Leslie Dixon Weatherhead (14 October 1893 – 5 January 1976) was an English Christian theologian in the liberal Protestant tradition. Weatherhead was noted for his preaching ministry at City Temple in London and for his books, including The Will of God, The Christian Agnostic, and Psychology, Religion, and Healing.
Life
Weatherhead was born in London in 1893. He trained for the Wesleyan Methodist ministry at Richmond Theological College, in south-west London. The First World War cut short his training, and he became Methodist minister at Farnham, Surrey, in September 1915. After serving in India, Manchester, and Leeds, Weatherhead became the minister of the City Temple, a Congregational Church on Holborn Viaduct in London. He served there from 1936 until his retirement in 1960. From 1930 till 1939, Weatherhead was a member of Frank Buchman's Oxford Group and wrote several books reflecting the group's values, including Discipleship and The Will of God. He often symbolised the "head" of the Oxford Group London.
His book This is the Victory was first printed in 1940 (preface dated November 1940) and reprinted in March 1942. In the period of time between these two editions, the City Temple was "gutted by fire from incendiary bombs dropped from enemy aeroplanes". He was able to continue his ministry thanks to the nearby Anglican St Sepulchre-without-Newgate church. After the war, Weatherhead raised the funds to rebuild the City Temple, largely from John D. Rockefeller. The City Temple is now a congregation of the United Reformed Church.
Despite opposition, Weatherhead was elected as President of the Methodist Conference for 1955–1956. The re-built City Temple was opened in the presence of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in October 1958. In the 1959 New Year Honours he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). In 1960, Weatherhead retired to live at Bexhill-on-Sea. He died in 1976.
The three books of his sermons which Weatherhead considered his best were That Immortal Sea, Over His Own Signature and Key Next Door.
Three biographies of Leslie Weatherhead have appeared: in 1960, for young people, Dr. Leslie Weatherhead of the City Temple by Christopher Maitland; in 1975 Leslie Weatherhead: A Personal Portrait by his son A. Kingsley Weatherhead, a professor of English; and most recently in 1999 Doctor of Souls: Leslie D. Weatherhead 1893–1976 by John C. Travell.
Theology
Weatherhead is identified as a liberal Christian. He believed in a God whom he felt most comfortable referring to as "Father." He felt that the Creator was higher on a scale of values, but that God must also be personal enough to interact in a direct relationship with people. Weatherhead understood that God cared for humankind, but that some would find this difficult (since suffering exists in the world). If "God is love" it would be difficult to deny God's Providence.