Statement on the Departure of Ben Boswell from Myers Park

By Reverend Elijah Zehyoue, Ph.D.

Greetings Alliance family,

We were sad and shocked to learn the news reported by several outlets that our friend and colleague, Rev. Dr. Benjamin Boswell, was abruptly dismissed from his position as the Senior Minister of Myers Park Baptist Church. Ben’s departure from the church is a major disappointment for those of us interested in pushing the broader church to take seriously the call to be antiracist. As a pastor, preacher, teacher, and writer, Ben has been one of the most dedicated leaders and one of the clearest voices committed to pushing his congregation and the broader Alliance of Baptists to be an antiracist organization. In particular his curriculum, Confronting Whiteness, has been a valuable resource for many churches and individuals within the Alliance. Ben has truly been a prophetic leader in the church, community, and public square. We know that this is a difficult and uncertain time for him and his family and thus offer our solidarity, friendship, and prayers as he navigates this transition.  

Ben is one of those people who has led by example, and for many of us watching people like Ben gives us the inspiration we need to do the work we are called to do. Yet we also know that people who lead up front are always vulnerable, and their voices, while powerful, are often as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said of the prophets—“one octave too high”—and hurt the ears of some around them. Admittedly while we do not know all of the reasons surrounding Ben’s departure, it does seem that at the very least his voice was one octave too high for some to hear. 

Over the past week we’ve heard from many pastors and preachers who read the stories of Ben’s departure and fear that perhaps their voices are also one octave too high. They live, minister, and preach in times that are cruel and uncertain, too. They have made hospital visits to students who have been beaten for protesting genocide in Palestine. They have opened their churches to activists who oppose Cop City. They have marched hand in hand with those who fight for reproductive rights. They have provided refuge for those seeking sanctuary from ICE.  They have pushed their churches to acknowledge their relationship to white supremacy and repair the harms it has caused. They are committed to the work of justice and yet feel as though their commitment to this work could be the end of their ministries. Their fears are warranted and intensified as more fundamentalist and extreme factions take control of key institutions in our society and as the government has now fallen into the hands of the very far right. They’ve emailed, called, and texted wondering how long the people will be able to bear the truth that hurts their ears. They look to their friends, colleagues, and even us as the Alliance of Baptists and want to know if it’s worth it to keep on preaching the liberating gospel, practicing antiracism, and following the God of the oppressed. These concerns are valid for it certainly feels as though there are too few of us committed to this work and that those of us who are committed are losing. 

We want to encourage you and emphatically remind you that, despite how it looks and feels, we aren’t losing and so we shouldn’t stop. And we won’t stop. We remain committed to becoming an antiracist church body, and we will remain the theological home for those who want to do the same. We encourage you to keep the faith and remind you that being on this path is still worth it because it follows directly in the steps of Jesus. 

And that is exactly why we write to you today. We want to encourage you and emphatically remind you that, despite how it looks and feels, we aren’t losing and so we shouldn’t stop. And we won’t stop. We remain committed to becoming an antiracist church body, and we will remain the theological home for those who want to do the same. We encourage you to keep the faith and remind you that being on this path is still worth it because it follows directly in the steps of Jesus. 

The liberation theologian, James Cone, once said that the fundamental question that Christians  must answer is what is the call of Christ, today. We believe that for us—the Alliance of Baptists—the answer to that question is being and becoming antiracist people, an antiracist organization, and implementing an antiracist vision in our world. We believe this is the most authentic path possible given our roots and the most hopeful path possible given the state of the world. In short, the Alliance began and will remain a place for people who are serious about the liberating work of Christ, in all its forms, and today that means working to dismantle white supremacy. Moreover, the Alliance of Baptists will continue to be a home for those who speak, preach, teach, write, minister, and strive to live in such a way that does that—even and especially if their voices have been one octave too high. We know Ben is not the first prophetic voice too high for all to hear, nor will he be the last. The Alliance has been shaped by prophetic voices for decades, and as a global community of individuals, churches, and organizations—from Brazil to Baltimore, Cuba to California, Harare to Houston, the Republic of Georgia to the state of Georgia—we know that people who are one octave too high are needed for the transformation of our world. And so while we express our lament, our grief, our pain, our doubts, and disappointments, we also remember and recommit to becoming the people and place we are—an antiracist church body serious about our decision to follow Jesus to the places that we have been called. And we continue to offer our support and solidarity to people like Ben, and the many others who have been most committed to practicing this way of life. 

Reverend Elijah Zehyoue, Ph.D., Co-Director; Carole Collins, Co-Director; Reverend Lisa Dunson, President; Kris Norris, Ph.D., Vice President