A wonderful tribute to a longtime friend and mentor of those who founded the Chicago Urban Reconciliation Enterprise. I personally love the disarming way Bill would wade into deep conversation and controversial topics with a self-assured grin and friendly demeanor. His impact was and remains significant in my life. Thanks Jemar.
CURE began as an offshoot of Youth For Christ in Chicago. Rev. Russ Knight was the founder and my closest friend. He was a contemporary of both Bill and Tom. As our understanding of "reconciliation" progressed we moved into identifying race as the nations foundational malady and understood how the evangelical church was complicit. We remained a well kept secret but are sometimes amazed at the breadth of influence we were unaware of. Love reading your work.
Yes, I know who Bill Pannell is. God bless him and I am so glad he is still with us. I was also at Urbana 70 as a physics graduate student. Tom Skinner‘s sermon is at or near the top of my shortlist of greatest sermons ever, and it was a significant part of my belief at the time that evangelicism could be a positive healing force in America. Unfortunately, I no longer believe that. But I thank Bill Pannell and Tom Skinner for showing me what Christianity could be.
I never had the blessing of meeting Dr. Pannell, although I would gladly have taken a class from him. I attended Fuller from 1994-1998. I did encounter Dr. Perkins and his sons, Spencer and Derek, at Harambee while taking a class on the Urban Poor. (I recall that Spencer mentioned that "Harambee" roughly translated to "Let's Get Together and Push".) Dr. Perkins spoke to our class at the time. I made sure I read his book "Let Justice Roll Down". It was an honor to meet Dr. Perkins! Happy Birthday, Dr. Pannell!
Dr Pannell was my Prof for “evangelistic preaching” at Fuller theological seminary. He is such a gift! Wat made that class extra special were the African-American students who helped me see things that I missed otherwise as a white male.
I've often been disappointed and disturbed by Church/Christian history. I'm heartened by Dr Pannell's faithfulness and fortitude. Thank you, Dr Tisby, for bringing to light (at least for me) a true living representative of Christ.
Yes, I sat under the teaching of Dr Bill Pannell and was a friend of Tom Skinner (and later Barbara) and Shirley his TSA Director. Their perspective shaped my adult life in ways I only came to realize as the years went by and I witnessed the failure of the evangelical Church to lead in the fight against systemic racism. So grateful for him and his faithfulness to God’s call on his life.
Happy birthday Dr. Parnell. Thank you Dr. Tisby for teaching and sharing about him. I grew up in the 50s and 60s on the white side of the American divide. Your shared wisdom and teaching is helping open my eyes. May the Lord continue to bless you and work within you. We have so much to learn about loving one another! Thanks for providing more material that helps open my world.
I was influenced (as a white Christian) by Bill Pannell's books in the 1970's an 80's, and had coffee with him once at Fuller Seminary. I was living and teaching at a Christian College in Michigan at the time, so we had that geography in common too. You are right: he was a gracious and courageous leader. Glad you had him as a mentor.
You’ll also get a preview of this documentary on Sunday, June 29 at 4 pm ET when I conduct a teach-in about Tom Skinner as a memorial on the 30th anniversary of his death.
Dr. Tisby, thank you for this footnote. I did not know about Bill Pannell. His life has and continues to be a tribute to the teachings of Christ. I am grateful to become enlightened about this saint!
Thank you so very much, Dr. Tisby, for this wonderful portrait of Dr. Pannell. I actually had not heard of him, and will look forward to reading his book at some point. Grateful
Registered! and studying these brave pioneering black folks. I've used The Color of Compromise for one book study in a Methodist church in Boise, ID and will probably be able to extend a book study in other churches as well since I am moving around to find anti racist church groups. The pastor of the UMC in Rupert, ID (Southeast, conservative farmers) also used The Color of Compromise to start helping them address their racism. Thank you for writing such a good book to help open our eyes to our ethical obligation as Christians to do better, much better than we are now.
Thank you Jemar Tisby for finally I found the words to speak about my life only a white Evangelical from the same denomination as Sturgis, MI to white homeless in black majority. I had to blend my identities.
