The Rev. Gardner C. Taylor, widely considered the dean of the nation’s black preachers and “the poet laureate of American Protestantism,” died Sunday (April 5) after a ministerial career that spanned more than six decades. He was 96.
The Rev. Carroll Baltimore, past president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, confirmed that Taylor died on Easter Sunday.
“Dr. Taylor was a theological giant who will be greatly missed,” he said of the minister who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000.
PNBC President Rev. James C. Perkins said Taylor “transformed America and the world for the better. How appropriate it is that God called Dr. Taylor home on Resurrection Sunday. In both life and death Dr. Taylor gave a clarion call to the transformative power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Concord Baptist Church of Christ, the imposing, block-long, brick church Taylor pastored for 42 years, became a beacon of hope and vitality for many African-Americans in Brooklyn, N.Y., and a model for the nation. When the church was destroyed by fire in 1952, Taylor defied naysayers by not only rebuilding the edifice, but also doubling its size.
Concord, one of New York City’s largest churches, operated its own elementary school, nursing home, credit union and million-dollar endowment used to invest in the community. But for more than four decades, it was Taylor who made Concord’s pulpit “the most prestigious in black Christendom,” proclaimed author and scholar Michael Eric Dyson.
Dyson described Taylor’s preaching style as a blend of technical aspects, brilliant metaphors and an “uncanny sense of rhythmic timing put to dramatic but not crassly theatrical effect.”
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Reading this, I'm recalling an earlier post that discussed the stigma surrounding pastors who spend excessively and the negative response they're receiving from the religious community. This article reminded me that not all of today's church leaders are corrupted. It's encouraging to see that the memory of this Reverend is being celebrated!
ReplyDeleteThis man of God is a great visionary, one can tell that he was not in it for selfish reason, but what he did not only help him but helped many other. this man was ahead of his time, and any one trying to fill his shoes will have an enormous task. There are not many pastors like Pastor Taylor in this day and time. There are to many wanting to be serve, and not wanting to serve we need more pastor like him.
ReplyDeleteThis is the third time that I have done this post and it keeps erasing. Dr. Taylor was an icon of our time. His motives were pure and he was a servant of the people. He stood on the side of right, no matter what others thought or said. His earthly journey is over. He has won his crown. Let us emulate his principles and make this world a better place for all. RIP, well done.
ReplyDeleteThere are very few icons in American preaching that stirs a soul to redemption. From what I've heard Gardner Taylor was a force. Every piece of artistic writing declares this man a cornerstone, a boulder, a game-changer. In the most profound speak possible, he indeed left the world better than when he found it. I have read some of the things he's written and seen only snippets of videos but this is one I truly wish I'd had the opportunity to render my soul exposed to his teaching.
ReplyDelete