Peter's Fans (9)

Peter J. Gomes

Author profile

born

May 22, 1942 in Plymouth, Massachusetts , The United States

died

February 28, 2011

gender

male

website

http://www.memorialchurch.harvard.edu/

genre

Religion & Spirituality, Politics

About this author

edit data

Born May 22, 1942, in Boston, Massachusetts from Cape Verdean parents, Gomes graduated from Bates College in 1965 and Harvard Divinity School in 1968. He also spent time at the University of Cambridge and is now an Honorary Fellow of Emmanuel College, where The Gomes Lectureship is established in his name. Gomes was ordained as an American Baptist minister by the First Baptist Church of Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1968. Gomes remains a member of First Baptist and occasionally preaches there. Since 1970, he has served in the Memorial Church of Harvard University; and since 1974 as Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church. Also at Harvard, he serves as faculty adviser of The Harvard Ichthus. Gomes is a le...more Born May 22, 1942, in Boston, Massachusetts from Cape Verdean parents, Gomes graduated from Bates College in 1965 and Harvard Divinity School in 1968. He also spent time at the University of Cambridge and is now an Honorary Fellow of Emmanuel College, where The Gomes Lectureship is established in his name. Gomes was ordained as an American Baptist minister by the First Baptist Church of Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1968. Gomes remains a member of First Baptist and occasionally preaches there. Since 1970, he has served in the Memorial Church of Harvard University; and since 1974 as Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church. Also at Harvard, he serves as faculty adviser of The Harvard Ichthus. Gomes is a leading expert on early American religion. He has been a visiting professor at Duke University as well as UNC-Chapel Hill. In 2008 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Westfield State College.

Widely regarded as one of America’s most distinguished preachers, Professor Gomes has fulfilled preaching and lecturing engagements throughout the United States and Great Britain. He was named Clergy of the Year in 1998 by Religion and American Life. His New York Times and national best-selling books, The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart and Sermons, the Book of Wisdom for Daily Living, were published by William Morrow & Company. He has published in total ten volumes of sermons, as well as numerous articles and papers.

His most recent work, The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus, includes extensive commentary and observation on the interrelations of Church and State throughout history and particularly in recent US history. On September 15, 2008 he appeared on The Colbert Report to promote his book. During this interview, he also states that he was baptized Catholic and claims gospels are "a dime a dozen."

Gomes surprised many when he revealed in 1991 that he is gay, and has since become an advocate for wider acceptance of homosexuality in American society. However, he has stated that he has remained celibate.

A lifelong Republican, Gomes offered prayers at the inaugurals of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. However, in August 2006 he moved his registration to Democrat, supporting the gubernatorial candidacy of Deval Patrick, who would later become the first African-American elected governor of Massachusetts. (Gomes, 2006) In 2008 Henry Louis Gates featured Gomes and his family on the PBS documentary African American Lives 2. A DNA test showed that Gomes is related to the Fulani, Tikar, and Hausa peoples of West Africa. Gomes is also descended from Portuguese Jews through his paternal grandfather who was born in the Cape Verde Islands(less)

combine editions
Books by Peter J. Gomes

Average rating: 3.95 · 1,514 ratings · 187 reviews · 20 distinct works

	The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart 3.89 avg rating — 367 ratings — published 1996 — 7 editions	My rating:
	The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus: What's So Good About the Good News? 3.95 avg rating — 155 ratings — published 2007 — 9 editions	My rating:
	Sermons: Biblical Wisdom For Daily Living by Peter J. Gomes, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Henry L. Gates 4.12 avg rating — 32 ratings — published 1998 — 7 editions	My rating:
	The Good Life: Truths That Last in Times of Need 3.51 avg rating — 41 ratings — published 2002 — 4 editions	My rating:
	Strength for the Journey: Biblical Wisdom for Daily Living 3.90 avg rating — 20 ratings — published 2003 — 2 editions	My rating:
	House of Worship: Sacred Spaces in America by Peter J. Gomes, Dominique Browning (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 4.80 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2006	My rating:
	Lent: Interpreting the Lessons of the Church Year (Proclamation 6, Series a, Vol 3) 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1985 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Teach Yourself Classical Music 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1995 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Eye Contact 3.77 avg rating — 40 ratings — published 1994 — 9 editions	My rating:
	The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus: What's So Good about the Good News? [With Earbuds] by Peter J. Gomes, Patrick Girard Lawlor (Narrator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	My rating:

More books by Peter J. Gomes…

Quotes by Peter J. Gomes

“Mystery is not an argument for the existence of God; mystery is an experience of the existence of God.”
― Peter J. Gomes

6 people liked it

“It is interesting to me to note that those who most frequently call for fair play are those who are advantaged by the play as it currently is, and that only when that position of privilege is endangered are they likely to benefit from the change required to "play by the rules." What if the "rules" are inherently unfair or simply wrong, or a greater good is to be accomplished by changing them? When the gospel says, "The last will be first, and the first will be last," despite the fact it is counterintuitive to our cultural presuppositions, it is invariably good news to those who are last, and at least problematic news to those who see themselves as first.”
― Peter J. Gomes, The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus: What's So Good About the Good News?

5 people liked it

“The question should not be "What would Jesus do?" but rather, more dangerously, "What would Jesus have me do?" The onus is not on Jesus but on us, for Jesus did not come to ask semidivine human beings to do impossible things. He came to ask human beings to live up to their full humanity; he wants us to live in the full implication of our human gifts, and that is far more demanding.”
― Peter J. Gomes, The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus: What's So Good About the Good News?

3 people liked it

See all Peter J. Gomes's quotes »

Peter's Fans (9)

Peter J. Gomes

Author profile

combine editionsBooks by Peter J. Gomes

Quotes by Peter J. Gomes

combine editions
Books by Peter J. Gomes