C. Eric Lincoln facts for kids
Charles Eric Lincoln (born June 23, 1924 – died May 14, 2000) was an important American scholar. He wrote many books, including ones about how society works and about religion. He also wrote stories and poems.
Early Life and Education
Charles Eric Lincoln was born in Athens, Alabama, on June 23, 1924. His father and mother left him, so his grandmother raised him. He went to Trinity School in Athens. There, he was the editor of the school newspaper, called the Campus Chronicle.
When he was 13, he picked cotton to help his family. He also used the money to buy books for his studies. He was a very good student and graduated at the top of his high school class.
After high school, he studied and worked in Chicago. He then joined the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1945. After the Navy, he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology and philosophy. This was from LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1947.
He continued his education, earning a master's degree from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1954. In 1956, he got another degree from the University of Chicago. The next year, in 1957, he became a Methodist minister. He later earned another master's degree in education. In 1960, he received his PhD in Social Ethics from Boston University.
Career and Achievements
Before becoming a professor, C. Eric Lincoln had many different jobs. He worked as a sales representative for Pepsi Cola. He also managed a nightclub in Memphis. He was even a road manager for the Birmingham Black Barons baseball team.
As a scholar, he taught at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia, for eleven years. He also taught as a visiting professor at several other universities. These included Portland State University in Oregon, Union Theological Seminary, Fordham University, Brown University, and the University of Ghana.
In 1970, he helped start the Black Academy of Letters and became its first president. From 1973 to 1976, he taught religion and sociology at Fisk University. He also led the Department of Religion and Philosophical Studies there. From 1976 to 1993, he taught Religion and Culture at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
His novel, The Avenue, Clayton City, won important awards. It received the Lillian Smith Book Award in 1988. It also won the International Black Writers' Alice Browning Award in 1989. In 1990, he became a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers.
C. Eric Lincoln was friends with famous leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. He was also friends with author Alex Haley. In 1990, Pope John Paul II honored him for his important work for the church.
He passed away on May 14, 2000, at the age of 75 in Durham, North Carolina.
