Southern and... Christian???

Read this story about Laurence Jones, a black educator from the early 20th century, who was miraculously delivered from a lynching in the South. The rope was around his neck, yet he was set free. Even if you don't read the rest of my post, go there and read the story now.

Many Southrons will claim "Christian" as a necessary element of Southern identity. But how much of it is genuine and how much  is racism disguised as hollow posturing? How many of these modern "southern Christians" would have spoken up for Laurence Jones?

Even up into the 1950s, whites would come out by the hundreds to watch a black man being lynched. It was a kind of twisted, demonic entertainment. Look for the photos on google. Those people were proud to be there. They smiled about it. Its sick. A lot of those people are still alive, aren't they? What whites stood up for justice? Where were (are) the whites with guts enough to be servants to the black community? You know, to be servants in the way Jesus commanded.

What should be the Southern response to the Black community? Well, if you're a real Christian it should be this...

• But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. (Mark 9:34, 35)
• But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. (Matthew 23: 11-12)
• Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. (John 13:13-15)

There are no special exceptions in the case of Southerners. There are no exceptions in the event someone complains about the Confederate battle flag. If Southrons cannot live out what Jesus demands of his followers, if they cannot become servants to their Black neighbors, then they have brought upon the Confederate flag the reputation that history now gives it. And history has condemned it as a symbol of hate.

Ask yourself, where did the indignance come from? Why was it so important to be socially separate? Why was it so important to be angry at a people that never hurt you? Where is the gratitude that Southern whites owe the ancestors of African Americans for their contributions to the South?

I'm fortunate to come from a family that has tried to understand this. But the kind of spirituality that built the ancient church, that was born out of tears and fasting... THAT SAME spirituality has been lived out in African American Christianity to an extent that folks like me simply cannot comprehend. Searching for authentic Christianity will require more than just reading old books, it will require learning at the feet of people who lived the experience... and those people are closer than most realize. Can Southern people find the guts to become intimate with the elders in the Black community and make African American wisdom a part of their own spiritual life?

Civil War and religion in Indian Country

This book gives is a real slice of Oklahoma rural culture and is worth promoting. The Seminole Baptist Churches of Oklahoma is one volume in the The Civilization of the American Indian Series. The book is a result of four years of fieldwork and brings to light an obscure and (sadly) disappearing facet of Oklahoma: that of native churches and their role in maintaining a traditional community. This is a fascinating book. Author Jack Schultz covers everything from traditional architecture, preservation of language, and theology.

Several passages relate to Seminole history during the Civil War era:

With the onset of the Civil War, federal troops that had been stationed in forts around Seminole territory were removed to protect the eastern states. Confederate forces soon took control of several of the abandoned forts. Whereas the federal government had virtually abandoned Indian Territory, the Confederates were willing to embrace the Indians. In 1861, a Confederate delegation negotiated a treaty wuth the Seminoles, promising better treatment than they had received thus far from the federal overnment. The principle cheif, John Jumper, and twelve band mekkos [traditional chiefs] endorsed it. A faction of the tribe, led by Billy Bowlegs and John Chupko, refused to sign, however. They and their followers and almost all of the Seminole freedmen left Seminole territory and went north to Kansas, enduring great harsdship along the way. Once in Kansas, these Seminoles enlisted in the Union Army. Jumper organized a Seminole battalion for the Confederate army.

All Seminoles endured the extreme difficulties of the the war: homes and property were destroyed; many Seminoles became refugees; sickness and starvation were widespread; casualties and destruction were great. Unfortunately, difficulties did not end with the war. Seminoles who had remained loyal to the federal government expected some reward for their pro-Union efforts but were assigned the same fate as those who had sided with the Confederates (with the exception of $50,000 divided among the loyalists for losses sustained during the war). The northern and southern Seminoles did not immediately reconcile their differences. for a time the tribe supported two principal chiefs: John Jumper for the Southern Seminoles and John Chupko for the northern Seminoles.
In 1866, the Seminoles signed a new treaty with the federal government... After 1866, the Seminoles and freedmen shared their government, their schools, and their land.

... In the years following the war, denominational boundaries continued to reflect the north-south cleavage. Presbyterian missions appealed to the norther Seminoles, and the Baptists attracted those Seminoles who had supported the Confederacy.

... Whereas the Presbyterians relied on specially trained outside missionaries, the Baptists relied on the more effective strategy of using native preachers. This was particularly true after the Civil War.

(Jack M. Schulz, The Seminole Baptist Churches of Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 1999. p37-38; 48,49.)

It is interesting how the WBTS provided the foundation for future denominational differences. I spent some time in Oklahoma Indian Country, both socially and professionally. I don't remember ever meeting any Seminoles that were Presbyterian. Most folks living within Native culture that I met were Baptist. I've been told that among the older generation, there are lots of old fellows who are called "medicine man" on Saturday, and then preach at church on Sunday. I love that. Unfortunately, this unique culture is quickly disappearing. Here is a related article at Southern Spaces.

I understand the detachment needed for an enthnographic work; but still, it is peculiar to see how neighbors just down the road- from my perspective- and their families, are studied like exotic specimens.

Speaking of Baptists, the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma just recently elected its first American Indian president, the Reverend Emerson Falls (at right).

African American man owns ancestral plantation land

This is an amazing story of one's heritage coming full circle. Father Moses Barry, a priest of the Eastern Orthodox Church, owns a plot of land that was part of a plantation. Moses Barry's ancestors worked on that plantation as slaves. The structure on the property houses his chapel and a small slave museum. Also on his land is the paupers' cemetary in which his ancestors are buried...



A production company is seeking funding to complete a movie about his life's journey from a life of crime to becoming a priest in the ancient Orthodox Church...



One day it will be a story of reconciliation and historic irony: I am planning a trip with some friends of mine to visit his small museum. I am a descendant of Confederate veterans but I am also an Orthodox Christian. As such, I will offer my respect by kissing his hand and requesting his blessing, a traditional greeting for an Orthodox priest.

I will blog more on Father Barry later.