John Killian is the pastor of Maytown Baptist Church in Maytown, Alabama.
John Killian is also the Second Vice-President of the Alabama Baptist State Convention.
On this 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, John Killian honors Confederate Army General Robert E. Lee.
See Killian’s tribute to Robert E. Lee at his blog, Musings From Maytown.
Here’s a snippet:
As we are entering a new century, we are enjoying prosperity and progress like never before. But even in light of this progress, our hearts are turned to honor the memory of one Robert Edward Lee and as we face uncertain days for our heritage and our culture, we declare “we love you more than we ever did.”
Our ancestors who knew Lee, who rode under his Generalship, who saw firsthand the effects of his leadership and character, saw the urgency and the importance of marking General Lee’s birthday as a holiday. This holiday is to be kept as an opportunity and an obligation to tell succeeding generations of the greatness of this man and the enduring quality of the principles that he fought for. Today, we are gathered here with heads held high, voices uplifted and with hearts full in honor of one of God’s greatest soldiers — General Robert Edward Lee.
When Killian refers to “Our Heritage” and “Our Culture,” one can only imagine what he’s referring to exactly. As a boy growing up in south Georgia, I quickly discovered that the “Heritage Not Hate” mantra often heard from the Stars-And-Bars crowd was mostly BS.
It is sad to see a Baptist leader in the 21st century clinging so tightly to the Lost Cause. Here’s more:
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But Lee’s greatness is not diminished due to providence determining that our side lost. Lee’s choice was to do that which was right. Lee may have been made President of these United States, may have died a rich man— but Lee made a choice that enabled him to die with a clear conscience. He stood for that which he knew to be right.We thrill at the Biblical stories of Daniel, cast in a den of lions, of little David and his defeat of the wicked giant Goliath with just a sling shot and the three Hebrew children who were cast into the fiery furnace, but yet protected by God. But there are other Biblical examples. John the Baptist was beheaded, early martyrs torn apart by lions and our Lord crucified on a tree. Right is not guaranteed to prevail in this life. Lee understood that he had no guarantee of earthly success, but he chose to do right by standing on the Constitution and in defense of his native Virginia….Benjamin H. Hill said of Lee “He was a foe without hate, a friend without treachery, a soldier without cruelty, a victim without murmuring. He was a public officer without vices, a private citizen without wrong, a neighbor without reproach, a Christian without hypocrisy and a man without guilt. He was Caesar without his tyranny, Napoleon without his selfishness, and Washington without his reward.”
In a day of uncertainty and challenge to the very bedrock principles we have believed, may the greatness of Lee stand to challenge us toward honor, toward faith and toward a determination that the Cause for which Lee fought and Jackson died will never be shamed and by God’s help may we honorably stand.Robert Edward Lee is the best of that which is produced from Southern culture. I pray that the Southern people will not turn their back on the noble honor of Robert E. Lee. Even today, Lee’s birthday is an official holiday in several states, including Alabama. Robert E. Lee’s memory should never be lost. Rather, the honor and character of Lee should remain as a model for character.
Today, America celebrates the life of Dr. King, a man who spent his life preaching a gospel of freedom and equality for all.
Meanwhile, the 2nd VP of the Alabama Baptist State Convention honors a slaveholder.
Tomorrow, America will celebrate the inauguration of the first African-American President of the United States.
Meanwhile, Killian honors the legacy of a man who believed that African-Americans were not competent enough to vote.
What is it with 2nd VP’s of Baptist Conventions?
if I am not mistaken, in Alabama both King and Lee are celebrated on the same day. Yes, of course …. having lived in Alabama I observed much ugly racist behavior among well-received citizens. in any event, why did Killian choose this year of all years to celebrate Lee and exclude King? he said nothing of Lee (or King) on his blog in 2008, when such was possible.
I have no problem with Killian honoring Lee with a blogpost on his birthday. I think it’s wonderful that Lee’s and King’s birthdays come so close together (15th observed 19th and 18th), and I find it particularly interesting that this year both fall so close to the inauguration day of America’s first president of documented African ancestry. Lee was not particularly racist by the standards of the time, and was a great military leader and a man of strong devotion to duty and principle, which regardless of one’s own opinion on the desirability of secession, either as a right or as a choice (I am, personally, pro-choice
but also pro-unity), seems to me sufficient grounds to commemorate him. Killian, sharing as he does portions of Lee’s views that we do not, is even more justified in doing so, and this should not be seen as in any way detracting from our honoring of King and Obama.
Not that it makes it okay, but January 19 is Lee’s birthday. In Texas, it’s officially recognized as Confederate Heroes Day, which recognizes both Lee and Jefferson Davis. Where else in the world are the leaders of a failed rebellion celebrated as heroes?
Killian’s tribute to Robert E. Lee goes way overboard. War is not an honorable pursuit, rebellion against the civil government is a sin against God according to the scripture, and Lee fought not only on the losing side, but on the side that made the wrong moral choice.
While the culture that has developed in the deep South is definitely “Southern,” the idea that it also incorporates some kind of loyalty to the region and its history of oppression and slavery creeps me out.
Thank you! Bro. Killian’s blog disgusts me on many levels. I am ashamed that I am a pastor in a Convention that would elevate such a man and such views! I have drawn the attention of the Convention officers and hope that they respond in kind.