Political opponent; Still my Friend, John Killian new Prez of Bama SBC
My friend John Killian was elected President of the Alabama Southern Baptist Convention a week after Barack Hussein Obama was re-elected President of the United States.
In the spring of 2007 I visited his Maytown Baptist Church on the Jasper Road NW of Bham to hear the Larry Nelson Family singers who'd come in from Arkansas. The day before they had been in concert for my friend Mart Gray in Elba, Mart the former Director of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship for the state.
I was crying by the time the Nelson Family got to their Song about Momma. It was a sweet time in Jesus.
So yes, there is common ground.
John Killian is my friend. We had lunch at the Bright Star in Bessemer--a favorite of Senator Richard Shelby, and in his time Bear Bryant--a few years ago with a former President of the Samford SGA. One of the most delightful conversations of my 25 years in Alabama. I think the Right Reverend Dr. Killian asked the blessing. He is a graduate of Tennessee Temple Independent Baptist School in Chattanooga where my father went for one year before he went toward brighter light at Carson Newman and then to study with Randall Lolley and Bill Self at SEBTS before Paige Patterson brought it to Bill Friday's attention.
But I digressed.
I've never spoken to President Obama, but have talked to one of his D.C. Baptist pastors; and President Obama called my Gaffney friend Fletcher Smith on Fletcher's cell phone as he was riding to Columbia, S.C. in 2008 to spend 20 minutes one on one with Hillary Clinton.
Fletcher, obviously, was high cotton in that primary season. Talked about it on Charlie Rose on PBS.
I first met Killian in Montgomery in April 2002. He was there to hear President Bush 41's Ethics nominee Paul Pressler speak to Baptist fundies to bring the state in the Judge Roy Moore Camp. Looks like they finally sealed the deal here in Bama with Deacon Gov Bentley and the straight party voting urged on by Billy Graham's prayerfully posed picture in several papers throughout the state.
John has prayed and spoken at several tea party rallies including one two years ago in Ft. Payne. Killian is distant kin to Boston Killian (born 1874) a former mayor of Collinsville, a contemporary of my Lincoln Republican Grandfather, J.C. Jordan, born 1881. Grandfather Jordan ran for Dekalb School supe in the 1910's and was soundly defeated.
Killian and I talked before and after the Presidential election. He may know more about the voting boxxes on North Sand Mtn than Lowell Barron does. He was naming county politicians left and right wanting to know.
John was on a panel with Richard Land at Samford earlier this year. Land has worked in concert with Karl Rove and Franklin Graham to bring the SBC nationally into a bloc for the Tea Party wing of the Republican party.
Killian was even to the right of Richard Land on immigration that day at Samford; apparently in lockstep with Kris Kobach, Governor Bentley and Scott Beason.
I think The Bible and history have left Killian on immigration reform.
It will be interesting to see how Killian, Kobach, Gov Bentley going forward explain themselves to Nick Saban's wife, Dan Cathy, the CEO of Chic Fil A; not to mention Robert Parham of ethicsdaily.com and recent North Alabama Bishop Will Willimon and S.C. US Senator Lindsay Graham.
Also at some point soon, early in the new year I hope, Killian needs to come to NE Alabama and have a town hall with the ringers in Dekalb and Cherokee Counties we now have for School Superintendents.
Giberson and Stephens The Anointed will be great reference point for that conversation. I hope the President of the Bama SBC, and the new School Supes don't come to that conversation ignorant of The Anointed's insights.
John Killian in Context of the Bigger Picture
http://blog.al.com/times-views/2012/11/alabama_left_behind_on_immigra.html#incart_m-rpt-2
In the spring of 2007 I visited his Maytown Baptist Church on the Jasper Road NW of Bham to hear the Larry Nelson Family singers who'd come in from Arkansas. The day before they had been in concert for my friend Mart Gray in Elba, Mart the former Director of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship for the state.
