Leslie Weatherhead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Reverend Leslie Weatherhead CBE |
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Weatherhead in 1936
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| Religion | Nonconformist Christianity |
| Church | City Temple, London (1936–1960) |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | English |
| Born | Leslie Dixon Weatherhead 14 October 1893 London, England |
| Died | 5 January 1976 (aged 82) |
| Senior posting | |
| Title | President of the Methodist Conference |
| Period in office | 1955–1956 |
| Predecessor | W. Russel Shearer |
| Successor | Harold Crawford Walters |
Leslie Dixon Weatherhead (born October 14, 1893 – died January 5, 1976) was an important English Christian thinker and speaker. He was famous for his powerful sermons at the City Temple church in London. He also wrote many books, including The Will of God, The Christian Agnostic, and Psychology, Religion, and Healing.
Leslie Weatherhead's Life
Leslie Weatherhead was born in London, England, in 1893. He studied to become a Methodist minister. His training was cut short by the First World War. In 1915, he became a minister in Farnham, Surrey.
After working in India, Manchester, and Leeds, Weatherhead became the minister of the City Temple in London. This was a Congregational church, a type of Christian church where each local church makes its own decisions. He served there from 1936 until he retired in 1960.
During the Second World War, the City Temple church was badly damaged by bombs. Weatherhead continued his ministry with help from a nearby church. After the war, he worked hard to raise money to rebuild the City Temple. Much of the money came from John D. Rockefeller, a very wealthy American businessman. The new City Temple opened in 1958.
Even though some people disagreed, Weatherhead was chosen to be the President of the Methodist Conference for 1955–1956. This is a very important leadership role in the Methodist Church. In 1959, he was given a special award, the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), for his work.
In 1960, Weatherhead retired and moved to Bexhill-on-Sea. He passed away in 1976.
Many books have been written about Leslie Weatherhead's life. These include Dr. Leslie Weatherhead of the City Temple for young people, and Leslie Weatherhead: A Personal Portrait written by his son.
Weatherhead's Christian Beliefs
Leslie Weatherhead was known as a liberal Christian. This means he believed in looking at Christian faith in a way that fits with modern knowledge and ideas.
He thought of God as a loving "Father." He believed that God is very powerful and important, but also personal enough to have a direct relationship with people. Weatherhead understood that God cares for everyone. He also thought that even though there is suffering in the world, it doesn't mean God isn't loving.
Weatherhead had some unique views on parts of the Bible and Jesus's life. He believed the Bible is a collection of writings that show how people slowly came to understand God better. He felt that Jesus Christ showed the best example of God's true nature.
He believed that anything in the Bible that seemed to go against Jesus's message of "love, liberty, joy, and forgiveness" should be questioned.
Leslie Weatherhead's Books
Leslie Weatherhead wrote many books during his life. Some of his well-known works include:
- After Death: A Popular Statement of the Modern Christian View of Life Beyond the Grave (1923)
- The Transforming Friendship. A Book about Jesus and Ourselves (1928)
- Psychology in Service of the Soul (1929)
- Why Do Men Suffer? (1935)
- This Is the Victory (1940)
- The Will of God (1944)
- Psychology, Religion, and Healing (1951)
- That Immortal Sea: A Book of Sermons (1953)
- Over His Own Signature: A Devotional Study of Christ's Pictures of Himself and of Their Relevance to Our Lives Today (1955)
- Key Next Door and Other City Temple Sermons (1960)
- The Christian Agnostic (1963)
