Bishop Mack Stokes, Associate Dean of Candler School of Theology and
Professor of Systematic Theology, when I was a student there, has died
just short of his 101st birthday.
Upon his election to the Episcopacy, he was assigned to Mississippi. The strides he made there in support of integration, the merging of the white and black conferences of the church, the setting of a Christian example in the secular world, and demonstrating a Bishop can still be a pastor are legendary.
I remember the day when I challenged him in class by saying, "But Dr. Stokes, Dr. Mallard said ...." He replied, "Dr. Mallard; I presume you mean Bill Mallard. That man is marvelous. He possesses an exceptional brain. Wonderful man. We are fortunate to have him on our faculty. He has some tremendous theories. Unfortunately, some of those theories lack the perfection of being true."
We became a better church because of his leadership.
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