matthew Morgan and Melissa Rogers
Matthew Morgan, Collinsville, Alabama native is a graduate of the same Yale Divinity School as Barack Obama's pastor Otis Moss IIIrd.
Melissa Rogers, one of the brightest lights in the progressive movement of Baptist Work in the world today has Alabama ties as her grandparents were key figures in Baptist work in Birmingham in the 50's and 70's as founding members of Baptist Church of the Covenant, which has become a favorite congregation of SBC President Jim Henry's daughter,Kate Campbell.
Melissa has been called brilliant by none other than David Currie who graced Collinsville Baptist Church Feb 24, 2002 along with Alabama Baptist blueblood Mark Baggett and others.
In April Currie will convene a gathering in Texas that features John McCain's former pastor in Phoenix, Richard Jackson.
Melissa will be a featured speaker at Currie's Texas event with McCain's pastor.
It will be folks like Matthew and Melissa who explaing Barack Obama and the Black church to deacons and members of Collinsville Baptist and the myriad churches like them across America in the heartland.
Melissa Spoke to that hope today in a blog I will reference below.
Here is the problem from yesterday's Wash Post as I am certain Matthew understands it, as struggled with by his Yale Div Brother in Christ, Obama's Pastor Moss:
It is an insight that could forecast more tension for Obama, who had hoped to distance himself from Wright while reaffirming his bond with the black church that still reveres him.
"There are two narratives that have been created with what's going on right now," Moss said. "There's the narrative of the African American church community that understands what has happened, that knows [Wright's] record and his legacy. And then there's the narrative of the wider community that doesn't understand.
"Part of this is indicative of the fact that our two communities still see the world very differently. There's a divide there, a gap that history will have to correct."
And in the Major Development section is the thinking of Melissa Rogers as we have coincidentallyfound common ground in the last few days.
From the discussion at Baptist Life.com:
Re: Obama on his pastor
by Stephen Fox on Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:42 pm
Rick:What some commentators are saying and I was thinking before they said it is, if nothing else we have a classic teachable moment here.I was at Furman Monday night to hear Randall Balmer, and found out while there Charles Marsh's hero of the Orangeburg Massacre Cleveland Sellers was speaking at another forum on campus.I got off a question about Wright to Sellers and had several conversations afterwords with black educators at the event; and later a promising black Furman Senior I first me couple years ago while at the Furman pastors school.There seemed to be a consensus it will take white folks of some good reputation who understand the black church experience to translate to otherwise good white folk who are numbed by Wright's words just what is going on.In North Carolina I would nominate Richard Kremer of St. John's Baptist Church in Charlotte, married to the former attorney for SC Baptists Preston Callison who was raised at FBC Columbia under the preaching of Ed Young, with Harry Dent's daughters Ginny and Holly.Also Charles Kimball of Wake Forest, Tony Cartledge of Campbell Div, a host of Willimon's friends from Duke; there should be an endless list.Have them tour the state with Dean Smith, a good lifelong Baptist layman, even Bill Friday.Pat Anderson of the CBF and Furman grad about the time of Marshall Frady; Anderson's son is a staffer in the current Governor's office in North Carolina. Let him travel around with this group.Let North Carolina Baptists and other evangelicals of discernment be a beacon on this matter.In Texas there is a golden opportunity to bring John McCain's former pastor Richard Jackson up to speed with a conference David Currie is having. Let them do major tribute to the legacy of TB Matson and Bill Moyers.Here is the lineup from Curries newsletter just today:
Dr. W. David Sapp will be the first speaker, addressing the topic, "The Bible Speaks on Ethics." Dr. Sapp is senior pastor of Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He and I worked together many years ago, with Foy Valentine, on the staff of the SBC Christian Life Commission in Nashville. Dr. Richard Jackson will then speak on "The Bible Speaks on Evangelism." Richard is a true hero of mine and is currently serving as president of the Jackson Center for Evangelism and Encouragement in Brownwood, after serving many years as pastor of North Phoenix Baptist Church. After dinner, another hero of mine, Dr. Jimmy R. Allen, will speak on "The Church Applies Ethics and Evangelism." Dr. Allen set a great example as long-time pastor of First Baptist Church, San Antonio, by combining social ministries and evangelistic outreach.
