Bridwell Library.

Thomas Haweis was born to Thomas and Bridgeman (Willyams) Haweis in Redruth, Cornwall, England on January 1, 1734. His father died in 1744, leading him to relocate with his mother to Carnanton, where they lived with her widowed brother and his son. Haweis attended Truro Grammar School under George Conon and then apprenticed briefly to a surgeon. After being converted under the preaching of Samuel Walker, Haweis felt called to ministry. He studied at Oxford beginning in 1755 and obtained ordination as a deacon in 1757. His first appointment was as Curate of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Oxford. Although his Evangelical preaching raised controversy, Haweis was ordained a priest the following year. By 1762 he had gained many political enemies in Oxford. John Hume, the newly appointed Bishop of Oxford, expelled him from the city, promising to appoint him to another location of his choosing.

Haweis went to London and met a sympathetic friend in Martin Madan, who offered him a position as Assistant Chaplain in the Lock Hospital, a center for the treatment of venereal diseases. Through Madan he learned of an open position at the parish of All-Saints, Aldwincle, in 1764. This position he took and held for the rest of his life. Controversy continued to dog him: John Kimpton, who sponsored the position and had fallen into debt, attempted to oust him. Madan and others defended Haweis, while Kimpton was saved from debtors’ prison by Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, who purchased the sponsorship of Aldwincle herself in 1768.

During the same period, Haweis courted Judith Wordsworth, a widow he had known when he ministered at Lock Hospital. They married on January 3, 1771. He returned to college studies at her insistence and earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from Cambridge in 1772, followed by an M.D. in 1776. Their marriage was happy but brief: Judith died unexpectedly in 1786.

Lady Huntingdon appointed Haweis Chaplain in 1774. When she reluctantly joined her churches with the Dissenters in 1783, it was against his advice, and he left her service. In 1788, Haweis remarried; his second wife, Jennett Payne Orton, had been a close friend of Lady Huntingdon and helped effect a reconciliation. Lady Huntingdon sponsored a missionary venture to Tahiti at Haweis’s request, with Haweis himself undertaking the education of the two candidates. He attempted to send his missionaries with Captain William Bligh, of Bounty fame, but the two men could not obtain ordination and refused to go without it.

When Lady Huntingdon died in 1791, Haweis served as a trustee and executor of her estate. He then returned to Aldwincle and resumed efforts to send missionaries to Tahiti. Thomas Haweis was one of the founders of the London Missionary Society, which in 1796 sent the ship Duff to Tahiti on its first missions voyage; subsequent journeys suffered setbacks and the project was never entirely successful.

Thomas Haweis’s second wife, Jennett, died in 1799. Three years later he married Elizabeth “Bessy” McDowall, who survived him. In 1808 Haweis retired to Bath, where he died on February 11, 1820. He was buried in Bath Abbey.

His publications included The Evangelical Expositor (1766-1767); A Familiar and Practical Improvement of the Church Catechism (1775); A Scriptural Refutation of the Arguments for Polygamy (1781); Carmina Christo (1792); A Plea for Peace and Union (1795), Missionary Instructions (1795), A Memoir Respecting an African Mission (1795); An Impartial and Succinct History of the Rise, Declension, and Revival of the Church of Christ ( 1800); The Church of England Vindicated from Misrepresentation (1801); and A View of the Present State of Evangelical Religion (1812).

Sources:

Julian, John. “Thomas Haweis” in John Julian, ed., A Dictionary of Hymnology . Volume I. New York: Dover Publications, 1957.

Wood, Arthur Skevington. Thomas Haweis: 1734-1820 . London: Published for the Church Historical Society [by] S.P.C.K., 1957.

Wood, Arthur Skevington. “Thomas Haweis” in Donald M. Lewis, ed., The Blackwell Dictionary of Evangelical Biography . Volume 1. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1995.

From the guide to the Collection on Thomas Haweis BridArch 303. 53., 1694-1872, 1760-1820, (Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University)

William Baxter Godbey was born in rural Pulaski County, Kentucky, on June 3, 1833. He was raised in a pious Methodist home where, as Godbey states in his autobiography, he came to faith and received a call to preach at the age of three. At sixteen, while attending a Baptist revival meeting in November of 1849, Godbey experienced an outpouring of supernatural power that he considered his moment of conversion.

