Ivory Tower Blessed Are They Forum

As you know I have taken on the prevailing lamentable state of the Christian church in several Ivory Tower threads. I was recently thinking about these and I decided that I was only telling part of the story. This thread is going to be devoted to little known Christains who you probably haven't heard of but they have quietly left a profound impact on the world. So, believe it or not, this will be positive. I hope you will not only enjoy, but also be inspired.

Originally posted by kirksey957
As you know I have taken on the prevailing lamentable state of the Christian church in several Ivory Tower threads. I was recently thinking about these and I decided that I was only telling part of the story. This thread is going to be devoted to little known Christains who you probably haven't heard of but they have quietly left a profound impact on ...[text shortened]... believe it or not, this will be positive. I hope you will not only enjoy, but also be inspired.

Originally posted by kirksey957
As you know I have taken on the prevailing lamentable state of the Christian church in several Ivory Tower threads. I was recently thinking about these and I decided that I was only telling part of the story. This thread is going to be devoted to little known Christains who you probably haven't heard of but they have quietly left a profound impact on ...[text shortened]... believe it or not, this will be positive. I hope you will not only enjoy, but also be inspired.

Originally posted by kirksey957
As you know I have taken on the prevailing lamentable state of the Christian church in several Ivory Tower threads. I was recently thinking about these and I decided that I was only telling part of the story. This thread is going to be devoted to little known Christains who you probably haven't heard of but they have quietly left a profound impact on ...[text shortened]... believe it or not, this will be positive. I hope you will not only enjoy, but also be inspired.

Let us begin. I want to dedicate this first case to my atheist brother, Rwingett. Even he would be blessed by these Christians. In 1942, Clarence Jordon, a Baptist pastor, and his wife Florence started a radical experiment called Koinonia Farm. They wanted to live out the teachings of Jesus amidst the poverty and racism of the south. They founded a community where blacks and whites could work and live together. Their goals were fairly simple:

1)treat all human beings with dignity and justice
2) choose love over violence
3) Share all possesssions and live simply
4) be good stewards of the land and its natural resources

They endured threats, violence, bombings and all that one could imagine in south Georgia during those years. Yet, they somehow survived. Near the end of his life he devoted his time to his Cotton Patch translation of the New Testament. Jordon was a gifted scholar who could have taught theology anywhere, but he chose to live out his life in this simple way. If you get a chance read his translation of the New Testament. It is great!

Jesus tells us that if you have the faith of a mustard seed, much will happen. Ever heard of Millard Fuller? He had his wife spent time there in an effort to reclaim their failing marriage. He was a millionaire. After this experience of living there he and Clarence were looking for new ways to energize this ministry and calling. They began a partnership that developed into Habitat for HUmanity. Habitat Humanity International is now a world ministry that has built homes in all 50 states and more than 50 countries. They have built more than 100,000 homes worldwide. Today they are sister communities that participate in prison reconciliation, peace activism, childhood education and programs to eliminate poverty and promote healthy communities.

Clarence died in 1969. His name is worth remembering.

Originally posted by kirksey957
Let us begin. I want to dedicate this first case to my atheist brother, Rwingett. Even he would be blessed by these Christians. In 1942, Clarence Jordon, a Baptist pastor, and his wife Florence started a radical experiment called Koinonia Farm. They wanted to live out the teachings of Jesus amidst the poverty and racism of the south. They founded ...[text shortened]... verty and promote healthy communities.

Clarence died in 1969. His name is worth remembering.

Originally posted by kirksey957
Let us begin. I want to dedicate this first case to my atheist brother, Rwingett. Even he would be blessed by these Christians. In 1942, Clarence Jordon, a Baptist pastor, and his wife Florence started a radical experiment called Koinonia Farm. They wanted to live out the teachings of Jesus amidst the poverty and racism of the south. They founded ...[text shortened]... verty and promote healthy communities.

Clarence died in 1969. His name is worth remembering.

We live in an age where there is a lost art of preaching. It is indeed rare to find someone who really knows how to form coherent and creative messages of the Gospel. One of the most gifted pulpiteers was Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969). He was anathema to fundamentalists. They could not stand his theology of the "goodness within". Yet, he was far from being shallow. He struggled mightily with depression during his life and this became somewhat of a "thorn in the flesh" for him. He was one of the early pioneers in the pastoral counseling movement that sought to blend the behavioral sciences with theology.

He pastored Riverside Church in New York City. His sermons were so provocative that he was one of the first ministers to be broadcast widely on the radio. If you have ever heard the hymn "God of Grace and God of Glory" he was the one who wrote that hymn.

Here are some quotes from Fosdick to give you a flavor of this remarkable man.

"Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat."

"Democracy is based upon the conviction that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people."

"I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it."

"Christians are supposed to not merely to endure change, nor even to profit by it, but to cause it."

"He who knows no hardships will know no hardiness. He who faces no calamity will need no courage. Mysterious though it is, the characteristics in human nature which we love best grow in a soil with a strong mixture of troubles."

"Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have."


When was the last time you ever saw a minister on the cover of Time magazine? Oh yea, I forgot my avatar. Oh well, Fosdick was on the cover in 1930. His sermons are absolutely timeless.

