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Henlee Hulix Barnette

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Henlee Hulix Barnette
Born(1911-08-14)August 14, 1911
Taylorsville, North Carolina,U.S.
DiedOctober 20, 2004(2004-10-20)(aged 93)
Louisville, Kentucky,U.S.
Children4, includingMartha Barnette
Academic background
EducationWake Forest College
Alma materSouthern Baptist Theological Seminary
Academic work
DisciplineChristian ethics

Henlee Hulix Barnette(August 14, 1911 – October 20, 2004) was an American social activist, professor ofChristian ethics,minister, and author. His first book,Introducing Christian Ethics(1961), became a standard text in his field. He marched withMartin Luther King Jr.and met withNikita Khrushchevto set up a college student exchange program with theSoviet Union.

Education and early life[edit]

Barnette was born on August 14, 1911, inTaylorsville, North Carolina.[1]He dropped out of school in the sixth grade and his family moved toKannapolis, North Carolinain 1925. He converted to Christianity there at the age of 19 and returned to school at age 22 on the advice of his pastor, Wade Jones.[2]He graduated at age 26 and went on to study atWake Forest College,from where he graduated with honors in 1940.[2]

After Wake Forest College, Barnette attendedSouthern Baptist Theological Seminary( "Southern" ) inLouisville, Kentucky,where he received a Master's in Theology and aPhD.He later studied atHarvard University,Columbia Universityand theUniversity of Florida.[3]

Career[edit]

Barnette's first teaching position was atSamford University(then Howard College), inBirmingham, Alabama,from 1946 to 1947 as a professor of sociology, followed byStetson Universityin Florida from 1947 to 1951.[4]In 1951, he joined the faculty at Southern, where he remained until 1977.[1][2]From 1956 to 1959 he was acting dean of the School of Theology there.[4]After 26 years teaching at Southern, Barnette went on to work at theUniversity of LouisvilleMedical School, teaching psychiatry from 1977 until 1992.[1][2]

Barnette wrote widely on topics in Christian ethics and particularly biomedical ethics. His 1961 workIntroducing Christian Ethicswas a standard text.[5]His other works include a book aboutNew TestamentGreekscholarClarence Jordan,in 1992, about whom he had given the lecture "Clarence Jordan: A prophet in blue jeans" in April 1983, and a memoir,A Pilgrimage of Faith: My Journey,completed shortly before his death.[6][7]In all, he authored fifteen books.[1]

For most of his life, Barnette was a committed Baptist. He first converted to Christianity at the North Kannapolis Baptist Church in Kannapolis, North Carolina.[7]He was ordained a minister in 1935.[8]While at graduate school at Southern he ministered at theHaymarketMission in Louisville, where he was head of the mission for three years, and was referred to as the "Bishop of the Haymarket".[9]Later, having moved back to Louisville, he was a member of the Crescent Hill Baptist Church there.[1]

Social advocacy[edit]

Barnette was focused on race as a social issue from at least 1946.[4]He helped to found the Interracial Baptist Pastors Conference in Birmingham Alabama while at Samford.[4][5]On June 7, 1954, Barnette testified before a subcommittee of Congress in favor of strengthening the role of the United Nations.[4]

In 1957, he met with Nikita Khrushchev at theKremlinand helped establish an exchange program for college students between the United States and the Soviet Union.[10]In 1961, having marched for civil rights, Barnette invited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to speak at Southern and helped to arrange that visit, where King gave the Julian Brown Gay Lectures.[1][4][7]He marched with King inFrankfort, Kentucky.[10][11]As a result of the meeting with Khrushchev and his relationship with King, Barnette was the subject of FBI investigation and surveillance between 1957 and 1974.[12][13]In 1971 he helped in the establishment of a Black Church Studies program.[4]

Personal life[edit]

Barnette married twice, first to Charlotte Ford, with whom he had two sons, John and Wayne.[3]After Charlotte's death in childbirth in 1953, Barnette was remarried in 1956 to Helen Poarch, with whom he had a daughter,Martha,and a son, James, known as Jim.[3][4]His oldest son, John, served in the United States Air Force in theVietnam War.[4][7]His second son, Wayne, moved to Sweden at the same time to avoid the draft. Barnette himself was vocally opposed to US engagement in Vietnam.[7]His daughter, Martha Barnette, is also an author and presents the weekly radio showA Way with Wordson the subject of language. James has taught as a professor of religion at Samford University.[7]