In 1853 the Kentucky Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South licensed William Godbey to preach. For the next several years, Godbey taught in the public schools, preached to slave congregations, and studied at Georgetown (Kentucky) College, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1859. He served as President of Harmonia College in Perryville, Kentucky from 1859 to 1869 while also ministering to the Perryville Circuit. The Kentucky Conference admitted Godbey on trial in 1866 and as a full member in 1868. While leading a revival in December of 1868, Godbey felt that his conversion was finally completed with a moving experience of entire sanctification.

Rev. Godbey served pastoral appointments and as a presiding elder in Kentucky from the late 1860s to the early 1880s. In 1883 and 1884 he expanded his holiness and revival preaching ministry to Missouri and Texas. For the rest of his career he was in demand across the United States as a respected Bible teacher and evangelist. This development took him outside of the bounds of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South both geographically and structurally. However, in 1918 Godbey asked to be re-admitted to the Kentucky Conference. The Conference agreed, and he died on September 12, 1920 a prized member of that body.

W. B. Godbey married America Emma Durham (1839-1915) in 1860. They had eight children. The only child to survive into adulthood was daughter Effie Orpha (1873-1906), who married Rev. F. M. Hill (1864-1908), a minister in the Kentucky Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

Sources:

Godbey, W. B. Autobiography of Rev. W.B. Godbey. Cincinnati: God's Revivalist Office, 1909.

Hamilton, Barry W. William Baxter Godbey – Itinerant Apostle of the Holiness Movement. Lewiston, New York: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2000.

Hamilton, Barry W. “Godbey, William Baxter.” In Historical Dictionary of the Holiness Movement, edited by William Kostlevy. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, 2009.

From the guide to the Collection on W. B. Godbey BridArch 303. 52., 1891-1919, 1903-1919, (Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University)

Minister and educator Schubert Miles Ogden was born on March 2, 1928, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Edgar Carson and Neva Louetta Glancy Ogden. He studied at Ohio Wesleyan University (A.B., 1950); Johns Hopkins University, 1950-51; The University of Chicago Divinity School (B.D., 1954, Ph.D., 1958); and Philipps-Universitat, Marburg, Germany, 1962-63. Ogden married Joyce Ellen Schwettman in 1950. They had two children.

Schubert Ogden’s ministerial career began in 1952 when he was ordained a Deacon in the Ohio Conference of the Methodist Church. In 1958 he became an Elder in full-connection with the Ohio Conference. Rev. Ogden joined the faculty of the Perkins School of Theology as an instructor 1956-1958 while completing his doctorate. From 1958 to 1969 he served as assistant professor (1958-1961), associate professor (1961-1964), and professor of theology (1964-1969).

From 1969 to 1972, Dr. Ogden served as University Professor of Theology at the University of Chicago. However, he returned to Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 1972, resuming his teaching duties and assuming new responsibilities as Director of the Graduate Program in Religious Studies 1974-1990. Ogden retired from Perkins School of Theology in 1993.

Professor Ogden was awarded honorary degrees from Ohio Wesleyan University (Litt.D., 1965); the University of Chicago (L.H.D., 1983); and SMU (L.H.D., 1994). He served as President of the American Academy of Religion (1976-77) and became a Fellow in The American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985. Ogden was named University Scholar / Teacher of the Year by SMU in 1982. His 1994 Doctor of Humane Letters citation from SMU reads as follows:

Sources:

Who's Who in the Methodist Church . Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1966.

Schubert Ogden: Primary Bibliography. http://www.ctr4process.org/publications/Biblio/Thematic/Ogden,%20Schubert%20-%20Primary%20Bibliography.html (accessed 09/22/2010).

Schubert M. Ogden Doctor of Humane Letters. http://smu.edu/registrar/Honorary_Degrees/Recipients/All/schubert_m_ogden.asp (accessed 09/22/2010).

During his 34 years of teaching on the faculty of Southern Methodist University, Schubert M. Ogden set a standard of excellence that has become a recognized model at home and abroad for systematic theology and for the life of the Academy. In six books and in innumerable essays, articles, and translations, he has addressed the central questions of contemporary theological reflection with uncompromising intellectual rigor and supple creativity of spirit – in short, with wisdom. He has defined and defended theology’s integrity as an academic discipline that rightfully retains its ancient place among the disciplines that constitute a university. He has deepened and enhanced the emerging theological discussion among religious traditions, especially the dialogue between Christianity and Buddhism; and he has done so without diluting the specific character of these traditions or evading the great central question of religious truth. Not least among his achievements, he has throughout his career enriched his colleagues and his students with his clarity of vision and his unflagging pursuit of what is true and what is just. For his invaluable contribution to the shaping of contemporary theological discourse and for his inestimable contribution to the life of this University and its School of Theology, we gratefully confer upon Schubert M. Ogden the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa .

