To single him out as simply a pastor would be wrong. He is involved across racial and ethnic lines in making for a better Nashville. He also was one of the leaders behind bringing the Rev. Billy Graham to Nashville for one of his last revivals. Fuzz took some criticism for that, considering Graham's less vocal stance during the Civil Rights movement. In turn, he has confronted the state Legislative Black Caucus for its failure to lead in fighting Gov. Phil Bredesen's TennCare cuts.
I received the following e-mail earlier this month from Rev. Fuzz, asking him to recap his sermon to a revival sponsored by eight Nashville churches early last month. He invited me to the event, but it feel on my heavy chemo day, which wipes me out for 12-16 hours. Then the death of my marvlous mother interrupted by publication of his message on my website.
So here is Fuzz's synopsis for me, as he speaks to the congregations and places of worship that are part of the Vatican of the South, Nashville:
"I always have felt curious that Tim Chavez understood Enoch Fuzz for doing service to people and supporting efforts that promote societal peace and prosperity.
Psalms 122 prays for the City of God asks; "Peace within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces".
I love to apply that verse to Nashville as the city of God, nicknamed by some The Jerusalem of the Western Hemisphere and it's Religious Epic Center. As many as ten Christian demoninations have their National Headquarters here; National Baptist USA, inc; National Missionary Baptist Of America; Southern Baptist Convention; United Methodist Church, African Methodist; Original Church of God, intl'; The House of God Worldwide; and The Church of God Santified from the top of my head. Then there are; Seven Day Adventists, Nazarenes, Primitive/Freewill Baptist, the Churches of Christ, and no doubt others; who have significant corporate and academic operations in Nashville.
More than a few times I've imagined that my clergy peers were modern day Pharisees and Sadducees because of their failure to call for social justice and to more fervently advocate for all the people in the city. I see no better explanation for the religious leaders lack of outrage over the way the people we love; and the sheep we are charged to cautiously guard; are ravaged and razed by addictive greed and materialism; the financial moneychangers ungodly high interest rate credit products like credit, debit, and Golden, VIP, or Special Priviledges, Membership Cards, and the financial industry marketing of predatory loan instructments and it's arrogance to rewrite the National Bankrupcty Laws to assist their unholy plot.
Our leaders will hold strategy sessions with church ministry leaders about the high cost of Oil and Gas. Never will they notice that gas over past 35 years has lagged enormously behind the rates of the inflation in other products including, housing, automobiles, travel, sporting events, cable TV, and eating out have all shown 3 to 5 fold increases.
Health care though many times more advanced, is a thousand times more unaffordable than it was in the 1970s. But if the religious leaders cannot see with prophetic eyes that are inherently gifted towards societal discernment of Justice and Righteousness in humanity, or their heart's compassion extend not to all Peoples; how can we require a greed-driven, self-serving, and a brainwashed public, to do justice and love mercy, and to walk rightly with God?
The greatest precepts ever taught to me are: Love thy enemy and those who for no reason hate you" and "Do not return evil for evil, but overcome evil by doing good."
Well, Tim there is sooooo much EVIL to overcome. The listings in this letter above are enough tragedy to at least cause a Renting of the Prophet's clothes and the Priest to cry continually. But their coporate silence astonish natural elements of the wind, fire and the waters in the sky. Upon hearing the human ridiculous injustices and wreckless abandon of human worth, the sky shut off the rains to cause drought, wild fires unquenchable, and record numbers of the wind storms.
The most appalling American evil is the criminalization of the inner cities male youth and the creation of prisons-for-profit. Maybe you've seen the news about the accidental shooting of a 16-year-old female on Acklen Street two weeks ago(late May) by Anton Rucker. The shooting occurred after Rucker went to car supposedly driven by his wife Cassandra, got a gun out of that car and went on a violence rampage shooting into crowd of high school students celebrating the end of school.
He is in jail after being convinced to surrender a day after police arrested and charged his wife with the same crime as his, attempted criminal homicide.
Husband and wife, mom and dad in prison and no state agency has ever inquired as to the guardianship of their 3 children, ages 8, 5 and 1 years old. Ms. Rucker is a life-long Nashvillian, a home-owner, beautician, insurance clerk and taxpayer. Her bond is 150k.
Five weeks now her family and friends been trying to find ways to secure the 15K dollars required to secure this bond, or the have bond amount reduced to an amount affordable so she can get out of jail until her days in the courts. She is in no way a danger to the public and is not a flight risk. She had no idea of her wrongdoing until police informed her in a meeting she volunteered to attend that they had a warrant for her arrest and that she would have to go to with police for questioning.
She is not a criminal but a citizen of our community who deserves her day in court before being presecuted financially or prosecuted publicly. Her 150K bond and the court and D.A. refusal to consider reduction of it is a miscarriage of justice. Mary Winkler murdered his pastor husband with a shotgun while he slept; fled the state, but upon capture was out of jail on $75k bond to await trial.
Enough.
Do good; always.
You can hear Rev. Fuzz on his radio program 5 p.m. Sundays on WVOL-AM1470 or online http://www.wvol1470.com/
I especially invite the news media to listen in. I will be working with Rev. Fuzz to address the questions in Ms. Rucker's case, raise money for her bond and find her a good and hopefully pro bono attorney for this case.
I put a lot of stock in Rev. Fuzz's words because they have always been backed with action. My leukemia interrupted our relationship almost three years ago. But I am most grateful to be reunited with his fight. He is a mentor to me about what it means to be a believer and doer of social justice.
If it were not for Rev. Fuzz and his support of Sen. Obama, I would start giving up on the Democrat's campaign for president due to the flip-flop disappointments of the past two weeks on Iraq withdrawl and campaign finance reform.
So I remain tremendously influenced by Rev. Fuzz and several other leaders of faith in Nashville. Besides being with my wife and supporting Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Nashville, working with these faith leaders on their agendas is the greatest joy of my life.
Please listen to them.
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