Stem, Carl

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Harding School of Theology

Harding UniversityScholar Works at HardingJohn Allen Chalk: Personal Correspondence John Allen Chalk1-30-1969From/To: Carl Stem (Chalk's reply filed first)Carl StemFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.harding.edu/hst-chalk-personalThis Letter is brought to you for free and open access by the John AllenChalk at Scholar Works at Harding. It has been accepted for inclusion inJohn Allen Chalk: Personal Correspondence by an authorizedadministrator of Scholar Works at Harding. For more information, pleasecontact scholarworks@harding.edu.Recommended CitationStem, C. (1969). From/To: Carl Stem (Chalk's reply filed first). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.harding.edu/hst-chalk-personal/6638'! ~- /V C •• 1• 5th and Highland CHURCH of CHRIST producers of the HERALD OF TRUTH January 30, 1969 Mr. Carl Herbert Stem 2941 Macomb Street Washington, D.C. Dear Carl: Radio and Television Programs I am happy to hear that you are developing some material for Mission on racism. I Jeel very strongly that we have not only refused to face the degree to which our brotherhood is gripped with racism, but we have not developed in any major pulpit a sufficient understanding of the idolatry of racism to even begin to apply the Chris -tian ethic. · · I think you would find it very profitable if you could .interview, by phone or letter, David DeRooy of Philadelphia. David will be living ~n Abilene by the first of the month. He has many interesting experiences out of his association with the Youth · Hobby Shop in Nashville, a racist ex periment in caring for white children only, as well as actual invitations from some white elders in Nashville to David that he go to Africa as a missionary, supported by Nashville Christians. You might also be interested in interviev-.,-ing David Jones, who preaches for the Schrader Lane church in Nashville. This is the congregation that had the race rela-tions forum last year, out of which came the published booklet distributed by the Christian Chronicle . David has said to Dave DeRooy that he has not one meaningful relationship with any white brother in Nashville. I know of no young preacher with better qualifications and deeper commitment than David Jones. Yet this sophisticated racism is driving him away from any meaningful contact with the white community at large, much less his white brethren. I will be happy to do a special article for Mission, if you will be more specific about what you want me to do. I am swamped, however, by work. If you could read the four sermons I have enclosed and find with in one of them material you could ex cerpt for whatever length you desire, I would appreciate it. In fact, publishing something in Mission that had already been appro ved by the Highland elders and aired on Herald of Truth might even have additional force that another article by me would not. Look these lessons over carefully and evaluate them in view of using some of the material in one of them as a separate article. Keep up the good work. Thank you so much for writing. Fraterna I ly, John Allen Chalk JAC:hm Enclosures r TRUST EES WALTER E. BURCH RAY F. CHESTER HALL. CUR RY DW AIN EVANS EVERETT FERGUSON ANDREW J. HAIRS T ON HUBER T G . LOCKE JACK L. MACKEY ABR AHAM J. MALHERBE DONAL D H. McGA UGHEY THO MAS H. OLBRICHT ROY F. OSBORNE FRANK PACK J. W. ROBERTS D ONALD R. SIME CARL SPAIN CARL H. STE M DAVID STEW ART M. I. SUMMERLIN ROY BOWEN WARD m1ss1on P. 0 . Box 2822 Abilene, Texas 79604 Mr. John Allen Chalk Herald of Truth Radio Highland Church of Christ Abilene, Texas Dear John Allen: l} i,f tJ -i!i/ 1 7 t:J 2941 Ma.comb Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008 J an uary 15, 1969 Would you be so kind as to send me copies of the radio sermons which you recent ,,ly de liver ed on r aci sm i~-8-8',1 and New Testament Chr i s ti ani t y? I am developing an interview with a Negro couple on racism for MISSION. Your material may help me to develop some app ropriate questions. Anyway, I would be very pleased to re ad what you had to say. May I also say that I appreciate you spe ak in g out t on this subject. One of the most apparent char acter-isticsof the Church of Christ generally throu gh out the nation is the veiled undertone of racism that is pre-sent. Sometimes it is not too veiled. This st~~kes you in the face fullforce in a place li ke Nashvil le. Several years ago I asked some Nashville elders why they were so interested in sending missionaries to Nigeria (black Africa) when they would not sho~ any interest in sending missionanies or going themselves to North Nash-ville and work among t he blacks there. They really had no answer to my question. It was respect ab le and glamorous to go and to send people to Africa. The supporters did their mission work without getting dirt, an d the missionaries came back heros and authorities on mission work re ad y to become professors of miss i ons at Christian colleges. All the while blacks across town were - and still are - conside re d to be not meritorious of Chr isti an love and concern. It is enou gh to make you wonder whether these men r ea lly are Christian in their hearts. I wish you woul d do MISSION the honour of your support by writing an a rticle on the subject - ail a rticle from the heartj I am sure an arti~le of yours will give us a great de a l of sup port. Hoping to hear from you soon, I remain With best/lishes, Cat,L-, Car l Herbert Stem 

From/To: Carl Stem (Chalk\u27s reply filed first)

