Misplaced Pages

#735264

45-515: Clarence Jordan was born in Talbotton, Georgia , as the seventh of ten children to James Weaver and Maude Josey Jordan, prominent citizens of Talbotton. From an early age, Jordan was troubled by the racial and economic injustice that he perceived in his community. Hoping to improve the lot of sharecroppers through scientific farming techniques, he enrolled in the University of Georgia , earning

90-455: A nomen sacrum . The extensive adoption of the cross as a Christian iconographic symbol arose from the 4th century. However, the cross symbol was already associated with Christians in the 2nd century, as is indicated in the anti-Christian arguments cited in the Octavius of Minucius Felix , chapters IX and XXIX, written at the end of that century or the beginning of the next, and by

135-679: A degree in agriculture in 1933. During his college years, however, he became convinced that the roots of poverty were spiritual as well as economic. This conviction led Jordan to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky , from which he earned a Th.M. and a Ph.D. in the Greek New Testament in 1938. He was ordained as a Southern Baptist minister. While at seminary, Jordan met Florence Kroeger, whom he married In 1942,

180-517: A single upright torture stake rather than a two-beam cross, arguing that the Greek term stauros indicated a single upright pole. Although early Watch Tower Society publications associated with the Bible Student movement taught that Christ was executed on a cross, it no longer appeared on Watch Tower Society publications after the name Jehovah's witnesses was adopted in 1931, and use of

225-456: Is not technically correct. Jesus was officially tried and legally condemned, elements generally lacking in a lynching. But having observed the operation of Southern "justice," and at times having been its victim, I can testify that more people have been lynched "by judicial action" than by unofficial ropes. Pilate at least had the courage and the honesty to publicly wash his hands and disavow all legal responsibility. "See to it yourselves," he told

270-485: Is suspended above the altar table and is a focal point of the chancel . In many Baptist churches, a large cross hangs above the baptistry . Although Christians accepted that the cross was the gallows on which Jesus died, they had already begun in the 2nd century to use it as a Christian symbol. During the first three centuries of the Christian era the cross was "a symbol of minor importance" when compared to

315-608: The Church formally adopted an image inspired by Thorvaldsen's Christus statue underlain with the Church's name as an official symbol of the faith. In 2014, the Chinese Communist Party , which espouses a doctrine of state atheism , began a program of removing exterior crosses from church buildings "for reasons of safety and beauty." In 2016, 1,500 crosses were removed. In 2020, this campaign resumed, justified by

360-581: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km ), of which 3.1 square miles (8.0 km ) is land and 0.32% is water. The city is located in the central portion of the county along U.S. Route 80 , which runs north to south through the main part of town, and turns east leaving town. U.S. Route 80 leads east 34 mi (55 km) to Roberta and southwest 37 mi (60 km) to Columbus . Georgia State Routes 90 and 208 also run through

405-402: The crucifixion of Jesus , is a symbol of Christianity . It is related to the crucifix (a cross that includes a corpus (a representation of Jesus' body, usually three-dimensional) and to the more general family of cross symbols . (The term cross is now detached from its original specifically Christian meaning, in modern English and many other Western languages). The basic forms of

450-547: The sign of the cross . The crucifix, a cross upon which an image of Christ is present, is not known to have been used until the 6th century AD. The oldest extant depiction of the execution of Jesus in any medium seems to be the second-century or early third-century relief on a jasper gemstone meant for use as an amulet, which is now in the British Museum in London . It portrays a naked bearded man whose arms are tied at

495-501: The Christian fellowship, denied your rights as fellow believers, and treated as though the gospel didn't apply to you, hopeless and God-forsaken in the eyes of the world. Now, however, because of Christ's supreme sacrifice, you who once were so segregated are warmly welcomed into the Christian fellowship. Along with his rendering of " Jew and Gentile " as " white man and Negro ," Jordan converted all references to " crucifixion " into references to " lynching ," believing that no other term

SECTION 10

#1732802082736

540-612: The Cross on which our Saviour suffered was not a simple, but a compounded, Figure, according to the Custom of the Romans , by whose Procurator he was condemned to die. In which there was not only a straight and erected piece of Wood fixed in the Earth, but also a transverse Beam fastened unto that towards the top thereof". Frederick Elworthy claims that for a few centuries the emblem of Christ

