Questions and Answers: The “J. Edgar Hoover: Statesmanship through Christian Virtues” stained glass window at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church
On September 29, 2024, Capitol Hill UMC will have A Service of Repentance and Repair to rededicate the floor-to-ceiling, stained-glass window in the church sanctuary. The window is currently dedicated to former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover by way of a 1966 plaque that refers to him as a model of Christian “statesmanship” and an exemplar of “Christian virtue.” Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the original window dedication and the upcoming rededication.
Question: Why did Capitol Hill UMC dedicate the largest stained-glass window in their sanctuary to “J. Edgar Hoover: Statesmanship through Christian Virtues”?
In 1961, when four Methodist churches in Washington D.C. merged to become Capitol Hill Methodist Church, plans were made to locate the new church building on land that included the home of J. Edgar Hoover, and to build a floor-to-ceiling, stained-glass window in the new church. The then-pastor of Capitol Hill UMC, Rev. Edward Lewis, wrote to J. Edgar Hoover, letting him know of the construction and stating that Capitol Hill Methodist Church would be dedicating the new stained-glass window as the “J. Edgar Hoover: Statesmanship through Christian Virtues” window.
Rev. Edward Lewis explained that he and Capitol Hill UMC wished to honor Director Hoover as a Christian Statesman who lived Christian virtues that would be symbolized in the window. Hoover responded that he was honored, and the window was dedicated on June 26, 1966, during the first worship service in the new Capitol Hill Methodist Church building. Hoover attended the dedication service along with several Methodist Bishops, the Chaplain of the Senate, and other clergy.
Question: Why has Capitol Hill United Methodist Church (CHUMC) decided to change the dedication of the “J. Edgar Hoover: Statesmanship through Christian Virtues” window?
In 2020, CHUMC was invited and encouraged by the larger United Methodist Church governing bodies to commit to an ongoing program of education and action to become an anti-racist church. The CHUMC Church Council prayerfully considered the invitation and unanimously agreed to become an anti-racist church. As part of the church’s ongoing anti-racist work, CHUMC, led by the Racial Justice Ministry Band (one of the church’s committees), began studying and discussing more deeply the history of the J. Edgar Hoover dedication, and the history of the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover’s leadership, which included actions designed to undermine the Civil Rights Movement and tacitly promote a form of White Chrisitan Nationalism.
Given the entirety of that history, CHUMC determined that the dedication to J. Edgar Hoover, and the plaque associated with that dedication, are not only obstacles to true and full Christian worship in our sacred space, but are also painful reminders of a shameful acceptance and perpetuation of racial subjugation and oppression. Therefore, CHUMC decided that the original window dedication should be changed by way of a rededication.
Question: How is rededicating a stained-glass window helping to stop or disrupt racism?
The work of creating a beloved, anti-racist community of Christians requires commitment to an honest examination of our past and present to discover the ways that racist narratives, that is, narratives that promote the supremacy of Whiteness, sneak in and lurk among our day-to-day activities.
Throughout our process of discernment about the window, we asked what narrative does the Hoover window dedication tell? We have discovered that it tells part of a larger story of a White backlash in the United States in response to the Civil Rights movement and other movements for racial equality and equity. (For a detailed history of this story, the Racial Justice Ministry Band recommends The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover: How the FBI Aided and Abetted the Rise of White Christian Nationalism, by Lerone A. Martin). The Hoover window dedication also tells part of the story of one man, who harbored and acted on beliefs that are antithetical to the welcoming community that CHUMC has become – a church community that works to resist injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. Given the narrative that the Hoover dedication tells, we asked whether Hoover’s name, and the plaque dedicated to him, should continue to hold a place of honor in the most sacred space in our church.
