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's work includes 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. 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 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. 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.
Gulley's
latest book,
I Love You,
Miss Huddleston: And Other Inappropriate Longings of My Indiana
Childhood
is a memoir, recounting his coming-of-age
years in Danville.
He recently
finished writing
his 16th book entitled If the Church Were
Christian
which
will focus on a Christianity that is consistent with
Jesus' teachings and a church that encourages Jesus' example as
a model for living. The book explores those values that Gulley
believes the church should embrace in topics that will include
grace, reconciliation, peace, personal spiritual exploration,
and uplifting of the human spirit.
If the Church Were
Christian is scheduled for release by
HarperCollins
February 2, 2010.
