The churches that the Rev. Perry Ginn pastored were welcoming with a capital W. That was an essential element of his being. He made no exceptions — because he believed God didn’t, either.
Ginn developed that conviction reading the Bible, and he was recognized as an Old Testament scholar of the first rank, with an expertise in Hebrew and Greek.
From his first pastorate in the 1950s in Kentucky, where he urged acceptance of the Supreme Court’s order to end school segregation, to the several churches he led in metro Atlanta over the past quarter century, his was a voice of inclusion and compassion.
David Perry Ginn Sr., 84, of Decatur died Friday at Hospice Atlanta of complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A memorial service will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Peachtree Baptist Church, 2108 Briarcliff Road N.E., Atlanta. His body was donated to the Emory University School of Medicine. A.S. Turner & Sons is in charge of arrangements.
A longtime friend, the Rev. Jack Harwell of Stone Mountain, said Ginn was a courageous and consistent advocate for civil rights and often was at odds with fundamentalists who took over the Southern Baptist national leadership during the 1970s and ’80s.
For example, responding to resolutions criticizing ecumenism and urging conversion of Jews to Christianity passed at a 1996 gathering of Southern Baptists in New Orleans, Ginn wrote a letter to the editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
“As a Southern Baptist, I was quite discouraged … by the thoughtlessness and intolerant nature of [these] resolutions,” he wrote.
“When fundamentalists are in charge, legalism tends to predominate over the loving spirit of Jesus Christ. I am happy the church that I pastor [Peachtree Baptist] adjoins a large Orthodox Jewish community and that we mutually respect each other and seek to be good neighbors.
“I take comfort that a resolution adopted by a convention is simply the expression of those present and has no authority over a local Baptist church.”
A graduate of the University of Georgia, Ginn received a doctorate in theology at the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Ky., where he earned some of the highest grades in Old Testament scholarship ever recorded there.
His daughter, Kathy Colbenson of Atlanta, recalls him saying, “The problem with my fundamentalist brethren is that they don’t take the Bible literally enough.” She explained that he thought Holy Scripture ought to be interpreted from precise translations from Greek and Hebrew and in the context of the overarching message of God’s love.
Among the churches Ginn led locally were First Baptist of Gainesville, Peachtree Baptist, Valley Brook Baptist in Decatur and North Clarendon Baptist in Avondale Estates.
Pat Griffin, who was children’s education leader at Peachtree Baptist and Valley Brook Baptist, praised Ginn for his progressive beliefs, creativity and visionary leadership.
“Perry was firm in his conviction that Christ’s Gospel of love applied to all people, regardless of individual differences,” she said. “He also was a brilliant speaker, able to take complex themes from Scripture and made them understandable.
“We arranged to bring children to church from housing projects and tough neighborhoods for Sunday school lessons and food — we always had food for them,” Griffin said. “He was more than a spiritual adviser to them; he was involved in their lives and offered guidance.”
Survivors include another daughter, Christine Barker of Dawsonville; a son, David P. Ginn Jr. of Clarkesville; a sister, Joyce Denman of Morrow; and two granddaughters.
About the Author