We believe that an honest examination of the painful legacy of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI under his leadership will help CHUMC forge a clearer understanding of our past. Having a clear understanding of our institutional past, CHUMC will repent and repair and work for a more Christian and more equitable future through the rededication Service on September 29th. We are planning this Service as followers of Jesus Christ, committed to being open to seeing ourselves as we really are, and as we really were, and publicly repenting when we realize that something we have done or something we are doing as an institution contributes to the suffering of our siblings. This entire process, and all of the ensuing actions that we will take in the future, are crucial steps in helping to stop racism.
Question: Will this rededication really make anything better?
We know that the scourge of White supremacy, anti-Semitism, and other forms of hate in our nation will not be solved by simply rededicating the J. Edgar Hoover window. But we believe that this process of repentance and repair will have a very important and significant outcome: it will make us better equipped to continue working for a better world, and will challenge us to commit ourselves to the harder task of working for racial justice, combating intolerance, and fostering reconciliation with renewed resolve and determination. In our view, that does indeed make things “better.”
Question: Does everyone at CHUMC think that the window should be rededicated?
No. We recognize that there are people who think that, if there are no disruptions to church activities, no physical or visible manifestations of harm to church attendees, then we should ignore the Hoover dedication and plaque, and leave things as they are. But through our outreach, discussions, and discernment, we know that the original dedication, and the plaque that resides in our church sanctuary, did and do cause profound harm. We want to bring light into the dark spaces that currently exist in our church. And we trust that what unites all of CHUMC in Christ is greater than any of our differences about a window rededication.
Question: What will happen to the current plaque?
The plaque will be removed at the Service of Repentance and Repair on Sunday September 29th, 2024, and put in the CHUMC archives. An educational display will be created about the Hoover plaque and information about why the plaque was removed and the window rededicated. This will be a teaching tool for our congregation and other people who enter our church building.
Question: Doesn’t removing the plaque and trying to remove history do more harm than good?
We are not attempting to remove history. Rather, we are rededicating a window in our sanctuary and removing the Hoover dedication plaque because it does not reflect our values as followers of Jesus. The entire story of the Hoover window and original plaque –and the rededication of the window and removal of that plaque – will be a part of CHUMC’s history and will serve as an effective teaching tool. And, as part of that teaching tool, the original dedication plaque will be part of a teaching display.
Question: Will the window be rededicated and how was the rededication language chosen?
Yes, the window will be rededicated. Also, a new plaque will be installed that reads:
For the people of Capitol Hill United Methodist Church, who continually lean on Jesus and strive to practice the Christian virtues symbolized in this Window: Faith, Love, Justice, Courage, Temperance, Hope, and Wisdom.
Rededicated on September 29th, 2024
This rededication language was presented to the CHUMC Church Council and approved. The language captures the commitment of the people of Capitol Hill United Methodist Church to practice the Christian virtues symbolically represented in the stained-glass window. The language also proclaims that we can only practice these virtues when we lean on Jesus who calls us to faithfully engage in ongoing repentance and repair. Rather than rededicating the window to another individual, this rededication is to the community of CHUMC and serves as a tangible witness to all who see the window and plaque that our church has made this ongoing commitment – a commitment that will serve both the individuals who come to our church, and the community beyond the walls of the church. We believe this rededication will continually call us to be a community of disciples of Jesus who stay rooted in the practice of the Christian virtues symbolically represented in the beautiful stained-glass window in our sanctuary.
Question: Why is the rededication being done in a worship service with honored guests and press releases? Why not just quietly remove the J. Edgar Hoover plaque?
In 1966, the height of the civil rights movement, CHUMC was an all-white congregation that proudly named the window in honor of a segregationist who abused his power. The dedication was a highly publicized and significant event covered by local and national news organizations and attended by Director Hoover, Methodist Bishops, the Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, other clergy, and FBI officials. Today, saying publicly, as an act of Worship, that we should not have honored Hoover as hero of Christian virtues is about declaring who CHUMC is and who we are capable of becoming: a diverse congregation committed to being reconciling and anti-racist and to practicing being the heart of God in the neighborhood. That is a declaration that should not be quiet – it should be celebrated and offered to all to show what bringing light, and following in Christ’s footsteps, can look like.
