Furman 20 years after Break with SC SBC

[Stephen Fox]

http://edge.furman.edu/who-speaks-for-furman.html

My blog on recent Lt Gov Race soon to follow.

I'm not sure Oneill knows of W.A. Criswell's address to the SC legislature in the winter of 56 where he ssaid You wouldn't call a chigger a chiggerow now would you.

And here is my blog this afternoon on what its all come to: http://foxofbama.blogspot.com/2014/11/s ... -50th.html

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/n ... /19286465/

[Stephen Fox]

http://edge.furman.edu/crossing-borders ... wages.html

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/o ... /20878155/

[Stephen Fox]

http://foxofbama.blogspot.com/2015/03/f ... gowdy.html

[Stephen Fox]

Also liked President Davis phrase on the "fractiousness of fundamentalism"

http://www.furman.edu/About/About/Unive ... dress.aspx

[Stephen Fox]

http://newspress.furman.edu/2015/04/har ... ress-2015/

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainme ... tml#page=1

[Stephen Fox]

Daughter Salley not to mention rising sophomore Hubbard; had them all in mind this morning with my two minutes on NPR

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2015- ... ymandering

[Stephen Fox]

His father was President Nixon's barber and Pitts was a founder of Smyth and Helwys

By chance we had a good conversation today at a sporting goods store in Upstate SC. He said to tell everyone he was sitting uder a tent watching two of his grandsons, one of whom is starting catcher for local HS baseball team.

We had a brief but sweet time in Jesus; he sharing some more stories about the heyday of the Furman Pastors school and I got to tel his grandson my story of Aunt Virginia sweetheart who went in for Dom DiMaggio in the 46worldseries. He had a good memory of Bob McClain, former pastor of FBC Atlanta in 60s before Stanley.

With wry smile he said he no longer believes in evolution, doesn't look like things are getting a whole lot better. I understand. We shared some discussion of the passage we have this treasure in earthen vessels, and he volunteered, and "some in cracked pots!'

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/ ... -the-worst

[Stephen Fox]

http://newspress.furman.edu/2015/11/wha ... s-lecture/

President Davis did a stellar job in her lecture in the LD Johnson series What Really Matters. If you are unfamiliar with Johnson click on the link that talks about the lecture series in his honor that goes back to early 90s.

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/n ... autologin=

Delaoch was Estridge pastor in Rock Hill SC and may have baptized him. Deloach had long career with Ed Young. Both Young and Delaoch were a thorn in the flesh to Randall Lolley when Lolley was Preisdent and I think Deloach was a classmate back in the 50s/

It is likely Deloach is now deceased. Also likely he had a role in shaping Ted Cruz far right views on Israel at 2nd Baptist Houston.

Rhodes Scholar nominees like Estridge usually find their way out of fundamentalism

[Stephen Fox]

I chatted with a former chaplain at Furman yesterday on the assassination of King.

Several things came to light for me for the first time I hope to follow up on eventually.

First a Bus, or motorcade of Furman students went to Atlanta for the funeral just a few weeks after the chaplain's office hosted Dr. Benjamin Mayes on campus, though only about 25 attended. However one of those was Vernon Burton, of Ninety Six, SC who went on to become one of the most noted Historians of the South. Now at Clemson, Burton is frequently called on by NPR and other media, most recently in regard the Charleston massacres. Burton and Mayes became lifelong friends after Mayes presentation at Furman early 68.

And it surfaced Furman Religion Proff, TC Smith befriend Viola Liuzzo in the Selma march and was in a car with her just hours before she was assassinated.

[Stephen Fox]

You have to scroll down several pages in the twitter postings of yesterday April 26 to see my pic by the woodpile in NE Bama but I participated. I think Peggy Haymes is in there somewhere as well

www.furman.edu/dinsday

[Stephen Fox]

Anti-intellectualism segment in this CI piece

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/200 ... ml?start=5

Trey Gowdy is counting on it.

See my blogs Parts One and Two on Furman and the case against Trey Gowdy

[Stephen Fox]

http://foxofbama.blogspot.com/2016/10/f ... spare.html

[Stephen Fox]

Among suggested panelists I suggest recent Clemson Trustee chair and SC Speaker of the House, David Wilkins, Randall Balmer of Dartmouth, scholar of religion and politics and recent biographer of President Carter, Charles Marsh of UVA and biographer of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, good friend of Dr. Guth's daughter Karen--Marsh had recent scorching piece at politics and ethics on how Bonhoeffer has been politicized by Trump enthusiast Eric Metaxas, and Bailey Edwards Nelson, Baptist pastor, friend of President Carter FU grad and pastor of Fernwood Baptist Church in Spartanburg.
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Stephen M. Fox
Stephen M. Fox Also myself, a small time freelance writer, FU 75 who has looked at Baptist fundamentalism and politics for 35 some odd years now; Julie Ingersoll whose recent Building God's America takes an unflinching look at Trey Gowdy's world of David Barton; and Pat Anderson, FU 65 editor of the periodical Christian Ethics Today. Check their facebook wall for list of their current concerns. I'd be more than happy to be on the undercard of such a conversation....Maybe Ginny Dent Brant of nearby Clemson, Baptist and political right wing activist and daughter of Nixon's Southern Strategist Harry Dent. Her sister was coed at Furman 72-74
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[Stephen Fox]

http://news.furman.edu/2016/11/08/profe ... ight-2016/

[Stephen Fox]

May blog on this but here is short version.

