The history of Baptists in the United States is a long and convoluted story of victory and failure, unity and division, momentum, and decline. But, if we pay attention to the stories of those individual leaders within the movement, we discover a very important lesson – namely, that when men are full of faith in God and his word, and fearlessly preach it, they can be mightily used for the kingdom of God. Conversely, men who trade truth for pragmatism or divide the body of Christ for their own righteous causes, will often do more to harm the kingdom then advance it.
Today we have invited O. S. Hawkins, former pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas and the Chancellor and Senior Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to discuss two historic Baptist pastors that serve to help us heed these lessons.
Hawkins is the author of over 50 books, including the book we will be considering today, In the Name of God: The Colliding Lives, Legends and Legacies of J. Frank Norris and George W. Truett.