Samford's Ill time lecture choice of Eric Metaxas, Trump Apologist
In March of 93, right after the Blizzard, I crashed an Inquisition of Tom Corts, then President of Samford University at FBC Birmingham about a block east of the Campus squeezed in between the offices of Southern Living Magazine.
The Inquisition was staged by Bircher Albert Lee Smith, a one term congressman whose wife was head of Eagle Forum of the State--see Jill Lepore, These Truths, Chapter Battle Lines. Albert Lee worked closely with Jesse Helms and right winger latent White Citizens Council world view Paul Pressler in the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Almost a thousand Baptist preachers and lackeys from across the state were there. Corts told them there was no virtue in sustained denunciation.
Samford in some ways has distanced itself from Baptist fundamentalism but not to the degree as Furman, Baylor, Wake Forest and Stetson. Baylor backslid a little with Ken Starr but now seems back on course.
Samford is another case these days. They have an apparent affable intern relationship with the Ricknbubba radio program. In some ways it appears Rick Burgess has become the theologian in residence for the Bama SBC. He was keynote speaker for the Baptist pastors in their state convention in 2017 in Huntsville right after Trump implied two of Nick Saban's Heisman trophy winners were sons of bitches. Burgess proselytizes almost daily on his clown morning four hour syndicated radio program and shares almost same "Christian world view" as Metaxas. Burgess recently returned from a Four Day conference with Focus on the Family, another chapter of evangelical super Trumpers.
And now Samford's most notable lecture series here in the second year of Trump is spotlighting Trump apologist Eric Metaxas. Metaxas this last decade has been featured at Trey Gowdy and the late Billy Graham FBC Spartanburg SC in their Truth for New Generation conferences underwritten by fundamentalist North Greenville College Where Radio talk show Preacher Tony Beam is something of a Hannity celebrity.
Others to appear at FBC Spartanburg have included Ben Carson and the church state rascal David Barton.
At the Myrtle Beach GOP Primary debate in SC 2016 Metaxas was at a VIP banquet seated beside the daughter of Nixon's Southern Strategist Harry Dent.
Metaxas was there unapologetically to support Donald Trump.
Metaxas comes to town Tuesday. Check back to this blog next week for an update.
In meantime Google Charles Marsh on Metaxas in Religion and Politics, and Karen Guth's Christian Century article, Claims on Bonhoeffer.
Guth is the daughter of a noted Furman poli sci proff. The Father has a memorable piece in 2000 in the Christian Century on Bush 43's then controversial appearance at Bob Jones University.
Marsh is the nephew of noted Samford Religion proff Fisher Humphreys, Fisher a board member of the progressive Baptist quarterly Christian Ethics Today.
I think this lecture is gonna have some legs.
The Inquisition was staged by Bircher Albert Lee Smith, a one term congressman whose wife was head of Eagle Forum of the State--see Jill Lepore, These Truths, Chapter Battle Lines. Albert Lee worked closely with Jesse Helms and right winger latent White Citizens Council world view Paul Pressler in the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Almost a thousand Baptist preachers and lackeys from across the state were there. Corts told them there was no virtue in sustained denunciation.
Samford in some ways has distanced itself from Baptist fundamentalism but not to the degree as Furman, Baylor, Wake Forest and Stetson. Baylor backslid a little with Ken Starr but now seems back on course.
Samford is another case these days. They have an apparent affable intern relationship with the Ricknbubba radio program. In some ways it appears Rick Burgess has become the theologian in residence for the Bama SBC. He was keynote speaker for the Baptist pastors in their state convention in 2017 in Huntsville right after Trump implied two of Nick Saban's Heisman trophy winners were sons of bitches. Burgess proselytizes almost daily on his clown morning four hour syndicated radio program and shares almost same "Christian world view" as Metaxas. Burgess recently returned from a Four Day conference with Focus on the Family, another chapter of evangelical super Trumpers.
And now Samford's most notable lecture series here in the second year of Trump is spotlighting Trump apologist Eric Metaxas. Metaxas this last decade has been featured at Trey Gowdy and the late Billy Graham FBC Spartanburg SC in their Truth for New Generation conferences underwritten by fundamentalist North Greenville College Where Radio talk show Preacher Tony Beam is something of a Hannity celebrity.
Others to appear at FBC Spartanburg have included Ben Carson and the church state rascal David Barton.
At the Myrtle Beach GOP Primary debate in SC 2016 Metaxas was at a VIP banquet seated beside the daughter of Nixon's Southern Strategist Harry Dent.
Metaxas was there unapologetically to support Donald Trump.
Metaxas comes to town Tuesday. Check back to this blog next week for an update.
In meantime Google Charles Marsh on Metaxas in Religion and Politics, and Karen Guth's Christian Century article, Claims on Bonhoeffer.
Guth is the daughter of a noted Furman poli sci proff. The Father has a memorable piece in 2000 in the Christian Century on Bush 43's then controversial appearance at Bob Jones University.
Marsh is the nephew of noted Samford Religion proff Fisher Humphreys, Fisher a board member of the progressive Baptist quarterly Christian Ethics Today.
I think this lecture is gonna have some legs.
posted by foxofbama | 11:29 AM
1 Comments:
Just because a university is somewhat to the left of center when it comes to Southern Baptist theology, like Baylor, Samford or Wake Forest, doesn't mean it will necessarily be welcoming to Democrats. Baylor and Waco are Republican strongholds in Texas, along with ultra-liberal Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University. In North Carolina, you'll see Democrat presidential candidates speaking to overflow crowds at UNC or NCSU but the Republicans will dominate the turnout at both Wake Forest and Duke.
Samford is Baptist, and it's in Alabama. No matter how liberal it may be theologically, and I don't think it is as far to the left as Wake Forest, it will still be predominantly Republican.
Post a Comment
<< Home