Born: Rockcastle County, Kentucky, March 18, 1851.
Died: Hanes City, Florida, April 7, 1924.

The subject of this sketch occupied a sort of midway position between the preachers of the old "Living Pulpit" and those of the present volume. He is worthy to represent both classes.

J. J. Haley was born in Rockcastle County, Kentucky, March 18, 1851. Was raised in Clark County on a farm near Winchester. Born in the mountains and brought up in the Blue Grass, a good combination of natal circumstances. He was educated in the common schools of the two counties, in Kentucky University, and North Western Christian University, of Indianapolis, now Butler College. Mr. Haley holds an M.A. degree from Kentucky University.

After preaching a year in Mississippi, was married to Miss Lizzie Clark April 13, 1874, in Woodford County, Kentucky, and started the next day for Australia. On May 27 Mr. Haley and his wife reached Sydney, New South Wales, and labored there with fair success for more than two years. In September, 1876, removed to Dunedin, New Zealand, and for over two years preached there for a large and flourishing church. A call coming from the Lygon St. church at Melbourne, Australia, the pioneer church of our Brotherhood in the Southern Hemisphere, Mr. Haley accepted, and for six years preached and did there, perhaps, the greatest work of his life. In the spring of 1885 he returned to the United States, preaching a year for the First church in San Francisco. Then two years at Midway, Kentucky. After spending the next two years in editorial work in St. Louis, in 1890 he went to England under the Foreign Christian Missionary Society where he labored for five years. Returning to the U. S. he began a nine year ministry at Cynthiana, Kentucky. The work at this place was very successful and a new stone church was built during Mr. Haley's pastorate. From Cynthiana, he removed to Richmond, Virginia, where he remained for over four years, retiring at the age of 57 and practically ending his pastoral ministry. He now lives at Acampo, Cal, near Lodi, where he is helping the weak churches as opportunity offers. He resided for a short time in Eustis, Florida, and preached for the church while there.

Mr. Haley has had a varied journalistic experience, being assistant editor of the Australian Christian Pioneer of Adelaide, South Australia; editor and founder of The Australian Christian Watchman, in Melbourne; co-editor of the Apostolic Guide, Louisville, Kentucky.; office editor of The Christian-Evangelist, St. Louis, and also contributing editor for a long time; editor-in-chief of the Christian Oracle and Christian Century, Chicago; editor of the Christian Monthly, Richmond, Virginia.; and assistant editor of The New Christian Quarterly and a few other minor papers. He has also written a few books and contributed to many more.

In 1915, the church at Melbourne, Australia, called Mr. Haley back to their jubilee celebration, paying all his expenses and a goodly sum besides. This mark of esteem, after thirty-one years of absence, together with the evident extent and permanence of the work he had done there, well repaid Mr. Haley for all his efforts.

As will be seen, Mr. Haley has had a wide experience as a preacher. A great many preachers are unable to see the world; and yet the best schooling is that received by travel. Mr. Haley has gained breadth by his travels; and yet no preacher among the Disciples is more firmly anchored to the fundamental principles of their religious movement, and few, if any, understand the movement better than does he.

As a preacher, he has too much brains to be popular with certain "two by four" critics; but he is a thinker rather than an elocutionist, and with thoughtful hearers, his message is always well received. His sermons are characterized by striking and forceful generalizations. As it has been said of him, "He preaches chunks." He recognizes that great sermons are not the result of spontaneous combustion, but come from the furnace of profound thinking and prayerful meditation. He discards entirely the notion that preaching is specially intended for the entertainment of the audience, or is mainly for the education of the audience, but holds strongly the conviction that preaching is for the saving of the audience. This conviction compels him to make very earnest work of his pulpit deliverances. He certainly gives no hospitality to unseemly catch word or references, for the purpose of gaining the attention of his hearers. He believes that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation and is content to preach it as a very serious message.

Socially he is a delightful companion. The editor of this volume has had the best of opportunity, in both this country and Europe, to know, and he states that the Disciples have few, if any, abler preachers among them than J. J. Haley. He is evangelical, but not sectarian, liberal but not latitudinarian, progressive but always true to Christian principles.