Harding UniversityScholar Works at HardingJohn Allen Chalk: Personal Correspondence John Allen Chalk2-19-1969From/To: Carl Stem (Chalk's reply filed first)Carl StemFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.harding.edu/hst-chalk-personalThis Letter is brought to you for free and open access by the John AllenChalk at Scholar Works at Harding. It has been accepted for inclusion inJohn Allen Chalk: Personal Correspondence by an authorizedadministrator of Scholar Works at Harding. For more information, pleasecontact scholarworks@harding.edu.Recommended CitationStem, C. (1969). From/To: Carl Stem (Chalk's reply filed first). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.harding.edu/hst-chalk-personal/6633.-5th and Highland CHURCH of CHRIST prod ucers of the H ER ALD O F TRUTH • , • : : - : · : .-.· .. - .· . ·.- : · .. .. . -. -1·: =···.· .... , ,;:•, ... ::-·:::-:;.'-·--·.-.· . .. ·.·,;:;.,. ·.·::·-: .... , .:-~-;.-:· ·-.· . -.-: ··:-. : Ra dio and Television Progr am s February 19, 1969 Mr. Carl Stem ._;;.---2941 Macomb Street, N. W. . 0 Washington, D. C. Dear Carl: I will try to come up with some fresh material on the race que stion, but can promi~e you nothing on a deadline basis. Use whate ver you can out of the 1968 summer sermons if you have to have material in the near future. Dave DeRooy now lives in Abilene, Texas where he is pre sently attending Abilene Christian College. He has just clos ed a very successful ministry in the Ph iladel phi a ghetto under the di re ction of the Vi I la no va congreg at ion . H~ is a white man. David Jones is a black man and not only preach es for the Schrader Lane church in Nashville but also works as a counselor in Pearl High School in Nashville. David Jones is less than 30 years old and ha -s his Master's Degree in Guidance and Counseling. David DeRooy wil I be in Abilene for at least the next twelve months. He is not sure what he will do after that. He had some unfortunate relationships in his work in Philadelphia, but I remain convinced he is the most kno w ledgable and the most effecti ve man in our brothe rhood today r,egardirig inner city ministry. I have to agree with you that the situation in the church gets more distressing by the day. You certainly would fe e l that way if you could see some of the mail I get from churches like the Union Avenue church in Memphis telling me that they have no such problem and specifically reque sting that I not 11agitate 11 on the racial question during a proposed gospel meeting for 1970 . To that letter I have replied that I want a releas e from my commitment to hold the meeting. I will be plcaed under no restrictions regarding this or any other subject. The situation in Nashville is pathological. I see no hope for any change there short of 11a direct operation of the Holy Spirit" on a mass scale. Thanks so much for what you are doing with Mission • I regret that I do not have anything else to send you right now on the race question. Your brother, John Allen Chalk Radio Evangelist JAC:hm V • ' . _,, TRUSTEES WALTER E. BURCH RAY F. CHES TER HALL. CURRY DWAIN EVAN S EVERETT FERGUSON ANDREW J. HAIRSTON HUBERT G. LOCKE JACK L. MAC KEY ABRAHAM J, MALHERBE DONALD H . McGAUGHEY THOMAS H . OLBRICH T ROY F. OSBOR NE FRANK PACK J. W. ROBERT S DONALD R. SIME CARL SPA IN CARL H. STEM DAVID STEWAR T M. I. SUMMER LIN ROY BOWEN WARD m1ss1on P. 0. Box 2822 Abilene, Texas 79604 2941 nMacomb Stre et, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008 February 12, 1969 Mr. John Allen Cha lk Highland Church of Christ Box 2439 Abilene, Texaa 79604 Dear John Allen: Maay thanks for your reply to my recent letter. It was most helpful. Also, thanks for having R.C. Wells get in touch with me regarding his articU:,"V•tled Vi.olence. 11 It certainly bas a punch. I have sent it on to Roy Wand, our edi tor, asking him to consider printing it. I believe th at he will pr int it unless the outcry from the other members of the Editorial Board is too great. Also, many thanks for your th at I will work with them wi th a composite.piece which you then adding to and subtra ctin g from. like to have someth in g new from such wide distribution in their radio sermons. I think the idea of putting together can rework as you wish -I believe that we would you since the sermons have own right. Could you give me more par ticul ans on the two people you ment i oned in your letter - David DeRooy and David Jones? I tak e it thay are both Negros? Of which city is DeRooy a na tiv e- Philadelphia or Nashville? You mentione d that he had had experience working with the Youth Hobby Shop in Nashv ille. In what capav-ity? Was he a minister in Nashville? Where? I take it th at Jones is minister 9r a Negro congre-gation in Nashville? Is th at correct. How old is Jones and what is his back ground? Nashville Christi an Institute? Finally, how l ong will DeRooy be in Abilene? he be goin g back to Philadelphia soon? Will This sort of information wil l help me to formul ate my initi al correspondence with th ese individu a ls>and I will apprecia te you taking time to supp ly it. The Nashv ill e race situation gets more depre s sin g al l the time. Al l my relatives live there and we visit fre-quently . As far as the church is concerned - and this may be true for other aspects of life there,too - there -is absolutely no difference in th e way the C of C peop l e treat or thin k abo ut the Negro than there was when I was a lit tle boy 20 years ag o. They go on in their own cloistered little world, counting t hei r beads, saying their chants, and bendin g their knees befo re the a lter of r a cism - perhaps for some inadvertent. But ignorance is no excuse. It reminds me so much of th e Bib lical example of a whitened sepulchre fi lle d with dead men?s bones. And from whence shall come their salvation? Again, many thanks for your help, /r djall ~erb 

https://scholarworks.harding.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7639&amp;context=hst-chalk-personal

From/To: Carl Stem (Chalk\u27s reply filed first)

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