H O N O R I N G D R . M A RT I N L U T H E R K I N G , J R .
Book Review: Faith in the Fire
Wisdom for Life by Dr. Gardner C. Taylor
Kam Williams
Special To The Skanner News
“Amazingly, many people of faith and members of the
reading public have not heard of Gardner Taylor or his
accomplishments. Publication of Faith in the Fire attempts
to rectify this by providing an accessible introduction to Dr.
Taylor’s enduring wisdom.
In 1948, Taylor became pastor of the Concord Baptist
Church of Brooklyn, the church where he earned his repu-
tation as a champion fighter for social justice and commu-
nity uplift, and received acclaim as one of the great preach-
ers in American history… Faith in the Fire: Wisdom for
Life adds a unique contribution to Dr. Taylor’s legacy by
attempting to gather his philosophical gems and present
them in a fashion that readers can easily access.” -
Excerpted from the Introduction (pgs xii-xxi)
Despite being born the grandson of slaves in Baton
Rouge, La., on June 18, 1918, Gardner Calvin Taylor
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petition to President Obama,
“A Marshall Plan for Black
America,” at the
“We the People…” website:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov
earned degrees from Leland College and
Oberlin Graduate School of Theology
before becoming the legendary pastor of
Brooklyn’s Concord Baptist Church at the
age of 30. And over the course of his endur-
ing career there, he earned a reputation as
one of the best preachers in the nation.
During the Civil Rights Movement, he
also served as a mentor and confidant to Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., with whom he co-
founded the Progressive National Baptist
Convention. So, it only makes sense that the
wealth of cultural contributions made by
this eloquent pioneer for social justice, now
93, should be preserved for posterity.
The task of editing six decades worth of
sermons and papers fell to Reverend
Edward L. Taylor, no relation, a former res-
ident fellow at Harvard University. The
upshot of that effort is Faith in the Fire: Wisdom for Life,
an enlightening opus distilling Dr. Taylor’s insights on a
variety of subjects ranging from love to God to race to pol-
itics to motherhood to family.
For example, the author muses about the prospect for a
Second Coming of Christ, suggesting that, upon His return,
Jesus, “would be assassinated, lynched, or, if you prefer,
crucified as before.” Thought provoking pearls of wisdom
from the Poet Laureate of Progressive Protestantism.
Page 24 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Martin Luther King Edition January 12, 2011
Faith in the Fire:
Wisdom for Life
by Dr. Gardner C. Taylor
Edited by Edward L. Taylor
Smiley Books
Hardcover, $21.95
240 pages, Illustrated
With a bonus CD featuring an interview with the author
by Tavis Smiley
ISBN: 978-1-4019- 2962-6