This is the draft press release which goes out this coming weekend to media, social justice groups, etc. I will be printing it out in the morning and editing

Which Church is Hosting the

Sons of Confederate Veterans in 2016?

The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is having their 2016 national convention in Richardson, TX on July 13-17, 2016 http://www.scv2016.org/. Unlike past practice, but as in 2014 the SCV is going into stealth mode and is not announcing at which church their memorial service will be.

A campaign is underway to convince churches in the Dallas, Texas area not to host or lend their facilities to the SCV. A reasonable person would see that it is a racist and extremist organization by any reasonable standard which is documented at http://www.blackcommentator.com/526/526_confederacy_sebesta_guest_share.html. The campaign to get churches not to host neo-Confederate groups is documented at http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/churches-of-the-confederacy.html and the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/412080045663443/.

However certain denominations have past records of hosting neo-Confederate groups.

SOUTHERN BAPTISTS: They hosted the 2014 SCV national convention. It is documented online here. http://www.timesexaminer.com/historical/1914-2014-national-reunion-of-sons-of-confederate-veterans. A letter was written to the president of the Southern Baptists and copied to all 60 plus board members. http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/southern-baptist-convention.html. There was no reply.  A letter was recently sent to the head of the Southern Baptists in Texas and all the board members and hopefully there will some response. Correspondence online at http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/richardson-texas-2016.html.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH: Historically they have frequently hosted SCV events.  (See enclosed Bar Graph.) In 2014 the former Bishop of Dallas was written but there was no reply. A letter was recently sent to Bishop Ferrell and hopefully there will be a reply. Correspondence online at http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/richardson-texas-2016.html.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Historically they have frequently hosted SCV events (See enclosed Bar Graph). In 2014 the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas was written and the reply was that he didn’t know of any church hosting the SCV, but he didn’t say that a church wouldn’t. Bill Murchison, contributor to Southern Partisan and former board member of the Texas League of the South is influential in the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. A follow up letter has been sent to Bishop Summer and hopefully there will be a more definitive reply. Correspondence online at http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/richardson-texas-2016.html.

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: They haven’t hosted too many SCV events, but many of their churches host SCV monthly meetings (See enclosed Excel sheet). The UMC has hosted national events for the United Daughters of the Confederacy repeatedly despite correspondence asking them not to. http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/united-methodist-church.html.

The North Texas Conference Bishop McKee was written to in 2014, recently a follow up letter has been sent and hopefully there will be a reply.  Correspondence online at http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/richardson-texas-2016.html. 

PRESBYTERIAN USA:  They are in the top four of hosting national neo-Confederate convention events. (See enclosed Bar Graph.) The 1^st Presbyterian Church in Texarkana, AR, lent their facilities to the Children of the Confederacy national convention in 2015. Presbyterian Voices for Justice has raise the issue (See http://www.pv4j.org/network-news/new-network-news-june-2015.pdf) but it remains to be seen if the Presbyterian USA church will give up the Confederacy. Correspondence in 2014 went unanswered. Hopefully they will respond to a recent letter sent in 2016.   Correspondence online at http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/richardson-texas-2016.html.

OTHER DENOMINATIONS: From the Bar Graphs you can see that other denominations have also hosted neo-Confederate events. Additionally certain Christian Reconstructionist groups and reactionary Presbyterian denominations have had an affinity for the Confederacy.

The article, "The US Civil War as A Theological War: Confederate Christian Nationalism and the League of the South," in the Canadian Review of American Studies, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 253-284, describes these conservative denominations. (Available online at: http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/ConfederateChristianNationalism.pdf).

As some denominations stop hosting neo-Confederate groups others may step in to take their place. Remember it might be your church, ask and find out.

CORRESPONDANCE DOCUMENTED ONLINE:

As other religious leaders, denominations, churches and anti-racist groups are written to the correspondence will be online at: http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/richardson-texas-2016.html. Additionally documentation can be sent via Cloud Services to those interested.

CONTACT:

Ed Sebesta can be contacted by email at edwardsebesta@gmail.com. His curriculum vitae is enclosed. He was recently awarded the Spirit of Freedom medal by the African American Civil War Museum and is published by university presses, peer-reviewed academic journals, and Black Commentator. http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/curriculum-vitae.html. 

Presbyterian Voices for Justice take up the issue of Presbyterian churches hosting neo-Confederate groups

It is in their newsletter.

http://www.pv4j.org/network-news/new-network-news-june-2015.pdf

The issue of churches that host neo-Confederate groups is on page 26.

The word is beginning to get out and in this new climate I think that there will be some concern.

Churches which host Children of the Confederacy national convention services added to Churches of the Confederacy web page

I have a table of churches which have hosted the Children of the Confederacy (CofC) which is an organization of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).

It has been added to the main page tracking the campaign regarding churches enabling neo-Confederate groups.

http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/churchesoftheconfederacy.htm

The reporting on the national conventions of the Children of the Confederacy is a little uneven and so for some years it isn't known whether they had a church service and if so where.

The three denominations stand out: Episcopal Church, Presbyterian USA, and the United Methodist Church.

This upcoming year the Children of the Confederacy will be using the First Presbyterian Church of Texarkana, Texas.

http://www.firstprestexarkana.org/

Churches that host the Sons of Confederate Veteran meetings table updated.

I have updated the table of the churches that host Sons of Confederate Veteran (SCV) meetings and have put it in this web page.

www.templeofdemocracy.com/churchesoftheconfederacy.htm

If there is a church that hosts a SCV meeting and it isn't on the list email me with the URL that documents it.

