William Sloan Coffin

(1924–2006)

William Sloan Coffin — Yale University Chaplain during the 1960s, later Senior Minister of Riverside Church in New York City. One of the great voices of the American liberal Protestant tradition: a civil rights activist, anti-Vietnam War organizer, and advocate for nuclear disarmament. His Yale chaplaincy made him a central figure in campus ministry for a generation.

Connection

Bill Hutchinson met Coffin through his wife's uncle, Bill Webber — himself a figure in urban ministry. Bill invited Coffin to speak at the College of Marin and in Sonoma in the 1980s.

Why Herbert Would Be Delighted

Coffin inhabited the same theological and political world Herbert cares about deeply: mainline Protestant ministry, prophetic social engagement, and the intersection of faith and justice. As a Lutheran pastoral theologian, Herbert would have followed Coffin's ministry closely even if their paths never directly crossed. Knowing he's one degree away closes a meaningful gap.

Cross-Connections

• Michael Ramsey – both represent the ecumenical, socially engaged Protestantism of the mid-20th century