Fighting the higher battle: The life and times of Dr. Henry Hitt Crane
Abstract
Dr. Henry Hitt Crane was one of the most influential American Methodist ministers of the twentieth century. A gifted speaker, he became one of the most popular preachers in university chapels from the early 1920s to the early 1960s. Although he frequently preached on the Social Gospel, his special contribution was his fervent advocacy of pacifism. With other Methodist pacifists, he persuaded the Methodist Episcopal Church to adopt the position that the denomination would "not endorse, support, or propose to participate in war." Shortly after moving to Detroit in 1938, he became one of that city's leading liberal supporters of racial equality, civil liberties, and workers' rights. His involvement in liberal causes as well as his impact on American Protestantism caused sociologist Gerhard Lenski to say "in (Detroit) Protestant circles there have been few outstanding preachers, of whom Henry Hitt Crane of Central Methodist Church has probably been the most prominent." Born in Danfield, Illinois in 1890, Crane graduated from Wesleyan University (Conn.) in 1913 and completed his theological education at Boston University School of Theology in 1916. While serving as the pastor of a small Methodist Church in Gorham, Maine (1916-1918), he volunteered to serve as a YMCA chaplain to the American troops fighting in Europe during World War I. The fierce fighting he witnessed at the front lines caused him to become a lifelong pacifist. As Crane's speaking reputation spread, he receive invitations to speak at churches and on college campuses across the nation. He also served at some of Methodism's larger congregations, such as Centre M. E. Church in Newton, Massachusetts (1920-1928), Elm Park M. E. Church in Scranton (1928-1938), Pennsylvania, and Central Methodist M.E. Church in Detroit, Michigan (1938-1958). He died in 1977. A prominent leader in the peace movement, he played a major role in the Emergency Peace Campaign of the 1930s and helped found the Fellowship of Methodist Pacifists and SANE, the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy. In Detroit, he established chapters of such liberal organizations as the ACLU and the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
Recommended Citation
William Lawrence Elster,
"Fighting the higher battle: The life and times of Dr. Henry Hitt Crane"
(January 1, 1998).
ETD Collection for Wayne State University.
Paper AAI9827200.
http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/dissertations/AAI9827200
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