Dr. Madden was born in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

He was a graduate of Louisiana State University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as an Army Chaplain in World War II, and spent most of his life training chaplains and pastoral counselors.

He was pastor of St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Louisiana State Medical Center, and Director of Pastoral Care at Southern Baptist Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana.

He authored several books, including his most noted, The Power to Bless.

Dr. Madden held membership in the Association of Professional Chaplains, and the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, and the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.