the spiritual climate on campus
Remarkably, circulation soared by
more than 10-fold, according to news-
paper archives.
As importantly, the Andover
Theological Seminary grad practiced
what he preached. His vision of racial
justice reached far ahead of its time.
Simply put, Sheldon embraced a so-
cial gospel that encouraged fairness,
especially in issues involving educa-
tion, health, and labor.
During an economic depression
that hit Kansas, Sheldon even dis-
guised himself in shabby clothing to
gauge how town figures and onlook-
ers would treat a down-and-out in-
dividual. He also spent time with
railroad workers to learn more about
labor conditions.
Sheldon helped the African-Amer-
ican community of Tennessee Town
to establish its first kindergarten,
making it the first such program in
Kansas and probably in the American
West.
One of the most dramatic exam-
ples of Sheldon’s commitment to
community advocacy involved Elisha
Scott. As a boy in Tennessee Town,
Scott’s wit and ambition attracted
Sheldon’s attention and the minister
later supported Scott through legal
studies.
Scott’s second son, Charles Shel-
don Scott, was the attorney and
NAACP leader who filed the initial
lawsuit that led to the U.S. Supreme
Court’s Brown v. Board of Education
of Topeka ruling. In 1954, the high
court declared state laws establishing
segregated schools to be unconstitu-
tional.
As for Sheldon, the theologian and
gifted communicator remained an
activist throughout his fascinating life,
later even campaigning for temper-
ance and pacifism.
Altogether, Sheldon penned 50-
plus books and published hundreds
of articles, especially for Christian
Herald. His signature novel went on
to inspire 1964, 2010, and 2013 films.
Come late spring 2018, Shawnee
County hopes visitors to their newest
museum will learn about Sheldon’s
extraordinary life and take a revived
look at how they, too, can be agents
of social and moral action.
After all, Sheldon heartily pointed
his Kansas congregants and readers
to the powerful words of First Peter
2:21, which urges believers to put
their religion to practice in daily life:
“For to this you have been called,
because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example, so that you
might follow in His steps.” | cu
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b r o w n ne w s - in - b r ie f
Campus Radio Station
Sold to Christian
Broadcasters
36
In September, Educational
Media Foundation, a California
organization that airs Christian
contemporary music, took
over WBRU’s FM signal. The
foundation’s K-LOVE station
debuted on the 95.5 frequency
with Hillsong Worship’s What a
Beautiful Name.
In August, WBRU, the
independent radio station run
by Brown University students,
disclosed its agreement to sell its
signal to the Christian broadcaster
for $5.6 million, according to news
reports.
Brown Broadcasting Service
Inc. owns WBRU, which dates
back to 1936 and was best known
in recent years as a major player
in the alternative rock format.
WBRU is streaming its content at
wbru.com while studying options
to maintain its presence on New
England’s airwaves.
Rev. Boswell-Ford
Moves to MIT
In July, Rev. Kirstin Boswell-
Ford became chaplain to the
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology after five years
as associate chaplain for the
Protestant community at Brown
University.
Boswell-Ford replaced Robert
Randolph, a Yale University
alumnus who joined MIT in 1979
and became the first chaplain to
the Institute in 2007. Boswell-Ford
co-pastors Union Baptist Church
in Cambridge with her husband,
Rev. Paul Robeson Ford. She will
also serve as director of religious
life at MIT.
At Brown, Boswell-Ford
worked closely with groups within
the Protestant community and
interfaith organizations. Earlier,
she served with the University
of Chicago’s International
Association of Black Religions and
Spiritualities.