Road Named for ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ Author

A stretch of U.S. 24 that runs through the capital has been dedicated to a local minister whose 1896 book asked readers, “What would Jesus do?”

The mile of the highway was designated as the Charles Sheldon Trafficway by the state Legislature.

Sheldon, who served as minister of Topeka’s Central Congregational Church and died in 1946, wrote the best seller “In His Steps.” In the book, a congregation that spurned a poor man promises to spend a year asking “What would Jesus do?”

The book gained new popularity in recent years as teens began donning “WWJD” bracelets.