The Rev. Dr. Charles P. Price

Denomination: The Episcopal Church (TEC)
Organization: The Memorial Church at Harvard University

Rev. Dr. Charles P. Price (1920–1999)

The Rev. Dr. Charles Philip Price was a priest, theologian, preacher, and teacher whose work helped shape Episcopal preaching, theology, and worship in the second half of the twentieth century. Born on October 4, 1920, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Price brought an unusually wide intellectual range to his ministry, combining a rigorous analytical mind with a deep concern for the church’s public witness and pastoral life.

Price was educated at Harvard University, where he earned his B.A. in 1941. His early academic training included mathematics and the sciences, a background that contributed to the clarity, precision, and realism that marked both his preaching and theological writing. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy as an engineer, an experience that shaped his practical outlook and attentiveness to the pressures of real-world decision-making. Following the war, he pursued theological studies, earning his M.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1949 and his Th.D. from Union Theological Seminary in 1962.

Ordained a deacon and priest in 1949 in the Episcopal Church, Price began his ministry in parish settings before moving into theological education. He taught systematic theology at Virginia Theological Seminary beginning in the mid-1950s and quickly gained a reputation as a gifted teacher and preacher. From 1963 to 1972, he served as preacher to the university and chair of the Board of Preachers at Harvard University, occupying a prominent pulpit during a decade marked by cultural upheaval, political protest, and searching moral questions. His preaching from this period reflects a careful engagement with contemporary life, marked by theological depth, ethical realism, and a resistance to easy answers.

In 1972, Price returned to Virginia Theological Seminary as the William Meade Professor of Systematic Theology, a position he held until his retirement in 1989. Alongside his teaching, he played a significant role in the wider life of the Episcopal Church. He served on the Standing Liturgical Commission, the Board for Theological Education, and the General Convention, and was deeply involved in the development of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Price is widely regarded as one of the key architects of the church’s modern liturgical language, committed to worship that was both theologically rich and accessible to contemporary congregations.

Price was also a gifted church musician and hymn writer. He served on the committee on texts for The Hymnal 1982 and contributed hymn texts that remain in use, reflecting his conviction that theology should be sung as well as spoken. His published works, including Introduction to the Proposed Book of Common Prayer, Principles of Faith and Practice, A Matter of Faith, and Liturgy for Living, were written for the life of the church, addressing clergy and lay readers alike.

Known for his clarity of thought, moral seriousness, and pastoral restraint, Charles P. Price preached with an unsentimental honesty that invited listeners to take both God and human responsibility seriously. He died on October 13, 1999, in Alexandria, Virginia. His legacy endures in the language of Episcopal worship, in generations of students shaped by his teaching, and in sermons that continue to speak thoughtfully and faithfully to the complexities of human life.