Philip Gulley is a Quaker pastor
and beloved writer and speaker from
Danville, Indiana. He has become the voice of small-town
American life.
Gulley has published 16 books, including the acclaimed Harmony series of novels
chronicling life in the eccentric Quaker community of Harmony,
Indiana and the best selling Porch Talk series of
inspirational and
humorous stories.
Gulley's
memoir, entitled
I Love You,
Miss Huddleston: And Other Inappropriate Longings of My Indiana
Childhood, recounts
his coming-of-age
years in Danville, Indiana.
His
most recently published book, If the Church Were
Christian,
focuses on a Christianity that is consistent with
Jesus' teachings and a church that encourages Jesus' example as
a model for living. In addition, Gulley and co-author James Mulholland describe their progressive worldview in their books, If Grace Is True and
If God Is Love.
Gulley's latest
theological endeavor is set to be released in the Summer of
2011. Though many Christians speak of an unchanging faith
passed down from the first disciples, it is clear Christianity
has dramatically evolved over the centuries. In The
Next Christianity: A God We Can Live With, Gulley
articulates a Christianity that, while faithful to the
priorities of Jesus, can help its adherents live happily,
peacefully, and productively in our complex world
Gulley was raised in Danville,
Indiana where he lives today with his wife, Joan, and their sons,
Spencer and Sam, in a rambling house with Gulley’s eclectic chair
collection (sixty-four at last count) and a welcoming porch. Many of
his characters and recollections are taken from his boyhood in this
small Midwestern town.
Gulley attended Marian College in
Indianapolis where he studied theology and sociology. He then enrolled at Christian Theological Seminary
where he received his Master of Divinity in 1992. While in seminary, he
became the pastor of Irvington Friends Meeting in Indianapolis and
began writing essays for the church's newsletter. Paul Harvey, Jr.
received those newsletters and shared them with a publisher. A few
months later, the publisher invited Gulley to publish his essays,
which became his first book, Front Porch Tales. He has been
writing ever since.
Gulley is currently the the
pastor at Fairfield Friends Meeting near Indianapolis.
Additionally, he hosted the television program
Porch Talk
with Phil Gulley on the Indiana PBS affiliate
WFYI and their
flagship show Across Indiana, for which he received
Emmy®
Awards in 2007 and 2009. He also writes the popular monthly Home
Again column for Indianapolis Monthly Magazine.
In 2010, Christian Theological Seminary awarded Gulley an
honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
