Alabama Baptist Covers Collinsville Baptists 175th

[Stephen Fox]

https://www.abpnews.com/blog/women-mini ... 87LfBFOUdU

[Stephen Fox]

A book, Exiled, will come out this fall, an anthology published by U Tenn press. I have an essay there 21st Century Churchin in Alabama.

For sure some in Collinsville and the Baptist Church will have a different version of the events, but here is the point I was trying to make at my most virtuous

http://www.ethicsdaily.com/how-to-hijac ... -cms-22010

Colin Harris was a friend of my father since 1962. Randall Balmer is a friend of mine and was visitting professor for CBC's pastor John Morgan's son Matthew when Matt was in Divinity School at Yale.

[Ed Pettibone]

[Stephen Fox]

This is the third or fourth book in Kell's series. Should be out by Christmas, hopefully by Thanksgiving

[Stephen Fox]

There was an intense conversation in January 2006 at Collinsville Baptist in Sunday School during the pastor's annual emphasis on the Francis Schaeffer version of Life issues. I may be more explicit later, but the reverberations from a church of average attendance of 80 souls is large. One product of earlier sessions of the Sunday School is Casey Mattox, UVA grad, now on staff of Reagan operative Alan Sears and Bush 43 Judicial nominee Charles Pickering of the Alliance Defending Freedom. Pickering was on the SBC Peace Committee and also former prez of Mississippi SBC.

So this link should be of interest to all

http://www.npr.org/2014/08/09/338909919 ... t-abortion

A few days ago I had a conversation with Randall Balmer about the abortion politics segments in his recent book on President Carter. Balmer quotes Carter aide Robert Maddox as saying in 79 with SBC politics and the religious right, the Carter campaign felt like it was "blindsided by a ginned up cabal" from the right to lifers'
Interestingly enough President Ford in 76 said in the N.C. primary where Jesse Helms delivered the state to Ronald Reagan, his campaign felt "blindsided by right wing nuts". See the Packer review of Perlstein's new book on the ascendancy of Reagan for that quote.

Helms and the SBC takeover artists worked hand in hand.

And so it came down to the Collinsville Baptist Sunday School class in 2006.

I have linked Christine Stansell's piece on how the right "perfected" the abortion strategy over the years, a campaign of "mendacity".

Now it is playing out in the Bama statehouse again with House Speaker Mike Hubbard.

I called the Governor's office yesterday and talked to a great nephew of former Bama US Senator John Sparkman. Daniel Sparkman was a pleasant fellow.

Here is the latest for Casey Mattox, Pastor Morgan, Governor Bentley, Speaker Hubbard, et al:

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/08/11/a ... ississippi

[Stephen Fox]

That's what it looks like Phil Williams the Young Life "Christian Candidate, wants to do as a state senator for Collinsvile. Will the Collinsville Deacons discuss this article between now and election day

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/1190 ... se-alabama

[Stephen Fox]

Yesterday at the Pine Grove Annual two day Sacred Harp Convention--4th Sunday in August and the Saturday before--had a great lunch conversation with two students who had come down from the Northeast, one a Geology major, Senior at Yale and the other incoming Freshman at Brown. The young female Yalie was a direct descendant of Jonathan Edward's predecessor of the Northbridge Church made famous for the Great Awakening and Edwards dismissal from Same. I had been rereading an anthology of critical essays on Edwards and reminded Rev Stoddard was Edwards predecessor and two days later talking to a direct descendant.

Just last week read a piece for the first time by Molly Worthen on decline in SBC after the fundamentalist takeover. Peter Gay in late 60's found Jonathan Edwards in some ways to be just as tragic a figure compared to the Enlightenment as Molly Worthen consensus found fundy leadership in SBC to be compared to the trajectory of President Carter's faith pilgrimage as explained by Randall Balmer.

So History lives even if some of the foolish who participate on this board don't get it.

[Stephen Fox]

Yesterday on the 13th anniversary of 0-11 I saw for the first time the glossy print magazine of www.auburn.edu/livingdemocracy featuring Collinsville, Selma, Elba and Linden Alabama. There are four pages on Collinsville, two featuring the local church historian and town Librarian, my nemesis in the community Jennifer Smith Wilkins. It was my playful aside about her Dad's name on the cornerstone of the local Babdiss church and my mother's name was not--they were in the HS band together in the late 30's that got me banned for life from the Library.

Susan Weaver Morgan was there that day and she said "Nothing happenned." But the kangaroo court was soon to follow.

