Rev. Tom Jimison "Fired" Himself

North Carolina, 1924
Lumberton Robesonian

Rev. Tom Jimison, who is better known as an agitator and politician than as a divider of The Word, was told by Bishop Denny at the Western North Carolina Methodist Conference at Greensboro last week that his political activities made him unacceptable as a pastor; that he could not send him anywhere where he would be acceptable, so the Rev. Tom asked to be located, which means that he was not given an appointment.

Jimison issued a statement in which he said that "if religion is to be unrelated to the great questions which are agitating the world today, then I do not care to be a minister of religion. If I must sacrifice my liberties as a citizen in order to be a Methodist preacher, then I do not care to be a Methodist preacher."

Things seem to be sadly jumbled in Rev. Tom's head. He is a preacher who seems to think that the salvation of the world lies in politics rather than in religion, while politicians who have attained the heights of statesmanship concede that the salvation of the world depends upon religion rather than politics. There are hundreds of preachers in every denomination who "relate" religion to the great questions agitating the world today, but who make preaching the gospel their chief concern and who never dream that they are sacrificing their "liberties as a citizen" in order to be a preacher.

The Rev. Tom is candidate for the Senate on the LaFollette-Wheeler ticket and advised third party headquarters after his connection with the conference as an active pastor was severed that he was "free as a bird" and said he could now devote his time to canvassing the State. Wherefore it seems that he is and has been a stranger to the freedom that makes a man free indeed. He seems now to feel much like the school boy who rejoices that the hated restraints of school are ended.

Of course effort will be made to make it appear that Mr. Jimison is a victim of persecution because of his radical political views; which, of course, had nothing to do with it. No man has any business in the active pastorate who shows by his activities that he is more concerned about some other line of work than he is about the ministry.

The Rev. Jimison "fired" himself.

—The Landmark, Statesville, North Carolina, October 27, 1924, page 2.