585-520: The Democratic Republic of Congo (then known as Zaire or Belgian Congo) would eventually lead, in 1976, to the creation of Habitat for Humanity . On October 29, 1969, Jordan died suddenly of a heart attack, before the first house had been completed. As he had requested, Jordan had a simple burial; his body was placed in a shipping crate from a local casket manufacturer and was buried in an unmarked grave on Koinonia property. Jordan's funeral

630-572: The Jordans, another couple – Martin and Mabel England, who had previously served as American Baptist missionaries – and their families moved to a 440-acre (1.8 km) tract of land near Americus, Georgia , to create an interracial, Christian farming community. They called it Koinonia ( κοινωνία ), a word meaning 'communion' or 'fellowship' that in Acts 2:42 is applied to the earliest Christian community. The Koinonia partners bound themselves to

675-441: The best way to effect change in society was by living, in community, a radically different life. Koinonia Farm continues to operate as a working farm and intentional Christian community welcoming visitors and interns and operating various ministries as an alternative to materialism, militarism and racism. In the late 1960s, the hostilities gradually subsided, and Jordan increasingly turned his energies to speaking and writing. Among

720-470: The centre of a Christian family's home altar as well. Catholics , Orthodox Catholic , Oriental Orthodox , members of the major branches of Christianity with other adherents as Lutheranism and Anglicans , and others often make the Sign of the Cross upon themselves. This was already a common Christian practice in the time of Tertullian . The Feast of the Cross is an important Christian feast. One of

765-460: The city as well, with GA 90 leading southeast 8 mi (13 km) to Junction City and GA 208 leading west 13 mi (21 km) to Waverly Hall . Talbotton has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ), with hot, humid summers and mild winters. The record high of 110 °F (43 °C) and record low of −6 °F (−21 °C) were recorded on July 19, 1913 and February 13, 1899, respectively. On March 3, 2019, an EF4 tornado struck

810-490: The couple to sell their possessions and seek a life together in Christian service. The Fuller family brought renewed energy to Koinonia. The organization changed its name to Koinonia Partners and started a number of partnership type ventures such as "Partnership Housing," a project to build and sell quality, affordable homes at cost with a no interest mortgage for low-income area families. The Fullers' five years at Koinonia followed by three years of building "partnership housing" in

855-574: The creation of a musical, Cotton Patch Gospel , telling the life of Jesus Christ using his style and set in Georgia, and incorporating some passages from his translations. In 1965, Millard and Linda Fuller visited Koinonia, planning only to stay for a couple of hours. Inspired by Jordan, however, the Fullers chose to make Koinonia their permanent home in mid-1968. A marital crisis and dissatisfaction with their millionaire lifestyle had earlier persuaded

900-532: The cross and crucifix in the Lutheran Church , which remains an important feature of Lutheran devotion and worship today. Luther wrote: Crux sola est nostra theologia , "The cross alone is our theology." On the other hand, the Great Iconoclasm was a wave of rejecting sacred images among Calvinists of the 16th century. Some localities (such as England) included polemics against using

945-502: The cross are the Latin cross with unequal arms and the Greek cross with equal arms; there are numerous variants , partly with confessional significance—such as the tau cross , the double-barred cross , triple-barred cross , and cross-and-crosslets —and many heraldic variants , such as the cross potent , cross pattée , and cross moline , cross fleury . A version of the cross symbol

SECTION 20

#1732802082736

990-468: The cross at Wigmore. Writers during the 19th century indicating a Pagan origin of the cross included Henry Dana Ward , Mourant Brock, and John Denham Parsons . David Williams, writing of medieval images of monsters, says: "The disembodied phallus is also formed into a cross, which, before it became for Christianity the symbol of salvation, was a pagan symbol of fertility." The study, Gods, Heroes & Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain states: "Before

1035-698: The cross in worship. For example, during the 16th century, theologians in the Anglican and Reformed traditions Nicholas Ridley , James Calfhill , and Theodore Beza , rejected practices that they described as cross worship. Considering it a form of idolatry, there was a dispute in 16th century England over the baptismal use of the sign of the cross and even the public use of crosses. There were more active reactions to religious items that were thought as 'relics of Papacy ', as happened for example in September 1641, when Sir Robert Harley pulled down and destroyed

