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At 105 H StillAn Active MinisterBy DAVID RIDDLE Staff WriterHe sat and’flailed his legs in the air like he was running a race. Then, red faced and breathing heavily, said, “There, I can move my legs as fast as any young man.”But the Reverend James Fell Aker is not a “young man” in the chronological sense of the word. He is 105 years old and, as he demonstrated, still going strong.Having given sermons and revivals in 38 states, the Radford preacher is well known nationally and well respected.Described as an “old time religion gospel preacher,” Rev. Aker says he has seen many changes in the Christian religion and the United States that he does not like. But he can remember good times and people. His mind is sharp and he does not show any signs stereotyped in the elderly except, perhaps, his hearing.“I’ve been given ‘long days’ because I’ve honored my father and my mother,” he said. “Nowadays, children call their parents by their first names and they don't respect their authority.”Rev. Aker does not blame the lack of respect on the children but says parents and the church as well have not shown respect or interest in the young people. “Parents don’t take any interest in their children anymore and the church doesn’t take the interest in young people that they should.“Take the 15th chapter of Luke; the shepherd had one sheep that was missing and he didn't sleep until he found it. But now, if a child’s missing, they say ‘don’t worry, they’ll be in after a while.’ This happened to me once too: the man said his son would be in after a while and then he got a call from the police and his son was in jail.”Rev. Aker referred to the decay in the morality of American society saying a record number of births in the United States last year were to unwed mothers. “The morals of our people are getting out of place. God gave us rules, they are his rules and we can’t break them.”To him, the Christian church has changed from its evangelical mission and has become more “worldly.’’ He recalls past revivals with the multitudes, singing and strong faith and compares it to church today with its Sunday morning service.“I was preaching down in Tennessee and this man comes up-to me and says ‘you were up there speaking for over an hour by my watch.’ PeopleREV. JAMES F. AKER Traveling And Preachinghave gotten to the point where they want a preacher to come and speak for so long and no longer. But then they can go home and watch a football game from 1 to 6 in the evening.“I have no problem in holding an audience for over an hour. I can talk to them and entertain (See MINISTER, Pg. 24.) . -
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