Guide to the Donald Grey Barnhouse Papers

The Donald Grey Barnhouse Papers, circa 1860s-2000s, includes correspondence, writings, subject files, vital records, photographs, audio recordings and other materials documenting the professional and personal life of Donald Grey Barnhouse, a popular evangelical minister and radio preacher who worked in Philadelphia from the 1920s until his death in 1960. The collection is particularly rich in material related to Barnhouse's Christian media ministry, which included the magazines Revelation and Eternity; "The Bible Study Hour" radio broadcasts; and the Evangelical Foundation, a non-profit organized by Barnhouse in the 1940s to produce religious publications and programming, and to manage his worldwide ministry.

The Barnhouse Papers provide biographical insight into the life and ministry of their creator, Donald Grey Barnhouse, a significant figure in early twentieth century Protestantism. Additionally, the collection contains extensive documentation of Barnhouse's multi-faceted ministry—as pastor of Philadelphia's Tenth Presbyterian Church, as Bible conference teacher, and as popular radio preacher. Moreover, the collection provides substantial insight into the Christian media empire built by Barnhouse under the auspices of the Evangelical Foundation. During the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, thousands of Americans tuned into Barnhouse's weekly radio program, bought subscriptions to Barnhouse's magazines, and traveled to hear Barnhouse preach and teach at events the world over. When Barnhouse died suddenly in 1960, numerous letters poured in from around the world, expressing their sorrow at the minister's passing. These facts evidence Barnhouse's enduring esteem among evangelical Christians, but also provide insight into the beliefs and practices of mid-twentieth century American evangelical Christians. Those interested in the history of American evangelicalism and fundamentalism, as well as those interested in the history of religious broadcasting, will derive much value from this collection.

The Donald Grey Barnhouse Papers are divided into six series: "Professional papers, 1910s-1969;" "Personal papers, 1896-1962;" "Clippings and printed matter, 1886-1975, bulk 1910-1960;" "Paul A. Hopkins biographical research on Donald Grey Barnhouse, 1887-2000s;" "Photographs and photograph albums, circa 1860s-1950s" and "Audio recordings, 1954-1961."

The "Professional papers, 1910s-1969" series contains subject files and articles, addresses, sermons, radio scripts and other materials written by Donald Grey Barnhouse. The series is divided into two subseries: "Subject and correspondence files, 1917-1969" and "Writings, 1910s-1961."

The "Subject and correspondence files, 1917-1969" subseries primarily consists of correspondence and printed matter related to Barnhouse's professional life. These papers are arranged into subject files containing related correspondence, reports, minutes and/or other documents. The majority of the subject files cover issues and topics that are related to the Evangelical Foundation, a non-profit organization established by Barnhouse to create and distribute evangelical media, and the magazines Eternity and Revelation, for which Barnhouse served as editor. Other subject files are related to Barnhouse's thoughts about foreign missionary work, his relations with the Presbyterian Church and his trial for heresy before the Church's leadership. Records related to the trial are filed under "Presbyterian Church in the USA vs. Donald G. Barnhouse." The subseries also contains correspondence that documents Barnhouse's interactions with influential twentieth century figures, notably Billy Graham, J. Edgar Hoover, Walt Disney, Kwame Nkrumah, J. Howard Pew, Harold Ockenga and others. The files in this subseries are arranged alphabetically by subject or correspondent.

The "Writings, 1910s-1961" subseries includes articles, sermons, Bible studies and other writings penned by Barnhouse. Materials in this subseries are in both draft and published forms. The bulk of this subseries are sermons, scripts, and Bible studies related to the "Bible Study Hour," Barnshouse's weekly radio broadcast. The materials in this subseries are arranged alphabetically by material type.

The "Personal papers, 1896-1962" series contains correspondence, notes, vital records, a diary and other materials related to Barnhouse's personal life. The series is divided into three subseries: "Correspondence, circa 1910s-1939;" "Education, 1904-1933" and "Vital records and ephemera, 1896-1962."

The "Correspondence, circa 1910s-1939" subseries contains personal letters, telegrams, postcards and correspondence written by and to Barnhouse. There are several files that contain correspondence to or from particular people; however, a majority of the correspondence is filed in general correspondence files and arranged chronologically.

The "Education, 1904-1933" subseries includes yearbooks, course notes, course work, study guides, writings, a play script, hymn book and book lists related to Barnhouse's schooling. The bulk of the material relates to Barnhouse's time as student at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA) during the 1910s. Other materials are related to his studies at Watsonville High School, Princeton Theological Seminary, the University of Grenoble, the University of Pennsylvania and the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Some course notes are in French. The material is arranged alphabetically by the name of the educational institution and material type.

The "Vital records and ephemera, 1896-1962" subseries consists of financial records, legal documents, a diary, a Bible translated into Amharic, an address book and an herbarium that were owned or produced by Donald Grey Barnhouse. The materials in this subseries are arranged alphabetically by material type.

The "Clippings and printed matter, 1896-1975, bulk 1910-1960" series contains clippings, books and other printed materials. Some of this material appears to have been owned and/or collected by Barnhouse himself, while other materials may have been gathered by Paul A. Hopkins. There are newspaper and magazine clippings that reflect both the mainstream and religious press' treatment of Barnhouse and his ministry. This series is arranged alphabetically by material type.

The "Paul A. Hopkins biographical research on Donald Grey Barnhouse, 1887-2000s" series contains notes, correspondence, printed matter and other material collected by Paul A. Hopkins, business manager of the Evangelical Foundation, during his research for a biography of Donald Grey Barnhouse. Of particular interest is Hopkins' transcript of an interview conducted in the 1960s with Barnhouse's sister, Mabel Jean Barnhouse, in which she shares memories of Barnhouse's first wife, Ruth, as well as memories of Barnhouse as a child. This series is arranged alphabetically by person or record type.

The "Photographs and photograph albums, circa 1860s-1950s" series contains photographic prints, ambrotypes, daguerreotypes and two photograph albums that visually depict Barnhouse, his family and friends, and his ministry. In particular, there are photographs of Barnhouse on various trips, both recreational and professional, in Korea, Germany, Austria, Italy and other places. There are also photographs of Barnhouse in England, where he frequently taught at the Keswick Convention, an annual gathering of evangelical Christians. Materials in this series are arranged alphabetically by subject.

The "Audio recordings, 1954-1961" series contains twelve reel-to-reel tape recordings. A majority of these recordings are of Barnhouse delivering sermons, both at Tenth Presbyterian Church and at speaking engagements outside of Philadelphia. Additionally, some of the recordings capture interviews with people who knew Barnhouse and that were familiar with his life and ministry. It is likely that these recordings were part of Paul A. Hopkins' biographical research. Materials in this series are arranged alphabetically.