Faith in Action

Proverbs 22:1 stresses the importance of having a “good name” - a name that when spoken connotes a sense of character, integrity, and honor.  I would submit that even before your reputation - your name precedes you.  That’s one reason why I’ve gone to such great lengths to protect my name.  With a name like Heber Brown, III there is no hiding.  While I know that I am the only “me” that God created; I would not be surprised if I am the only one on the planet named “Heber Brown, III”. 

Not only do I attempt to protect my name and make it mean something of value for my own sake; but also to guard its respectability for the sake of those whom I inherited the name from.

My father and grandfather before me are named Heber Brown.  That name has become synonymous with “pastor”, “ally”, “friend”, “Christian”, “Ambassador of Jesus Christ”, “Believer”, etc.  My grandfather (God bless his memory) loved God and served the people of God for more than 70 years as pastor and evangelist of Jesus Christ.  My father loves God and has served the people of God as pastor for 21 years.  Both of those “Heber’s” have lived lives that mean something to the broader community inside and outside of the church.  So as I grew to understand the worth of the name; I learned to protect it at all costs because the name is not mine alone. 

You can understand then my concern upon learning that my name is somehow being connected to a current controversy involving a pastor in Baltimore City.  Apparently there is an email circulating the web that has attached my name to this scandal.  I’ve received a number of calls and emails from those inquiring about my connection to this situation.  While I initially decided to give this inaccurate email time to blow over; I have reconsidered that decision because my name is not my own and as my Elders used to say, “at the end of the day, your name is all you have.”  So let me set the record straight.

1. I am not the originator of the vicious email circulating the web concerning allegations of sexual misconduct by a internationally recognized, Baltimore-based religious leader.  I am not engaged in the forwarding of this email to anyone whether it be to individuals, message boards, or mass list serves.
2. I am not a graduate  of Morehouse College nor am I the President of the Baltimore Chapter Morehouse Alumni Association.  I am a proud alumnus of Morgan State University in Baltimore and Virginia Union University in Richmond.
3. The person who I believe was behind sending this email across the country (and world) did attempt to post it to my blog approximately one month ago.  I refused to allow that information to be posted to my website.  I’ve spent thousands of hours and hundreds of dollars building a website that addresses the issues of religion, policy, and activism.  I refuse to compromise the integrity of this site by posting unsavory material that ultimately has no longstanding worth either to the kingdom of God or the advancement of African people.  Perhaps my refusal to comply with the sinister plot of the originator of the infamous email; offended him/her and thus my name was added in an attempt to sully my character.

I would encourage anyone to investigate what I devote my time to.  Examine what initiatives and efforts I support.  You’ll see very quickly that spreading or being involved with beauty salon chatter, grapevine gossip, or even the unfortunate situations of others is no where near anything related to my track record.

Now let’s see how far and fast TRUTH travels the internet.

With great humility I am,

 Reverend Heber M. Brown, III