Container
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Title
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Mss 1027
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Part 1 (Mss 1027): Original Collection, 1944-19794.0 cubic feet (4 record center cartons) The materials in this collection date roughly from 1944 to 1979, with the bulk of the papers dating between 1961 and 1971, a period of radical change in race relations in the South. The collection is divided into three series: GENERAL SUBJECT FILES, BOB ZELLNER FILES, and WRITINGS. The major subject documented in the collection is James Zellner's role in the civil rights struggle, both as a liberal, white Southern minister and as the father of a prominent civil rights activist. Although Zellner was involved with various liberal religious efforts beginning in the 1940s, the documentation about this aspect of his career is spotty and incomplete. Through the writings and manuscripts in the papers, the collection offers some insights into the transformation of his religious and social beliefs. Unfortunately, because most of the writings are handwritten, fragmentary, and undated drafts rather than complete manuscripts, this evolution in his beliefs is difficult to trace. There is virtually no expression here of his early fundamentalist beliefs. There is also very little documentation concerning his career after the mid-1970s. The GENERAL SUBJECT FILES series provides documentation of Zellner's roles as minister, civil rights advocate, concerned patriot, smear campaign victim, and father. Numerous files pertain to the Methodist Church, particularly the Alabama-West Florida Conference and the Alabama Conference of the Methodist Federation for Social Action. Other documented religious organizations include the Methodist Rural Fellowship and the 1947 National Methodist Rural Life Conference. Information on the internal politics of the Methodist Church and its response to the civil rights movement is scattered throughout the series. There is correspondence with individual religious leaders such as Bishop Paul Hardin Jr., of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, Charles F. Golden, and Edgar A. Love and with fellow ministers such as Thomas L. Butts, C.C. Garner, and Andrew S. Turnipseed. Butts and Garner were among the members of the group referred to by Zellner as the “Briar Patch,” and several sermons written by Butts on race relations for an unpublished book are included. Among the other documented religious organizations is the Alabama Council of Churches. There are also files on several congregations that Zellner served, particularly the Valparaiso Community Church in Valparaiso, Florida, but none of these files contain substantial quantities of documentation. The Valparaiso folder and one on the Circuit Riders, a conservative Methodist organization, contain information about the smear attacks to which Zellner was subjected. As donated, the files on the Southern Conference Educational Fund (SCEF) comprised one of the largest portions of the collection. However, these files duplicated organizational records in the Anne and Carl Braden Papers also held by the Historical Society, and as the result, they have been extensively weeded. A slim folder of family correspondence contains letters exchanged with members of the family, primarily Bob and Bob's first wife, Dorothy (Dottie). The BOB ZELLNER series provides the most detailed and organized documentation in the collection. This series consists of correspondence, print materials, notes, and legal documents dating from 1961 to 1965, and it concerns the legal issues that arose from Bob's participation in several demonstrations and Reverend Zellner's involvement in Bob's situation. The elder Zellner is documented by extensive correspondence with officials at Huntingdon College, James Forman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, the attorneys who represented Bob, and Bob himself. Of special note are the letters to Bob and from Dottie while Bob was in jail. The collection includes a large body of Reverend Zellner's WRITINGS. Unfortunately, as previously noted, this material is difficult to interpret. Very few manuscripts are dated, titled, or complete, with the majority consisting only of handwritten drafts and fragments. In many cases it is difficult to determine if a piece was intended as a sermon or as secular writing. This is true even for the sometimes satiric letters addressed to God, the Devil, the Apostle Paul, other Biblical figures, and to the space alien Zobeneau. Some pieces in this section of the collection were probably not meant as writings of any kind, but rather as personal reminders or as a way of getting ideas on paper for later use. Further complicating interpretation of the writings is the fact that Zellner repeated many themes and topics. There are, for example, numerous draft fragments of the beginning of a proposed book tentatively entitled My Story, which concerned his personal religious study and reflections. To the extent that was possible, the writings have been sorted by subject, genre, or final product. The major work filed here is a copy of Making Methodism Methodist, written by Zellner and five of his liberal colleagues and “Briar Patch” associates.
