Osler's Razor

Last night's opening session of the Celebration of the New Baptist Covenant was both overwhelming and energizing. It was everything we hoped, and now (from what I hear) it is becoming a kind of Baptist Woodstock, with people who heard about last night now deciding to come. Traffic on the website (www.newbaptistcelebration.com) had crashed their server, in fact, the last time I checked.

Going into the hall last night was a moving and wonderful experience. It was as close as I will ever come to the pilgrimage to Mecca, where people of all backgrounds gather together in a common spirit. The hall filled up, and it all began. Bill Underwood started things off with an amazing message harking back to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream that someday the sons of slaves and the sons of slaveowners would worship together on the red hills of Georgia. When he said that, it sent chills down my spine, and there was a hush. Is this finally that moment?

Bookending the other side of the presentations was Jimmy Carter, who was so moved that he almost could not finish. His message, too, was important, strong, and challenging. In between those two was a sermon by William Shaw, President of the National Baptist Convention, USA (which is one of the black Baptist denominations here), which had people on their feet, both black and white. Hopefully, all of this will be viewable on video at the web site, if it recovers. If nothing else, watch the introduction by Bill Underwood, who just two years ago was spending his days critiquing Practice Court exercises.

Today is a big one... lunch with Al Gore, then my talk this afternoon. Wish me luck!