Tonight at work—workstudy position at my University’s library, where my current project is to make spreadsheets of the early yearbooks and I sometimes have to do some light research people from said books—I learned about one man’s sad life, so settle in for the story of Rev. Mims Thornbrough “Thorny” Workman.
Thorny was born in Conway, Arkansas in 1895 to Rev. James Workman and Margeret Workman (née Thornbrough). He graduated from Henderson-Brown College (now Henderson State University) where his father was president (and his brother would also become president years later) in 1916.
Now a Methodist minister himself, Rev. Thorny became a professor at Southern Methodist University. He was beloved by students but was a controversial preacher, once accused—though later cleared—of heresy in 1922. Things got worse for Thorny in 1925. On April 5th he gave a talk decrying the “strong-arm, revivalistic” methods of evangelism he was taught (by his father and others). He made no reference to Jesus or the Bible, and his speech had no objection from the congregation. However, SMU president Dr. Charles Selecman heard about this and accused Thorny of denying the divinity of Christ. Despite having not done that and the backing of all his students, Thorny was fired. He taught at other schools including Vanderbilt, and retired to Missouri in 1956.
Thorny died in St. Louis, MO in 1973. In fact, by all accounts he actually died at a funeral home. I’m not sure whether he knew he was dying and was planning his funeral, was attending someone else’s, or through some sad, ironic fate speaking in his capacity as a minister.
Thus was the life of Rev. Mims Thornbrough “Thorny” Workman, a possibly heretical preacher who may actually have fallen over dead while preaching.