Jay and Ryan are taking a break, so we begin a new series with Matt Gilleskie (our producer) flying solo. In this episode, Matt introduces you to Lemuel Haynes, a remarkable pastor and activist living during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Haynes was the first African American ordained in any religious body in America, the first to receive an honorary graduate degree, and a pastor of character, commitment, and intense hope in the Sovereign God. This brother has much to teach us.

 For further reading…

• May We Meet in the Heavenly World: The Piety of Lemuel Haynes, Thabiti Anyabwile
• The Faithful Preacher: Recapturing the Vision of Three Pioneering African-American Pastors, Thabiti Anyabwile
• Sketches of the Life and Character of the Rev. Lemuel Haynes, Timothy Mather Cooley

 The books below are scholarly works and thus are quite expensive. I include them here because they may be available at your library or for online reading, if you are affiliated with an institution of higher education.

• Black Puritan, Black Republican: The Life and Thought of Lemuel Haynes, 1753-1833, John Saillant (note: “Republican,” as used in the title, denotes sympathy with the American cause against Great Britain and monarchy generally, not a contemporary political party)
• Black Preacher to White America: The Collected Writings of Lemuel Haynes, 1774-1833, edited by Richard Newman

Have questions or ideas for a future episode? Email them to [email protected].

Bespoken is a weekly podcast by Pastors, Jay Thomas and Ryan McKee. Each week we cover spiritual topics and issues that will help you grow closer to God and deeper in Christ. 

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