The Fighting Pastor

American Minute from William J. Federer

"In the language of the Holy Writ, there is a time for all things. There is a time to preach and a time to fight."

Thus ended the sermon of 30-year-old pastor John Peter Muhlenberg as he removed his clerical robes to reveal a uniform in the Continental Army.

After church, 300 men of his congregation rode off with him to join General Washington's 8th Virginia regiment.

Born OCTOBER 1, 1746, John Peter Muhlenberg died the same day in 1807.

After hearing Patrick Henry speak the famous words, "give me liberty or give me death," John Peter Muhlenberg approached General Washington and enlisted. Promoted to Major-General, he endured the freezing winter of Valley Forge and fought at Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Stonypoint and Yorktown.

John Peter Muhlenberg was elected Congressman and Senator. John's father, Henry Muhlenberg, was a founder of the Lutheran Church in America. John's brother, Frederick, also an ordained minister, was elected the first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Both John and Frederick served in the first session of Congress which passed the First Amendment.

In 1889, Pennsylvania placed a statue of John Peter Muhlenberg in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall.

William J. Federer is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and president of Amerisearch, Inc, which is dedicated to researching our American heritage. The American Minute radio feature looks back at events in American history on the dates they occurred, is broadcast daily across the country and read by thousand on the internet.