Harry Emerson Fosdick

• 1. Buffalo And The First Call

  ›

  Harry Emerson Fosdick arrived in Buffalo, New York on the 24th of May 1878. He grew up in a household that valued education and religious conviction. Fosdick attended Colgate University where he joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity before graduating in 1900. His academic journey continued at Union Theological Seminary which he completed in 1904. The young minister received his ordination as a Baptist clergyman in 1903 at Madison Avenue Baptist Church located at 31st Street in Manhattan. This early period established the foundation for a career that would eventually challenge the very definition of American Protestantism.

• 2. The Sermon That Divided A Nation

  ›

  Fosdick stood before the congregation of First Presbyterian Church on the 21st of May 1922 to deliver a sermon titled Shall the Fundamentalists Win?. He argued that the Bible was not the literal Word of God but rather a record of unfolding divine will. This theological stance sparked immediate outrage among conservative leaders who viewed his words as rank apostasy. The Rev. Clarence Edward Macartney responded from Philadelphia with a sermon called Shall Unbelief Win? published on the 13th of July 1922. The General Assembly of the old Presbyterian Church charged his local presbytery with an investigation into these views in 1923. Fosdick escaped formal censure by resigning from the pulpit in 1924 after a commission began its required inquiry. John Foster Dulles served as the lay elder who defended him during this trial process.

• 3. Rockefeller And The Riverside Project

  ›

  John D. Rockefeller Jr. funded the construction of Riverside Church in Morningside Heights near Columbia University. Fosdick became the first pastor when the doors opened in October 1930. Time magazine featured him on their cover story dated the 6th of October 1930 shortly after the church launched. The industrialist and financier had previously supported Fosdick's controversial ministry at Park Avenue Baptist Church. Rockefeller also funded the nationwide distribution of the pamphlet version of Shall the Fundamentalists Win?. This direct-mail project was designed by Ivy Lee who worked as an independent contractor for the Rockefellers since 1914. The new inter-denominational church allowed Fosdick to preach without the restrictions he faced at First Presbyterian Church.

• 4. Justice For The Scottsboro Boys

  ›

  Fosdick spoke out against racism and injustice throughout his career with particular focus on the Scottsboro Boys case. Ruby Bates credited him with persuading her to testify for the defense during the 1933 retrial. Nine black youths stood trial before all-white juries in Alabama for allegedly raping white women named Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. His opposition to racial discrimination extended beyond this specific legal battle to broader peace initiatives. He served as a guest preacher at Central Congregational Church in Providence Rhode Island while maintaining his national platform. These actions demonstrated his commitment to social justice alongside his theological reforms.

• 5. Evolution And The Bryan Dispute

  ›

  Martin Luther King Jr. declared Harry Emerson Fosdick the greatest preacher of this century during their shared era. King drew directly on Fosdick's writings and sermons to shape his own rhetoric and theology. The influence flowed through decades of civil rights activism that began long after Fosdick's death in 1969. Fosdick reviewed Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism in 1939 giving it official approval. Members of AA point to this review as significant in the movement's development. His legacy extended into social reform movements beyond the church walls.