With few foreseeable opportunities ahead of him, Charles Tindley, son of an enslaved man, taught himself to read and write. He eventually rose to become pastor of a Philadelphia church, and an accomplished hymn writer.
Charles Albert Tindley
In 1851 in Berlin, Maryland, Esther Tindley gave birth to a little boy. Esther's husband, Charles, was a slave, but Esther herself was a free woman, and therefore their son, whom they named Charles Albert, was born free.
Though technically free, young Charles Albert Tindley was not given any sort of formal education. His mother died when he was a child, and he was soon thereafter separated from his father. He worked as a hired hand alongside slaves, and it wasn't until after the Emancipation Proclamation that Charles began to teach himself how to read and write.
At seventeen, Charles married Daisy Henry. The couple moved to Philadelphia where Charles began working as a sexton at Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church. Desiring to become a minister, Tindley took evening and correspondence courses from Boston University to earn his degree in divinity, while at the same time maintaining his job and supporting his family. He also taught himself Greek and Hebrew to gain a better understanding of the Bible in its original languages.
Pastor Tindley
After earning his degree, Charles served as a pastor in both New Jersey and Delaware, where he became an elder.
Then in 1902, Tindley was asked to come back to Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church, but this time as pastor. The church congregation eventually swelled from about 200 members when Charles began to about 12,500 at the time of his death in 1933. In 1927, the church was renamed Tindley Temple Methodist Church, despite Charles's objections.
The diversity of Tindley Temple's congregation bore witness to the pastor's stance on civil rights: with members of different races and cultures, and with both whites and blacks serving in leadership, the church experienced a level of integration most rare for its time.
Charles Tindley: The Hymns
Charles Tindley wrote around fifty hymns during his lifetime, and he is now known as one of the founding fathers of gospel music. Many of his songs speak of endurance through hardships, steadfast hope, and the assurance of victory in Christ. A few of his most famous hymns are:
- "I'll Overcome Some Day": the basis for the song "We Shall Overcome," the anthem of the Civil Rights movement of the '60s;
- "We'll Understand It Better By and By": encourages the weary believer that the purpose of life's trials will be better understood when reflecting on them in heaven;
- "Stand By Me": the inspiration for Ben E. King's 1961 hit by the same name;
- "Leave It There": inspired by Pastor Tindley's advice, based on 1 Peter 5:7, to one parishioner, "Put all your troubles in a sack, take 'em to the Lord, and leave 'em there!"
Charles Tindley: Man of Determination; Man of Faith
With his evident hard work, perseverence, and faith, Tindley overcame the obstacles that could so easily have impeded him, leaving a lasting impact on the world around him, both as a pastor as well as a songwriter. And, within the lyrics of his hymn "Leave It There," he offers hope and guidance for all those seeking to do the same: "If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out. Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there."
Sources
- "About Charles A. Tindley." Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School online.
- "Bye and Bye." Hurricane Brass Band online: 2009.
- "Charles Albert Tindley." Cyberhymnal.org.
- Cottrill, Robert. "Today in 1933 - Charles Tindley Died." Wordwise Hymns: 2010.
- Hawn, Michael C. "Charles Albert Tindley." The Calvin B. Taylor Museum online.
Sarah McCabe - Sarah scooted around from country to country as a Foreign Service kid, got her BA in linguistics at the College of William and Mary in ...
