On Bama House Speaker Mike Hubbard and Evil
At the Football contest Friday night between Collinsville and Gaylesville I got word Mike Hubbard the speaker of the Bama House had dispatched some badge brandishing state officials to my vicinity, even my front yard to ask a few questions. I wasn't home so apparently they talked to some folks in town. Of the three I got word of none said they were scared of me and I can't think of any reason they should be of my 25 years in town here.
I don't know what the secret is as I provided Hubbard's staff and facebook wall more history than your average person would be curious about with references to my blog here and facebook. Most time when I called his staff I told Boone Kinard who I was; and back about five months ago I had a delightful conversation with Rachel Adams new to the state in his communications office.
I differ with Speaker Hubbard on voter suppression and state sponsored prayer in schools; especially as I consider the demagogic way he is using them as a political strategy to keep his tea party base aroused. And to me there is something ungodly in his immigration bill. On that I think it safe to say recent UMC Bishop Willimon as well as Samford theologian Fisher Humphreys in his new book on same suggest.
Today I got an email from retired religion proff Albert Blackwell. He linked an October 18 blog for me, his beatific thoughts after a lifetime of consideration on the nature of evil.
As a member in good standing at FUMC Auburn, I think Hubbard can learn something from my Harvard Div Scholar. As Fleming Rutledge, the great Episcopalian pulpiteer has preached, often it comes down to a small twist, a lack of "insight". It's the difference between Francis Schaefer and Pulitzer Prize Winner and John Calvin scholar Marilynne Robinson. In Alabama it's the distinction between Judge Frank Johnson and Mike Hubbard or Governor Bentley; between Jeff Sessions and Wayne Flynt or Tom Corts.
I got a little emotional waiting on a late lunch at Cracker Barrel thinking about it all morphed with memories of my Dad's time in Gaffney. I saw a good Baptist, one of my Dad's friends, Herman Edge, the bivocational associational missionary for Cherokee County Alabama when my Dad was on the earth. My Dad died in 1999. Saw Herman on the porch at Cracker Barrel. He's 87 now. They used to talk about Jesus and Baptists. Called my sister to tell her about it.
Was free associating in my mind, thinking how I would approach Dr. Blackwell--a man closest in my experience to meeting the Apostle Paul or Abraham Lincoln if not Bach--and his blog if I were to reference it in say a Homecoming for Bethany Baptist church where my Dad was senior pastor for 16 years in South Carolina. Would be something like Jody Powell's story: "Evil, Hell I've seen it with my own eyes."
So Speaker Hubbard, you got nothing to fear in Stephen M. Fox other than hopefully a political reversal in the state that birthed my Mother. As Wayne Flynt who you know well at Auburn has said there is a great struggle for the soul of Alabama. And unless you have a Damascus Road experience, Mr. Speaker, I hope you ultimately lose.
In the meantime while you wait on the the link I leave with my apology in a few minutes on the Facebook page of Auburn University's Living Democracy Project, consider this grand blog of the 18th of Albert Blackwell:
www.albertblackwell.blogspot.com
I don't know what the secret is as I provided Hubbard's staff and facebook wall more history than your average person would be curious about with references to my blog here and facebook. Most time when I called his staff I told Boone Kinard who I was; and back about five months ago I had a delightful conversation with Rachel Adams new to the state in his communications office.
I differ with Speaker Hubbard on voter suppression and state sponsored prayer in schools; especially as I consider the demagogic way he is using them as a political strategy to keep his tea party base aroused. And to me there is something ungodly in his immigration bill. On that I think it safe to say recent UMC Bishop Willimon as well as Samford theologian Fisher Humphreys in his new book on same suggest.
Today I got an email from retired religion proff Albert Blackwell. He linked an October 18 blog for me, his beatific thoughts after a lifetime of consideration on the nature of evil.
As a member in good standing at FUMC Auburn, I think Hubbard can learn something from my Harvard Div Scholar. As Fleming Rutledge, the great Episcopalian pulpiteer has preached, often it comes down to a small twist, a lack of "insight". It's the difference between Francis Schaefer and Pulitzer Prize Winner and John Calvin scholar Marilynne Robinson. In Alabama it's the distinction between Judge Frank Johnson and Mike Hubbard or Governor Bentley; between Jeff Sessions and Wayne Flynt or Tom Corts.
I got a little emotional waiting on a late lunch at Cracker Barrel thinking about it all morphed with memories of my Dad's time in Gaffney. I saw a good Baptist, one of my Dad's friends, Herman Edge, the bivocational associational missionary for Cherokee County Alabama when my Dad was on the earth. My Dad died in 1999. Saw Herman on the porch at Cracker Barrel. He's 87 now. They used to talk about Jesus and Baptists. Called my sister to tell her about it.
Was free associating in my mind, thinking how I would approach Dr. Blackwell--a man closest in my experience to meeting the Apostle Paul or Abraham Lincoln if not Bach--and his blog if I were to reference it in say a Homecoming for Bethany Baptist church where my Dad was senior pastor for 16 years in South Carolina. Would be something like Jody Powell's story: "Evil, Hell I've seen it with my own eyes."
So Speaker Hubbard, you got nothing to fear in Stephen M. Fox other than hopefully a political reversal in the state that birthed my Mother. As Wayne Flynt who you know well at Auburn has said there is a great struggle for the soul of Alabama. And unless you have a Damascus Road experience, Mr. Speaker, I hope you ultimately lose.
In the meantime while you wait on the the link I leave with my apology in a few minutes on the Facebook page of Auburn University's Living Democracy Project, consider this grand blog of the 18th of Albert Blackwell:
www.albertblackwell.blogspot.com
posted by foxofbama | 1:19 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home