Bill Pannell
"Representative of Jesus, new humanity in Christ, then go anywhere with anybody. "
Not quite sure how you can be a Black Evangelical as the current American Evangelical movement was established in the South in response to freeing of the slaves. Slavery, bolstered by Mosaic Law, was overturned by the Emancipation Proclamation, enforced by a Civil War. Today's Evangelical movement has gone all in on Mosaic Law to be applied to all of us. You can't promote Mosaic Law and call yourself a Christian; it is a complete rejection of Jesus' Teachings and Commandments. Adhering to the Old Covenant under Moses is a complete rejection of the New Covenant under Christ. The New Covenant replaced the Old one, which was only intended for Israelite's, with new Jesus' Commandments meant for everyone on Earth. If you put the Bible into true historical perspective, you can see that Jesus' came to save the Jews from the oppression of the Pharisees under Mosaic Law. The Ten Commandments, and the other 603 civil regulations under Mosaic Law, have nothing to do with Christianity. But, we have so called 'Christian' Nationalist striving to make us a Theocracy under Mosaic Law. Who will save us all from the cancer of these modern Pharisees (and Sadducee's of the Supreme court under Trump's Sanhedrin), this time around, as Jesus saved the Jews from the Pharisees of his time? You can't call yourself Christian if you are an Evangelical or a Christian Nationalist because they are both co opted by White Supremacist frauds supported by OT hate, again, a complete rejection of NT Love.
A wonderful tribute to a longtime friend and mentor of those who founded the Chicago Urban Reconciliation Enterprise. I personally love the disarming way Bill would wade into deep conversation and controversial topics with a self-assured grin and friendly demeanor. His impact was and remains significant in my life. Thanks Jemar.
CURE! Sounds fascinating.
CURE began as an offshoot of Youth For Christ in Chicago. Rev. Russ Knight was the founder and my closest friend. He was a contemporary of both Bill and Tom. As our understanding of "reconciliation" progressed we moved into identifying race as the nations foundational malady and understood how the evangelical church was complicit. We remained a well kept secret but are sometimes amazed at the breadth of influence we were unaware of. Love reading your work.
Yes, I know who Bill Pannell is. God bless him and I am so glad he is still with us. I was also at Urbana 70 as a physics graduate student. Tom Skinner‘s sermon is at or near the top of my shortlist of greatest sermons ever, and it was a significant part of my belief at the time that evangelicism could be a positive healing force in America. Unfortunately, I no longer believe that. But I thank Bill Pannell and Tom Skinner for showing me what Christianity could be.
I'm doing a teach-in on Tom Skinner this Sunday at 4 pm ET. Hope you can tune in and reminisce. Urbana '70 will be a big part of the conversation.
I met Bill Pannell at Harambee in 1984. He often met with John Perkins there.
Bill always had a gentle loving spirit.
I am grateful for the witness of his life.
Happy Birthday Bill.
John Perkins and Bill Pannell. That's good company!
I never had the blessing of meeting Dr. Pannell, although I would gladly have taken a class from him. I attended Fuller from 1994-1998. I did encounter Dr. Perkins and his sons, Spencer and Derek, at Harambee while taking a class on the Urban Poor. (I recall that Spencer mentioned that "Harambee" roughly translated to "Let's Get Together and Push".) Dr. Perkins spoke to our class at the time. I made sure I read his book "Let Justice Roll Down". It was an honor to meet Dr. Perkins! Happy Birthday, Dr. Pannell!
Yes! Dr. Pannell and John Perkins ran in similar circles.
I noticed, incl. reading how Dr. Perkins got out to SoCal from MS! :)
Blessings!
Dr Pannell was my Prof for “evangelistic preaching” at Fuller theological seminary. He is such a gift! Wat made that class extra special were the African-American students who helped me see things that I missed otherwise as a white male.
What a spectacular opportunity to learn from Dr. Pannell week-after-week in a classroom setting. I wish I had the privilege!
I've often been disappointed and disturbed by Church/Christian history. I'm heartened by Dr Pannell's faithfulness and fortitude. Thank you, Dr Tisby, for bringing to light (at least for me) a true living representative of Christ.
Happy birthday, Dr Pannell!
Same. Dr. Pannell bolstered my faith when so many others who called themselves Christians made it hard to believe.
