Drum Majors for Love, Truth, and Justice
Dr. John M. Perkins and Dr. Paul Louis Metzger
Drum Majors—Meaning and Purpose:
In Dr. Martin Luther King Junior's last speech, "Unfulfilled Dreams," which he delivered the night before his assassination, King talked about how he wanted to be remembered after his death. He talked about wanting to be remembered as a drum major for justice—the leader of the marching band for justice. In this sense, King followed in the footsteps of Jesus, the ultimate drum major for justice. The Lord Jesus led people to the beat of a different drum—to the drumbeat of love, truth, and justice as he journeyed to the cross. He proclaimed the whole gospel of the kingdom in word and deed to make individuals and their communities whole.
Today, there is an urgent need to proclaim the life-changing and society-changing Gospel in word and deed. Dr. John M. Perkins and Dr. Paul Louis Metzger consider themselves drum majors for love, truth, and justice: love because our world is full of hate, and people desperately need to know God's love through his Son, Jesus Christ, whom God sent to save the world; truth because individual and community life is often built on the shaky foundations of hearsay, fads, and whatever feels good, and people desperately need to build their lives on the authoritative and unshakable teaching of God's word; and justice because equity is often a commodity that can be bought and sold, and the marginalized desperately need to see that there is justice for all.
As drum majors, Drs. Perkins and Metzger want to inspire people across the nation to pursue a biblical vision of love, truth, and justice where the all-consuming love of Jesus revealed in the Bible consumes those things that divide us, like race and class barriers. They will be speaking in different locations nationally, working with churches and community groups to raise up well-trained and educated Christian leaders who are passionately engaged in proclaiming the whole gospel of the kingdom in word and deed through the church, to the whole person, in the whole community.
They view their roles in this Drum Majors partnership as instruments of inspiration and consultation, helping to mobilize communities to take ownership and address the issues they are facing, impacting their cities and towns. Thus, they are not looking for those who stand by and clap as the band passes, but for those who will join them on their march, playing their parts in the love, truth, and justice band.
The Drum Majors Tour Package:
Presently Drs. Perkins and Metzger offer a weekend package of speaking and consultation, which includes an introductory talk on Friday evening (“That Sense of Urgency"), two workshops on Saturday morning (one on the biblical and theological foundations—"Toward a Theology of Engagement," and the other on community development—"Beyond Charity: The 3 R's"), a moderated forum on Saturday afternoon on spiritual formation ("Marathon Runners in the Making"), a session dedicated to getting groups to build a self-sustaining network on Saturday afternoon based on mutual trust and collective ownership ("Owning the Pond Together"), and a closing talk on Sunday morning ("Reflecting God’s Kingdom—Where Do We Go From Here?"). Here is the outline:
- “That Sense of Urgency,” Drs. Perkins and Metzger (Friday Night)
- “Toward a Theology of Engagement,” Dr. Metzger (Saturday Morning)
- “Beyond Charity—the 3 R’s,” Dr. Perkins (Saturday Morning)
- “Marathon Runners in the Making,” A Moderated Discussion with Drs. Perkins and Metzger (Saturday Afternoon)
- “Owning the Pond Together,” A Moderated Discussion with Drs. Perkins and Metzger, and Community Leaders (Saturday Afternoon)
- “Reflecting God’s Kingdom—Where Do We Go From Here?” Drs. Perkins and Metzger (Sunday Morning)
Desired outcomes would include the following four components:
- A greater grasp of biblical and theological foundations for Christian community development work.
- Practical insights on how to do Christian community development work.
- Attentiveness to the needed spiritual maturation process.
- Logistical guidance on how to build a network of associations committed to building the trust, passion, and infrastructure necessary to establish and sustain vibrant communities.
The Drum Majors:
Dr. John M. Perkins is the Founder of the John M. Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation and Development, Co-Founder of the Christian Community Development Association, and author and editor of numerous works, including Let Justice Roll Down and With Justice for All: A Strategy for Community Development. Dr. Perkins has served as an advisor to several U.S. Presidents on poverty and justice related matters.
Dr. Paul Louis Metzger is Professor of Christian Theology & Theology of Culture at Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon, Founder and Director of the seminary’s Institute for the Theology of Culture: New Wine, New Wineskins, and author and editor of numerous works, including Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church.
Additional Details:
Further information about the partnership will be posted on consumingjesus.org, as it becomes available. The contact person for the “Drum Majors for Love, Truth and Justice” partnership is Mr. Ronn Elzinga (503-222-7216).