There is justice in the world.

Just this week a celebration was held for the rebuilding project being done at St. John Baptist Church in Dixiana, and the head of the KKK is on trial for allegedly instigating the burning of black churches.

The irony is delicious.

Few outside the immediate communities even knew about the St. John church, or the Macedonia church before the burnings. But as it has turned out, the acts of a hate group bent on the destruction of a race of people, has brought these small obscure black churches into the national limelight.

Far from destroying these country churches, evil actions actually have helped bolster them in their communities and even to an extent on a national level.

This proves the scripture “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose,’’ (Romans 8:28).

The Macedonia church was rebuilt relatively soon after it was burned. It has been three years since the St. John church burned and people are working on the rebuilding project this week. In the meantime the people of Dixiana who attended the church are meeting in homes, though they do plan to hold a service at the construction sight Sunday.

The St. John church is one of the oldest “black” churches in the county, tracing its origin back to the early 1800s’. It is on a historic trail once traveled by Cherokee Indian traders going from Tennessee to the coast.

It was in churches such as these that the civil rights movement was born. It was through the courage of people like these congregations that the Klan was told it could no longer scare and harass the people.

In the early part of the century many black people had no voice in politics or in public affairs, and the church was the only place there was to come together.

Today perhaps there is more of a voice in our culture for African American citizens. The efforts of evil people like the Klan has only brought black people closer together, and has helped a lot of white people to better understand the situation of a people who were once enslaved.

But the church still holds a key role in the drive for freedom and civil rights for all people.

The black church continues in this effort, along with many other organizations.

Even so, I fear the “white” church has not pulled its weight in this area as well as it could have.

Sunday morning remains the most segregated time in our nation, but still some progress is being made.

There are plenty of black and white people working together in the heat every day to rebuild the St. John church. This is a good thing and will deepen understanding between people.

But the “white” church should do more.

It is very ironic that while the Baptists object to Disney movies that it feels are less than wholesome, there is no moral outrage being expressed about the klan.

Many pastors, who are leaders of their community, speak on the evils of public pornography and movies that are questionable. Yet we hear no indignation or moral outrage that a group of people who are filled with hate toward black people, and Jews too for that matter, has the name “Christian” in their name.

That the klan calls itself “Christian Knights” is a moral outrage, and is blasphemous. Certainly worse than a movie that has some bad language or a little too much skin. Yet I am not aware of a single pastor objecting to them using the name.

Perhaps in time this is happening. In the meantime, the reconstruction of the St. John church is a testimony to the courage of people of all races who understand that we were all created by the same God.

At least we have a piece of justice to celebrate today.

Hopefully soon more klansmen will be in jail while our black citizens worship God in freedom and truth.

Yes, there is justice and the smell is sweet.