Under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from December 1955 to December 1956, black residents of Montgomery, Ala., staged a modern marvel. Creating an intricate system of pick-up points and drop-off points, the African Americans of Montgomery staged a bus boycott in protest of the policies of segregation.
With the help of volunteer drivers and the donations of many across the country, this makeshift form of public transportation emerged almost overnight. Churches would open their doors for individuals to wait for rides, while some individuals preferred to walk.
Andrew Gardner
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After a year of ups and downs, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of desegregating the public transportation system. Through the use of non-violence and non-resistance, Martin Luther King Jr. had led a community to speak out against the injustices of racial segregation.
One the first day returning to the public transportation system of Montgomery, Dr. King took a bus ride. Taking the first steps onto that city bus, King dropped his bus fare into the box. The white bus driver responded, “I believe you are Reverend King, aren’t you?”
What a tense moment. This question wrapped in such ambiguity could be stemming from the mouth of a “sore loser” or, even worse, an “angry racist.”
Dr. King responded simply, “Yes, I am.”
“We are glad to have you this morning,” said the white bus driver as Dr. King thanked him and took his seat.
This story literally brings tears to my eyes. In the face of a yearlong struggle pitting whites and blacks against one another, Dr. King and this white driver shared in a brief miraculous moment of reconciliation. After a long period of boycotting, it would have been just as easy for that bus driver to ignore and refuse to acknowledge the man responsible for putting his job in jeopardy for over a year. Instead, the bus driver attempted to make amends, recognizing the need to move forward.
On the other side of the equation, Dr. King requested that members of the boycott accept this moral victory with grace and humility. Black bus riders were asked not to boast or rub the victory into the faces of those who had lost. Dr. King also requested that individuals go so far as to not deliberately sit next to white riders. Change takes time; do not kick someone while they’re down.
In the aftermath of the Montgomery bus boycott, both sides knew to tread lightly in this new world of desegregated public transportation. Certainly many individuals were still opposed to desegregation, so those in favor tempered themselves. Those in position of authority accepted the African-American bus riders with cordiality to set an example. Both sides knew a decision had been passed that stretched the rubber band of society, and both sides knew they must respond with humility and a willingness to see whether the rubber band would break or hold.
After a recent vote, the Richmond Baptist Association finds itself living within a new world. In this world, the rubber band of fellowship has been stretched to incorporate Ginter Park Baptist Church which last year ordained a gay man. The close vote shows the difficulty and tension within this conflict.
Certainly there are those, including myself, who would like to think of this as a victory for church autonomy and the ability of the bounds of fellowship to bend and not break. Unfortunately, victory does not ever come with a vote. The victory comes with a response.
And I think that the response to the end of the Montgomery bus boycott offers a very Christian perspective on understanding victory through response rather than vote. Just as the bus driver cordially greeted Dr. King, I hope and pray that those opposed to Ginter Park’s retention of fellowship extend this congregation cordiality and genuine partnership. Just as Dr. King requested individuals tread lightly upon returning to the city buses, I hope and pray that Ginter Park and its supporters tread lightly in the face of those who disagree with them. Perhaps this might require a new creative means of communicating through the association during periods of contentious decision-making.
I do not pretend to have the answers but instead a story from history that I believe speaks to the story of a church returning to full fellowship with the RBA — the story of a church getting back on the bus. How each side will respond, I do not know. I hope, however, that each responds with grace and humility.
Andrew Gardner ([email protected]) of Yorktown, Va., is a student at Wake Forest University School of Divinity.