The Common People Hear Jesus Gladly
Fri Mar 24, 2006 at 09:55:54 PM PDT
A friend writes:
I have come into temporary possession of the front page of the October 1955 edition of "Packinghouse Worker." Most of it is about Carl Braden's being convicted and sentenced to 15 years for sedition for selling a house in Louisville to a black family.
But an adjacent article tells about a bedspread mill in Dalton Ga. firing employees because they belonged to a fundamentalist Christian church that favors unions, Church of God.
The preacher, Rev. Donald West is quoted:
"My crime is that for many years I've stood firmly for the rights of the poor and oppressed, for justice, mercy, and decency for working people. And these are things that the enemies of the people simply can't forgive.
"The common people hear Jesus gladly, but His hypocritical accusers said, 'he stirreth up the people'.
"Had I edited a newspaper that attacked the unions; had I said chenille workers did not deserve more than 75 cents an hour, then I would have stood high with the very powers that are attacking me today."
These days Dalton Georgia bills itself as the carpet capital of the world. They're still running textile mills, then. There are several Church of God listings in the local phone book. But it's not possible to tell which ones were associated with the Rev. Don West, or what became of his pedagogy. It would be good to read about modern ministers preaching for the rights of the poor in milltowns, praying for the good earth, testifying for justice and mercy.
I'd like to see information on how many there are, and where.
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