REVOLUTIONARY SPIRITUALITY: Oakhurst Presbyterian Church - One Black Jesus, One White Jesus

"Oakhurst Presbyterian Church is unremarkable on the outside, but the congregation on the inside is quite remarkable. People from the most divergent backgrounds - middle class professionals, blue-collar and pink-collar workers, welfare recipients, old, young, and very young, black, white, Asian, gay and straight. All seem to feel comfortable there and speak their minds." Ted Clark, All Things Considered

Oakhurst Presbyterian Church, in Decatur Georgia, celebrated its 90th birthday in September. The church, led by husband-wife team Nibs Stroupe and Caroline Leach, is famous for its depictions of both a black and a white Jesus, and numerous national publications, including Time magazine, The New York Times and The Christian Science Monitor, have reported on the dedication of the church and its leaders to racial diversity.

My guest was Rev. Nibs Stroupe. We discussed the 90th Anniversary of Oakurst Presbyterian Church, the decision that was made in the late 1980s to repaint one of the stained glass images of Jesus from white to black, the committment of the church congregation to diversity and inclusiveness, and the book, "O Lord, Hold Our Hands: How a Church Thrives in a Multicultural World," which Rev. Stroupe co-wrote with his wife. This program origianally aired on 10/24/11. Contact information: www.oakhurstpresbyterian.org or 404-378-6284