Posted on 06/29/2013 8:55:03 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
When Baptist Jacqueline Allen of Chapel Hill began participating this month in the Moral Monday protests against the Republican-led North Carolina legislature, she got a loving-but-firm admonition from her daughter and son-in-law: don’t get arrested.
“An 81-year-old doesn’t need to be in jail,” Allen said with a laugh today while attending CBF General Assembly in Greensboro, N.C. “I don’t want to get arrested.”
But she does want to join the thousands of other protesters, many of them driven by religious beliefs, and make known her dismay at budget cuts that threaten education, health care and other social programs in North Carolina. So far thousands have turned out – and around 600 of them arrested -- for the demonstrations that run from 5 to 6 p.m. Mondays in front of state General Assembly in Raleigh.
Baptists involved
Allen, who worships at Hope Valley Baptist Church in Durham, said she’s been joined by many other Baptists at the Moral Monday protests. But it’s also an ecumenical movement including Quakers, Unitarian Universalists, Presbyterians and Methodists, she said.
“All of our religious groups are concerned about the civic good,” Allen said.
Allen has been to two protests so far, the first time carrying a sign reading “Remember the least of these,” and the second one declaring “blessed are the merciful.” Her hope is to remind legislators catering to conservative Christians that other Christians also “have very strong teachings” that should be considered before cutting money for schools, the sick and unemployed.
“We have worked for decades to help create equal opportunities for our citizens,” she said. Legislators should “wait a minute and think about the people who elected you and don’t cut down our schools and our Medicaid.”
Civic and political involvement is nothing new for Allen. She has worked as a public school teacher and as a case worker at a mental health center, and has served as a precinct chairwoman in precincts in North Carolina and Florida.
She also boasts a rich Baptist heritage, which she said drivers her concern for the good of others.
Born in Jackson, Miss., her grandfather was pastor of First Baptist Church, from which he preached social and economic justice for African-Americans. “He always talked about fairness and helping others.”
Her late husband’s father had been the editorial secretary for the then-Sunday School Board in Nashville and her own father was a lay member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. A great-grandmother was a schoolmate of Lottie Moon, she said.
Allen said she’s attending CBF General Assembly for the fellowship with other Baptists. On Wednesday she attended Baptist Women in Ministry’s 30-year anniversary celebration. She’s also attended workshops in line with her social concerns, including those on dementia, child sexual abuse and the debate over believer’s Baptism.
Politically conservative Christians cannot challenge her on religious grounds, she said. “If anybody has Baptists credentials, I do,” she said.
How “moral” is it to have a religious faith in government?
Sorry, the woman is an idiot that has conflated the division of church and state as well as the authority of the local electorate v. government control. If she is arrested, she can try and explain her ridiculous position in court.
Education is local. Those who pay into the system should run ^^every aspect^^ of that system including funding/budget and curriculum. Once the local system depends on some secondary government entity “umbrella” for funding, that same local system has given up all authority over the system.
P.S. At best, she's a useful idiot. At worst, she's always been leftist.
P.P.S. I bet she's "prayerfully pro-choice".
If these protesters believe any cut in public spending is bad, why don’t they start a fund and offer to make it up from their own resources? They obviously have the time and money to do so. Let the Baptists start charter schools and let the NAACP fund initiatives if they think they are critical. I don’t see the virtue in asking others to pay for your belief in big government.
‘P.P.S. I bet she’s “prayerfully pro-choice”.’
Pro-abortion Baptists have a very interesting(to say the least) theological position, i.e., it’s OK to murder a baby but not OK to baptize it.
I challenge her biblical knowledge.
God divides worldly responsibilities into three arenas; government, church and the home.
The government is to provide the common defense, secure property rights, punish property and violent criminals, and provide a civil court system.
The church is to minister and care for the helpless, indigent and poor without families to do such duties.
PARENTS are responsible for the EDUCATION of their children, and as stated above FAMILIES bear first responsibility for the well being of their members.
Letting the government turn into the “giverment” by usurping the two areas clearly NOT under its authority has led to our current decline.
Take your kids out of public school. Avoid employment in any agency usurping the authority God gave to the home and church. Tithe the ten percent before taxes and be vigilant in how your church spends its resources.
These people are idiots...I’ve debated some in the local newspaper (Raleigh) forum....they are all just leftists and all they can do is spout empty lefty talking points.
You're assuming that she has any :)
God divides worldly responsibilities into three arenas; government, church and the home.
The government is to provide the common defense, secure property rights, punish property and violent criminals, and provide a civil court system.
The church is to minister and care for the helpless, indigent and poor without families to do such duties.
PARENTS are responsible for the EDUCATION of their children, and as stated above FAMILIES bear first responsibility for the well being of their members.
Letting the government turn into the “giverment” by usurping the two areas clearly NOT under its authority has led to our current decline.
Not a bad summary, given that you've confined the descriptions to what each sphere "provides". I would heartily agree with your conclusion!
Correct name is Moocher Monday
Not to be confused with Southern Baptist.
Thanks Alex.
The really sad thing is as a lifelong Baptist I learned these things from a Conservative Rabbi while sharing a few shots of George Dickel.
Sorry, placing your faith in government to take care of you, because they must steal the wealth of others, is not moral.
Since she is a black Baptist, I wouldn't be one bit surprised to find out that she considers herself to be pro-life. But on the list of priorities, standing for life is at the uttermost bottom. Sadly, standing with the Democrat party and its pro-abortion supporters to fight against evil Republicans nearly always takes precedence for most churchgoing Black Baptists.
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