Earl Stallings
Encyclopedia
The Reverend Earl Stallings was an American Baptist minister and activist in the U.S. civil rights movement.
Earl Stallings was born March 20, 1916 in Durham, North Carolina
. He died when he was 89 in his retirement home in Lakeland, Florida
on February 23. He left behind a son and two grandchildren: A son named Jim Stallings; Grandson James Stalling; granddaughter Meredith Beeson Stallings; and several nephews including Carl Bowen and Bryant Stallings. Earl had a wife of 64 years, Ruth Langston McMahan Stallings, who died in April 2001.
, and returned to high school at age 21, graduating at 23. Upon graduation, he entered Carson-Newman where he majored in history. Afterwords, “he earned a master of theology degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.”
He was a quarter time student pastor of Buffalo Grove Baptist Church in Jefferson City in 1940. He was then a half time student pastor in 1947-51 at Dumplin Creek Baptist Church in Jefferson City.
," which precipitated a critical response from Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Despite this, Stallings was the only clergy whom King praised by name in his letter, given that Stallings had opening the doors of his church to black worshipers. This same action angered members of his white congregation. One of the blacks allowed in was the civil rights leader Andrew Young
. “As a result of his moderate stance, Stallings became a target of both conservative segregationists and liberal integrationists. Tension over the issue so divided the church that it eventually split over the issue, following Stallings' departure.”
Earl Stallings was born March 20, 1916 in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
. He died when he was 89 in his retirement home in Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
on February 23. He left behind a son and two grandchildren: A son named Jim Stallings; Grandson James Stalling; granddaughter Meredith Beeson Stallings; and several nephews including Carl Bowen and Bryant Stallings. Earl had a wife of 64 years, Ruth Langston McMahan Stallings, who died in April 2001.
Education
Stallings dropped out of school at 16 to take care of his brothers and sisters by managing a fruit stand in Knoxville, Tennessee after his mother died . Stallings was forced into the workforce by The Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and returned to high school at age 21, graduating at 23. Upon graduation, he entered Carson-Newman where he majored in history. Afterwords, “he earned a master of theology degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.”
He was a quarter time student pastor of Buffalo Grove Baptist Church in Jefferson City in 1940. He was then a half time student pastor in 1947-51 at Dumplin Creek Baptist Church in Jefferson City.
Church Life
He was a full time pastor in the following churches: from 1951-62 he was at First Baptist Church, Ocala Florida; 1962-65 he was at First Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama; 1965-77 he was at First Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia; 1977-85 he was at SBC home Mission Board, Director of Christian Ministries in the Arizona SBC.A Call for Unity
Reverend Earl Stallings was one of eight signers of the open letter "A Call For UnityA Call For Unity
"A Call for Unity" was a letter written on April 12, 1963 by eight white clergymen local to Birmingham, Alabama and published in a local newspaper...
," which precipitated a critical response from Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Despite this, Stallings was the only clergy whom King praised by name in his letter, given that Stallings had opening the doors of his church to black worshipers. This same action angered members of his white congregation. One of the blacks allowed in was the civil rights leader Andrew Young
Andrew Young
Andrew Jackson Young is an American politician, diplomat, activist and pastor from Georgia. He has served as Mayor of Atlanta, a Congressman from the 5th district, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations...
. “As a result of his moderate stance, Stallings became a target of both conservative segregationists and liberal integrationists. Tension over the issue so divided the church that it eventually split over the issue, following Stallings' departure.”