The other web page with just the table has been taken down.

UPDATE:

I have decided that since this table is likely to be updated frequently I have put the table back at this URL.

http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/ChurchesHostingEvents.htm

Churches Hosting Neo-Confederate Events

These are specific churches where neo-Confederate events have occurred. Mostly it is regular Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) monthly meetings.

This web page has been deleted http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/ChurchesHostingEvents.htm and the table has been moved to:

www.templeofdemocracy.com/churchesoftheconfederacy.htm


Many denominations are represented, but what is interesting is the preponderance of United Methodist Churches. However, this is through Googling and I might have some type of sampling bias.

UPDATE:

I moved the table back to the original URL:


http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/ChurchesHostingEvents.htm

Charlotte Steele Creek Presbyterian Church has racial equality symbol, but hosts the Sons of Confederate Veterans

I guess this example shows how churches just like to say things about racial equality to feel good about themselves, but don't give it any significant reflection.

The Steele Creek Presbyterian Church has on its web page a symbol of racial equality. You can see it at their web page:

http://www.steelecreekpres.org/

However, check their calendar:

https://secure.accessacs.com/access/viewscheduler.aspx?sn=11317&cid=7caabfb8-ec40-4e2a-b258-b6bb46471d30&view=calendar

What do we see, a monthly meeting of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV).

For details you can click on this link:

https://secure.accessacs.com/access/viewscheduler.aspx?sn=11317&tk=5231f005b91d41a2b263c68860e96719&eid=51cb5231-23d1-44ba-bac8-a1a900b9a71b&did=aed70d72-8efd-4805-9149-a24c00e7edeb


What we see is that for many churches anti-racism is a moral ornament for certain Christians to feel good about themselves as opposed to those racist others who they imagine are very unlike themselves.

Letter to Executive Presbyter Charleston Atlantic Presbyterian USA Church

In terms of frequency, the Presbyterian USA Church is third for hosting the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) since 1990 and also for hosting the SCV and the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) combined. See web page http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/churchesoftheconfederacy.htm for bar graphs and maps and tables.

Just two other denominations have hosted the SCV since 1990. The Lutherans did once in 2000 and the Disciples of Christ did in 2003. The four denominations I have written have hosted the SCV multiple times.

                                                                                                1/14/2014

                                                                                                esebesta@tx.rr.com

Donnie R. Woods

Executive Presbyter

Charleston Atlantic Presbyter

2421 Ashley River Road

Charleston, SC 29414-4601

Dear Mr. Woods:

The Presybterian Church USA is the third most frequent host for neo-Confederate organization national convention memorial services from 1990 to 2013. I enclose a bar graph of denominations which host the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) and a map of churches which host either the SCV or the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).  These documents can also be found online at www.templeofdemocracy.com/churchesoftheconfederacy.htm.

The SCV is planning on holding their 2014 convention in Charleston, SC and they will be looking for church facilities to hold their convention service. Enclosed is a table of churches which the SCV conventions have used in the 21^st century.

The SCV is a racist and extremist group. Their official literature compares Abraham Lincoln to Hitler, and praises and promotes books that defend slavery and books that laud the Ku Klux Klan. Please find enclosed a dossier on the SCV with detailed footnotes of all quotes and assertions. This dossier is also available online at http://www.blackcommentator.com/526/526_confederacy_sebesta_guest_share.html .

Additionally, I enclose a paper on Confederate Christian nationalism which is also online at

http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/ConfederateChristianNationalism.pdf. It was published by the Canadian Review of American Studies at the University of Toronto. Even though the article is about the neo-Confederate League of the South, the religious ideas promoted by the SCV Chaplains Corps (http://www.scv.org/about/chaplainsChronicle.php) are largely the same or similar. I also enclose a copy of my academic resume which is online at www.templeofdemocracy.com/resume.htm.

When a church allows the SCV to use their facilities it gives them credibility that a prominent religious organizations would find the SCV to be an organization to which it would be acceptable to lend their facilities. Additionally they gain some of the prestige of the religious organization and the prestige of an architecturally prominent church building for their religious services and hence organization.

I ask that the Presbyterian Church USA not give support to the Sons of Confederate Veterans organization by allowing them to use your facilities for their activities.

                                                                                                Sincerely Yours,

                                                                                                Edward H. Sebesta 

Bar Graph of denominations of churches that host neo-Confederate organizations. Seems the Episcopal church is the Church of the Confederacy Update

These graphs were generated as part of the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church campaign. www.templeofdemocracy.com/bostonavenue.htm.

Histogram of the denomination of the churches that host United Daughters of the Confederacy national convention services 1990 to the present. Click on image to see whole graph if you are not seeing the whole graph. It seems the Episcopal church is the faith of the Confederacy. UPDATE: I was able to get the specific Baptist denominations.

The distribution is different for churches that host national convention services for the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). Again click on the picture if you can't see it all. For the SCV the Episcopal church is still frequent, but the Roman Catholic church is more frequent. For eight years either a church wasn't used for the SCV national convention service or it wasn't possible to determine which church was used. Even so the Episcopal church and Roman Catholic church turned out to be frequently used.

Well we can see who is dreaming of a plantation Christmas.

The campaign against churches enabling neo-Confederacy can be followed at this web page: www.templeofdemocracy.com/churchesoftheconfederacy.htm