经济学人327:开启黑人牧师时代

 　　WHEN Fred Luter, the pastor¹ of a large congregation in a flood-damaged section of New Orleans, assumes the presidency³ of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) at its annual meeting in June, it will not be the usual passing of the baton⁴ for America’s largest Protestant denomination⁵. Mr Luter, who is black, will become the standard-bearer of a group with a long history of racism⁶.

　　弗雷德.路特是新奥尔良一个遭受洪灾破坏街区的大会牧师，在美南浸信会六月年会上接任会长，这将是美国新教最大教派领袖一次不同寻常的交接，路特这个黑人将成为这个有着悠久种族歧视历史教会的旗手。

　　Prejudice coloured the SBC from its very founding in 1845, as a breakaway sect² from the anti-slavery Baptists of the north. (After the civil war, most black Baptists in the South split off from the SBC.) During the civil-rights struggle, although the convention’s leaders endorsed⁷ integration⁸, most Southern Baptist pastors⁹ and most of their flocks were reliable defenders¹⁰ of white supremacy¹¹.

　　作为抵制农奴制度美北浸信会的独立分支，美南浸信会(SBC)从1845年成立之初就披上了歧视的色彩。 内战过后，南方的浸信会黑人大部分都离开了美南浸信会(SBC)。 在民权斗争期间，尽管教会领导支持黑人加入，但南方的很多浸信会牧师和教会组织都坚持维护白人的优势地位。

　　In 1995 the convention formally apologised and promised to make amends¹². In recent years it has passed a series of resolutions requiring its churches to include more black members and to appoint black leaders. (It has also considered breaking with its past by dropping the “Southern”, becoming instead the awkward “Great Commission Baptists”.)

　　1995年，该教会做出正式道歉并承诺做出改善。 近年来，教会已经通过了一系列要求教会招募更多黑人会员以及任命黑人领导的决议。 （它还考虑过和过去划清界线，把名字中的“南部”一词去掉，改名为不太顺口的“浸信会大委员会”）

　　Mr Luter’s accession will be the most visible sign yet that Southern Baptists are making progress on this front. And progress is necessary. They may be America’s second-largest group of Christians¹⁴ after Catholics—16m strong—but their numbers have levelled off, and have probably even waned¹⁵ a bit. If the denomination wants to flourish, it will have to find new members among minorities. It is slowly doing so: whereas in 1990 95% of Southern Baptist congregations were white, only 80% are nowadays.

　　然而路特的当选显然说明南方浸信会已经在这方面取得进步。 进步也是必不可少的。 该教会有望成为美国仅次于天主教（一千六百万教友）的第二大基督教会，但是他们（美南浸信会）的教友数目最近有持平的趋势，甚至可能有所下降。 美南浸信会要想发展壮大，必须在少数人群中寻找新会员， 这种行动已经缓步开展： 1990年时南方浸信会成员白人占95%，而今的白人只占80%。

　　Their next leader is a living embodiment of that shift. Mr Luter took over Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in 1986, when the congregation had dwindled¹⁶ to a few dozen because its mostly white membership had fled to the suburbs. Mr Luter built it into a mostly black gathering¹⁷ that had 7,000 members when Hurricane Katrina struck, in 2005. The church, which stood in nine feet (three metres) of water after the storm, has been rebuilt; its flock now numbers about 5,000.

　　教会的下任会长就是这一转变生生的体现。 路特于1986年接管富兰克林街道浸信会教堂，当时该教区信徒数目已缩小到了几十人，因为很多白人会员已经逃往郊区。路特一手把该教区发展光大，到2005年“卡特里娜”飓风来袭时，该教区已经有7千名信徒了，大多是黑人。教堂因飓风进水达3米，已经重建。现在的会员已接近5000人。

　　Yet Mr Luter’s rise to the presidency of the organisation¹⁸ is more than a matter of symbolism. He is a true-blue Southern Baptist who inveighs¹⁹ against gay marriage and abortion²⁰ from the pulpit, but also displays a gift for passionate²¹, humorous preaching that has its roots in his past as a street minister. This has made him an inspiring speaker at previous SBC conventions. The man who first suggested his candidacy, Danny Akin¹³, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, told a reporter then that he believed Mr Luter would be elected “on merit, regardless of race or colour”. But, he added, “he gives us an opportunity…to say something about who we want to be.”

　　然而路特升职为会长不单是形式上的象征。 他是一位坚定的南方浸信会信徒，在讲坛上常常怒斥同性婚姻和堕胎；他还展现了幽默热情的布道天赋，作为街道牧师他的天赋展露无遗。 这也让他成为以往美南浸信会(SBC)集会上振奋人心的演说家。 首位推举他为候选人的是Danny Akin，北卡罗拉威客森林()南方浸信会神学院的院长，他告诉记者:路特的当选是因为德才,与种族肤色无关。 但他补充道，“他给我们一个机会...告诉世人我们究竟想成为什么样的人。”

1 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

2 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

3 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

4 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。

5 denomination   

n.命名，取名，(度量衡、货币等的)单位

参考例句：

• The firm is still operating under another denomination.这家公司改用了名称仍在继续营业。
• Litre is a metric denomination.升是公制单位。

6 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

7 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

9 pastors   

n.（基督教的）牧师( pastor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do we show respect to our pastors, missionaries, Sunday school teachers? 我们有没有尊敬牧师、宣教士，以及主日学的老师？ 来自互联网
• Should pastors or elders be paid, or serve as a volunteer? 牧师或长老需要付给酬劳，还是志愿的事奉呢？ 来自互联网

10 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

12 amends   

n. 赔偿

参考例句：

• He made amends for his rudeness by giving her some flowers. 他送给她一些花，为他自己的鲁莽赔罪。
• This country refuses stubbornly to make amends for its past war crimes. 该国顽固地拒绝为其过去的战争罪行赔罪。

13 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

14 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

15 waned   

v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• However,my enthusiasm waned.The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. 然而，我的热情减退了。我在做操上花的时间逐渐减少了。 来自《用法词典》
• The bicycle craze has waned. 自行车热已冷下去了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 dwindled   

v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Support for the party has dwindled away to nothing. 支持这个党派的人渐渐化为乌有。
• His wealth dwindled to nothingness. 他的钱财化为乌有。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

18 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

19 inveighs   

v.猛烈抨击，痛骂，谩骂( inveigh的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

20 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

21 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。