I was crying by the time the Nelson Family got to their Song about Momma. It was a sweet time in Jesus.
So yes, there is common ground.
John Killian is my friend. We had lunch at the Bright Star in Bessemer--a favorite of Senator Richard Shelby, and in his time Bear Bryant--a few years ago with a former President of the Samford SGA. One of the most delightful conversations of my 25 years in Alabama. I think the Right Reverend Dr. Killian asked the blessing. He is a graduate of Tennessee Temple Independent Baptist School in Chattanooga where my father went for one year before he went toward brighter light at Carson Newman and then to study with Randall Lolley and Bill Self at SEBTS before Paige Patterson brought it to Bill Friday's attention.
But I digressed.
I've never spoken to President Obama, but have talked to one of his D.C. Baptist pastors; and President Obama called my Gaffney friend Fletcher Smith on Fletcher's cell phone as he was riding to Columbia, S.C. in 2008 to spend 20 minutes one on one with Hillary Clinton.
Fletcher, obviously, was high cotton in that primary season. Talked about it on Charlie Rose on PBS.
I first met Killian in Montgomery in April 2002. He was there to hear President Bush 41's Ethics nominee Paul Pressler speak to Baptist fundies to bring the state in the Judge Roy Moore Camp. Looks like they finally sealed the deal here in Bama with Deacon Gov Bentley and the straight party voting urged on by Billy Graham's prayerfully posed picture in several papers throughout the state.
John has prayed and spoken at several tea party rallies including one two years ago in Ft. Payne. Killian is distant kin to Boston Killian (born 1874) a former mayor of Collinsville, a contemporary of my Lincoln Republican Grandfather, J.C. Jordan, born 1881. Grandfather Jordan ran for Dekalb School supe in the 1910's and was soundly defeated.
Killian and I talked before and after the Presidential election. He may know more about the voting boxxes on North Sand Mtn than Lowell Barron does. He was naming county politicians left and right wanting to know.
John was on a panel with Richard Land at Samford earlier this year. Land has worked in concert with Karl Rove and Franklin Graham to bring the SBC nationally into a bloc for the Tea Party wing of the Republican party.
Killian was even to the right of Richard Land on immigration that day at Samford; apparently in lockstep with Kris Kobach, Governor Bentley and Scott Beason.
I think The Bible and history have left Killian on immigration reform.
It will be interesting to see how Killian, Kobach, Gov Bentley going forward explain themselves to Nick Saban's wife, Dan Cathy, the CEO of Chic Fil A; not to mention Robert Parham of ethicsdaily.com and recent North Alabama Bishop Will Willimon and S.C. US Senator Lindsay Graham.
Also at some point soon, early in the new year I hope, Killian needs to come to NE Alabama and have a town hall with the ringers in Dekalb and Cherokee Counties we now have for School Superintendents.
Giberson and Stephens The Anointed will be great reference point for that conversation. I hope the President of the Bama SBC, and the new School Supes don't come to that conversation ignorant of The Anointed's insights.
John Killian in Context of the Bigger Picture
http://blog.al.com/times-views/2012/11/alabama_left_behind_on_immigra.html#incart_m-rpt-2
posted by foxofbama | 8:37 AM
4 Comments:
Brother Fox,
Thank you for taking note of any role I might have in our state.
Love you, man. I know you are a friend who will never be harsh or ugly toward me. Our different views are obvious, but so is our common love for the Lord and for our great state.
Fox, since you referenced me tangentially, I'd just like to say that - while working with AlabamaCBF - I had nothing but gracious personal interactions with John and many other leaders of the Baptist Conservatives of Al. Indeed, good men can disagree and, yet, find the love of God in each other. My prayers for John in this new role.
"Mart of Elba"
Thanks the both of you for comment. See Baptistlife.com/forums for the post in SBC Trends about the analogy of SBC to Hollywood Blacklisting. I am hoping Adrian Rogers son David will join that discussion.
Mart, thank you for your kind words.
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