Harper Lee: United Methodist

Harper Lee receiving the Medal of Freedom from President Bush

Harper Lee used the words “Methodist” and “John Wesley” in the first pages of her classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and Methodism figured in her life as well as her fiction.

Lee’s death on Feb. 19, at 89, in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, brought expressions of sadness from fellow United Methodists.

There was also deep gratitude for her work, particularly “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a Depression-era tale of race relations in the Deep South, published in 1960.

“It’s not only a great piece of art, but it really is a grappling with America’s greatest problem,” said retired United Methodist Bishop Will Willimon, who led the North Alabama Conference.

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