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Series: General Subject Files
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Biographical information
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Alabama Council of Churches, 1961-1962
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Alabama Council on Human Relations, 1959-1962
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Alabama-West Florida Conference
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Baldwin County Inter-racial Committee, 1950
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Box
1
Folder
6
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Birmingham Southern College, 1963
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Box
1
Folder
7
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“Briar Patch,” 1959-1966
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Butts, T.L.
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Box
1
Folder
9
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Calendar, 1964
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Box
1
Folder
10
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Church appointments, 1960-1966
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Box
1
Folder
11
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Circuit Riders, 1956-1958
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Box
1
Folder
12
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Commission on Public Relations and Methodist Information
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Box
1
Folder
13
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Communist materials, 1960-1962
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Box
1
Folder
14
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Crab Apple Ridge Hunting Club, 1972-1976
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Box
1
Folder
15
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Daphne Methodist Church, 1950-1951
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Box
1
Folder
16
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Dissident pronouncements on the part of churches, 1963-1964
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Box
1
Folder
17
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Garner, C.C., 1946-1947, 1963
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Box
1
Folder
18
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General, 1962-1976
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Box
1
Folder
19
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Golden, Bishop Charles, 1963-1964
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Box
1
Folder
20
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Government officials correspondence, 1961-1963
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Box
1
Folder
21
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Government Street Methodist Church, Mobile, History by A.S. Turnipseed, 1976
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Box
1
Folder
22
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Hardin, Bishop Paul, 1962-1964
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Box
1
Folder
23
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Harrell, Bishop Costen J. (regarding Turnipseed appointment), 1945
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Box
1
Folder
24
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Highlander Center, 1957-1963
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Box
1
Folder
25
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Ledger, Reference and church notes
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Box
1
Folder
26
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Methodist Church, Miscellaneous materials
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Box
1
Folder
27
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Methodist Federation for Social Action, Alabama Conference, 1946-1947
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Box
1
Folder
28
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Methodist Layman's Union, 1954-1961
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Box
1
Folder
29
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Methodist Rural Life Fellowship, 1944-1949
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Box
1
Folder
30
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Miscellaneous correspondence
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Box
1
Folder
31
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National Methodist Rural Life Conference, 1947
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Box
1
Folder
32
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Operation Support, 1963
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Box
1
Folder
33
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Pastor article response, 1947
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Box
1
Folder
34
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Proof of patriotic loyalty, 1961-1967
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Box
1
Folder
35
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Race relations sermons by others, 1963
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Box
1
Folder
36
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Religious materials, 1950-1979
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Box
1
Folder
37
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Right wing research
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Box
1
Folder
38
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Smear campaign, 1963-1965
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Southern Conference Educational Fund (SCEF)
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Box
1
Folder
39
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Board materials, 1963-1966
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Box
1
Folder
40-41
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Correspondence, 1961-1970
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Box
1
Folder
42
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General materials, 1962-1965
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Box
1
Folder
43
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[Folder # not used]
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Box
1
Folder
44
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Valparaiso Community Church, 1960-1966
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Box
1
Folder
45
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Whitsett, Daniel C.
