Still Shaking the Gates of Hell
He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. In fact, he has two Pulitzer Prizes on his mantle, one of which he shares with his son. He lives in Alabama and writes investigative articles on the injustices that take place around him. He shines a light on the darkness that is so near. He attempts to right the wrongs that are inflicted upon the disenfranchised. He is the author of the book, Shaking the Gates of Hell: A Search for Family and Truth in the Wake of the Civil Rights Revolution. His name is John Archibald, and he is the brother of CAMP Rehoboth’s co-founder, Murray Archibald.
Epworth Church in Rehoboth Beach recently hosted John as a guest speaker, along with a panel of others who shared their perspectives on the injustices occurring around us. On the panel were Murray, Pastor Vicki Gordy-Stith, and Pastor Marjorie Belmont-Burns, with Todd Popham as the moderator for the discussion that ensued.
As John shared his memories of growing up a child of a long line of Methodist preachers, he said, “In many ways we were on the right side of things. But in many ways, we weren’t. Coming from the heart of the South, based on my world view, thinking about the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the rewriting of constitutions across the South for the express purpose of codifying white supremacy.... Jim Crow, beatings, bombings, all of this taking place around me. And I thought, how could this be happening if we are surrounded by people of good will?
“I set out to write about silence, in particular white silence. I was born in 1963 outside Birmingham, when Martin Luther King, Jr. was jailed nearby, where he wrote ‘Letter from the Birmingham Jail.’ It [criticized] the white church for its failure to stand up and speak in the name of justice.”
Pastor Marjorie recalled her childhood memories of being the only African-American student in her class. The boy who sat behind her continually called her the “n” word, while the teacher said nothing. White silence. In its recurrence, this white silence can be deafening. Just in the past month, Pastor Marjorie’s grown daughter also suffered the disgrace—and abuse—of being called the “n” word. This is not something that is of days gone by. This is now. This is real.
Another perspective on the discrimination that is rampant right in front of our eyes came from Pastor Vicki. She recalled how in 2020, her church, which was (and is) predominantly white, put up a sign that read “Black Lives Matter.” The sign was torn down by some unknown person. It was replaced with a sign saying, “Hate has no place here.” Several members of the church left and began attending elsewhere. It quickly became evident that using one’s voice for justice comes with consequences.
Murray had his own story of people remaining silent. “The same things keep happening over and over again, in our churches and in our communities. That’s the reason we must come out and be vocal about injustice of all kinds. Silence—the silence of the closet, the silence of anything hidden—is destructive.”
So the challenge remains—for all of us—to use our voices for justice and equality. Whether we are focusing on racial division, LGBTQ issues, women’s rights, reproductive rights, or other issues that affect our daily lives, we must transcend the biases and prejudices that divide us.
John Archibald wrote in his book, “It is not just the hatred that kills. Not just leaders who capitalize on fear and incite the mobs to violence. It is the silence. None of the demagogues or racists could thrive without the silence.”
We look around us today and see this played out in politics, in religion, in so many parts of our lives. Silence is complicity. We are being called out to come out, to speak out, to act out on our convictions. We no longer have the luxury of complicity or complacency.
John shared how he walked a different path than his brother, Murray, in his efforts to wake the Methodist Church from its slumber on LGBTQ issues. John cashed it in; said goodbye; left before they threw him out. Murray stayed, because that is his way.
Murray and his husband Steve worked from the inside to make Epworth the welcoming and accepting church it is today. Their whole concept for CAMP Rehoboth was about being visible in the community—about breaking the silence.
As John Archibald continues to shake the gates of hell, he writes, “There are moments when you can say more in silence than you can ever say in words. There are other moments, however, when the world requires a voice.” So, let’s put our voices to good use. ▼
David Garrett, a CAMP Rehoboth Board member, is a straight advocate for equality and inclusion. He is also the proud father of an adult trans daughter. Email David Garrett at davidg@camprehoboth.com.