This week in Christian history: Peter Cartwright dies, papal infallibility challenged

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, September 24, 2023

Peter Cartwright dies – Sept. 25, 1872

This week marks the anniversary of when Peter Cartwright, a Methodist circuit rider known for his evangelizing on the American frontier and a widely read autobiography, died at 87.

A native of Virginia and raised in Kentucky, Cartwright joined the Methodist Episcopal Church after having a born-again experience at a camp meeting and later became a traveling evangelist.

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“Cartwright preached throughout Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois. It was not uncommon for him to speak three hours at a stretch, several times a week,” explained the Christian History Institute.

“Ten thousand came to Christ through him. He baptized them, organized them, and urged them to build churches. Recognizing a desperate need for preachers to lead these new converts, he backed the creation of Methodist colleges.”