Behind the Stained Glass

Book excerpt: Perhaps the most infamous incident of the Civil Rights Movement occurred on 15 September, 1963. Four young black girls, planning to serve as worship leaders for Youth Day at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL, were killed in a massive dynamite explosion shortly before the Sunday service. Hamlin, the current pastor, provides a detailed history of the church as it approaches its 125th anniversary. This history differs little from that of other urban Southern black churches, and it would thus hold limited interest were it not for the tragic incident. The congregation had little involvement in social issues before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. turned the church into a staging area for his Birmingham protests. Much of the history involves a frequent turnover of pastors because of continuously disgruntled minority factions. The Reverend Hamlin has remained nine years and apparently has set the church on a positive path. This book is of interest to social historians.