Pastor fired over "invit[ing] black children to VBS"?

Jim
Fundamentalism & Evangelicalism
Racism

Pastor suspects racial motivations behind termination. He says his sermon on Sunday was on racism. “I wanted the church to know that this is not consistent with the gospel. This is not consistent with God’s word that we honor and give dignity to all people. That’s what the Bible teaches us, and all people are worthy and in need of the gospel, and racism denies that to a certain amount of people,”

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Jim
Wed, 08/10/16 12:40 pm

Ever heard of Lawnside, New Jersey?

Lawnside was developed and incorporated as the first independent, self-governing black municipality north of the Mason-Dixon Line in 1840. [today it is 89% black]

My Lawnside story:

  • In the early 80’s I was a very young, brand new assistant pastor of a large Baptist church in Haddon Heights NJ [today about 90% white and I’m guessing it was about 99% white 35 years ago]. Haddon Heights is only 3 miles from Lawnside but on the other side I-295 and the NJ Turnpike
  • Our church had an evangelism contact and a black woman from Lawnside was saved
  • Shortly she was a candidate for baptism
  • At our related deacons’ meeting, an old deacon said that our church’s policy was that blacks would not be added to the church, but directed to a black church
  • Our Sr Pastor, who himself was new, gently rebuked the man, and the woman’s baptism went forward.

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