Also featured in the magazine is nice profile of Mart Gray of Elba, former state director of the Alabama CBF. It was Annie Lucas Brown who first recommended to Ms. Wilkins she contact Gray to see how he did good causes in small towns, I think then in reference to the CBF library initiative in conjunction with Perry County and Sewing Seeds of Hope.

Leading CBF personality in the state, Mark Wilson, directs the AULD at Auburn. He was chair of the pulpit committee that procured FBC Auburn's current pastor.

I have to hope someone connects the dots eventually.

Meanwhile U Tennessee Press fall catalog is out online. I have an essay in the anthology to be published in January in the Exiled Generations series. President Carter blurbled for the first edition of the series. Scroll down to online page six for a description

http://utpress.org/catalog/fall2014/UTP ... 014-15.pdf

[Stephen Fox]

http://greenespace.blogspot.com/2005/03 ... s-out.html

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/201 ... /140919736

[Stephen Fox]

I linked CBF piece here to Collinsville PTO public facebook wall. Mark Wilson of the www.auburn.edu/livingdemocracy is key person in FBC Auburn CBF. The local library and its director Jennifer Wilson who is subject on many comments in this thread has gotten much attention in last couple years in its connection with Wilson and the AULD

http://abpnews.com/culture/social-issue ... ys-paynter

[Stephen Fox]

Would be interesting to see how Jennifer Wilkins of the Collinsville Library and www.auburn.edu/livingdemocracy navigates this one. Gonna be tricky for all of us. I consider Leath a friend and his grandson, but which he coulda found a way to navigate this a little better. AS it stands now I think he was caught unawares by an overzealous supporter

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/201 ... third-term

[Stephen Fox]

When I visitted Collinsvile in the 60s, especially around 10th grade, on dreary fall days it had the ambience of great seting for Shirley Jackson's the Lottery. Having lived here for just shy of 30 years now I have a viscerality that's not the case, though there are still haunts on occasion of its Klan Days and some of the seniors get a little antsy if you confront them on matters of the Daughters of the Confederacy or local Civil Rights History.

At same time my experience with the Churchin and a couple folks I saw briefly after church Sunday remind me its just a matter of degree from the headset and Muslim village endorsing a bad case of Sharia law in the Stoning of Saroya M. I'd been aware of the movie for 3 years or so but saw it for the first time the last few days. It will stay with you to say the least.

Resonates with the recent history of the Southern Baptist Convention, as well as village life, in Iran or Ne Bama.

And then there is the grand virtuous simple man, the step father in Robert Penn Warren's A Place To Come To. That is true as well.

Collinsville has been the subject of two documenataries shown on statewide television. And now is key village in the www.auburn.edu/livingdemocracy . It remains great tableau for the imagination and explorations of the human heart.

[Stephen Fox]

I blogged just a few minutes ago about the pastor of 35 years dropping the ball for immigration justice in the upcoming Nov 4 election for state senate.

And I linked my blog to the comment stream this afternoon on NPR where the Koch brothers are trying to buy the vote but incumbent Kay Hagan is fighting for the best for the legacy of SEBTS of the Lolley era as understood by Cecil Sherman and Bill Friday, the former Chancellorfor the state higher ed system

http://www.npr.org/2014/10/23/358122131 ... mmentBlock

[Stephen Fox]

This post hit the ten thousand mark in the last few days. I'm up there in the top percentile of bl.com with my unauthorized history of Collinsville Baptists, true to what Faulkner said about small towns and the Truth.

[Stephen Fox]

Was a beautiful day for Collinsville's annual showcase event. I got my picture taken by Martha Barksdale with Terah Patton and Donzella Bobo outside the Collinsville Library. The Greased Pig contest was a highlight of the day as was the pit bull tractor pull.

The Cricket Theatre was on display as some are considering "irrevocable trusts". Still Kickin was goos as usual and Peyton Sells of the Church of Christ doing a cover version of Janis Joplin's Me and Molly McGhee was a show stopper. Got another pic of me and Lloyd Battles and Doug Simpson listening to that one.

There was some controversy between the Portersville Homemakers and the Collinsville Study Club that knocked out this year's cake walk, a downer for me as I got out of bed that morning with purpose, hoping at a shot at Jane Peek's Italain Creme Cake for a dollar, the cakewalk chance, but the portersville women took me out of the contest this year.
I did hear two of Peek's ckaes were prizes for the Turkey grab, but the odds were much against me in that context so I bailed for Bill Glens catfish for late lunch.

