Joseph Parker

1830-1902. English Congregational preacher. Born of humble, pious stock in Hexham, he was ordained in 1853 to the ministry in Banbury Congregational Church, though his formal education had ceased when he was sixteen. He moved to Cavendish Street Chapel, Manchester, in 1858, then went in 1869 to Poultry Chapel, London, which congregation built the City Temple, opened in 1874. There Parker ministered until his death, preaching twice a Sunday and every Thursday morning, and earning a reputation as one of the city's greatest pulpit masters, alongside Spurgeon and Liddon. His theology was the whole system of evangelical truth enshrined in the Apostles' Creed. With an impressive appearance, regal personality, commanding voice, impeccable diction, and histrionic manner, he preached authoritatively and appealingly. During 1885-92 he preached through the Bible, and these discourses were published in the twenty-five volumes of The People's Bible.