Fellowship Memphis

In 1970, a van load of black students leaving a protest in Mendenhall, Mississippi, were rounded up by police, beaten, and taken to prison. This was done as a setup to bait a man named John Perkins who had spent his life as a preacher and social activist, leading protest marches and boycotts against unjust laws, as well as ministering to the poor. When John arrived at the jail in order to argue the release of the students, he was immediately surrounded by twelve cops, who searched him and then dragged him into the longest night of his life.

On this night, holed up in a dark room with paintless walls and a concrete floor, John was beaten, bound to a chair, battered with leather blackjacks, and then, after hours of abuse, even forced to wipe up his own blood. Afterward, seeing John drift between loss of consciousness and a state of physical shock, most of the other prisoners did not think that he would make it through the night. But God spared his life. John remembers a prayer he prayed during the extreme escalation of his pain. He prayed, Lord if You will let me survive this, I will devote my life to bringing the races together in love and service to You.

Not only did John Perkins survive the night, but he went on to lead the way toward unity in America, earning him the affectionate title “the godfather of racial reconciliation.” Dr. Perkins personally challenged me [Tony Evans] on a number of occasions to commit myself to the study of Scripture and the carrying out of its principles toward reconciliation and empowerment among the Christian communities of America.

This story was taken from Oneness Embraced by Tony Evans, ©2011, with permission of Moody Publishers. Available for purchase by clicking here.

Dr. John Perkins will be in Memphis at the Urban Summit on March 17. Click below for more information.