I don’t mean to disregard the fearlessness and dedication required of any of the clergy who came before me, and yet I have this nagging sense that when my forefathers in the ministry ventured out into America wearing a clerical collar—perhaps to run an errand, or dare I say, speak by invitation in a public forum—my guess is never did they experience concern that someone might spew curses or spit upon them simply for being who they are as a servant of Christ.

Brothers, let’s agree that the challenges differ from age to age. But may we also agree that the Christian Church’s history in America is as a distant and alien land, and they do things very differently there than they do here?