Ralph Washington Sockman was the senior pastor of Christ Church in New York City from 1916 to 1961. He gained national prominence as the featured speaker on the weekly NBC radio program, National Radio Pulpit, which aired from 1928 to 1962.

In 1961, Time reported that Sockman was generally acknowledged as the best Protestant preacher in the U.S.” He was also an esteemed author. Some of his titles include : The Paradoxes of Jesus (1936), Live for Tomorrow (1943), Date With Destiny; A Preamble To Christian Culture (1944), The Lord’s Prayer (1947), and How to Believe, Answering the Questions that Challenge Man’s Faith (1953).