Ralph Washington Sockman
Ralph Washington Sockman (October 1, 1889 – August 29,
Ralph Washington
1970) was the senior pastor of Christ Church (United Methodist) in
Sockman
New York City, United States. He gained considerable prominence
in the U.S. as the featured speaker on the weekly NBC radio
program, National Radio Pulpit, which aired from 1928 to 1962,
and as a writer of several best-selling books on the Christian life.[1]
Time Magazine reported in 1946 that Sockman's National Radio
Pulpit program received 4,000 letters weekly, making him "the
number one Protestant radio pastor of the U.S. ...rated by volume
of fan mail".[2] Fifteen years later in 1961, Time said that Sockman
was "generally acknowledged as the best Protestant preacher in the
U.S.".[3]
Sockman became the director of the Hall of Fame for Great
Americans in 1949.[4][5] In 1950, he was also appointed associate
Born Ralph
professor of practical theology at Union Theological Seminary in
Washington
New York.[1] Time Magazine said of him at the time: Sockman
October 1, 1889
"Sunday morning at 10 E.S.T., from October through
Mount Vernon,
May, 60-year-old Dr. Sockman preaches on NBC's Ohio, U.S.
National Radio Pulpit to one of the biggest religious
Died August 29, 1970
radio audiences in the U.S. Then, at his Byzantine-
(aged 80)
style church on Manhattan's Park Avenue, he holds a
New York, New
regular Sunday morning service (with enough
York, U.S.
ceremony and liturgy to jolt many a low-church
Methodist). So many people come to hear him that at Spouse Zellah Endly
5 in the afternoon he repeats his morning service".[1] Church United Methodist
Writings Now to Live!
He toured extensively for speaking engagements nationwide and How to Believe,
often preached at the 6,000-seat Ocean Grove Auditorium on New Answering the
Jersey's seashore, which was packed on "Sockman Sundays", as Questions that
those occasions were popularly called. Some of his sermons from Challenge Man's
those appearances were subsequently published in 1939 as Ways of Faith
the Christian Life – Sermons by the Sea. The Lord's
Prayer
The Paradoxes
Early years
of Jesus
Raised on a farm in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Ralph W. Sockman Live for
graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University, where he earned a Phi Tomorrow
Beta Kappa key.[3] He studied for the ministry at Union Congregations Christ Church,
Theological Seminary in New York City. In 1916, he married served New York (1916–
1961)
Zellah Endly, the daughter of a Methodist minister, and became National Radio
pastor of what was then called the Madison Avenue Methodist Pulpit (1928–
Episcopal Church, the forerunner of Christ Church in New York 1962)
City.[3]
Writings
Sockman was a prolific writer, with some of his books still available
and one, Now to Live!, reprinted in July 2007.
Other books include:
The Paradoxes of Jesus (1936)
Live for Tomorrow (1943)
Date With Destiny; A Preamble To Christian Culture
(1944)
The Lord's Prayer (1947)
How to Believe, Answering the Questions that Challenge
Man's Faith (1953)
Christ Church United Methodist,
Quotations Manhattan
Ralph W. Sockman was especially noted for his memorable quips
and sermon lines, such as:
"The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when
we are in the majority."
"Nothing is so strong as gentleness and nothing is so gentle as real strength" in which he
was quoting St. Francis de Sales.
"Our growth depends not on how many experiences we devour, but on how many we
digest."
References
1. "Practical Pastor" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110131132624/http://www.time.com/time/m
agazine/article/0,9171,858600,00.html). Time magazine. January 23, 1950. Archived from
the original (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,858600,00.html) on January
31, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2007.
2. "Radio Religion" (https://web.archive.org/web/20080125035819/http://www.time.com/time/m
agazine/article/0,9171,934406,00.html). Time magazine. January 21, 1946. Archived from
the original (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,934406,00.html) on January
25, 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2007.
3. "Preacher on Park Avenue" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110204211455/http://www.time.c
om/time/magazine/article/0,9171,827808,00.html). Time magazine. October 6, 1961.
Archived from the original (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,827808,00.htm
l) on February 4, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2007.
4. "Dr. Sockman Named Hall of Fame Head: He Becomes Sixth Director; Succeeds Dr. Angell".
New York Herald Tribune. April 27, 1949. p. 19. ProQuest 1335321819 (https://search.proqu
est.com/docview/1335321819).
5. "Succeeds Late Dr. Angell As Hall of Fame Director" (https://www.nytimes.com/1949/04/27/ar
chives/succeeds-late-dr-angell-as-hall-of-fame-director.html). The New York Times. April 27,
1949. ISSN 0362-4331 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved June 8, 2022.
External links
Christ Church, New York – official website (http://www.christchurchnyc.org)
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