The quote by Fosdick about the best traits of human characteristics growing best from troubled soil could well be applied to our next person. Most of us do not recall a time when mental illness was completely debilitating. There was no thorizine or other psychotropic meds. Mental institutions where packing houses for the insane.

Anton Boison lived in that time and had a psychotic break. It was through this experience that he saw an opportunity to train ministers in ways that were never considered. He believed that many problems of mental illlness were spiritual in nature and that they could not be successfully treated until they were recognized. He felt that mental illnesses were not signs of "evil" but rather opportunities for individuals to explore the deeper ramifications of their behaviors.

Boison started a rather basic program to help ministers learn how to better minister in these situations. What was so revolutionary about his program is that the patient was the teacher. Ministers were asked to look at how they ministered and what was going on with them. Even today this is an approach that many clergy cannot fathom. After all, are not ministers there to save the souls of sinners?

Boison's program became one of the most important developments in theological training. Today, if you go to a seminary or divinity school with any credibility at all, you will be required to take Clinical Pastoral Education. Today, there are literally tens of thousands of clergy who have received this training that they may better serve the sick and also NOT become part of the problem that we see so often in ministry today. The irony is that this wonderful program was started by a minister who took a risk and faced his mental illness. Talk about turning manure into compost!

Our next addition was never a minister, but I consider him to be one of the most important people in the modern day movement of "spirituality." Indeed his life represented the beginning of a movement that would have the most profound effect upon the disease we know as alcoholism. If you hear the term "high power", it is likely to have originated with him. As many alcoholics (perhaps people in general) had trouble with the concept of religion, he invited alcoholics to turn their lives over to a Higher Power of their choosing.

He was known as Bill W. He was an alcoholic by the age of 22. He had become quite successful as a stock analyst, but the stock market crash plunged him into poverty and his drinking escalated. While recuperating from alcoholism in a hospital, he had a religious vision, after which he never drank again. He was inspired to help others who were addicted to alcohol. This became the inspiration for Alcoholics Anonymous. It was founded on the idea that alcoholics are best able to help other alcoholics. The movement grew rapidly and eventually there were offshoots of this organization such as Al-Anon, Narcotics Anonymous, Over-EAters Anonymous. I even heard of a 12 Step program call Fundamentalists Anonymous.

These groups meet in just about every community in the country. It has been a source of healing for countless addicts. Today, even with advancements in medical science, AA is still considered the most successful treatment for alcoholism and addictions.

Bill Wilson died in 1971. You may have seen his story in the critically acclaimed TV movie My Name is Bill W. which starred James Woods.

I will leave you with a simple concept from AA to stir your thinking. "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of our program."

Originally posted by kirksey957
We live in an age where there is a lost art of preaching. It is indeed rare to find someone who really knows how to form coherent and creative messages of the Gospel. One of the most gifted pulpiteers was Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969). He was anathema to fundamentalists. They could not stand his theology of the "goodness within". Yet, he was ...[text shortened]... got my avatar. Oh well, Fosdick was on the cover in 1930. His sermons are absolutely timeless.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
Thanks again for the history....it is amazing how people come and go, including Preachers, but the Word of God remains. I especially like this one..

""He who knows no hardships will know no hardiness. He who faces no calamity will need no courage. Mysterious though it is, the characteristics in human nature which we love best grow in a soil with a s ...[text shortened]... 119:71
71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.
(NKJ)

Originally posted by kirksey957
I was thinking of that quote today and was aware that this particular one seems to be the theme of all the individuals so far. I think if you were to go to Riverside Church in New York City, you will still see his mark there with incredible preaching and a congregation actively involved in the social gospel.

I will dedicate this next case to Ivanhoe as it concerns a partnership with a Catholic order of nuns. We hear a lot these days about natural disasters. They obviously require a unique approach to address all the suffering.

In 1883, a torando swept through Rochester , Minnesota. It left many dead and destroyed much of the town. Nuns from the St. Francis, a teaching order, were requited as nurses. This experience inspired Sr. Moes to request that two doctors help them build the first general hospital in Mn. A 27 bed hospital opened in 1889 as a result of this partnership. The two doctors were brothers and their last names were Mayo. As they were extremely busy they invited other doctors to join them. This became the beginning of a new way to practice medicine. It used the idea of "cooperative science."

Today that little 27 bed clinic is now known as the Mayo Clinic. People come from all over the world to this "Oz of healthcare." Rochester is almost completely associated with the Mayo clinic. I cannot begin to tell you what a revolutionary idea it was for wellness to have a medical and a spiritual component. These nuns took a huge risk and looking to medicine for help and these doctors were very open to other modalities being part of treatments. Indeed, even St Mary's hosptial covers an enormous area in Rochester today.

So if you go to Rochester , MN today, marvel at what happens in the face of a disaster.

Originally posted by kirksey957
I will dedicate this next case to Ivanhoe as it concerns a partnership with a Catholic order of nuns. We hear a lot these days about natural disasters. They obviously require a unique approach to address all the suffering.

In 1883, a torando swept through Rochester , Minnesota. It left many dead and destroyed much of the town. Nuns from the St. Fra ...[text shortened]... oday.

So if you go to Rochester , MN today, marvel at what happens in the face of a disaster.