Ebenezer Baptist Church. A rich history since its founding in 1886 by formerly-enslaved persons. The final resting place of Martin Luther King Jr. The location of his funeral, as well as that of others like Rep. John Lewis. And now the church of a U.S.
Democrat Raphael Warnock, a Black Baptist pastor, won one of Georgia’s two Senate runoffs, becoming the first Black senator in his state’s history and putting the Senate majority within the party’s reach.
For decades, the red-bricked Gothic Revival church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached has been a monument to the history of Black Americans’ fight for civil rights and the legacy of an activist icon. Today, Ebenezer Baptist Church is at the center of
Warnock’s identity as a Black preacher has become central to his bid to reach the higher ground of the U.S. Senate. Republicans, who tend to perceive less conflict in the relationship between God and country, have cast him as a dangerous departure from the norm. Read
Religious, pro-abortion-rights voices were not always so rare. Read full piece
There's a little-known pastor who inspired Rev. Raphael Warnock, the Democratic nominee for Georgia's upcoming Senate runoff election. This man was Warnock's father, the late Rev. Jonathan Warnock. Read full piece
Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, has blasted Raphael Warnock’s rhetoric and proposals as “radical,” socialist, and out of step with Georgia residents. But for the Black Baptist preacher, he is continuing the tradition of his church.
Warnock may be the candidate to beat in Georgia, but his past sermons admonishing inequality have provided a tool for Loeffler and conservative groups to stoke fears. Read full piece
As the Georgia Senate runoff race intensifies, extremists have threatened Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King preached. Commentator Ken Makin explores the history of this church. Read full piece
As Rev. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, campaigns for the U.S. Senate, it raises questions about religion in politics. Why do so few clergy serve in Congress? And what kind of effect might this have on the priorities and policies