author

Samuel Philips

1823–1892

A 19th-century Reformed minister, he wrote warmly and at length about family life, marriage, parenting, and the spiritual meaning of home. His best-known work reflects a pastor’s desire to connect everyday domestic life with Christian teaching.

1 Audiobook

The Christian Home As it is in the Sphere of Nature and the Church; Showing the Mission, Duties, Influences, Habits, and Responsibilities of Home, its Education, Government, and Discipline; with Hints on "Match Making," and the Relation of Parents to the Marriage Choice of their Children; together with a consideration of the Tests in the Selection of a Companion, Etc.

The Christian Home As it is in the Sphere of Nature and the Church; Showing the Mission, Duties, Influences, Habits, and Responsibilities of Home, its Education, Government, and Discipline; with Hints on "Match Making," and the Relation of Parents to the Marriage Choice of their Children; together with a consideration of the Tests in the Selection of a Companion, Etc.

by Samuel Philips

About the author

Born near Hagerstown, Maryland, on June 14, 1823, Samuel Philips studied at Hagerstown Academy, graduated from Marshall College in 1847, and then trained at the theological seminary in Mercersburg. He was ordained in the late 1840s and served as a minister in the German Reformed Church, with pastorates in Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Philips is best remembered as the author of The Christian Home, first published in 1860. The book explores the duties, habits, and responsibilities of family life, with special attention to marriage, parenting, and religious education in the home. Its tone is practical and pastoral, aiming to guide ordinary households rather than write for specialists.

He died in 1892. Reliable biographical information available online is fairly limited, but the surviving record shows a writer and clergyman whose work centered on the moral and spiritual life of the family.