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Box
1
Folder
46
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Zellner article correspondence, 1962
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Box
1
Folder
47
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Zellner family correspondence
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Box
1
Folder
48
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Zellner, Richard, paper
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Box
1
Folder
49
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Zellner, Ruby
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Series: Bob Zellner Files
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Appeal materials, 1960-1961
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Baton Rouge notes
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Box
2
Folder
3
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Character witness correspondence and materials, 1963
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Commission on Higher Education correspondence, 1961
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Huntingdon College
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Box
2
Folder
5
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General, 1960-1961
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Box
2
Folder
6
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Correspondence, 1960-1963
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Box
2
Folder
7
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Notes, 1961-1963
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Box
2
Folder
8
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Jail correspondence, 1961-1963
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Box
2
Folder
9
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Lake Junaluska project, 1962
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Box
2
Folder
10
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Correspondence with lawyers, 1961-1962
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McComb, Mississippi
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Box
2
Folder
11
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Clippings, 1961
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Box
2
Folder
12
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Confidential memos, 1961
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Box
2
Folder
13
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Correspondence
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Box
2
Folder
14-15
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Notes, 1961
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Box
2
Folder
16
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Mobile hearing notes, 1960-1961
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Series: Writings
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Box
2
Folder
17
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General writing plans, philosophy
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Box
2
Folder
18
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Aesop
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Box
2
Folder
19
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Agitators
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Box
2
Folder
20
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Biblical passages on segregation notebook
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Box
2
Folder
21
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Bigotry
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Box
2
Folder
22
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Book notes, 1966
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Box
2
Folder
23
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Brimstone Curtain
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Box
2
Folder
24
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“Christianity and the Crisis of World Revolution”
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Box
2
Folder
25
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Civil rights drafts
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Box
2
Folder
26
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“Civil Rights are Moral Rights”
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Box
2
Folder
27
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Communism, Drafts regarding
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Box
2
Folder
28
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“Cosmic Humanism”
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Box
2
Folder
29
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Digest Bible
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Box
2
Folder
30
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“Fleeing from Lions” sermon
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Box
2
Folder
31
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Gadfly piece
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Box
2
Folder
32
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“Gadfly Pulpit”
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Box
3
Folder
1
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King, Martin Luther
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Box
3
Folder
2
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“Language of the People”
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Box
3
Folder
3
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Law and order
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Box
3
Folder
4
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“Letters from the Dead”
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Letters to “Dear Fellows”/individuals with Biblical names
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Letters to the Editor and editorials
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Box
3
Folder
7
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“Letters to God”
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Box
3
Folder
8
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“Letters from Hell”
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Letters to Lucifer
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Box
3
Folder
10
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Letters to Sam
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Box
3
Folder
11
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“Liberal Dilemma,” 1969
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Box
3
Folder
12
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Making Methodism Methodist, 1947
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Box
3
Folder
13
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“Methodist Minister & his Relationships”
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Box
3
Folder
14
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Moderates
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Box
3
Folder
15
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“My Story,” proposed book
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Box
3
Folder
16
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New Testament scriptures regarding segregation
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Box
3
Folder
17
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Notebook
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Box
3
Folder
18
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Operation Sermon
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Box
3
Folder
19
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Paul
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Box
3
Folder
20
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“Pen Point Papers”
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Box
3
Folder
21
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Personal statements, 1965, undated
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Box
3
Folder
22
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Pulpit book
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Box
3
Folder
23
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“Reaction to Reform”
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Box
3
Folder
24
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“Recreation for Rural Church”
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Box
3
Folder
25
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Releases
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Box
3
Folder
26-27
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“Satan and God's Meetings,” Proposed book, 1977-1978
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Box
3
Folder
28
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Scriptural questions
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Box
3
Folder
29
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Segregation
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Box
3
Folder
30
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Sermon notes
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Box
3
Folder
31
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Sermon on the Mount
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Box
3
Folder
32
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“Six Basic Propositions”
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Box
3
Folder
33
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“Southern Churchman and his Box”
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Box
3
Folder
34
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“ A Southerner Lays Out Some Guidelines for Those Who Wish to Think for Themselves on the Race Issue,” undated
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Box
3
Folder
35
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Study of the Pattern (Jesus notebook)
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Box
3
Folder
36
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Training proposal
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Box
3
Folder
37
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Vietnam drafts
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Box
3
Folder
38
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“Wind and Whirlwind”
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Box
3
Folder
39
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Young people
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Box
4
Folder
1-2
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Zeelzebub
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Box
4
Folder
3
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Zellner, Bob
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Box
4
Folder
4-5
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Zobeneau
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Box
4
Folder
6-19
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Miscellaneous draft pages
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