Tex Sample (born December 28, 1934) is a specialist in church and society, a storyteller, author, and the Robert B. and Kathleen Rogers Professor Emeritus of Church and Society at the

St. Paul School of Theology Saint Paul School of Theology (SPST) is a United Methodist Church, United Methodist seminary in Leawood, Kansas, United States. In addition to the Kansas City area campus at United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, Church of the Resurrection ...

, a

United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, where he taught from 1967–1999. He has published four books about the

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

Background

Born in

Brookhaven, Mississippi Brookhaven is a small city in Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States, south of the state capital of Jackson. The population was 12,520 at the 2010 U.S. Census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County. It was named after the town of Brookhaven ...

, Sample received a BA from

Millsaps College Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History The college was founded in 1889–90 by a Confederate veteran, Major Reuben Webster M ...

, an M.Div. and Ph.D. from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, and a DD from

Coe College Coe College is a private liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was founded in 1851 and is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The college is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Associat ...

. A former cab driver, laborer, and oil field roustabout, he is a freelance speaker and consultant based in greater

Kansas City, MO Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

.Tex Sample
web site Retrieved May 2, 2015 A much sought-after lecturer, storyteller, workshop leader and consultant, Tex is a contributor to the DVD programs in the

Living the Questions Living the Questions (LtQ) is a “DVD and web-based curriculum" designed to help people evaluate the relevance of Christianity in the 21st century. Living the Questions was co-created by the Arizonan United Methodist ministers Jeff Procter-Murp ...

series. His most recent books are ''Earthy Mysticism'' (2008),Abingdon Press author page
Retrieved May 2, 2915 ''The Future of John Wesley's Theology'' (2012), and ''Human Nature, Interest, and Power: a Critique of Reinhold Niebuhr's Social Thought'' (2013). His father named him after Texanna Gillham, an African-American woman who was born in slavery and helped raise his father near

Center, Texas Center is a city in Shelby County, Texas. The population was 5,221 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is the county seat of Shelby County. It was named for its location near the center of Shelby County, not its location in Texas; it is near th ...

Books

*''Blue Collar Ministry: Facing Economic and Social Realities of Working People'', Judson Press, 1984, *''U.S. Lifestyles and Mainline Churches: A Key to Reaching People in the 90's'', Westminster John Knox Press, 1990, *''Hard Living People & Mainstream Christians'', Abingdon Press, 1993, *''Ministry in an Oral Culture-Living With Will Rogers, Uncle Remus, and Minnie Pearl'', Westminster John Knox Press, 1994, *''White Soul: Country Music, the Church, and Working Americans'', Abingdon Press, 1996, *''The Spectacle of Worship in a Wired World: Electronic Culture and the Gathered People of God'', Abingdon Press, 1998, *''The Loyal Opposition: Struggling With the Church on Homosexuality'', Tex Sample and Amy E. Delong, editors, Abingdon Press, 2000, *''Powerful Persuasion: Multimedia Witness in Christian Worship'', Abingdon Press, 2005 *''Blue Collar Resistance and the Politics of Jesus'', Abingdon Press, 2006 *''Earthy Mysticism: Spirituality for Unspiritual People,'' Abingdon Press, 2008 *''The Future of John Wesley's Theology: Back to the Future with the Apostle Paul,'' Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2012 *''Human Nature, Interest, and Power: a Critique of Reinhold Niebuhr's Social Thought,'' Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2013

References

External links

Personal websiteIndigenous Ministry in the Context of the United States
- originally published 1991
Pentecostals on Motorcycles
book review by Sample of ''Riders for God: The Story of a Christian Motorcycle Gang'' by Rich Remsberg, in ''

The Christian Century ''The Christian Century'' is a Christian magazine based in Chicago, Illinois. Considered the flagship magazine of US mainline Protestantism, the monthly reports on religious news; comments on theological, moral, and cultural issues; and reviews ...

'', March 7, 2001 p. 18–20
TexMix
- Stories of Earthy Mysticism with Tex Sample on DVD (from

)
"Baseball: A Spiritual Reminiscence"
by Tex Sample on ''

Patheos Patheos is a non-denominational, non-partisan online media company providing information and commentary from various religious and nonreligious perspectives. Upon its launch in May 2009, the website was primarily geared toward learning about re ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Sample, Tex Living people American sociologists 1934 births People from Brookhaven, Mississippi Millsaps College alumni Boston University School of Theology alumni Coe College alumni American United Methodist clergy Methodist writers