
Tex Sample (born December 28, 1934) is a specialist in church and society, a storyteller, author, and the Robert B. and Kathleen Rogers Professor Emeritus of Church and Society at the
St. Paul School of Theology, a
United Methodist
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...
seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...
in
Kansas City, Missouri, where he taught from 1967–1999. He has published four books about the
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
.
Background
Born in
Brookhaven, Mississippi
Brookhaven is a small city in Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States, south of the state capital of Jackson. The population was 12,520 at the 2010 U.S. Census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County. It was named after the town of Brookhave ...
, Sample received a BA from
Millsaps College
Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
History
The college was founded in 1889–90 by a Confederate veteran, Major Reuben Webster ...
, an M.Div. and Ph.D. from
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original c ...
, and a DD from
Coe College
Coe College is a private liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was founded in 1851 and is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The college is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Associat ...
. A former cab driver, laborer, and oil field roustabout, he is a freelance speaker and consultant based in greater
Kansas City, MO
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...
.
[Tex Sample]
web site Retrieved May 2, 2015 A much sought-after lecturer, storyteller, workshop leader and consultant, Tex is a contributor to the DVD programs in the
Living the Questions
Living the Questions (LtQ) is a “DVD and web-based curriculum" designed to help people evaluate the relevance of Christianity in the 21st century. Living the Questions was co-created by the Arizonan United Methodist ministers Jeff Procter-Murp ...
series. His most recent books are ''Earthy Mysticism'' (2008),
Abingdon Press author page
Retrieved May 2, 2915 ''The Future of John Wesley's Theology'' (2012), and ''Human Nature, Interest, and Power: a Critique of Reinhold Niebuhr's Social Thought'' (2013).
His father named him after Texanna Gillham, an African-American woman who was born in slavery and helped raise his father near Center, Texas
Center is a city in Shelby County, Texas. The population was 5,221 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is the county seat of Shelby County. It was named for its location near the center of Shelby County, not its location in Texas; it is near th ...
.[
]
Books
*''Blue Collar Ministry: Facing Economic and Social Realities of Working People'', Judson Press, 1984,
*''U.S. Lifestyles and Mainline Churches: A Key to Reaching People in the 90's'', Westminster John Knox Press, 1990,
*''Hard Living People & Mainstream Christians'', Abingdon Press, 1993,
*''Ministry in an Oral Culture-Living With Will Rogers, Uncle Remus, and Minnie Pearl'', Westminster John Knox Press, 1994,
*''White Soul: Country Music, the Church, and Working Americans'', Abingdon Press, 1996,
*''The Spectacle of Worship in a Wired World: Electronic Culture and the Gathered People of God'', Abingdon Press, 1998,
*''The Loyal Opposition: Struggling With the Church on Homosexuality'', Tex Sample and Amy E. Delong, editors, Abingdon Press, 2000,
*''Powerful Persuasion: Multimedia Witness in Christian Worship'', Abingdon Press, 2005
*''Blue Collar Resistance and the Politics of Jesus'', Abingdon Press, 2006
*''Earthy Mysticism: Spirituality for Unspiritual People,'' Abingdon Press, 2008
*''The Future of John Wesley's Theology: Back to the Future with the Apostle Paul,'' Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2012
*''Human Nature, Interest, and Power: a Critique of Reinhold Niebuhr's Social Thought,'' Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2013
References
External links
Personal website
Indigenous Ministry in the Context of the United States
- originally published 1991
Pentecostals on Motorcycles
book review by Sample of ''Riders for God: The Story of a Christian Motorcycle Gang'' by Rich Remsberg, in ''The Christian Century
''The Christian Century'' is a Christian magazine based in Chicago, Illinois. Considered the flagship magazine of US mainline Protestantism, the monthly reports on religious news; comments on theological, moral, and cultural issues; and reviews ...
'', March 7, 2001 p. 18–20
TexMix
- Stories of Earthy Mysticism with Tex Sample on DVD (from Living the Questions
Living the Questions (LtQ) is a “DVD and web-based curriculum" designed to help people evaluate the relevance of Christianity in the 21st century. Living the Questions was co-created by the Arizonan United Methodist ministers Jeff Procter-Murp ...
)
"Baseball: A Spiritual Reminiscence"
by Tex Sample on ''Patheos
Patheos is a non-denominational, non-partisan online media company providing information and commentary from various religious and nonreligious perspectives.
Upon its launch in May 2009, the website was primarily geared toward learning about r ...
''
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Living people
American sociologists
1934 births
People from Brookhaven, Mississippi
Millsaps College alumni
Boston University School of Theology alumni
Coe College alumni
American United Methodist clergy
Methodist writers