Ex-Church of Christ Support Board

Yes, Chrisso99, I had forgotten that Jimmy was a proponent for integration. I recall a Gospel meeting about 40 years ago in which he expressed deep remorse for having made a racist joke once which hurt someone's feelings.

You make an interesting point, and I did not know that he espoused progressive views on race. Perhaps his real focus in that sermon was on sexism and the punishment and control of women (c of c hallmark values) rather than racism. When I discussed this with my pagan husband, he pointed out that modern fundamentalist Islam, as well as some groups in India, punish women who have been raped. Women are often killed to preserve their honor or that of their families.

Sounds like he was just trying to make a shocking point to a racist audience. If being raped by a negro wouldn't permit an abortion - nothing could. There's still some pretty strong racist elements at Harding and the CoC, but thanks to Jimmy Allen and others it's not as bad as you would expect at a private fundamentalist school in Arkansas. You would be amazed to know how many of the current students (and the students a decade ago when I went) never realized Harding had been segregated or how Harding and other private Christian colleges boomed into decent-sized schools specifically because of desegregation of public colleges. I also had to restrain myself from asking black members of Chi Sigma Alpha (which was created the year Harding desegregated, CSA, Confederate States of America, the Confederate flag is still in their emblem) if they had even the slightest clue of why their club even existed.

Despite Jimmy and others, the school probably would have stayed segregated much longer had the civil rights act in 1963 not threatened its funding. I look forward to the day their funding is threatened again due to their anti-gay bigotry. Somehow I think some of the obscure lines of Paul's letters will be analyzed in a different perspective almost overnight. Either that or they'll stick to their guns, lose federal tax breaks and accreditation and the students will lose the ability to get student loans and Harding will pretty much die within a generation. I'm not sure which outcome I prefer.

I read that Harding produced a lot of anti-left propaganda for the government back in the 50's and 60's too.

B.H. wrote:I read that Harding produced a lot of anti-left propaganda for the government back in the 50's and 60's too.

I believe this. They had some very strange books in their library.

chrisso99 wrote: I also had to restrain myself from asking black members of Chi Sigma Alpha (which was created the year Harding desegregated, CSA, Confederate States of America, the Confederate flag is still in their emblem) if they had even the slightest clue of why their club even existed.

.

Interesting, I didn't know that about Chi Sigs. When I was at Harding, the Chi Sigs were all choir singers and very spiritually minded.

This thread always makes me think of Jimmy Fallon