Hopefully they would enlist Dallas Mayor Kirk who was light years a better choice in the last Texas Senate Race but was defeated by the Rove and Land and Bush forces that gave America the great political ally of Judge Roy Moore, Senator Cronyn.What a shame, a dark legacy of Criswellism in the state.And of course Chandler Davidson from Rice. This board in particular with maybe the exception of Gourley and Bdid could learn tons of political ethics and history from this colleague of Billy Graham biographer Bill Martin.What better way to put some timely guts to the promise of the Atlanta Baptist Covenant.Not to endorse Obama overf Hillary, or either over McCain; but to bring some sanity to this matter which if this board is any indication persists in mangling in noise that must bring strain to the ears of our Saviour here in the Holiest of Weeks, not to mention Martin and Abraham
Stephen Fox
Posts: 615
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:29 pm
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major development
by Stephen Fox on Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:53 pm
Melissa Rogers and I are on the same pageHere is what she said in her blog of yesterday. DAvid Currie has said she is brilliant and she is.And me having a similar idea, well that elevates my reputation a little all fair minded people would have to conclude
Here's one rough idea for taking that next step. Those associated with the New Baptist Covenant could ask a group of Christians of different races and political persuasions to write brief essays about race and religion and perfecting our faith and our country. Those essays could be posted on a website and meetings could be organized in a variety of cities across America on a series of Sunday afternoons that would use these essays as starting points for conversation. The meetings would be moderated by a few respected Christian leaders of diverse races and political perspectives. (For a variety of reasons, however, I don't think politicians should be invited or included in these discussions. Among other things, that means that these meetings should not be associated in any way with the Obama campaign or any other political campaign.) The meetings would be aimed at speaking the truth with love, hearing those truths, and seeking to identify practical and positive steps that the community could take to heal racial divides that exist within Christianity and among Americans more broadly.
Melissa Rogers, one of the brightest lights in the progressive movement of Baptist Work in the world today has Alabama ties as her grandparents were key figures in Baptist work in Birmingham in the 50's and 70's as founding members of Baptist Church of the Covenant, which has become a favorite congregation of SBC President Jim Henry's daughter,Kate Campbell.
Melissa has been called brilliant by none other than David Currie who graced Collinsville Baptist Church Feb 24, 2002 along with Alabama Baptist blueblood Mark Baggett and others.
In April Currie will convene a gathering in Texas that features John McCain's former pastor in Phoenix, Richard Jackson.
Melissa will be a featured speaker at Currie's Texas event with McCain's pastor.
It will be folks like Matthew and Melissa who explaing Barack Obama and the Black church to deacons and members of Collinsville Baptist and the myriad churches like them across America in the heartland.
Melissa Spoke to that hope today in a blog I will reference below.
Here is the problem from yesterday's Wash Post as I am certain Matthew understands it, as struggled with by his Yale Div Brother in Christ, Obama's Pastor Moss:
Earlier this month, before he stepped behind the Trinity pulpit for the first time, Moss tried to sort through the tension that now surrounds Wright. He sought advice from his father, the Rev. Otis Moss Jr., a former preacher at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and a friend of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The father reminded his son that some civil rights leaders were initially perceived as heroes in the black church and rogues in white America. The same gulf, Moss III concluded, still divides society now.
It is an insight that could forecast more tension for Obama, who had hoped to distance himself from Wright while reaffirming his bond with the black church that still reveres him.
"There are two narratives that have been created with what's going on right now," Moss said. "There's the narrative of the African American church community that understands what has happened, that knows [Wright's] record and his legacy. And then there's the narrative of the wider community that doesn't understand.
"Part of this is indicative of the fact that our two communities still see the world very differently. There's a divide there, a gap that history will have to correct."
And in the Major Development section is the thinking of Melissa Rogers as we have coincidentallyfound common ground in the last few days.