1080-401: The cross was officially abandoned in 1936. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that Jesus died on a cross; however, their prophet Gordon B. Hinckley stated that "for us the cross is the symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the living Christ." When asked what was the symbol of his religion, Hinckley replied "the lives of our people must become

1125-601: The equality of all persons, rejection of violence, ecological stewardship, and common ownership of possessions. For several years the residents of Koinonia lived in relative peace alongside their Sumter County . However, as the Civil Rights Movement progressed, white citizens of the area increasingly perceived Koinonia as a threat. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Koinonia became the target of a stifling economic boycott and repeated violence, including several bombings. When Jordan sought help from President Eisenhower ,

1170-517: The fact that by the early 3rd century the cross had become so closely associated with Christ that Clement of Alexandria , who died between 211 and 216, could without fear of ambiguity use the phrase τὸ κυριακὸν σημεῖον (the Lord's sign) to mean the cross, when he repeated the idea, current as early as the apocryphal Epistle of Barnabas , that the number 318 (in Greek numerals , ΤΙΗ) in Genesis 14:14

1215-528: The feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican bishops place a cross (+) before their name when signing a document. The dagger symbol (†) placed after the name of a dead person (often with the date of death) is sometimes taken to be a Christian cross. In many Christian traditions, such as the Methodist Churches , the altar cross sits atop or

1260-541: The federal government refused to intervene, instead referring the matter to the governor of Georgia . The governor, Marvin Griffin, a staunch supporter of racial segregation , responded by ordering the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate Koinonia's partners and supporters for purported Communist ties. Jordan chose not to participate in the marches and demonstrations of the era, instead believing that

1305-481: The fourth century CE, the cross was not widely embraced as a sign of Christianity, symbolizing as it did the gallows of a criminal." This reaction in the Anglican and other Reformed Churches was short-lived and the cross became ubiquitous in these Christian traditions. Jehovah's Witnesses do not use the symbol of the cross in their worship, which they believe constitutes idolatry . They believe that Jesus died on

1350-403: The late second or early third century, most likely in conventional Christian contexts". The Jewish Encyclopedia says: The cross as a Christian symbol or "seal" came into use at least as early as the second century (see "Apost. Const." iii. 17; Epistle of Barnabas, xi.-xii.; Justin, "Apologia," i. 55–60; "Dial. cum Tryph." 85–97); and the marking of a cross upon the forehead and the chest

1395-777: The latter are his well-known Cotton Patch series, homey translations of New Testament writings. Jordan believed it was necessary not only to translate individual words and phrases, but also the context of Scripture. Thus, Jordan retitled the Apostle Paul 's Epistle to the Ephesians "The Letter to the Christians in Birmingham ." His translation of Ephesians 2:11–13 is typical: So then, always remember that previously you Negroes, who sometimes are even called "niggers" by thoughtless white church members, were at one time outside

Clarence Jordan - Misplaced Pages Continue

1440-678: The mob. And they did. They crucified him in Judea and they strung him up in Georgia, with a noose tied to a pine tree. The Cotton Patch series used American analogies for places in the New Testament; Rome became Washington, D.C. , Judaea became Georgia ( the Governor of Judaea became the Governor of Georgia ), Jerusalem became Atlanta , and Bethlehem became Gainesville, Georgia . Jordan's translations of scripture portions led to

1485-538: The only meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship." Prophet Howard W. Hunter encouraged Latter-day Saints "to look to the temple of the Lord as the great symbol of your membership." Images of LDS temples and the Angel Moroni (who is found in statue on most temples) are commonly used to symbolize the faith of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . In April 2020, under President Russell M. Nelson ,

1530-556: The power of the cross[.] In Christianity, communicants of the Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches are expected to wear a cross necklace at all times; these are ordinarily given to believers at their baptism . Many Christians, such as those in the tradition of the Church of the East , continue the practice of hanging a Christian cross in their homes, often on the east wall . Crosses or crucifixes are often