Barnette died on October 20, 2004, in Louisville, Kentucky.[7]His funeral was held at the Crescent Hill Baptist Church of Louisville on October 25.[10]

The Henlee Hulix Barnette Papers are available for research atWake Forest University.[2]

Bibliography[edit]

Books[edit]

  • Introducing Christian Ethics.Broadman Press. 1961.ISBN978-0-8054-6102-2.
  • Communism: Who? What? Why?.Broadman Press. 1962.OCLC6465743.
  • An Introduction to Communism.Baker Book House. 1964.OCLC4898273.
  • Christian Calling and Vocation.Baker Book House. 1965.OCLC2149237.
  • The New Theology and Morality.Westminster Press. 1967.ISBN9780664247539.OCLC246165217.
  • Has God Called You?.Broadman Press. 1969.OCLC23407.
  • Crucial problems in Christian perspective.Westminster Press. 1970.ISBN978-0-664-24882-6.
  • The Drug Crisis in the Church.Westminster Press. 1971.OCLC154476.
  • The Church and the Ecological Crisis.Eerdmans. 1972.ISBN978-0-8028-1457-9.
  • Biblical Perspectives on Bioethical Problems.Stetson University. 1981.OCLC8103805.
  • Exploring Medical Ethics.Mercer University Press. 1982.ISBN978-0-86554-031-6.
  • Your Freedom to Be Whole.Westminster Press. 1984.ISBN978-0-664-24526-9.
  • Clarence Jordan: Turning Dreams Into Deeds.Smyth & Helwys. 1992.ISBN978-1-880837-00-9.
  • A Pilgrimage of Faith: My Story.Mercer University Press. 2004.ISBN978-0-86554-942-5.
  • Homely Joys: Prayers, Poems, and Barbs.Christian Ethics Today. 2005.ISBN978-0-914520-46-7.(with James Barnette)

Selected articles[edit]

  • "The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Civil Rights Movement: From 1859–1952, Part One".Review & Expositor(90). 1993.
  • "The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Civil Rights Movement: The Visit of Martin Luther King Jr, Part Two".Review & Expositor(93). 1996.

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdef"Our Professors".The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.Retrieved8 March2017.
  2. ^abcde"Henlee Hulix Barnette Papers".ZSR Library.10 July 2012.Retrieved8 March2017.
  3. ^abc"The Courier-Journal".22 October 2004.Retrieved8 March2017.
  4. ^abcdefghiRonald D. (2008)."5".In Larry L. McSwain (ed.).Twentieth-century Shapers of Baptist Social Ethics.Mercer University Press. pp. 81–98.ISBN978-0-88146-100-8.Retrieved8 March2017.
  5. ^abSisk, Ron (26 August 2002)."Henlee Barnette: Giant in the Land".Ethics Daily.Retrieved8 March2017.
  6. ^Marsh, Charles (8 August 2006).The Beloved Community: How Faith Shapes Social Justice from the Civil Rights Movement to Today.Basic Books. p. 240.ISBN978-0-465-04416-0.Retrieved11 March2017.
  7. ^abcdefgMcSwain, Larry (2 December 2005)."'A Pilgrimage of Faith: My Story' by Henlee Hulix Barnette ".Ethics Daily.Retrieved8 March2017.
  8. ^"Barnette, Henlee H(ulix) 1911–2004".Contemporary Authors,Encyclopedia.Retrieved8 March2017.
  9. ^"Pioneer Baptist ethicist Henlee Barnette dies at 93".Baptist News Global.2004-10-22.Retrieved8 March2017.
  10. ^abcRobinson, Jeff (22 October 2004)."Henlee Barnette, Southern ethics professor from 1952–77, dies".Baptist Press.Retrieved8 March2017.
  11. ^Leonard, Bill J. (14 August 2012).Baptists in America.Columbia University Press. pp. 192–.ISBN978-0-231-50171-2.Retrieved8 March2017.
  12. ^Richardson, Robert L. (February 2007)."A 'Byte' of Baptist History FBI Shadowed SBTS Professor for 17 Years".Texas Baptists Committed.Retrieved8 March2017.
  13. ^Allen, Bob (20 October 2004)."Ethics Pioneer Henlee Barnette Dies".Ethics Daily.Retrieved8 March2017.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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