Devotional Series'' (three volumes, 1905–1907)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Lyman Pierson 1866 births 1946 deaths American biographers American Episcopalians American historians Christian Science writers People from Kent County, Delaware University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Writers from Delaware American male writers American editors