author
Richard Heber Newton
1840–1914
A bold Episcopal priest and prolific writer, he became known for bringing modern scholarship and social questions into religious debate. His books and sermons made him a distinctive voice in the broad-church and Social Gospel currents of his time.
1 Audiobook
The Right and Wrong Uses of the Bible
by Richard Heber Newton
About the author
Born in Philadelphia in 1840, Richard Heber Newton was an American Episcopal clergyman who later became a prominent rector of All Souls' Church in New York City. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania and at the Philadelphia Divinity School, and he built a reputation as a preacher willing to engage directly with the intellectual and social issues of the late nineteenth century.
Newton is especially remembered for his role in the broad-church movement and for writing about religion in conversation with modern biblical criticism. He also took an active interest in public questions, including labor and social reform, and published works such as The Right and Wrong Uses of the Bible and Social Studies.
For readers today, his appeal lies in the way he tried to connect faith, scholarship, and everyday social life without losing a pastoral voice. He died in 1914, leaving behind a body of writing that reflects both the religious debates and the reforming energy of his era.