Riding through Greenville downtown last night with my sister I called longtime Chaplain Jim Pitts now retired to get a few stories straight for Posterity.

We had just past the Daniel Building and the Hyatt Regency, two of the high rises that were there in the 70s long before Greenville became a "destination city".

Pitts told me in the early days of the Pastors School which in the 70s was the premiere event of its kind, Mr. Alester Furman and triple Great Grandson of the founder, would leave his office in the Daniel building open so Pitts and LD Johnson could go there and call anywhere in the country for free with the Business Plan Mr Furman had with his phone.

At the Hyatt was where Karl Rove and about ten other SC GOP operatives met and decided to go negative on John McCain in 2000 that propelled Bush 43 into White house.

Pitts also verified it was Martin England, a co founder of Koinonia , that had lunch with him and then Gov Jimmy Carter and E.C. Watson in Charleston circa 74. Carter spoke to the Justice Initiative chapter of the SCSBC that year in conjunction with the state Convention where England was given an award.

[William Thornton]

Glad all that is settled. I have been unable to sleep a night because of the uncertainty.

[Stephen Fox]

I met Dr. Quiros in Americus the fall of 2012 at the Koinonia 70th anniversary founding celebration.

Now she has her Doc from Vandy and ready to go.

Woulda loved to have been at Furman this afternoon for her presentation.
http://news.furman.edu/2017/03/27/palad ... -struggle/

I emailed Doug Cumming, the son of Newsweek Bureau chief in the 60s for whom Frady worked. Cumming Ga is named for their family ancestry. Cumming said he used some of Frady's Penquin bio on ML King as blueprint for his dissertation and says compressed as it was it is some of Frady's best writing and insight on the era.

I quote Frady in a blog just posted about the treasure in earthen vessels, the stuff the saints are made of, King and Dorothy Day and them all.

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2017/05/ ... ew-orleans

Heard this yesterday and made calls to Furman grads Tomiko Brown Nagin at Harvard and Ansley Quiros at UNA. Quiros recently made a presentation at Furman on fellow alums Marshall Frady, Harold Collins and Martin England and their great roles in the Civil Rights era, centering in Americus Georgia.

Brown-Nagin is a native of Greenwood SC late 90s Furman grad who got a doctorate at UVA.

Had delightful conversation late yesterday afternoon with Jim Pitts, the son of Nixon's barber, who was longtime Chaplain at Furman. Pitts and the Chaplain's office hosted Benjamin Mayes at Furman in the winter of 68 and Burton then a junior was one of twenty who took it all in.

Great day for Furman and the legacy of LD Johnson and Jim Pitts.

[Stephen Fox]

http://news.furman.edu/2017/05/30/furma ... d-justice/

Gonna be an interesting year. I will blog soon. One of the Furman faculty leaders Brandon Inabinet is involved in the petition to rename Wade Hampton HS which was a front page controversy in the Greenville News a few weeks ago. Dr. Steve Oneil was a mentor to Darren Grem now at Ole Miss, author of Blessings of Liberty which takes strong look at the politics and culture of Chic Fil A.

I hope to be one of the First One Hundred at Chic Fil A when they open a new store in North Bama soon. Truett Cathy's sister at one time married to the pastor of FBC Guntersville and early advisor on the Recipe.

I have given notification to Inabinet this board's Bruce Gourley should be on at least one panel this coming year at Furman. Furman's Tomiko Brown Nagin now in the Harvard History Department as well as FU 69 grad now the dean of Civil War and Jim Crow Historians at Clemson Vernon Burton most likely part of the coming year conversations as well.


Keep an eye on my blog; will be getting my two cents in here and there, especially on the Criswell and Atwater affectations in mid 20th century.

[Stephen Fox]

https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/ ... 363018002/

Marshall Frady asked Billy Graham in Montreat NC circa 1976 if he saw parallels to Melville's Billy Budd in his experience with Nixon. Frady FU 63 like Adams in the piece above a son of Baptist clergy writes in a Parable of American Righteousness, Graham couldn't quite get his head around the passage read to him and dismissed Nixon's Watergate imbroglio to bad sleeping pills.

Doug Cumming's father Joe was head of Newsweek Atlanta bureau in the mid 60s and hired Frady. The family was lifelong friends of Marshall. About Frady's 79 bio of Billy Gee, a Parable of American Righteousness Cumming texted me yesterday:

Quoting Doug: American Innocence, Frady said quoting an Egyptian he met in the Mideast is deadly in effect. Frady's take on Graham as Billy Budd tried to connect those dots. An ambitious literary project!

So my friend John Adams, one of Furman's finest has his take on Graham, and Frady, one of Furman's greatest has 500 pages on him. I read the last 50 pages of Frady on Graham again last night and they are riveting and challenging. I commend them to Dr. Adams.

Doug Cumming an active Episcopalian now teaches at Washington and Lee in journalism and has a blog. I imagine he will blog about Graham soon. WLU.edu