Question: What about the good things that J. Edgar Hoover did as a director of the FBI?
One of the gifts of Christianity is that we know the world cannot be divided up into good and bad people We accept that we are all broken people in a broken world. The Hoover plaque states that the window is dedicated to Hoover as a model “Christian statesman,” and the sermon and dedication words from 1966 honor Hoover as a model of “Christian virtues.” It is important that CHUMC says that, regardless of any arguably good acts that J. Edgar Hoover might have done, he should not be honored and held up as a model of Christian virtues.
J. Edgar Hoover Christian Statesman Window Rededication Timeline
1960
Capitol Hill Methodist Parish was formed with four Methodist Churches: North Carolina Ave., Trinity, Waugh, and Wilson Memorial churches joining together to become one parish.
1961
The four congregations merged and began to meet in the Trinity Methodist building located at Fifth and Seward Square. The other three church buildings were sold. Capitol Hill Methodist Church purchased and tore down the home adjacent to Trinity, which was the childhood home of J. Edgar Hoover, to make room for the new Capitol Hill building. The then-Rev. Edward Lewis corresponded with FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover, stating that Capitol Hill UMC would be dedicating the largest stained-glass window in the church as the “J. Edgar Hoover: Statesmanship through Christian Virtues” window. Rev. Edward Lewis stated that he and the congregation of Capitol Hill UMC wished to honor Director Hoover as a Christian Statesman who lived the Christian virtues that would be symbolized in the window. J. Edgar Hoover responded that he was honored.
1964
The congregation worshiped for the last time in the Trinity Methodist building on September 13, 1964. Trinity Methodist was torn down for the present Capitol Hill Methodist building to be built on the site of Trinity and the site of the childhood home of J. Edgar Hoover.
1966
The first service was held in the new Capitol Hill Methodist building, and the “J. Edgar Hoover: Statesmanship through Christian Virtues” window was dedicated on June 26, 1966. Director J. Edgar Hoover attended the dedication service along with several Methodist Bishops, the Chaplain of the Senate, other clergy, and FBI officials. An exterior and interior plaque dedicating the window were installed at the window dedication service.
1971
The “J. Edgar Hoover: Statesmanship through Christian Virtues” plaque located on the exterior of the Capitol Hill UMC building was stolen.
2020
Capitol Hill United Methodist Church (CHUMC) was invited by the Baltimore Washington Conference of the UMC BWCUMC) and the North East Jurisdictional (NEJ) Conference of the UMC to sign a pledge and commit to an ongoing program of education and action to become an anti-racist church. The CHUMC Council prayerfully considered that invitation and, in the fall of 2020, agreed unanimously to become an anti-racist church. CHUMC formed a Racial Justice Ministry Band (RJMB) to build and protect an anti-racist culture in the church.
2023
The middle and high school Sunday School class of CHUMC produced a video in which they recommended that the congregation rededicate the “J. Edgar Hoover: Statesmanship Through Christian Virtues” to the community of CHUMC. The RJMB, with the approval of the Church Council, began to lead a congregational discernment and education process that focused on the key question: Is a window dedicated to “J. Edgar Hoover: Statesmanship through Christian Virtues,” an appropriate part of the sacred space of our sanctuary?
2023 - 2024
The RJMB engaged the CHUMC community in a variety of events, including sermons, Sunday school classes, webinars and speakers, and congregational meetings asking the question: what is a faithful and anti-racist response to our “J. Edgar Hoover: Statesmanship through Christian Virtues” window. After considerable prayer and deliberation, the decision was made to rededicate the window by having a worship service of Repentance and Repair where the Hoover plaque is removed and the window is rededicated. CHUMC believes that the window dedication is inconsistent with our current mission to be an antiracist church because it honors J. Edgar Hoover, a segregationist who regularly violated the rule of law and the constitutional rights of many innocent Americans.
-Produced: August 2024