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Tommy York

Reflections on following Jesus, Equality, Human Rights, Civil Rights, US History, Christian Theology and Spirituality.

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Showing posts from March, 2025

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Selected Reflections in Support of Affirmation: LGTBQ and the Bible

Posted by Tommy York March 08, 2025

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Bible Word Study Detailed Method With Example: RESTORE

Christians are in agreement that the Bible is the authoritative source for understanding the origins of Christianity. To understand the Bible you must study biblical words, not a simple task because the Bible was written two millennia ago in several ancient languages over a period of about 1,500 years. This article presents a Bible word study method that requires detailed attention but is easily within reach of the lay student. The value of the concordance word study method is motivated by the principle that biblical words are best understood by analyzing their use (1) by specific biblical authors and (2) in the Bible as a whole. Therefore, we can gain understanding of biblical words and concepts by making an exhaustive list of all uses of the word by a particular Bible author (e.g. Isaiah, Luke, John, Paul) or in some cases, all uses of the word in the New Testament, Old Testament, or both. Analysis of usage, along with a survey of the findings of biblical linguists, is the most r...

Abolition Movement, 4 - Frederick Douglass

In the moral and political struggle to end slavery in America, great personal courage and sacrifice was required in order to attack the foundations of racism and prejudice that helped prop up the institution. No demonstration of courage was more significant than the publication of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave , in 1845. In telling the story of his life to that point, Douglass also exhibited a brilliant understanding and instinct of what was required to break down the system of slavery. He insisted on accuracy and detail in the work, listing specific names and places of his former owners and masters, even though at the time he was still a fugitive, having escaped from slavery in 1837. The danger was real and significant, and as soon as the book was published by the Massachusetts Antislavery Society, Douglass traveled to England, Ireland, and Scotland, primarily for his own safety. (1) With approximately 3 million, soon to be 4 million people he...

Abolition Movement, 5: Frederick Douglass part II, 1839 - 1847

March 12, 1839 marks the first public record of Frederick Douglass speaking at an antislavery meeting. He was among a small group of black citizens of New Bedford, Massachusetts, who passed several resolutions against the strategy of “colonization” – black expatriation to Africa or to the Caribbean - which was recommended by many as a part of the end of slavery. A record of the speech and the resolutions is cited in a March, 1839 edition of The Liberator and described in the David W. Blight’s 2018 biography of Douglass: “The group invoked verbatim the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence, called colonization a form of tyranny, and declared with special emphasis “We are American citizens, born with natural, inherent, just and inalienable rights.” (Blight, 90) Calling upon the Declaration of Independence is a strategy that has been used effectively by the abolitionists and other proponents of equal rights in American history.(note 1) “We are American citizens, born wi...

Alabama Civil Rights Tour – Chapter 4, Birmingham Protest Movement of 1963

During the late winter and early spring of 1963, a carefully planned movement of mass protest targeted segregation in the city of Birmingham. The effort gained national and international media and television news coverage which helped motivate President Kennedy and the political forces in Washington send to Congress a comprehensive legislative act that was eventually passed as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Several features made this one of the most significant events in the larger civil rights movement. Politically, the Birmingham movement highlighted the debate between gradual change by well meaning political forces and the demand for faster change. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail explores this debate. Downtown Birmingham businesses had attempted progress in desegregating lunch counters, restrooms, water fountains and other accommodations, but the segregationist City Commissioner Bull Connor had led efforts to turn back these changes, reinstating practices and requiring the rep...

Alabama Civil Rights Tour – Chapter 2, Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955

This photo reveals recent work on the Holt Street Baptist Church, site of Dr. Martin Luther King's first civil rights speech in December of 1955, described in the article below. The church has been refurbished and is now the site of a beautiful museum, organized and completed under leadership of the current pastor of the Holt Street Memorial Baptist Church, Rev. Dr. Willie McClung. During the period of 1955 to 1965, four of the most significant chapters in civil rights history were connected to the cities of Montgomery and Birmingham: The Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, the Freedom Rides of 1961, the Birmingham Mass Protests in the summer of 1963, and the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March in 1965.The Montgomery Bus Boycott was the event that catapulted Martin Luther King to the front of the civil rights movement and gave black citizens the opportunity to realize that they could change the laws and practices of society through nonviolent mass protest. It could be said that t...

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Tommy York: Thomas York was born and raised in rural south Alabama. Growing up in the racially divided deep south in the 60s and 70s provided perspective into a pivotal time in our nation’s history. Hiss education included a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, a Master of Divinity, and additional graduate work in the History and Philosophy of Science. For 23 years, he has served the community as a local government professional. Thomas founded ChristWalk Ministries in 2001 to assist individuals dealing with homelessness and addiction, and served as a correctional chaplain for many years. His ministry assignments have included a wide range of ethnic, cultural and theological perspectives in multiple denominational environments. His work as an author is motivated by deep exploration the history of civil rights. Tomas writes with a goal of applying the lessons of history to contemporary issues of human rights, civil rights, justice and equality, and to promote the power and beauty of beloved community.

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