"Throughout his life Douglas Horton, a significant but surprisingly un-heralded twentieth-century religious leader, worked tirelessly for church and world unity under the broad banner of ecumenism. His efforts bore fruit in a variety of venues. Horton introduced Americans to the work of Swiss theologian Karl Barth through his translation of The Word of God and the Word of Man (1928). He was the chief architect of the denominational merger that formed the United Church of Christ (1957).

He presided over the transformation of the Harvard Divinity School from a near moribund institution to a significant center of religious learning (1955-1959). Toward the end of his life he helped orchestrate the Protestant presence at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). This book presents the first biography of Douglas Horton; it investigates the ecumenical movement as refracted through Horton's extraordinary career."--BOOK JACKET.