The Civil War Chaplain Who Challenged Power

In 1900, Rev. George Pentecost caused a national stir when he preached a sermon criticizing the charitable contributions of powerful industrialist John D. Rockefeller. Pentecost denounced Rockefeller’s “tainted wealth,” declaring that his vast donations were less welcome than “the dimes of the poor.”

Born in Albion, Illinois, in 1842, George Frederick Pentecost was the author of numerous books, including The Birth and Boyhood of Christ, Christian Imperialism, Out of Egypt, Forgiveness of Sin, and a collection of lectures on conditions in British East India. These lectures were delivered after he spent two years as a special commissioner to English-speaking Brahmins in India. Frequently outspoken, Pentecost was a critic of Western imperialism in Asia and was equally concerned about the neglect of the poor both at home and abroad.

At age 15, Pentecost was apprenticed to a printer and soon experienced a religious awakening during a revival in Henderson, Kentucky. After being baptized in the Ohio River, he attended college in Kentucky and began his ministry as a Presbyterian preacher just as the Civil War was breaking out. He served as chaplain of the 8th Kentucky Cavalry Regiment (Union Army), stationed primarily in Kentucky and Tennessee.

After the war, Reverend Pentecost led congregations in Greencastle and Evansville, Indiana, followed by a church in Covington, Kentucky. In 1868, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he pastored several churches. From 1871 to 1880, he served in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 1887, having earned a Doctorate in Theology, Pentecost turned his attention to evangelical work in Scotland. He then traveled to India and later served at a church in England. Upon returning to the United States, he led the First Presbyterian Church of Yonkers, New York, and became involved with the American Board of Foreign Missions, which which took him on travels to Japan, China, and the Philippines.

For many years, Pentecost was a close associate of renowned revivalist Dwight L. Moody. The founder of many schools and churches—including the Moody Bible Institute and Moody Publishers—Moody was one of the most influential evangelists of his time. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was named in his honor.

Proud of his Civil War service, Pentecost was a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

Rev. George Pentecost died on August 7, 1920, at age 77, after suffering a heart attack aboard a train en route from Darien, Connecticut, to New York City. By the time the train reached Grand Central Terminal, he had passed away. At the time of his death, he was serving as pastor of the Bethany Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and was preparing to embark on another missionary journey abroad. He was buried at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.