John M. Perkins Explained

John M. Perkins
Birth Date:16 June 1930
Birth Place:Lawrence County, Mississippi

John M. Perkins (born June 16, 1930) is an American Christian minister, civil rights activist, and author. He is the founder and president emeritus of the John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation with his wife, Vera Mae Perkins. He is co-founder of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA).

Early life

John M. Perkins was born in 1930 in New Hebron, Mississippi. His mother died of pellagra when he was just seven months old. Abandoned by his father, he was raised by his grandmother and extended family, who worked as sharecroppers. He dropped out of school in third grade.[1] [2] In 1947, he moved away from Mississippi at the urging of his family, who worried that he might be in danger following the fatal shooting of his brother, Clyde, by a police officer. He settled in southern California. In June 1951, Perkins married Vera Mae Buckley; earlier that year, he had been drafted into the U.S. Armed Forces. Perkins served in Okinawa during the Korean War.[3] In 1957, Perkins's son, Spencer, invited him to church and Perkins converted to Christianity.

Career

In 1960, Perkins moved with his wife and children from California to Mendenhall, Mississippi, which neighbors his childhood hometown of New Hebron.[4] There, in 1964, he established Voice of Calvary Bible Institute.[5] [6]

In Mendenhall, Vera Mae started running a day-care center from their home that from 1966 to 1968 became part of the federally funded Head Start Program.[7]

In 1965, Perkins supported voter registration efforts in Simpson County, and in 1967 he became involved in school desegregation when he enrolled his son Spencer in the previously all-white Mendenhall High School.[6] [8]

In the fall of 1969, Perkins became the leader in an economic boycott of white-owned stores in Mendenhall. On February 7, 1970, following the arrest of students who had taken part in a protest march in Mendenhall, Perkins was arrested and tortured by white police officers in Brandon Jail.[6] [9]

In 1976, he published a book, A Quiet Revolution: The Christian response to human need, a strategy for today, which outlined his religious philosophy, revolving around the "three Rs" — relocation, redistribution and reconciliation.[10]

By the mid-seventies, Voice of Calvary, Jackson and Mendenhall Ministries were operating thrift stores, health clinics, a housing cooperative, and classes in Bible and theology. Perkins was in demand as a speaker in evangelical churches, colleges, and conventions across the country.[5]

In 1982, the Perkins left Voice of Calvary Ministries to return to California, where they founded Harambee Christian Family Center, now called Harambee Ministries, in northwest Pasadena.[5]

In 1989, Perkins founded the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), a network of evangelical congregations and organizations working in deprived urban settings.[6] [11] CCDA sought to invite evangelicals into social justice and civil rights.[12]

After the death of his son Spencer in 1998, Perkins established the Spencer Perkins Center, the youth arm of the John M. Perkins Foundation.[13] It has developed youth programs such as After School Tutoring, Summer Arts Camp, Junior and College Internship Program, Good News Bible Club, Young Life and Jubilee Youth Garden. The foundation also has a housing arm, Zechariah 8, providing affordable housing for low-to-moderate-income families, with a focus on single mothers.[14]

On September 17, 2016, Perkins became President Emeritus of the John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation as his three daughters, Elizabeth, Priscilla, and Deborah Perkins, became co-presidents of the organization.[15] [16]

Recognition

In 2012, Calvin College began the John M. Perkins Leadership Fellows, a program for students concerned with community injustice.[17]

In 2004, Seattle Pacific University opened the John Perkins Center for Reconciliation, Leadership Training, and Community Development.[18]

In 2009, the band Switchfoot released the song "The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues)". The song was inspired by Perkins' book Let Justice Roll Down.[19]

Honorary Doctorates

John M. Perkins Fellows & Legacy Programs

Awards

Books

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Perkins, John, Let Justice Roll Down. Regal Books, 2006.
  2. Web site: "John M. Perkins in Conversation with Charles Marsh: Let Justice Roll Down," (.pdf transcript), Project on Lived Theology, 2009 . 2013-09-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150610195343/http://archives.livedtheology.org/node/1306 . 2015-06-10 . dead .
  3. Web site: Perkins, John M.
  4. http://www.jmpf.org/content/perkins/biography/ JMPF.org, 2008
  5. Web site: Biography of John Perkins", Billy Graham Archive, Wheaton College, IL. . 2013-09-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140729085458/http://www2.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/GUIDES/367.htm#3 . 2014-07-29 . dead .
  6. The Beloved Community: How Faith Shapes Social Justice, from the Civil Rights Movement to Today (New York: Baker Books, 2005)
  7. Mobilizing for the Common Good, eds Peter Slade, Charles Marsh, and Peter Heltzel (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2013)
  8. http://mscivilrightsproject.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=146:dr-john-perkins&catid=764:person&Itemid=72 Dr. John Perkins - Mississippi Civil Rights Project.
  9. http://openjurist.org/455/f2d/7 455 F.2d 7, Reverend John M. PERKINS et al., Petitioners-Appellants v.STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, Respondent-Appellee. No. 30410. United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Jan. 14, 1972.
  10. A Quiet Revolution: the Christian response to human need, a strategy for today, (Word Books, 1976)
  11. http://www.ccda.org/about "What is CCDA all about?"
  12. Web site: CCDA's Beginnings » Christian Community Development Association. says. Answering the Call: a Lesson in Resilience. 2011-09-14. Christian Community Development Association. en-US. 2020-02-17.
  13. Christianity Today, December 7, 1998 http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1998/december7/8te18b.html
  14. http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/17/radical-faith-the-revolution-of-john-perkins/ Jessica Kinnison, "Radical Faith: The Revolution of John Perkins"
  15. Web site: Staff . The John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation . 8 February 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170412101535/https://jvmpf.org/our-staff/ . 12 April 2017 . dead.
  16. Web site: Welcome to our blog! . The John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation . 13 November 2017 . 3 June 2018.
  17. https://calvin.edu/leadership-fellows The John M. Perkins Leadership Fellows at Calvin College official website.
  18. http://spu.edu/depts/perkins/about/index.asp "About the John Perkins Center at SPU"
  19. http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/lyrics/new/track.asp?track_id=13064 "The Sound (John M. Perkins Blues)" song lyrics.
  20. Web site: Olasky . Marvin . After an election, reconciliation? . World Magazine . World News Group . December 3, 2020.

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