Bishop John S. Thornton is a thoughtful writer and preacher, a man of faith who can both raise attendance at any Episcopal Sunday worship service and flood the church office phones with demand for copies of his rousing sermons.
After publishing two collections of sermons-The Backside of God (2013) and Consider the Lilies (2014)-and selling hundreds of autographed copies by hand to his local followers, Bishop Thornton published a third book, Good Seed and Zizania, in 2016, using a different platform and extending its reach to readers on Amazon.
This new print-on-demand technology incited the author's willingness, indeed his enthusiasm, to republish The Backside of God. In the process, he decided to lengthen the book by adding, first three, then four, then five new sermons-all preached at Episcopal churches in either Lebanon or Salem, Oregon-as well as another, a sixth, preached at the annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho in 1991.
All in all, this is another must-have and must-read book by a priest and bishop beloved by many in the Episcopal Church. Order a copy for yourself and a friend. You will be touched and blessed.
About the Author: John Stuart Thornton was first ordained in the Congregational Church (now the United Church of Christ) and served in Pinedale, Wyoming and Salt Lake City, Utah. He completed his theological training at the San Francisco Theological Seminary (Presbyterian) in San Anselmo, California and was confirmed in the Episcopal Church in 1960.
Ordained deacon and priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming in 1962, he served as Curate of St. Peter's Church in Sheridan. In 1964, he was called to be Rector of Christ Church in Sausalito, California and, in 1969, was called to be Rector of St. Stephen's Church in Belvedere-Tiburon, California. In 1982, he and his wife, Jan, moved to a small farm near Scio, Oregon, from which he served as Vicar of Christ the King on the Santiam in Stanton.
In 1990, he was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho and retired in 1998. While serving as bishop, he founded St. Francis of the Tetons in the Teton Valley of Idaho and Wyoming. In 1997, he and Jan founded the Lillian Vallely School, a day school for children who live on the Fort Hall Reservation in eastern Idaho.
In his retirement, Bishop Thornton has served churches in Arizona, Idaho, North Dakota, Oregon, and Washington.
