Joseph Barker (minister) facts for kids

Joseph Barker was an English preacher and writer who lived from 1806 to 1875. He was known for often changing his beliefs and ideas. He spent some time living in the United States. While there, he worked with important leaders who wanted to end slavery.

Early Life and Religious Journey

Joseph Barker was born on May 11, 1806, in Bramley, a town near Leeds, England. His father worked in the wool industry. Joseph was the fourth of eleven children in his family. He also worked as a wool-spinner when he was young. His family did not have much money, and he mostly learned to read and write at a Sunday school.

His parents were Wesleyan Methodists, a type of Christian group. Joseph became a member and started preaching sometimes. He then became a missionary and speaker. After a few years, he became a local preacher. He also attended a Methodist school in Leeds.

Later, Joseph left the Wesleyans and joined another group called the Methodist New Connexion. He worked as an assistant preacher in Liverpool for a year. Then, he became a traveling preacher. He was sent to different places like Hanley and Halifax. In Halifax, he married Miss Salt from Betley, which was against the rules for new preachers. Because of this, he had to wait an extra year before becoming a full preacher.

He then moved to Blyth and later to Sunderland and Durham. Joseph was popular, even though some people thought his ideas were different from the main church teachings. In 1833, he became a full preacher and was sent to Sheffield. While in Sheffield and later in Chester, he strongly supported teetotalism, which means not drinking any alcohol.

From 1837 to 1840, Joseph published a weekly magazine called The Evangelical Reformer. He moved to Gateshead in 1839. There, he spoke out against socialism, a political idea about how society should be organized.

Leaving the Methodist Church

In 1841, Joseph Barker was asked to leave the Methodist New Connexion. This happened because he said he did not believe in baptism (a Christian ceremony) and refused to perform it. After he left, many church groups and thousands of members also left the Connexion to follow him.

Joseph then became the leader of a church in Newcastle upon Tyne that had also left the Methodist New Connexion. He gave daily talks and allowed people to discuss ideas freely. He also started his own printing business. He published many books and a magazine called The Christian. His followers became known as "Barkerites." During this time, he had a long debate with another Methodist preacher named William Cooke.

New Ideas and Moving to America

Joseph Barker's ideas kept changing over time. For a while, he was interested in Quakerism, a peaceful Christian group. Then, he became interested in Unitarianism, which is a Christian belief that God is one being, not three. In 1845, he preached in Unitarian churches.

The Unitarians helped him set up a bigger printing business in Wortley, near Leeds. In 1846, he started printing many affordable books on different topics, calling it the "Barker Library." He also wrote a book about his own life, but he did not put his name on it at first.

In 1846, Joseph became involved in politics. He supported republicanism for England, meaning he wanted the country to be a republic without a king or queen. He also supported "repeal" for Ireland, which meant ending British rule there. He believed land should be owned by the country, not by individuals. He started a weekly magazine called The People to share his political ideas. It became very popular, selling over 20,000 copies.

In 1847, Joseph traveled to America for six months. He also predicted the French Revolution of 1848 in his Companion to the Almanac. When he returned, he joined the Chartist movement in England. This movement wanted more rights for working people, like the right to vote for all men. Joseph believed in using peaceful ways to make these changes.

He faced some legal challenges because of his political activities. However, he was eventually set free. Around this time, his beliefs changed again, becoming more like deism, which is a belief in God based on reason, not on religious texts.

In 1851, Joseph and his family moved to Central Ohio in the United States. There, he joined the anti-slavery movement. He worked with famous abolitionist leaders like William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips Garrison. He also adopted the idea of nonresistance, meaning he believed in solving problems without violence.

Joseph settled in Nebraska and bought a large amount of land. In 1857, he started a long tour, giving lectures. He lectured every Sunday for eight months in Philadelphia. After visiting his family in Nebraska, he returned to Philadelphia for another eight months of lectures in 1858.

Return to England and Later Years

Joseph Barker sailed back to England in January 1860, landing in Liverpool. He went to Betley, his wife's hometown. His wife and children joined him later that year. When they arrived, Joseph was already involved in promoting Secularism, which means focusing on life on Earth rather than religious beliefs. He worked as an editor for a magazine called National Reformer, but he soon left that job.

After studying the Bible again, Joseph began to change his mind and return to his earlier Christian beliefs. He wrote about this journey in his publication, Barker's Review. In 1862, he became a speaker for a group in Burnley. He talked about good morals and often spoke positively about the Bible and Christianity.

He officially returned to his old religious faith. He preached for Methodist reformers in Wolverhampton. He also accepted invitations from the Primitive Methodists in Bilston and Tunstall. He joined their group as a local preacher and stayed with them until 1868.

Joseph's health was not good, and he was very sad when his wife died in Nottingham. He returned to America and stayed for a short time in Omaha, where his land had become very valuable. Then he moved east and made Philadelphia his main home. He printed books and pamphlets defending the Christian religion.

After spending the winter of 1874–1875 in Boston, he slowly traveled back to Omaha in the spring, visiting friends along the way. He died in Omaha on September 15, 1875, and was buried there. A few days before he passed away, he said he believed strongly in Jesus Christ and his teachings as described in the New Testament.

Works

Joseph Barker wrote many books and articles. Some of his other writings include:

• Christianity Triumphant, published in 1846.
• The Life of William Penn, a book about the famous Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania, published in 1847.
• Lectures on the Church of England Prayer-book, published in 1847.
• Confessions of Joseph Barker, a Convert from Christianity, a letter written in 1858.
• Life of Joseph Barker, written by himself, published in 1880 after his death. This book covered his life up to 1868, with more details added by his sons.