1575-517: The prominence given to it later, but by the second century it was closely associated with Christians, to the point where Christians were mocked as "adorers of the gibbet" ( crucis religiosi ), an accusation countered by Tertullian . and it was already a tradition for Christians to trace repeatedly on their foreheads the sign of the cross. Martin Luther at the time of the Reformation retained

1620-490: The town at low-end EF3 strength, causing major damage to structures and trees in the town. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 742 people, 372 households, and 222 families residing in the city. The Talbot County School District headquarters is located in the city as well as the only school building in the entire county. The district and school has 48 full-time teachers and over 792 students. Christian cross The Christian cross , seen as representing

1665-698: The twelve Great Feasts in Orthodox Catholicism is the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14, which commemorates the consecration of the basilica on the site where the original cross of Jesus was reportedly discovered in 326 by Helena of Constantinople , mother of Constantine the Great . The Catholic Church celebrates the feast on the same day and under the same name ( In Exaltatione Sanctae Crucis ), though in English it has been called

1710-512: The wrists by short strips to the transom of a T-shaped cross. An inscription in Greek on the obverse contains an invocation of the redeeming crucified Christ. On the reverse a later inscription by a different hand combines magical formulae with Christian terms. The catalogue of a 2007 exhibition says: "The appearance of the Crucifixion on a gem of such an early date suggests that pictures of the subject (now lost) may have been widespread even in

1755-473: Was a headless T-shaped tau cross rather than a Latin cross. There are few extant examples of the cross in 2nd century Christian iconography . It has been argued that Christians were reluctant to use it as it depicts a purposely painful and gruesome method of public execution . A symbol similar to the cross, the staurogram , was used to abbreviate the Greek word for cross in very early New Testament manuscripts such as P66 , P45 and P75 , almost like

1800-518: Was adequate for conveying the sense of the event into a modern American idiom: [T]here just isn't any word in our vocabulary which adequately translates the Greek word for "crucifixion." Our crosses are so shined, so polished, so respectable that to be impaled on one of them would seem to be a blessed experience. We have thus emptied the term "crucifixion" of its original content of terrific emotion, of violence, of indignity and stigma, of defeat. I have translated it as "lynching," well aware that this

1845-585: Was attended by his family, the Koinonia partners, and the poor of the community. Florence Jordan died at Koinonia in 1987 and was buried there. Jordan's papers are housed at the University of Georgia. Talbotton, Georgia Talbotton is a city in Talbot County , Georgia , United States. The population was 970 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Talbot County. Talbotton

Clarence Jordan - Misplaced Pages Continue

1890-581: Was founded in 1828 as the seat of the newly formed Talbot County. Both the county and the town were named for Governor Matthew Talbot . Talbotton may be best known in history as the place where the immigrant Straus family got their start in retail sales in the 19th century. In 1896, the family acquired R. H. Macy & Co. in New York. Talbotton is located at 32°40′41″N 84°32′23″W  /  32.67806°N 84.53972°W  / 32.67806; -84.53972 (32.678170, -84.539787). According to

1935-460: Was interpreted as a foreshadowing (a "type" ) of the cross (T, an upright with crossbar, standing for 300) and of Jesus (ΙΗ, the first two letters of his name ΙΗΣΟΥΣ , standing for 18). His contemporary Tertullian rejected the accusation of Christians being "adorers of the gibbet" ( crucis religiosi ). In his book De Corona , written in 204, Tertullian tells how it was already a tradition for Christians to trace repeatedly on their foreheads

1980-521: Was regarded as a talisman against the powers of demons (Tertullian, "De Corona," iii.; Cyprian, "Testimonies," xi. 21–22; Lactantius, "Divinæ Institutiones," iv. 27, and elsewhere). Accordingly the Christian Fathers had to defend themselves, as early as the second century, against the charge of being worshipers of the cross, as may be learned from Tertullian, "Apologia," xii., xvii., and Minucius Felix, "Octavius," xxix. Christians used to swear by

2025-569: Was used long before the Christian era in the form of the ancient Egyptian ankh . John Pearson, Bishop of Chester ( c.  1660 ) wrote in his commentary on the Apostles' Creed that the Greek word stauros originally signified "a straight standing Stake, Pale, or Palisador", but that, "when other transverse or prominent parts were added in a perfect Cross, it retained still the Original Name", and he declared: "The Form then of

#735264