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Common Knowledge

Other names: Ruffin, Bernard
Ruffin, Caulbert Bernard
Birthdate: 1947-11-22
Date of death: 2019-05-04
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., USA
Place of death: Washington, D.C., USA
Places of residence: Washington, D.C., USA
Loganton, Pennsylvania
Education: Bowdoin College (BA | History)
Yale Divinity School
Occupations: Lutheran Pastor
teacher
Organizations: Lutheran Church
Awards and honors: Phi Beta Kappa
Short biography: C. Bernard Ruffin (November 22, 1947 – May 4, 2019) was an American non-fiction author, as well as an educator, theologian, and a pastor.

Ruffin was a third-generation Washingtonian, born in 1947, and was a graduate of Roosevelt High School. He earned his A.B. in History in 1969 from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1972.

Ruffin served as intern pastor in Loganton, Pennsylvania, from 1972 to 1973. He was a parish assistant at Luther Place Memorial Church from 1973-1974 and Pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Virginia, from 1974 until 1976. He became a member of Holy Comforter Church in Washington, DC, in 1977.

Ruffin worked as a teacher at South Lakes High School in Reston, Virginia, where he taught history between 1982 and 2007 and wrote multiple books on various religious and historical topics. Ruffin lived in Reston until his death in 2019.

Before he died, he served as pastor at Holy Comforter Lutheran Church in Washington, D.C.

Members

Reviews

Fanny Crosby by Bernard Ruffin

Amidst the millions of committed Christians in each generation, a handful rise to special prominence. Learn more about their exciting and inspiring lives in Barbour's "Heroes of the Faith" series.Crosby was destined to encourage generations to come as she became the author of hundreds of hymns such as "Blessed Assurance" and "Sweet Hour of Prayer".

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phoovermt | 3 other reviews | May 13, 2023 |

Fanny Crosby: The Hymn Writer (Heroes of the Faith) by Bernard Ruffin

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WBCLIB | 3 other reviews | Feb 19, 2023 |

Heroes of the Faith: Fanny Crosby (1820-1915): The… by Bernard Ruffin

This is a good biography about a very important person in the Christian history of America. She was blind from a very young age and attended one of the early institutes for the education of the blind. She was a poet and able to produce very good lines very quickly and easily. Her greatest works were obviously inspired by the Lord. My favorite hymn that she wrote is "Blessed Assurance" but there are hundreds more. She was an extraordinary Christian woman. I share her belief that the downfall of America began when the family unit began to fall away.… (more)

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LilQuebe | 3 other reviews | Mar 19, 2019 |

Fanny Crosby (Heroes of the Faith) by Bernard Ruffin

An uneven but informative biography about a woman who, though blind from infancy, wrote thousands of poems, many of which were put to music. She is still beloved for her tireless contributions to Christian and secular music. This work is not a bad read, but it could have used some more editing.

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fuzzi | 3 other reviews | Sep 26, 2014 |

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