From the guide to the Collection on Schubert M. Ogden BridArch 105. 23., 1950-2011, (Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University)

Perkins School of Theology opened in 1915 in Dallas, Texas as the School of Theology of Southern Methodist University. Today Perkins is one of the 13 seminaries of The United Methodist Church and one of only five university-related United Methodist theological schools. The mission of Perkins School of Theology is to prepare women and men for faithful leadership in Christian ministry. (Source: http://www.smu.edu/Perkins/About )

The student body at Perkins School of Theology has produced three periodical publications since 1952: The Log, Babylonian Schismatic, and Perkins Student Journal . These titles communicate campus news and student thought in diverse genres including poetry, satire, art, and formal academic prose.

From the guide to the Collection of Perkins School of Theology student publications BridArch 207. 02., 1952-ongoing, (Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University)

The Epworth League was a ministry to and by youth and young adults started by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1889 and adopted by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in 1890. The League’s object was “to promote intelligent and vital piety in the young members and friends of the Church, to aid them in the attainment of purity of heart and constant growth in grace, and to train them in works of mercy and help.” (Source: The Doctrines and Disciplines of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1892. )

In Texas, the movement to establish Epworth Leagues began at the local level. The Texas State Epworth League formed in 1892. Annual Conference-level leagues began in 1893 when Bishop Joseph S. Key organized the North Texas Conference Epworth League.

The North Texas Conference Epworth League encouraged its members to support missionary work and to consider entering the mission field. Among the many North Texas Epworthians who volunteered for missionary service, Ruby Rachel Kendrick of Plano is noteworthy. Kendrick dedicated her life to foreign mission work in 1904 at the age of 21. After addressing the 1907 annual session of the North Texas Conference Epworth League, she traveled to Korea. During the 1908 annual session, an enthusiastic letter from Ruby Kendrick was read to the gathering. One day later the conference received word of her death. In her memory, the North Texas Conference Epworth League established the Ruby Kendrick Memorial Fund and later renamed its Department of Missionary Work the Ruby Kendrick Council of Missions.

In 1930 the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South directed its Board of Education to take over the work of the Epworth League. This transition eventually led to the development of the Methodist Youth Fellowship.

Sources:

Vernon, Walter N. et al. The Methodist Excitement in Texas. Dallas: The Texas United Methodist Historical Society, 1984.

Methodist Episcopal Church. The Doctrines and Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1892. New York: Hunt & Eaton, 1892.

North Texas Conference Epworth League. Journal and Yearbook. 1921.

From the guide to the Collection on the North Texas Conference Epworth League BridArch 302. 23., circa 1910-1940, 1919-1930, (Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University)

Levi Arthur Olan was born on March 22, 1903 in Cherkassy, a village in the Ukraine. He immigrated to the United States in 1906 with his parents, Max and Bessie Leshinsky Olan, to escape anti-Jewish violence. They settled in Rochester, New York. In 1912 Levi Olan became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Olan attended the University of Rochester (1921–1923) and the University of Cincinnati (1925), where he earned his B.A. He was ordained in Cincinnati at Hebrew Union College in 1929. Rabbi Olan served Temple Emanu-El in Worcester, Massachusetts, from 1929 to 1949, guiding the congregation through the Great Depression and World War II. From 1949 until his retirement in 1970, Levi Olan served Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, Texas. His ministry in Dallas included a weekly broadcast titled The Temple Emanu-El Radio Program.

Rabbi Olan served on numerous community boards and agencies, including the Boy Scouts of America, the Jewish Welfare Federation, the Jewish Family Service, and the American Red Cross. He was a lecturer in Judaism at Southern Methodist University (SMU) (beginning in 1952), University of Texas at Arlington (beginning in 1971), and Texas Christian University (beginning in 1976). In 1963 Texas Governor John Connally appointed Olan to the Board of Regents of the University of Texas, a position he held until 1969. In 1967 Levi Olan was elected president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, on which he also served until 1969.

