Rev. James Forbes

Rev. Dr. James Alexander Forbes Jr. is a prominent religious leader in American public life. He serves as senior minister emeritus of The Riverside Church, an interdenominational congregation on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and was the first African American minister to lead this multicultural church, serving for 18 years. Forbes was selected from more than 200 applicants to become senior minister of Riverside Church in New York. During his tenure, he continued the church's tradition of using the pulpit as a national platform for advocating social justice and civil rights.

Before his leadership at Riverside, Forbes built a distinguished academic career. He served as the Brown and Sockman Associate Professor of Preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and later became Union's first Joe R. Engle Professor of Preaching. Union named him the first Harry Emerson Fosdick Adjunct Professor of Preaching when he accepted the pastorate at Riverside. Forbes delivered the Lyman Beecher Lectures at Yale University, which informed his publication, "The Holy Spirit & Preaching."

In national and international religious circles, Forbes is recognized for his extensive preaching career and distinctive style. Ebony Magazine named him one of America's greatest Black preachers. In a Baylor University survey of seminary professors and editors of religious periodicals, Forbes was voted one of the "12 Most Effective Preachers" in the English-speaking world. At Riverside, he led the church in neighborhood redevelopment and hosted guests such as the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela. Following his address at the Democratic National Convention, Forbes led an interfaith rally and demonstration at Riverside Church as part of the church's Mobilization 2004 campaign.

Forbes founded the Healing of the Nations Foundation, a non-partisan, non-profit national ministry focused on healing and spiritual revitalization. The foundation encourages peace, justice, interfaith cooperation, and environmental responsibility. Forbes also serves as national minister of the Drum Major Institute and as the Harry Emerson Fosdick Distinguished Professor at Union Theological Seminary. He is the author of "Whose Gospel?: A Concise Guide to Progressive Protestantism," which addresses issues such as poverty, war, women's equality, racial justice, sexuality, and the environment, drawing on his longstanding commitment to civil rights and progressive Christianity.

Forbes has earned three degrees and has received 14 honorary degrees, including from Princeton University, Trinity College, and Colgate University. The Interfaith Alliance awarded him the Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award, and he received the Ossie Davis Human Rights Lifetime Achievement Award from the Westchester County Human Rights Commission. A featured TED speaker and frequent contributor to national media outlets, Forbes is recognized for his advocacy of spiritual renewal, social justice, and interfaith dialogue.