William Montgomery Brown
Encyclopedia
William Montgomery Brown (1855 – 1937), sometimes called "Bad Bishop" Brown, was an Anglican clergyman and author. Brown, of Galion, Ohio
was consecrated a Bishop
of the Episcopal Church
, but is best remembered as the first Anglican Bishop to be tried for heresy
since the Reformation
, and the first of any creed in America to be deposed for heretical teachings.
, socialism
, and Communism
during the 1910s, to author of Communism and Christianism (1920), dramatically increased and challenged his influence in the church. It led to his heresy trial by the House of Bishops in 1924-25.
There he tried to prove to his fellow Bishops that they did not believe in a strict interpretation of the Bible any more than he then did. While awaiting the final verdict on his deposition as Bishop in October 1925, he was offered a place in both the Russian Orthodox Church
and the Old Catholic Church
. He opted for the latter and was consecrated an Old Catholic bishop in a ceremony conducted in his own study (originally St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church) in Galion. Because Old Catholic orders were accepted as valid by the Episcopal Church in the USA, Bishop Brown's position as a bishop in Apostolic Succession
could not be challenged by his former church. Many Old Catholic bishops and churches of the present count Bishop Brown as in the line of succession of their bishops.
Brown felt that his real ministry began at age 71 when he started lecturing to the working class and writing a wider variety of books. This continued until his death in 1937.
Brownella Cottage in Galion Ohio was Brown's home from its construction 1885-1887 until his death, except for the years in Arkansas. It was built for Brown and his wife, Ella Scranton Bradford, by her niece and adopted daughter, Mary Scranton Bradford, the wealthy philanthropist of Cleveland. The house reflected both the Bradford wealth and the high style of 1880s architecture in the United States. The house still stands as part monument to Brown, part museum for the town of Galion.
Galion, Ohio
Settlers arrived in the area as early as 1817. The location was at the crossroads of a north-south road from Columbus to Portland , and the east-west route that later became the Lincoln Highway and subsequently the Harding Highway....
was consecrated a Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
, but is best remembered as the first Anglican Bishop to be tried for heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
since the Reformation
Reformation
- Movements :* Protestant Reformation, an attempt by Martin Luther to reform the Roman Catholic Church that resulted in a schism, and grew into a wider movement...
, and the first of any creed in America to be deposed for heretical teachings.
Biography
Brown's evolution from Anglican missionary priest at Grace Episcopal Church (1883–1891), to author of The Church for America (1895), which explained the beliefs of the Episcopal Church, to Bishop of Arkansas (1899-1912), to finding an interest in MarxismMarxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
, socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, and Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
during the 1910s, to author of Communism and Christianism (1920), dramatically increased and challenged his influence in the church. It led to his heresy trial by the House of Bishops in 1924-25.
There he tried to prove to his fellow Bishops that they did not believe in a strict interpretation of the Bible any more than he then did. While awaiting the final verdict on his deposition as Bishop in October 1925, he was offered a place in both the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
and the Old Catholic Church
Old Catholic Church
The term Old Catholic Church is commonly used to describe a number of Ultrajectine Christian churches that originated with groups that split from the Roman Catholic Church over certain doctrines, most importantly that of Papal Infallibility...
. He opted for the latter and was consecrated an Old Catholic bishop in a ceremony conducted in his own study (originally St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church) in Galion. Because Old Catholic orders were accepted as valid by the Episcopal Church in the USA, Bishop Brown's position as a bishop in Apostolic Succession
Apostolic Succession
Apostolic succession is a doctrine, held by some Christian denominations, which asserts that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles, from the first century to the present day, have inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power, and responsibility that were...
could not be challenged by his former church. Many Old Catholic bishops and churches of the present count Bishop Brown as in the line of succession of their bishops.
Brown felt that his real ministry began at age 71 when he started lecturing to the working class and writing a wider variety of books. This continued until his death in 1937.
Brownella Cottage in Galion Ohio was Brown's home from its construction 1885-1887 until his death, except for the years in Arkansas. It was built for Brown and his wife, Ella Scranton Bradford, by her niece and adopted daughter, Mary Scranton Bradford, the wealthy philanthropist of Cleveland. The house reflected both the Bradford wealth and the high style of 1880s architecture in the United States. The house still stands as part monument to Brown, part museum for the town of Galion.
Works
- The crucial race question; or, Where and how shall the color line be drawn. 1907
- Communism and Christianism, analyzed and contrasted from the Marxian and Darwinian points of view. At least after 1928, Galion, Ohio, Bradford Brown educational company, inc.
- Teachings of Marx for girls and boys. 1935
- Human meaning of Christian doctrines
- My heresy; the autobiography of an idea. New York, John Day, 1926.
- Why I am a Communist. Galion, Ohio, Bradford Brown Publ. Co., 1932 .
- Communism, the new faith for a new world. Bishop Brown's appeal to Chicago's World Parliament of Religion [sub-title from cover]. Galion, Ohio The Bradford-Brown Educational Co. 1935
- Science and History: For Girls and Boys
- The Christian Way Out: A Criticism
- The Level Plan for Church Union
- The Bankruptcy of Christian Supernaturalism from the Viewpoint of the Trial
- The Bankruptcy of Christian Supernaturalism from the Viewpoint of Other Heretics in the Episcopal Church
- The Bankruptcy of Christian Supernaturalism from the Viewpoint of the World and the Church
- The Bankruptcy of Christian Supernaturalism from the Viewpoint of Science
- The Bankruptcy of Christian Supernaturalism from the Viewpoint of Philosophy
- The Bankruptcy of Christian Supernaturalism from the Viewpoint of Sociology
- The Bankruptcy of Christian Supernaturalism from the Viewpoint of the Bible
- The Bankruptcy of Christian Supernaturalism from the Viewpoint of History
Further reading
- In the Matter of the Presentment of Bishop William Montgomery Brown Church Advocate's Brief on Appeal (1924)
- William Montgomery Brown