Book Review: “Cotton Patch for the Kingdom: Clarence Jordan’s Demonstration Plot at Koinonia Farm”
By admin | January 3, 2011
Clarence Jordan was a normal southern Baptist Minister with a contagious vision of the Kingdom of God. Clarence bore witness to arguably one of the most trying times in America, the years uneasing Political Wars and a era of expressive Racial tension. To make things worst, Clarence didn’t witness this era from above the Mason-Dixon line or from a urban city, Jordon launched a ministry farm, where black and white would work together, eat together, live together and serve God together. Clarence saw the racial tension in his front yard, demonstrated from fellow Baptist church leaders and the Klu Klux Klan through the means of burning crosses on their farm land, constant raining bullets on his farm house and much other oppression that ensued.
Clarence was not a Mennonite, nor did he have much connections with them, though surprisingly this book was still released on Herald Press. He however did, come to the basic theology of our believers church, that non-resistance was the way of the Kingdom. This even caused people like Dorthy Day to visit and bring attention to the farm. Clarence got his m.div in seminary and left to start this community farm, in the deep south of America, Georgia. He was labeled a cult by many Baptists for his almost prophetic work. Over the years he developed programs that gave out free food, bibles and met the needs of the poor and the black. He used his seminary training to lead classes and provide the finances for some black friends to attend college, something they weren’t privileged too in the south. Dozens of churches excommunicated him, they reminded him that a Christian shouldn’t share a table with a ‘Negro’. A city boy who nothing about farming, researched soil conversation in a time that no one was talking about it, and taught it to his surrounding black and white neighboring farmers.
Clarence Jordan was not an activist as some tried to portray him, when he was cornered to make political and public demonstrations he would respond with a sly answer like, “I have much more important things to do, like oversee my Peanuts that are growing”.
His education and laid back attitude, gave him the ability to have patience with those that oppressed his views. One of my favorite stories are one where he was approached by a outspoken neighboring farmer who wanted to cause trouble for the farm.
A local farmer who was banning the sales of items to the Koinonia farm, because both black and white ate together, approached Clarence on the farm and cornered him with the provocative line of – I heard you won’t fight? Clarence replied: “Who Told You that? We sure will fight” Surprised the Farmer said: “Well You won’t go into the Army, will you?” Clarence said: “No, we don’t fight that way. Let me explain. You see that mule over there? Well, if that mule bit you, you wouldn’t bite it back, would you?” ”Nope,” the farmer allowed, “I’d hit him with a two-by-four.” ”Exactly,” Clarence relied. ”You wouldn’t let that mule set the level of your encounter with him. You would get a weapon a mule couldn’t use and knock his brains out. That’s what Christians are supposed to do- they are supposed to use weapons of love and peace and goodwill, weapons that the enemy can’t handle.”
Another one of my favorite responses from Clarence Jordan, takes place in the beginning of the book and deals with his witness in racial reconciliation.
One man swings a section of iron pipe and declares, “Just like the whites to kill a Negro for this, I’m going to kill a white man.” As the crowd is at the point of taking up weapons, the only white man at the meeting steps forward and says, “If a white man must die for this,….let it be me. Do it now.” Clarence Jordan’s words shock these men, many of them his friends, into silence. The crowd looks at the situation through new eyes, and after some discussion they worked together for a difference response to this injustice.”
This book excellently highlights the work of this Baptist Minister to minister to a marginalized group of people in his day and how he did what he thought was best, to create a contagious vision of the Kingdom of God, here on earth. In almost chronological order, this book describes the history of Clarence Jordain growing up, attending Seminary, getting involved in ministry and birthing into the start of the Koinonia Farm. It then follows the Koinonia farm through the 1940s, 50s and 60s – as tempers against them raged and slowly the fruit of their labor took root. It also explores some of his many recorded sermons and teachings. Ingrained in his vision, his many ministries and even in the name of his farm, Koinonia used in acts to mean ‘commonality‘, pushed to show and pursue equality here on earth to demonstrate the Kingdom of God – while the majority of the churches around him played Pharisee, or one who segregates himself out.
My only issue with this book is it could have dived into deeper explorations of the fruit his farm started, for instance, many of his branches of ministry still exist today – as wikipedia points out. “Koinonia Farm, an interracial Christian community, was organized near Americus in 1942. Founder Clarence Jordan was a mentor to Millard and Linda Fuller, who founded Habitat for Humanity International at Koinonia in 1976 before moving into Americus the following year. In 2005, they founded the Fuller Center for Housing, also in Americus. Koinonia Partners is currently located southwest of Americus on Hwy. 49.”
Clarence Jordon was just a man, broken like the rest of us and I am sure had many shortcomings in his life, as we all do. As a Baptist, I know his theology is not where my own Anabaptist confession of faith is. However, his ability to envision the Kingdom of God and to work toward’s living it out here on earth for the salvation of souls was not only contagious but inspiring. I believe his work could engage us all, to step up a little more in our faith.
Please take time to read this book. Mennonite Publishing Network (MPN) is currently including this in their bargain books, making it roughly a $6.00 book plus shipping and handling. Ann Louise Coble, carefully crafts the telling of this story in a non idolizing way, she mastered the story telling of this man’s life and work.
Adventurous coffeeholic from Lancaster, PA. 
