4/21/2017
The Life and Work of
Clarence Jordan
B. 7/29/1912 D. 10/29/69
Our Sessions
•Session One: The Life and Thought of Clarence Jordan
•Session Two: The Koinonia Farm Community
•Session Three: The Cotton Patch Versions of the N.T. and
Jordan as Bible Interpreter
•Session Four: The Cotton Patch Musical (Sunday, May 21,
6 p.m., fellowship hall)
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Some Basic Resources on his
Theology and Work
•James Wm. McClendon, Biography as Theology. (N.Y.,
Abingdon, 1974), pp. 112-139.
•Dallas Lee, The Cotton Patch Evidence (Koinonia Partners,
1971).
•Ann Louise Coble, Cotton Patch for the Kingdom (Herald
Press, 2002).
Other Resources
•Ann M. Trousdale, Cotton Patch Rebel (Wipf & Stock, 2015).
•Clarence Jordan, Essential Writings (Orbis Books, 2003)
•Cotton Patch Versions of various books of the New
Testament
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The Flavor of the Man
1. Founded Koinonia Farm in rural Georgia, 1942
2. The encounter with his brother, Robert (recounted in
Biography as Theology, James Wm. McClendon, p. 127128)
Early Life
1. Two primary characteristics of the South:
a. Farming
b. Segregation
2. His family:
a. Seventh of ten children
b. Well off: father owned bank and a general store
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Early Life
3. Religious life:
a. Dedicated self to Christ at a revival meeting at ten years
old.
b. Devout Christian family
4. A skilled debater (“grump”)
Early Life
5. Wrestled with the problem of segregation early on in
life— “Jesus Loves the Little Children” (p. Coble, p. 29)
6. Two childhood events made him seriously think about
segregation:
a. An argument with his father at ten years old
b. His association with the local jail (Coble, pp. 30-31)
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Early Life
7. His encounter with segregation shaped his vocational
thinking in two ways:
a. Lawyer?
b. Agricultural engineer?
College
8. Studied agricultural science
9. His study of The Sermon on the Mount while in College
resulted in two critical decisions about his life:
a. Resignation from ROTC (Coble, pp. 34-35)
b. He would become a preacher: he would work against
segregation and change it by non-violent means.
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Seminary Years
10.His rationale for getting a Ph.D. in N.T. Greek (Coble, pp.
39-40)
11.Honed his preaching skills by regularly preaching in area
churches.
12.He worked on race issues through working in inner-city
ministries.
Seminary Years
13.His rationale for Koinonia (the name of his interracial
farming community):
a. Model after the N.T. church.
b. Koinonia: “radical sharing of goods, worship, and
witness”
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The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5-7
5:1-12 God’s blessings rests on certain kinds
of people.
13-16 Light and Salt for the world
17-20 Jesus asks for a “greater righteousness.”
The Sermon on the Mount
Nine examples of what this alternative
community looks like (5:21-48):
21-26 Concerning anger
27-30 Concerning adultery
31-32 Concerning divorce
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Sermon on the Mount
33-37 Concerning oath
38-42 Concerning retaliation
43-48 Concerning love for enemies
Sermon on the Mount
6:1-4
Almsgiving
5-15 Prayer
16-18 Fasting
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Sermon on the Mount
6:19-7:1-12 Just economic and social practices
7:13-28 The life in this new community will not be easy:
“The gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads
to life.”
One must be not just a hearer but a doer of these
words.
Jordan’s model for Community:
The Sermon on the Mount
1. The church was meant to be a movement (“God
Movement”) and not a club.
2. God wants disciples (people obedient to Jesus), not
admirers.
3. Church was meant to be a model of community for the
world.
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Jordan’s Model
4. Koinonia was meant to be a “demonstration plot” for the
world, and it would change the world by:
a. Total commitment to Christ: surrender of self,
possessions, everything.
b. All goods and incomes would be distributed according
to needs.
Jordan’s model
c. There would be no favorites in God’s family.
d. The community was to reflect the nature of God the
Father: the goal was service to others, it would not
defend itself through violence.
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Jordan’s model
5. The good news of the kingdom is not that we shall die
and go home to be with Jesus.
The good news is that Jesus is risen and comes home to
us with all his hungry, naked, thirsty, sick, prisoner
brothers and sisters with him.
Jordan’s model
6. Jordan’s definition of faith:
a. “Conviction translated into deeds”
b. “Life in scorn of the consequences” (Hebrews 11:1)
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Interpretations of the
Sermon on the Mount
1. Absolutist: It means exactly what it says. We are to strive
to live by it whatever the cost.
2. Double Standard: The hardest parts were meant only for
the full-time religious.
Interpretations of the
Sermon on the Mount
3. Two realms: It applies to the life of the church (spiritual
realm). It does not apply to the world (operates on
principles of law and justice).
4. Eschatological: The teachings of the Sermon on the
Mount are impossible in this present age. They are
describing life in the kingdom of God.
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Discussion Questions
1. What impresses you most about Clarence Jordan?
2. Is Jordan’s distinction between the church as an
institution (club) or a movement a useful one? Would it
be helpful to us as a church if we pushed harder on this
distinction?
Discussion Questions
3. Jordan says we are called to be disciples rather than
admirers of Jesus. In what ways do we issue that
challenge to our church? How could we do more?
4. In what ways are we a ‘demonstration plot” for the
world? Do we as a church need to lift up this image or
something similar more often?
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Discussion Questions
5. Do we as a church convey the idea that the church is simply a
gathering place for those who want to go home and be with Jesus
when they die? In what ways do we demonstrate that the risen
Jesus is with us now and our life is about reaching out to him as
he comes to us through those in need?
6. In what ways do we demonstrate as a church that we are a
fellowship that transcends racial lines, promotes non-violence,
and love of enemies?
Discussion Questions
7. What do you think of Jordan’s definition of faith
(Hebrews 11:1):
“conviction translated into deeds” and as
“life lived in scorn of the consequences.”
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