Testing your local religion IQ

Macon has long claimed to have more churches per capita than any city in the U.S.

Of course, similar boasts have been made by more than a dozen other cities, including Tulsa, Oklahoma; Las Vegas; Dallas, Texas; Cincinnati; Memphis, Tennessee; Wheaton, Illinois; Key West, Florida; Louisville, Kentucky; Nashville, Tennessee; Pensacola, Florida; Turlock, California; and two cities in Texas -- Lubbock and Abilene.

Nobody knows for certain which city is entitled to wear the crown. Of course, bickering about it certainly wouldn’t be very churchlike.

Title or no title, Macon and its neighbors have plenty of fascinating church history and other ample bragging rights. Middle Georgia certainly qualifies for a trivia quiz to test our local religious IQ. Here goes:

1. Some historians believe that a pair of priests, traveling with Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, did what along the banks of the Ocmulgee River near Macon in 1540?

(A) Wrote the words and music to “Shall We Gather at the River.’’ (B) Performed the first Christian baptism in North America. (C) Translated the King James Version into the New American Standard Version. (D) Converted the entire De Soto traveling party to Islam.

2. Founded in 1825, what is the oldest church in Macon?

(A) First Presbyterian. (B) Ingleside Baptist. (C) Christ Episcopal Church. (D) Martha Bowman Memorial United Methodist.

3. It began as a Presbyterian church on Fourth Street (now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) in the 1840s and was later sold to the Catholics. In 1867, it was resold and moved to the corner of Third and Hawthorne as a Baptist church. It is believed to be the oldest wooden building in Macon. What is its name?

(A) Fulton Baptist. (B) Aletheia Baptist. (C) Houston Heights Baptist. (D) Stinsonville Baptist.

4. In 1944, at the age of 14, Martin Luther King Jr. made his first public speech at the First African Baptist Church in which Georgia city?

(A) Martins Crossing. (B) Luthersville. (C) Kingsland. (D) Dublin.

5. The First Baptist Church of Christ in Macon was founded in 1826 and is considered the “mother church” of all Baptist churches in the city. Which church, founded in 1808, is considered the “mother” of First Baptist?

(A) Stone Creek Baptist in Twiggs County. (B) Bradley Baptist Church in Jones County. (C) Musella Baptist in Crawford County. (D) Mount Zion Baptist in Bolingbroke.

6. In January 2008, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama made a campaign stop in Macon and appeared at which church?

(A) New Hope Baptist. (B) Harvest Cathedral. (C) Holsey Temple. (D) Fairway Church of Golf.

7. The state headquarters for which religious denomination is located on Vineville Avenue in Macon?

(A) Jehovah’s Witnesses. (B) Seventh-day Adventist. (C) Assemblies of God. (D) Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

8. This pastor was one of Macon’s most well-known spiritual leaders and a pioneer in religious broadcasting in Georgia, with more than 25,000 broadcasts. He and his family sang gospel on Atlanta’s WSB radio in the 1930s, and he was famous for his “Victory Hour” in Macon. At Mabel White Memorial Baptist, where he was minister for 31 years, his sermons were broadcast beginning in October 1958. The interchange at Bass Road and I-75 is named in his honor. What was his name?

(A) Jimmy Waters. (B) Muddy Waters. (C) Johnny Rivers. (D) Pete Fountain.

9. Which Macon church, started in 1826 by a carpenter/preacher named Thomas Gardner, is recognized as the “Mother Church of Georgia Methodism” and was deeded the land by the state?

(A) Vineville United Methodist. (B) Riverside United Methodist. (C) Mulberry Street United Methodist. (D) Forest Hills United Methodist.

10. During the Civil War, what did many Macon churches contribute to support the Confederate war effort?

(A) Pipe organs. (B) Collection plates. (C) Brass and bronze bells. (D) Altar boys.

11. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on College Street was built on the site of what early city infrastructure?

(A) Parking meters. (B) Railroad depot. (C) Roundabout. (D) Barbecue joints.

12. James Augustine Healy, born into a family of slaves in what is now the River North subdivision and Healy Point Country Club in Jones County, achieved what distinction in the world religious community?

(A) He became the first black American bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. (B) He became the first non-Catholic pope in 833 years. (C) He was elected sergeant at arms of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. (D) He was hailed as the first Healy to heal the lame.

13. Mercer is the second-largest Baptist affiliated university in the nation. What is the largest?

(A) Stetson. (B) Furman. (C) Baylor. (D) Slippery Rock.

14. Which national television news celebrity grew up at Liberty United Methodist in Macon, where her mother, Elizabeth, still plays the organ?

(A) Diane Sawyer. (B) Katie Couric. (C) Megyn Kelly. (D) Nancy Grace.

15. The ceiling of which Macon sanctuary has the “Eye of God” -- a dome with a blue, stained-glass window in the center?

(A) St. Andrews Presbyterian. (B) Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (C) Tattnall Square Baptist. (D) Temple Beth Israel.

16. Which national religious news journal is published in Macon?

(A) Guideposts. (B) Baptists Today. (C) The Christian Index. (D) The Upper Room.

17. The Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains will have the most famous member of its congregation teaching Sunday School on Sept. 28 and Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. What is his name?

(A) Luke Bryan. (B) Ernest T. Bass. (C) Jimmy Carter. (D) Ho Lee Roller.

18. What religious institution is at the corner of Pio Nono and Pierce avenues, which are named after a Catholic (Pope Pius IX) and Methodist bishop (George Pierce)?

(A) The Grotto. (B) St. Stanislaus College. (C) Epworth by the Creek. (D) Vineville Baptist Church.

19. Washington Avenue Presbyterian in Macon holds what distinction?

(A) Built in 1848, it is the oldest African-American Presbyterian church in Georgia. (B) The church’s stained glass windows provide eight times more solar energy than Washington Memorial Library. (C) It was the first church in the world to elect female elders. (D) The worship services never last more than one hour.

20. Artist James Berg’s well-known painting of Temple Beth Israel, First Baptist Church and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church is affectionately known by what name?

(A) Stop, Look, Listen. (B) Punt, Pass, Kick. (C) Shalom, Hallelujah, Amen. (D) See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil.

ANSWERS: (1) B. (2) C. (3) A. (4) D. (5) A. (6) B. (7) D. (8) A. (9) C. (10) C. (11) B. (12) A. (13) C. (14) D. (15) D. (16) B. (17 ) C. (18) D. (19) A. (20) C.

REPORT CARD: (16-20) Sainthood. (11-15) Popeworthy. (7-10) Sunday School teacher. (3-6) Backsliding Baptist. (0-2) Excommunicated.

Contact Ed Grisamore at 744-4275 or egrisamore@macon.com

This story was originally published September 19, 2014 at 7:26 PM with the headline "Testing your local religion IQ."