Born of Conviction: White Methodists and Mississippi's Closed Society [Paperback]

In early 1963, twenty-eight white Methodist ministers caused a firestorm of controversy by publishing a statement in opposition to racial discrimination.Born of Convictionexplores the statement's resulting influences on their lives, their reasons for signing the statement, and the various interpretations and legacies of the document.Winner of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters' Nonfiction AwardThe dominant narrative of the role of white citizens and the white church in Mississippi's civil rights era focuses on their intense resistance to change. The Born of Conviction statement, signed by twenty-eight white Methodist pastors and published in theMississippi Methodist Advocateon January 2, 1963, offered an alternative witness to the segregationist party line. Calling for freedom of the pulpit and reminding readers of the Methodist Discipline's claim that the teachings of Jesus permit no discrimination because of race, color, or creed, the pastors sought to speak to and for a mostly silent yet significant minority of Mississippians, and to lead white Methodists to join the conversation on the need for racial justice. The document additionally expressed support for public schools and opposition to any attempt to close them, and affirmed the signers' opposition to Communism. Though a few individuals, both laity and clergy, voiced public affirmation of Born of Conviction, the overwhelming reaction was negative-by mid-1964, eighteen of the signers had left Mississippi, evidence of the challenges faced by whites who offered even mild dissent to massive resistance in the Deep South.Dominant narratives, however, rarely tell the whole story. The statement caused a significant crack in the public unanimity of Mississippi white resistance. Signers and their public supporters also received private messages of gratitude for their stand, and eight of the signers would remain in the Methodist ministry in Mississippi until retiremenl³ž