As a theologian, Olan was respected and prolific. Among his publications were The Philosophy of Liberal Judaism (1942); Rethinking the Liberal Religion (1948); On the Nature of Man (1949); Judaism and Modern Theology (1955); Reinhold Niebuhr and the Hebraic Spirit (1956); Judaism and Immortality (1971); and Prophetic Faith and the Secular Age (1982). In 1955, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Hebrew Union College.

At SMU, Levi Olan met and befriended Albert C. Outler, whom he impressed with his concerns for social issues and his pedagogical gift. At the time of Olan’s death, Outler stated:

To honor Rabbi Olan’s love of books as works of art, friends, family members, and colleagues established the Levi A. Olan Collection of Fine Books at Bridwell Library in 1963.

Levi Olan married Sarita Messer on June 9, 1931 and the couple had three children (Elizabeth Hirsch, Frances Olan, and David Olan) and four grandchildren. Rabbi Olan died in Dallas, Texas on October 17, 1984, at the age of 81.

Sources:

"Rabbi Levi Olan Dies at 81" The Dallas Morning News . Thursday, October 18, 1984.

"Biographical Sketch" An Inventory to the Levi A. Olan Papers . American Jewish Archives [online resource]. Available at http://www.americanjewisharchives.org/aja/FindingAids/Olan.htm accessed 12/2/2010.

Rabbi Olan was one of the most remarkable combinations of a genuine intellect and a deeply spiritual man. He had a wonderful way of keeping things in perspective, uplifting the downtrodden and redressing the balances of people who got out of line. He seemed to have a sensor that told him when people were over their reach and he’d tell them to hold on. And when people had no proper sense of their potential, he had a wonderful way of providing them guidance and encouragement.

From the guide to the Collection on Levi A. Olan BridArch 208. 11., 1929-1990, 1948-1981, (Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University)

In 1839, while living in the village of Tilly-sur-Seulles, France, Catholic peasant Pierre-Michel (Eugène Vintras) claimed to have received a letter from the archangel Michael followed by visions of the archangel, the Holy Ghost, St. Joseph, and the Virgin Mary. Through these visions, Pierre-Michel came to believe that he was a reincarnation of the prophet Elijah and that his task in life was to found a new religious order announcing the coming of the Paraclete (the age of the Holy Ghost) with miraculous signs. Pierre-Michel founded the l’Oeuvre de la Miséricorde (“Work of Mercy”), later known as the “Eliate Church of Carmel” to carry out this mission.

With only a basic education and no formal religious training, Pierre-Michel traveled across France proclaiming his spiritual revelations and instituting new religious rites. Pierre-Michel believed his ministry would lead to the renewal of Catholicism. His followers included Catholic priests, craftsmen, nobles, and members of the working class.

In 1842 Pierre-Michel was arrested on charges of roguery (fraud) and sentenced to five years in prison. After his release in 1848, Pierre-Michel fled to England where he wrote and published Évangile Éternel [The Eternal Gospel] . Pope Gregory XVI formally condemned the Church of Carmel on November 8, 1848, and Pierre-Michel responded with a counter-condemnation of the Pope.

Pierre-Michel returned to France in 1862 and founded the "Interior Sanctuary of the Elié of Carmel" in Lyon. In addition to France, The Eliate Church of Carmel had congregations in Spain, Belgium, Italy, and England. Pierre-Michel died December 7, 1875 in Lyon, and the Abbe de Boullan assumed control of the sect.

Sources:

Agnel-Billoud, Marie-Reine. Eugène Vintras: Un Cas de Délire Mystique et Politique au XIX Siècle. Paris: Lib. littéraire et médicale, 1919.

Bogaard, Milko. 1839 l'Oeuvre de la Miséricorde / Church of Carmel. http://www.gnostique.net/ecclesia/EG_II.htm. Accessed August 29, 2011.

Daraul, Arkon. A History of Secret Societies. Secaucus, NJ: Carol Publ. Group, 1994.

Levi, Eliphas. The History of Magic. London: Rider and Co., 1963.

Waite, Arthur Edward. The Mysteries of Magic. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 897.

From the guide to the Collection of Pierre-Michel letters BridArch 208. 20., 1848-1862, 1852-1862, (Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University)