Lyman Beecher (1775 to 1863)
Congregational Church
Soul winner and father.
Lyman Beecher was born in New Haven, Connecticut. Upon his graduation from Yale University at the age of 21, Yale's new president Timothy Dwight inspired him to become a revivalist. Lyman was ordained in 1799 and served for 33 years in churches of New York, Connecticut and Masachusetts. Then, traveling west to Cincinnati, Ohio, he spent the next 20 years as head of the newly established Lane Seminary. The dominating idea of Beecher's life was the promotion of revivals. He also strongly opposed Unitarianism. When asked as an old man what he considered the greatest thing in life, he replied, "It is not theology, it is not controversy, but it is to save souls."