Yes, I sat under the teaching of Dr Bill Pannell and was a friend of Tom Skinner (and later Barbara) and Shirley his TSA Director. Their perspective shaped my adult life in ways I only came to realize as the years went by and I witnessed the failure of the evangelical Church to lead in the fight against systemic racism. So grateful for him and his faithfulness to God’s call on his life.
Remarkable! I'll be you've got some stories!
What came to mind as I read this is a picture of Jesus overturning the tables in the Temple courtyard.
Indeed. Dr. Pannell has overturned his share, and has wept with compassion, and has loved people throughout it all.
Happy birthday Dr. Parnell. Thank you Dr. Tisby for teaching and sharing about him. I grew up in the 50s and 60s on the white side of the American divide. Your shared wisdom and teaching is helping open my eyes. May the Lord continue to bless you and work within you. We have so much to learn about loving one another! Thanks for providing more material that helps open my world.
Thanks so much for following along, Linda! I hope you can join us for the teach-in on Tom Skinner this Sunday.
I was influenced (as a white Christian) by Bill Pannell's books in the 1970's an 80's, and had coffee with him once at Fuller Seminary. I was living and teaching at a Christian College in Michigan at the time, so we had that geography in common too. You are right: he was a gracious and courageous leader. Glad you had him as a mentor.
So glad you had a chance to talk with Dr. Pannell. It's a lifetime memory.
Thanks for opening up a new avenue for me on such an incredible man!! I can’t wait to get my hands on that new edition with your forward.
The book is so good and, unfortunately, still very relevant.
Saturday, June 29th or Sunday, June 30th???
You’ll also get a preview of this documentary on Sunday, June 29 at 4 pm ET when I conduct a teach-in about Tom Skinner as a memorial on the 30th anniversary of his death.
Sorry. It's on Sunday!
Dr. Tisby, thank you for this footnote. I did not know about Bill Pannell. His life has and continues to be a tribute to the teachings of Christ. I am grateful to become enlightened about this saint!
You will be richly rewarded for any time you spend with Dr. Pannell's words and thoughts!
Thank you so very much, Dr. Tisby, for this wonderful portrait of Dr. Pannell. I actually had not heard of him, and will look forward to reading his book at some point. Grateful
So glad you appreciated, Ken. Hope you'll join us for Sunday as I talk more about Dr. Pannell and Tom Skinner.
Registered! and studying these brave pioneering black folks. I've used The Color of Compromise for one book study in a Methodist church in Boise, ID and will probably be able to extend a book study in other churches as well since I am moving around to find anti racist church groups. The pastor of the UMC in Rupert, ID (Southeast, conservative farmers) also used The Color of Compromise to start helping them address their racism. Thank you for writing such a good book to help open our eyes to our ethical obligation as Christians to do better, much better than we are now.
Thank you Jemar Tisby for finally I found the words to speak about my life only a white Evangelical from the same denomination as Sturgis, MI to white homeless in black majority. I had to blend my identities.
Bill Pannell
"Representative of Jesus, new humanity in Christ, then go anywhere with anybody. "
Not quite sure how you can be a Black Evangelical as the current American Evangelical movement was established in the South in response to freeing of the slaves. Slavery, bolstered by Mosaic Law, was overturned by the Emancipation Proclamation, enforced by a Civil War. Today's Evangelical movement has gone all in on Mosaic Law to be applied to all of us. You can't promote Mosaic Law and call yourself a Christian; it is a complete rejection of Jesus' Teachings and Commandments. Adhering to the Old Covenant under Moses is a complete rejection of the New Covenant under Christ. The New Covenant replaced the Old one, which was only intended for Israelite's, with new Jesus' Commandments meant for everyone on Earth. If you put the Bible into true historical perspective, you can see that Jesus' came to save the Jews from the oppression of the Pharisees under Mosaic Law. The Ten Commandments, and the other 603 civil regulations under Mosaic Law, have nothing to do with Christianity. But, we have so called 'Christian' Nationalist striving to make us a Theocracy under Mosaic Law. Who will save us all from the cancer of these modern Pharisees (and Sadducee's of the Supreme court under Trump's Sanhedrin), this time around, as Jesus saved the Jews from the Pharisees of his time? You can't call yourself Christian if you are an Evangelical or a Christian Nationalist because they are both co opted by White Supremacist frauds supported by OT hate, again, a complete rejection of NT Love.