Clarence Jordan and Equality
StoryHistorical Account★★★★Clarence Jordan and equality found in the New Testament, he was accosted by an elderly woman captive to her culture: “I want you to know that my grandfather fought in the Civil War, and I’ll never believe a word you say.” Jordan replied, “Ma’am, your choice seems quite clear. It is whether you will follow your granddaddy or Jesus Christ; The scribes and Pharisees were judged for following the traditions of the elders rather than God. And so are we. (Matt 23:13-28; Mark 7:1-13) (Culture, Discipleship, Hypocrisy, Race, Tradition) (CDW) What we say we believe and how we act are often miles apart.
Clarence Jordan got straight to the point, ““We’ll worship the hind legs off Jesus, but never do a thing he says.””® (Mark 8:34-38; Luke 18:9-14) (Commitment, Hypocrisy) (CDW) One weekend a student from India studying at Florida State University visited Koinonia Farm. He requested the Jordans to let him visit a Protestant worship service. When they took him to a local Baptist church, the congregation chilled the hot summer day with their icy reception.
According to Dallas Lee, author of Cotton Patch Evidence, the congregation acted as if the Indian student was a disguised “nigger.” The church’s new pastor went to see the Jordans and complained that the Koinonians were causing disunity in his church. “The man was dark, but he did not look like an American Negro,” Florence Jordan replied.
“We thought the people would be delighted to meet him. He was not a Christian, but was interested and wanted to go to church.”
Some church members paid a second visit to the farm and requested the Koinonians to leave their church alone. Jordan said
Also attributed to: Florence Jordan, Dallas Lee
The point
Clarence Jordan confronts cultural traditions and racism by pointing to Jesus, using encounters with a Civil War-era woman and a church's icy reception of an Indian student to challenge hypocrisy and call for true discipleship.