Dallas' religious history & SMU

[MrMustang1965]

FROM THE DMN:

In the 1890s, an African-American evangelist with a vivid preaching style and an irresistible nickname drew integrated crowds of 4,000 and more to his revivals in Dallas.

The Dallas Morning News didn't often write about black residents in those days. But for the Rev. John L. "Sin Killer" Griffin, the paper provided extensive, if somewhat patronizing, coverage.

Mr. Griffin is featured in an article about early evangelists that appears in a just-published edition of Legacies, the semiannual history magazine sponsored by the Dallas Historical Society, Old City Park, the Old Red Foundation and the Sixth Floor Museum.

All 68 pages of this edition consider the impact of religion on Dallas and North Texas.

"We've done thematic issues on other topics," said editor Michael V. Hazel. "Religion just seemed very appropriate, because it has been so important in the region."

The magazine includes a profile of C.C. Selecman, who in 1923 left the pastorship of First Methodist Church to become president of Southern Methodist University.

The article's author, Peter W. Agnew, argues that Mr. Selecman is remembered as an "authoritarian, reactionary figure" but deserves credit for expanding SMU's course offerings, facilities and endowment.

Another article describes the creation of Jesuit High School in 1942, and draws on memories from some of the first students.

"The teachers were constantly questioning, probing and making you think," said David Grayson, class of '45. "Any horseplay and you were out of the class and sent to the headmaster for another rake over the coals and extra penalties."

In yet another article, Gerry Cristol, archivist at Temple Emanu-El, recalls Rabbi Levi Olan's role as a progressive voice in race relations from the 1940s through the '60s. After the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision, Rabbi Olan used his radio program to denounce segregation.

"It is immoral to say to any person, regardless of the color of his skin or the church of his faith, that he cannot sit where I sit, eat at my table, study in the same school as my children," he said.

The very look of Dallas has been shaped by religion. To illustrate that, the magazine has a piece about architect Mark Lemmon, designer of Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Highland Park United Methodist Church, SMU's Perkins Chapel, Third Church of Christ Scientist and other area churches.

As for "Sin Killer," The News on Feb. 2, 1891, complimented his "contagious" enthusiasm and said, "he knows just what strings of negro character to sound."

Thomas H. Smith, author of the Legacies article, said the popular black evangelist was a trailblazer of sorts.

"There's not a lot of difference," Mr. Smith said, "between what goes on in the megachurches of today and what went on in his tents."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... f98ca.html