Whether we are conscious of it or not, we fear difference. That
often unwarranted fear leads us to create enemies in our hearts and
minds, and fear was no stranger to Oakhurst Presbyterian Church, as
confessed by Pastor Nibs Stroupe: "We have listened to one
another's stories here, and we have discovered that the people we
feared, those monsters we thought would destroy us -- because of
different skin colors, different genders, different sexual
orientations, different economic categories -- they are really our
sisters and brothers, the folks for whom our hearts long."
In the 1960s the Oakhurst congregation was 900 members strong, but
by the time Nibs Stroupe arrived in 1983, "white flight" had left
less than 100 on the church's dwindling membership rolls. Since
then, Oakhurst has undergone an extraordinary transformation,
re-inventing itself as a growing community that welcomes everyone.
The congregation has attracted national attention for its radically
inclusive and egalitarian diversity, which extends beyond racial
integration to class, gender, sexual orientation, and theological
perspective. How have people from such dissimilar backgrounds come
together to create a harmonious and thriving whole? In what
biblical vision is it rooted and shaped? By what theological
resources is it fed and sustained? The heart of the answer to these
questions lies in the exceptional sermons of Nibs Stroupe.
Growing out of the experience of a multicultural congregation in
which diversity is both valued and feared, these messages offer an
uncompromising prophetic vision of the American church's identity
and mission. Stroupe firmly grounds a liberal social viewpoint
within the biblical and theological traditions of the church, and
he calls us to hear God's claim on us in our place and in our time.
Underlying his powerful sermons is the fundamental conviction that
the barriers that separate us from our neighbors have been brought
down in Jesus Christ. "Where Once We Feared Enemies" will be an
indispensable addition to any pastor's library. It is also
inspiring and enlightening reading for anyone interested in the
future of the American church, as well as its role in the
continuing stories of race relations, civil rights, and peace and
justice issues.
"These sermons are not your typical "social action" homilies.
Rather Nibs Stroupe cuts to the quick of the biblical message of
Jesus as it impacts the minds and hearts of thinking people of
every race, class, and political stripe. This is theologically rich
fare that will satisfy and energize Christians and non-Christians
alike. These are the kind of no-nonsense sermons that have made
Oakhurst one of the most faithful and consistent witnesses to the
love and justice-making of the gospel that I have seen in more than
half a century of ministry."
Gayraud S. Wilmore
Emeritus Professor of African-American Church History
Interdenominational Theological Center
Gibson "Nibs" Stroupe and his wife, Caroline Leach, have been the
pastors of Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia, since
1983. They are the co-authors of "O Lord, Hold Our Hands," a book
detailing Oakhurst's unique multicultural ministry. Stroupe is also
the author of" While We Run This Race," which won the 1996 Gustavus
Myers Award for outstanding book on human rights. Stroupe and his
Oakhurst ministry have been featured in" Time," the "Wall Street
Journal," and the "Christian Science Monitor," on "NBC Nightly
News," CNN, and National Public Radio, and in several books.
Chris Boesel (editor) is an assistant professor of Christian
theology at Drew University Theological School.
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