~ The Little Red School, the Little White Church, and the Little Blue Lodge ~
MW Gerald L. Carver
Reprinted from Masonic Light, February/March 2009
My Brethren,
Since I wrote my May 29, 2007 letter to the Baptist Courier addressing the
untruths about Freemasonry included in that month’s issue, I have been
approached by young and older Brothers, who like myself are members of a
Southern Baptist Church, and told by them that a Pastor or member of their
church advocates that Masonry is incompatible with the teaching of the Southern
Baptist Convention. While we as Masons are taught not to indulge in
disagreements with those who through ignorance may criticize our Fraternity, I
think it is most important that our Brethren and especially our new Brethren be
educated with the truth. For that reason, I think that it is important that our
Brethren, who are Southern Baptist, be educated in their Freemasonry heritage
within the Southern Baptist Convention. Ten Presidents of the Southern Baptist
Convention were Freemasons, they were Lansing Burrows (1914-1917), George W.
McDaniel (1924-1927), George W. Truett (1927-1930), M. E. Dodd (1934-1936), L.
R. Scarborough (1939-1941), William W. Hamilton (1941-1944), Louie D. Newton
(1947-1949),Brooks Hays (1958-1960), Herschell H. Hobbs (1962-1964), and James
Draper (1982-1984). M. E. Dodd also served the Southern Baptist Convention as
Secretary for 32 years and has been called the father of the Cooperative
Program. Herschell Hobbs is best known for his great Bible commentaries, which
have been used for decades by Southern Baptist Church Sunday Schools. The Rev.
Robert Benjamin Headden a member of Oostanaula Lodge No. 113 was the pastor of
the First Baptist Church of Cartersville, Georgia from 1871-1883. In 1873, he
preached a sermon at the conclusion of which a young woman came forward and told
him that because of his sermon, she had decided to go to China as a Missionary.
Her name was Lottie Moon.
Throughout the history of our country there was in most communities, a “Little
Red School”, a “Little White Church”, and a “Little Blue Lodge”. The “Little
Red School”, the “Little White Church”, and the “Little Blue Lodge” worked
closely together as partners in the Community to assure that the community’s
children and young people had a strong faith, a good education, a moral and
ethical foundation, a great love of country, brotherly love and respect for
their fellowman, an honor for our Country and our Country’s brave soldiers. The
little “Red School” taught the children reading, writing, arithmetic,
patriotism, and respect for one another. The “Little White Church” taught the
community members and their children about the salvation of their souls through
a loving God. The “Little Blue Lodge” taught young men how to suppress their
passions and how to be good citizens, good church members, good patriots, good
and faithful husbands and fathers. The “Little Blue Lodge” helped the “Little
Red School” and “Little White Church” in community affairs and projects. Most
of the ministers and male members of the “Little White Church” were members of
the “Little Blue Lodge” and many of the “Little Red School’s” principals and
male teachers were members of the “Little Blue Lodge”. The members of the
“Little Blue Lodge” were members of the “Little White Church” and supported the
activities of the “Little Red School”. The “Little Blue Lodge” was usually the
only place in the community with a dinning hall large enough for a crowd of
people. The “Little White Church” and the “Little Red School” routinely used the
“Little Blue Lodge’s” building for events. In recent history, the “Little Red
School” began to distant itself from the “Little White Church” and the “Little
Blue Lodge”. The “Little White Church” began to cry out about the “Little Red
School” abandoning the “Little White Church” and its teachings. But after a
while even some of the “Little White Churches” began to distance themselves from
the “Little Blue Lodge”. After a while, the people in the Community began to
question, “What was going on in their community?” “Why was there violence and
killing in the “Little Red School”?” “Why does immorality seem to be running
rampant among the community’s young people?” They wondered “What happen to
Patriotism among their youth?” “Why were many of their youth intolerant and
disrespectful of their neighbors?” All this while, the “Little Blue Lodge”
continued to be there for the “Little Red School” and the “Little White Church”.
The “Little Blue Lodge” continued to teach a belief in God, support for the
“Little Red School”, and the “Little White Church”, tolerance for others, a
respect and love of Country, and the same moral teachings that had been taught
in “Little Blue Lodges” from time immemorial.
Brethren, let us remember that kinder and gentler time when within all of our
communities the “Little Red School”, the “Little White Church” and the “Little
Blue Lodge” worked hand in hand for the good of everyone as we continue to be
faithful to shine the beacon of Masonic Light in our Communities, South
Carolina, our Country, and the World.
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