BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) Former President Jimmy Carter stepped into the pulpit of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church on Saturday (Jan. 31) and spoke to a standing-room-only crowd of about 1,200 people who filled the balcony and lined the walls.
“There is no way for us to ignore Jesus’ emphasis on the poor, the brokenhearted,” Carter told the Southeast regional meeting of the New Baptist Covenant, which he helped found last year with an interracial, interdenominational gathering that drew 15,000 in Atlanta.
The meetings have emphasized racial reconciliation and cooperation on social issues, especially among groups of black and white Baptists.
“I have found this evolution of the New Baptist Covenant to be the highlight of my religious life,” Carter said.
He spoke at a worship service that was followed by workshops on poverty and racism. He recalled a time when racial prejudice was rampant in Baptist churches, and theologians defended separate worship.
“The Baptist church was a stalwart defender of segregation,” he said. “It was ingrained in our conscience.”
Carter said the meeting will help churches work better together. “I would like to see a complete breakdown in separation of people.”
He encouraged Baptists of different races to share worship. “I hope in the future the barriers will be broken down.”
“The people of God are not going to be dragged kicking and screaming,” said the Rev. Gary Furr, pastor of Vestavia Hills Baptist Church and a chairman of the event. “We want to lead the way.”
Saturday’s conference was the first of several regional meetings planned to follow up on last year’s New Baptist Covenant in Atlanta.
“We don’t know whether we have a meeting or a movement,” said the Rev. Jimmy Allen, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and co-organizer of the New Baptist Covenant. “What we’re after is a movement.”
Greg Garrison
Copyright 2009 Religion News Service.All rights reserved.No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
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posted February 2, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Any group would be improved by Jimmy Carter’s membership.
posted February 2, 2009 at 9:46 pm
As ineffective as Jimmy Carter was as president, he has made up for it in his life after his 1 term in office.
posted February 3, 2009 at 10:38 am
Jimmy Carter has been the most effective former president we have had in a very long time. I am not convinced he was all that bad in his term in the White House. History may well prove he worked well, certainly better than his predecessors. But he has shown how a person can continue to serve the country and the world with patience and care.
posted February 4, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I like President Carter, voted for him, but as I remember a long ago conversation with my Dad, he was disappointed in him and thought him weak. The most effective past Presidents I think were Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor, his wife, and William Clinton, and his wife Hillary. They did exciting, and good things for our country. They moved us ahead. I think President Obama will do the same, and also his wife Michelle. President Carter has done much since his presidency and grown strong in his religious way of helping many people, so I agree with you Jest on that point.