From the discussion at Baptist Life.com:
Re: Obama on his pastor
by Stephen Fox on Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:42 pm
Rick:What some commentators are saying and I was thinking before they said it is, if nothing else we have a classic teachable moment here.I was at Furman Monday night to hear Randall Balmer, and found out while there Charles Marsh's hero of the Orangeburg Massacre Cleveland Sellers was speaking at another forum on campus.I got off a question about Wright to Sellers and had several conversations afterwords with black educators at the event; and later a promising black Furman Senior I first me couple years ago while at the Furman pastors school.There seemed to be a consensus it will take white folks of some good reputation who understand the black church experience to translate to otherwise good white folk who are numbed by Wright's words just what is going on.In North Carolina I would nominate Richard Kremer of St. John's Baptist Church in Charlotte, married to the former attorney for SC Baptists Preston Callison who was raised at FBC Columbia under the preaching of Ed Young, with Harry Dent's daughters Ginny and Holly.Also Charles Kimball of Wake Forest, Tony Cartledge of Campbell Div, a host of Willimon's friends from Duke; there should be an endless list.Have them tour the state with Dean Smith, a good lifelong Baptist layman, even Bill Friday.Pat Anderson of the CBF and Furman grad about the time of Marshall Frady; Anderson's son is a staffer in the current Governor's office in North Carolina. Let him travel around with this group.Let North Carolina Baptists and other evangelicals of discernment be a beacon on this matter.In Texas there is a golden opportunity to bring John McCain's former pastor Richard Jackson up to speed with a conference David Currie is having. Let them do major tribute to the legacy of TB Matson and Bill Moyers.Here is the lineup from Curries newsletter just today:
Dr. W. David Sapp will be the first speaker, addressing the topic, "The Bible Speaks on Ethics." Dr. Sapp is senior pastor of Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He and I worked together many years ago, with Foy Valentine, on the staff of the SBC Christian Life Commission in Nashville. Dr. Richard Jackson will then speak on "The Bible Speaks on Evangelism." Richard is a true hero of mine and is currently serving as president of the Jackson Center for Evangelism and Encouragement in Brownwood, after serving many years as pastor of North Phoenix Baptist Church. After dinner, another hero of mine, Dr. Jimmy R. Allen, will speak on "The Church Applies Ethics and Evangelism." Dr. Allen set a great example as long-time pastor of First Baptist Church, San Antonio, by combining social ministries and evangelistic outreach.
Hopefully they would enlist Dallas Mayor Kirk who was light years a better choice in the last Texas Senate Race but was defeated by the Rove and Land and Bush forces that gave America the great political ally of Judge Roy Moore, Senator Cronyn.What a shame, a dark legacy of Criswellism in the state.And of course Chandler Davidson from Rice. This board in particular with maybe the exception of Gourley and Bdid could learn tons of political ethics and history from this colleague of Billy Graham biographer Bill Martin.What better way to put some timely guts to the promise of the Atlanta Baptist Covenant.Not to endorse Obama overf Hillary, or either over McCain; but to bring some sanity to this matter which if this board is any indication persists in mangling in noise that must bring strain to the ears of our Saviour here in the Holiest of Weeks, not to mention Martin and Abraham
Stephen Fox
Posts: 615
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:29 pm
Top
major development
by Stephen Fox on Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:53 pm
Melissa Rogers and I are on the same pageHere is what she said in her blog of yesterday. DAvid Currie has said she is brilliant and she is.And me having a similar idea, well that elevates my reputation a little all fair minded people would have to conclude
Here's one rough idea for taking that next step. Those associated with the New Baptist Covenant could ask a group of Christians of different races and political persuasions to write brief essays about race and religion and perfecting our faith and our country. Those essays could be posted on a website and meetings could be organized in a variety of cities across America on a series of Sunday afternoons that would use these essays as starting points for conversation. The meetings would be moderated by a few respected Christian leaders of diverse races and political perspectives. (For a variety of reasons, however, I don't think politicians should be invited or included in these discussions. Among other things, that means that these meetings should not be associated in any way with the Obama campaign or any other political campaign.) The meetings would be aimed at speaking the truth with love, hearing those truths, and seeking to identify practical and positive steps that the community could take to heal racial divides that exist within Christianity and among Americans more broadly.
posted by foxofbama | 4:29 PM
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