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- [Newsletters from the Desk of a Militant Conservative Baptist Preacher]
[Newsletters from the Desk of a Militant Conservative Baptist Preacher]
[Newsletters from the Desk of a Militant Conservative Baptist Preacher]
A substantial run of THE SEED AND THE SOWER, a first weekly, then monthly newsletter issued from the desk of Morris O. Wright (1930-2009), militant conservative pastor and founder of the Key West Baptist Temple on Stock Island in the western end of the Florida Keys. The run spans January 19, 1969 to July 1972. Wright's editorial content opens each issue, often soaked in anti-Blackness and directly at odds with contemporary national counterculture, feminist, and civil rights movements. Article titles include, "Is American Sick?" ; "Is Satan Dominating Your Bedroom?" ; "Ghettos on Campus" ; etc…
Wright placed himself front and center in culture disputes on Key West, most notably during the late-1970's in direct opposition to its growing gay community which began receiving national attention following an attack on its most high-profile resident, Tennessee Williams. Amid a series of violent incidents against gays, which included Williams' gardener being shot and killed, Wright ran a large ad in the Key West Citizen during January 1979 with the following text:
“If I were the chief of police, I would get me a hundred good men, give them each a baseball bat and have them walk down Duval. Street and dare one of these freaks to stick his head over the edge of the sidewalk. That is the way it was done in Key West in the days I remember and loved. Female impersonators and queers were loaded into a deputy's automobile and shipped to the county line.”
Occasional financial disclosures in the present contents suggest a rapidly growing congregation during 1969-1970. The church reported roughly $2,800 in tithes and offerings for January vs. nearly $4,500 during September of the same year. His dispatch of February 22, 1970 noted 428 congregants in that Sunday's morning service and 220 in the evening session, numbers which seem to have boosted his local profile and supported his agenda.
This newsletter is unrecorded by OCLC. The church’s congregation numbers, combined with the paper-hostile climate of the Keys, suggests a low print run, making these scarce survivors providing a rich glimpse into the leadership and congregation of a longstanding and controversial fundamentalist Baptist church on Key West. (3977) $350.00
WRIGHT, Morris O. : [Religion]. THE SEED AND THE SOWER - [Run of 51 Issues]. Key West, Florida: Key West Baptist Temple, (1969-1972). 51 newsletter issues. Each approximately 14" x 8 1/2." Typically of 2-4 leaves with duplicated type to rectos and versos. Stapled at upper left and each with a single horizontal mailing fold at center. Many with a typed address and postal marks. One issue, July 5, 1969, appears to be missing a second leaf. A few with some edgewear, one issue with a bit of paper loss from edges, overall group solidly very good.
A substantial run of THE SEED AND THE SOWER, a first weekly, then monthly newsletter issued from the desk of Morris O. Wright (1930-2009), militant conservative pastor and founder of the Key West Baptist Temple on Stock Island in the western end of the Florida Keys. The run spans January 19, 1969 to July 1972. Wright's editorial content opens each issue, often soaked in anti-Blackness and directly at odds with contemporary national counterculture, feminist, and civil rights movements. Article titles include, "Is American Sick?" ; "Is Satan Dominating Your Bedroom?" ; "Ghettos on Campus" ; etc…
Wright placed himself front and center in culture disputes on Key West, most notably during the late-1970's in direct opposition to its growing gay community which began receiving national attention following an attack on its most high-profile resident, Tennessee Williams. Amid a series of violent incidents against gays, which included Williams' gardener being shot and killed, Wright ran a large ad in the Key West Citizen during January 1979 with the following text:
“If I were the chief of police, I would get me a hundred good men, give them each a baseball bat and have them walk down Duval. Street and dare one of these freaks to stick his head over the edge of the sidewalk. That is the way it was done in Key West in the days I remember and loved. Female impersonators and queers were loaded into a deputy's automobile and shipped to the county line.”
Occasional financial disclosures in the present contents suggest a rapidly growing congregation during 1969-1970. The church reported roughly $2,800 in tithes and offerings for January vs. nearly $4,500 during September of the same year. His dispatch of February 22, 1970 noted 428 congregants in that Sunday's morning service and 220 in the evening session, numbers which seem to have boosted his local profile and supported his agenda.
This newsletter is unrecorded by OCLC. The church’s congregation numbers, combined with the paper-hostile climate of the Keys, suggests a low print run, making these scarce survivors providing a rich glimpse into the leadership and congregation of a longstanding and controversial fundamentalist Baptist church on Key West. (3977) $350.00
WRIGHT, Morris O. : [Religion]. THE SEED AND THE SOWER - [Run of 51 Issues]. Key West, Florida: Key West Baptist Temple, (1969-1972). 51 newsletter issues. Each approximately 14" x 8 1/2." Typically of 2-4 leaves with duplicated type to rectos and versos. Stapled at upper left and each with a single horizontal mailing fold at center. Many with a typed address and postal marks. One issue, July 5, 1969, appears to be missing a second leaf. A few with some edgewear, one issue with a bit of paper loss from edges, overall group solidly very good.