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For the Southern Baptist clergyman from Tyler, Texas, see ''David O. Dykes''. David Leroy Dykes, Jr., known as D. L. Dykes (November 27, 1917 – February 21, 1997), was the senior pastor from 1955 to 1984 of the large First United Methodist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. He is remembered for his early television ministry, his appeal to racial moderation during the tense years of the civil rights movement, and his liberal theological views. Dykes was born in Pleasant Hill in Sabine Parish in northwestern Louisiana to David L. Dykes, Sr. (1883–1964) and the former Ruby Perley (1896–1944).〔David L. and Ruby Dykes, Pleasant Hill Cemetery tombstone〕 He graduated from Pleasant Hill High School in 1934 and Centenary College, the Methodist-affiliated undergraduate school in Shreveport, in 1938. His first religious position was as a Young Men's Christian Association secretary in Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended the graduate school of Emory University, having received his Bachelor of Divinity degree there in 1942. He served as the pastor of churches in Zwolle in Sabine Parish and Fayetteville, Arkansas, before he returned to Shreveport to accept the pastorate at First Methodist. Centenary awarded him a Doctor of Divinity in 1952.〔"Chamber of Commerce Banquet Set Tonight: Shreveport Pastor Principal Speaker for the Occasion", ''Minden Herald'', Minden, Louisiana, April 26, 1956, p. 1〕 ==Racial harmony== Shreveport businessman George Nelson told the reporter David Westerfield of ''The Shreveport Times'' that his lifelong friend was "a pioneer () influenced the lives of a lot of people." Dykes preached a message of God's love as well as responsible actions in daily living. He titled his only book ''The Power of Love''. Dykes faced death threats and a cross burning at his home because he defended the rights of African Americans. Nelson recalled that Dykes was "at the forefront of trying to calm racial friction. He was meeting with minority leaders () a cross () burned in his yard. . . . One night a fellow went to the church and said he was going to kill him, and D.L. talked him out of the gun. He was fearless." Longtime associate David Stone, the youth director at First Methodist when Dykes was pastor, told Westerfield how Dykes lived his sermon of human rights. There was a black teenaged girl who had been attending the youth group and desired to join the church. Stone learned that the church was collecting $25,000 a year from a segregationist donor with the condition that no blacks join. Stone apprised Dykes of the situation. Dykes determined that the girl could join and that other funds could be tapped elsewhere. "He lived what he preached. He had courage, and he stood up for this community," Stone said. Nelson added that not everyone agreed with Dykes but still "loved him because they respected his integrity. The greatest talent he had was in his communication skills. He could make anybody feel like he was interested most in them." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「D. L. Dykes, Jr.」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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