By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
I am extremely proud to be a Tennessean today.
I held my breath on Saturday, Oct. 28, to see what would happen at planned white supremacist rallies that were scheduled to be held in Shelbyville and Murfreesboro.
By most accounts, nothing really happened. Tennesseans let it be made known that racism is unacceptable in our state. The Shelbyville rally was so uneventful that the rally in Murfreesboro was canceled.
I am convinced that prayer made a difference.
On Wednesday of last week, the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, led by its president and executive director Randy C. Davis, held a press conference to denounce racism.
He was joined at the conference by an ethnically diverse group of ministers from across the state. Davis said, “As Tennessee Baptists and as Southern Baptists, we are categorically opposed to the white supremacy movement and any movement that diminishes the dignity of any human.”
Thi Mitsamphanh, pastor of International Community Church, Smyrna, observed that the planned protests “stand in opposition to the message of Scripture. This movement spreads a message of hate, not love.”
Davis and the other pastors called Tennessee Baptists to pray for the rallies in the two Tennessee towns and especially that there would be peace. God answered those prayers.
Racism is evil and it afflicts people of all races.
Our world will be a better place when we realize we all belong to the human race and we learn to respect each other for the diversity and uniqueness each of us brings to the table of life.


