"This is Wrong": Collinsville and Calvinsim and the 1946 Boston Red Sox

 This is Wrong is a quote from John Morgan recently retired after 40 plus years as pastor of /Collinsville Baptist Church where my Mother was baptized in 1936 and I lived for thirty years up until January 30 of 2020. I was voted out of the congregation on May 28 2006 by a vote of 32 to 20. I wrote that episode up for U Tenn Press, Exiled Generation, my essay titled Churchin in Alabama.

      The  former pastor owns a home in town about two football fields down Main Street from the church. He remains a member

     His full throated comment came during a business meeting August 31 where the former Mayor of the town and his son made a motion to change the bylaws of the church from  75 percent vote to a simple majority to rail road a Calvinist into the pulpit as Morgan's successor

      What disturbs Morgan and many others in the church is the Mayor and friends lost the first vote by two votes and called for a second which they lost. Now they are seeking to change the bylaws. The bylaw change is not sitting well with the dissenters

    Most of this year the Mayor took the Calvinist Bible Study leader to lunch every Sunday. I'm sure they talked about a lot of things including national politics 

     The mayor's father in law was a great fishing friend in South Florida with the Great Ted Williams and his wife played on the public tennis courts in Ft. Lauderdale alongside Chrissy Evert. Small World.

      But the Mayor s roots are in Collinsville where he has been most of his life. If you ask him the right  questions I think he would fit the definition of a Super Trumper and a Christian Nationalist. That is speculation is there. He reminds me of the leader of Home guard in Ron Rash Novel The Cove. He is very proud of creating a park between the library and RR in Town for veterans though he never served in the military to my Knowledge

     I have to give him credit, He did a good job putting together an event about six years ago dedicating the Memorial. He did most ot the talking so it kinda smelled of Trump's recent event at Arlington, still he brought up a civic band from Anniston and they did a great job.

       So its another get out the vote day in Collinsville. MorNee to come as this plays out including embellishement of the Bosox Angle and opportunities for recondcliation with a touch from my friend Randall Balmer at Dartmouth who is aware of the situation.

    If you live in Collinsville or are fascinated by Baptist drama find Mayor Carter at Cooks Barber Shop or somewhere around town and have him read ASAP, Urgent, Why a Calvinist may be coming to your Pulpit at Baptist News Global, published late May