D.L. Dykes, Jr., . . . a liberating voice in a dogmatic time
David Leroy "D.L." Dykes, Jr. (November 27, 1917 - February 21, 1997), was the senior pastor from 1955-1984 of the large First United Methodist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. He is remembered for his early television ministry, his appeal to racial moderation during the tense years of the civil rights movement, and his liberal theological views. D. L. Dykes, Jr. was a person of great moral and spiritual force. He was a visionary and a pioneer, an innovative teacher and an inspiring preacher.
During the three decades between 1955 and 1985 while D. L. Dykes was pastor of First United Methodist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, he evolved a unique understanding of the Christian tradition that inspired at least two generations of church members to challenge what can be called orthodox Christianity. At the same time, Dykes was doing pioneering work in the use of television to expand the reach of First United Methodist Church and its message of theological hope and social consciousness across the South. He invited his congregation to study the Bible first hand and see for themselves how literal understandings distort the biblical sources of faith; he urged them to think critically about what they claimed to believe and encouraged them to test any belief by their own experiences and to enter into open conversation with each other about the meanings of faith and how faith calls for ethical response. In his teaching and preaching, D. L. Dykes, Jr. frequently returned to the theme, "Christianity is not a collection of right things to believe that is handed down to you when you join the church; its about a lifelong process of exploration and examination." He often paraphrased Socrates by saying, "The unexamined faith is not worth believing."
A proponent of racial harmony
Dykes' was a provocative voice in the pulpit and a "thought leader," in his community. His was characterized as, "a liberating voice in a dogmatic time." In the 60s, racial tensions ran high in Shreveport as they did in cities across the South. Dr. Dykes spoke out courageously and boldly for equal rights for all people, especially for the African-American people whose history of slavery and "separate but equal" he publicly denounced as "immoral" and "shameful." He was a member of the Bi-racial committee in Shreveport, composed of civic and religious leaders whose pioneering work laid the ground work for a voluntary de-segregation of schools throughout the city and surrounding communities. He advocated non-violence and prominently renounced the U. S. involvement in Viet Nam and the bombing of Hanoi.
Theologically, he was liberal and innovative. He stressed the humanity of Jesus as the example of the will of God for all people; yet, he embraced the efficacy and importance of all world religions. He was fiercely committed to the well-being of all peoples and preached the pragmatic values of enlightened self interest. He thought awareness of science to be as essential to Christian living as the Bible and religious tradition.
He said, "What we privately believe about God, the universe, each other and our world is crucial. It is crucial because every act we perform expresses that belief. And to the extent that this belief includes life-denying notions of any kind, our actions will manifest those notions in everything we do - sometimes only as a hint or the suggestion of a flavor; sometimes as outright three-dimensional act. What we believe about God shapes how we live on the planet."
Dykes’ was an innovative communicator
D. L. Dykes, Jr. was among the earliest to recognize the potential power of television for public education. And he readily understood the potential proliferation of fundamentalist religion and politics that would easily get a foothold in the burgeoning days of early television. Determined to utilize television for positive, rationale religious ideas and values, First Methodist Church, Shreveport began broadcasting Sunday morning worship services over the newly licensed CBS affiliate KSLA in Shreveport in September 1955. By 1970, Dykes had led First Methodist Church in building it’s own television production studio that originated programming in Bible studies, church history, systematic theology and ethics for use in Adult Sunday School classes. These productions featured leading scholars at first from major Methodist colleges, universities and seminaries. Over time, the scope of programming material expanded to include "Life Issue" programming for children, youth and adults.
During his years at First United Methodist, Dr. Dykes formed an intimate relationship with R. Z. Biedenharn, a businessman and philanthropist, in which they vigorously pursued the examination of faith, its theological expression and its spiritual dimensions. Out of this friendship they formed a visionary plan to provide television resources for national distribution that would encourage people and inspire them to conduct their own life-long faith exploration.
By the early 1980s, under the leadership of D. L. Dykes, Jr. and R. Z. Biedenharn, First United Methodist Church began constructing a state of the art television studio facility that could uplink programming via satellite across the nation. The purpose of the new facility was to provide programming that would be an alternative to the literalist, fundamentalist programming that was dominating satellite and cable television. By 1986, the new television enterprise was called "Alternate View Network," in order to convey a scope beyond the local church parish. In 1986, Dr. Dykes retired as Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church and became the President of Alternate View Network.
In that same year, R. Z. Biedenharn established The D. L. Dykes, Jr. Foundation for the purpose of continuing the work and vision of D. L. Dykes, Jr. Mr. Biedenharn believed that the foundation would provided an independent way to ensure that his friend's work would continue to have influence.
Before his death in 1997, Dr. Dykes was able to see the first pilot programs of the new FAITHANDREASON studio series. The title, "FAITH AND REASON," became the brand name for all television, video and web site production for the Dykes Foundation.