[Stephen Fox]

http://ethicsdaily.com/volf-why-memory- ... -cms-22248

[Stephen Fox]

I had an exchange with them over the weekend. Smith is the sister of Collinsville Librarian Jennifer Wilkins who moonlights as the local Baptist church historian; and Lambert grew up in Collinsville but is a systems analyst now in another part of the state. His Mother Jewel kept the trains running on time through several principals at Collinsville HS; a good woman.

I may share the exchange later. I did let both of them know U tenn press will publish my version of my churchin at CBC in January.

[Stephen Fox]

http://foxofbama.blogspot.com/2014/12/c ... d-and.html

[Stephen Fox]

I made a report on a statewide Facebook wall. You never know what year the talent will shine in small town Bama community Christmas services.

One regret, Lance Arnold did not come through with his Salsa this year!

[Stephen Fox]

http://utpress.org/catalog/fall2014/UTP ... 014-15.pdf

Scroll down to page 8 of the link above. Book available in January, but don't know if Collinsville lyberry has an order in or not.

Stephen Fox version of his ouster from the church where his Mother was baptized is included in this august anthology.

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.ethicsdaily.com/profiles-in- ... -cms-22349

Joe Scarborough of MSNBC, a grad of the University of Alabama; his pastor Barry Howard was raised in Alexandria Alabama about 30 miles from Collinsville, near Ohatchie.

Ohatchie is home of my friend Billy Ferguson who knew Barry as a child and whose daughter in law's sister married Howard.

The future of Northeast Alabama in particular and the depth of the Baptist faith in the region would be much stronger if Howard could find the time to sit down with Joseph Morgan of Collinsville, The Senator he helped elect and made about 50 thousand dollars doing so, Phil Williams, and as reference with the Holy Spirit in the room use as text Garry Wills review of Scarborough's book in the NY Rev of books, an easy google.

Then have Joseph and his UVA and Yale Brothers and the one from Duke explain to their Mother Gloria what they learned, and maybe some of the cousins from Bellevue and Johnson Ferry.

Look at Howard's three heroes in the Faith: Jimmy Carter, Sara Jackson Shelton, and Fisher Humphreys ( Charles Marsh father in law).

Barry, you know the ditty, This Little Light of Mine, I'm gonna let it shine.

Well's here's hoping in 2015 you BLIND the Morgans and Joe Scarborough!

[Stephen Fox]

With glowing overns.

Casey is a product of Collinsville Baptist church whose right wing Francis Schaeffer world view was stoked by John and Gloria Morgan. Here is the rd.org take on his careered Alliance Defending Freedom in the Number Five Toxic religion story of the year

I like Casey, and wish the best for his child who shows promise as a tennis player. I just hate to see a good mind wasted with folks who have a history in the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention, Reagan operatives and Chuck Pickering of Mississippi. And I had hoped by this point, the Morgan boys, the three of them that know better would've pointed out to Casey the error of his church state ways. 232

http://religiondispatches.org/top-five- ... s-of-2014/

[Stephen Fox]

431 comments and counting at one site

Supe Hugh Taylor's extended family connections are interesting indeed including a former Miss Auburn

http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf ... ndent.html

And in Mother Jones, Tuesday Jan 20:

http://www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/ ... elma-movie

[Stephen Fox]

The Exiled Generations is a collection of poignant testimonials by individuals whose parents and relatives were purged from or left the Southern Baptist Convention in the wake of the fundamentalist takeover beginning in 1980. Building upon Professor Kell’s earlier work, Exiled, which revealed the stories of those who were themselves expurgated, this new book details the experiences of their relations—the sons and daughters who saw their moderate-leaning parents lose pastoral positions, administrative posts, missionary appointments, or seminary professorships, and who faced their own often fraught relationships with their church home.
Until now, the stories of this “lost generation” have never been fully told. In this collection, Professor Kell presents a diverse and wide range of voices. Some are well-known Baptist leaders, while others are ordinary people caught up in the remarkable changes in Baptist life over the past few decades. Here, they recount their feelings of loss as they were severed from youth fellowships and removed from church rolls. Many describe the lingering emotional effects of the heartbreaking conflict that dominated their childhood and adolescence. Their recollections reveal the full range of responses—anger, sadness, pathos, humor, intense inner reflection—to these enormous shifts. This volume shows the extent to which this group has struggled and wandered in emotional and religious exile.
The Exiled Generations comprises rich primary sources for scholars and students who are exploring the profound strife that has rocked the Southern Baptist Convention. These deeply moving accounts will offer invaluable assistance to researchers analyzing the impact of the seismic changes within the denomination over the past thirty-five years.