John Dale

John William Dale serves as the pulpit minister at Glendale Road Church of Christ in Murray, Kentucky, one of the Church of Christ's largest congregations. His tenure began July 5 1973. He is married with two children and two grandchildren. He is a Kentucky Colonel and was named to the Board of Trustees of Freed-Hardeman University during their February 2001 annual meeting. [ .

:"And back in 2000 when we were doing all of these things with the Jubilee 2000 Celebration and the time that I appeared there on their program, Ray Gates (who was the parish priest at that time at St. Leo's Church here in Murray) when he and I talked about that we agreed early on: I'm John and he's Ray. And I didn't mean to be disrespectful and he didn't either. When you call me by my first name I don't consider it disrespectful. Jesus said, 'Don't call any man on Earth father.'" [] , and Walter W. Pigg.

In his response to one letter of protest from the latter, which was publicly vaunted and derided by his critics, Dale distinguished his role at the event as "communication," and distanced himself from the term "fellowship:"

"My presence and participation in the program at St. Leo’s was intendedas the seizing of an opportunity to communicate with some of my religious neighborswith whom I do not share fellowship, but with whom I sincerely seek more and betterdiscussion." [cite web
url=http://bot.lemmonsaid.net/bot00-10.pdf|title=The Influence Of Denominationalism Within The Lord’s Church Is Increasing Rapidly — Even To The Point Of Outright Fellowship|author=Pigg, Walter W.|publisher= [http://bot.lemmonsaid.net/ The Banner of Truth] |date=October, 2000|pages=1-17|format=PDF]

The same critic of Dale's brought the issue up again in April 2001, following Dale's appointment to the Board of Trustees of Freed-Hardeman University [cite web| url=http://bot.lemmonsaid.net/bot01-04.pdf |title=Brother John Dale’s Appointment To F-HU Board|author=Pigg, Walter W.|publisher= [http://bot.lemmonsaid.net/ The Banner of Truth] |date=April, 2001|pages=12-14|format=PDF] , aligning Dale with "liberal" figures such as Walt Leaver, Randy Harris, and F. LaGard Smith, and expressing disdain for the faculties of David Lipscomb University and Freed-Hardeman University.

It is clear, from even a surface reading of Dale's critics, that their criticism was triggered by the mere association or physical presence of Dale in the context of events where these other figures might also appear. It is equally clear, in reading Dale's response, that such an association is not an indication, from Dale's point of view, that he agreed with his fellow attendees on any particular theological viewpoint, simply because he was in communication or was some other way associated with any other person.

Media

According to his church's web site, John Dale is heard on a daily radio program on local radio station WNBS in Murray, Kentucky (which derives its call sign from the initials of local 19th century pre-Marconi wireless (induction) voice telephony pioneer Nathan B. Stubblefield.)

References

External links

* [http://www.glendaleroadchurch.org/ Glendale Road Church of Christ]