The Rear Guard Preachers - J. Frank Norris
Old Paths Bible Ministries © 2007 Richard St.James
John Franklyn Norris
"This man was a walking rodeo, but he was also compassionate, driven to win souls, and he was never dull. Some stories about him are real rough, but he left in his wake a bunch of preacher boys who are today in old age and still romping along giving the devil a rough time by the power of God.
Fundamental Baptist pastor. J. Frank Norris was born in Dadeville,
Alabama. He was graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He
was ordained to the ministry in 1899 and soon after began his long,
stormy career by serving as editor of The Baptist Standard, the
official voice of Texas Baptists. He aided Dr. B.H. Carroll in the
founding of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth,
Texas.
In 1909 he accepted the pastorate of the First Baptist Church of
Fort Worth and remained there until his death. In 1935 he also
accepted the pastorate of Temple Baptist Church, Detroit, Michigan,
and held joint pastorates of these two great churches separated
geographically 1,300 miles for 15 years. During those years, the
combined attendance of both churches, under the leadership of one
pastor, constituted the world's largest Sunday School.
A master pulpiteer, Dr. Norris was a fierce opponent of Communism,
Liberalism, and evolution, and was acclaimed to be one of the
twentieth century's outstanding leaders of Bible fundamentalism.
In 1939, with the aid of Dr. Louis Enzminger, he organized the Bible
Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, an institution which excelled
in the training of young preachers in the building of large Sunday
Schools and churches. Many of the graduates of this school have
built some of the largest churches in America. A friend of world
leaders, compassionate soul-winner, and Bible expositor, Dr. Norris
died in Keystone, Florida, on August 20, 1952, and was buried in
Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, August 24, 1952.
HERE ARE SOME STORIES ABOUT J FRANK NORRIS:
You may not like them, but they do show how this man was so much
like Jehu and Ezekiel.
The Call to Fort Worth and What Came of It
Thirty Days to Leave Town
J. Frank Norris was famous in his fight against liquor. His enemies
were also vicious, trying to run him out of town and even murder
him.
But God had the last say in the matter.
Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give
place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will
repay, saith the Lord.
And Judgment Came -- Brains Scattered For 100 Feet on Track
The man who presided at the meeting when a hundred and sixty-five
banded themselves together to run Norris out of town -- this man was
a powerful and influential man. He was chairman of the Democratic
party of Texas. He lifted his glass of liquor and said to the crowd,
"Let's stand and drink to the death of our enemy."
Six days after that night...he and his negro chauffeur were driving
to town and crossed the Interurban...The motorman on the front end
said,
"I saw the car moving slowly and thought surely it would stop, but
it came on the track."
And that Interurban coming sixty miles an hour hit that car amidship
and smashed it to smithereens and the two Interurbans plunged from
the track and there were more than sixty people in both cars. Not
one person on the Interurban had a broken bone. The negro chauffeur
was unscathed. But the insides and brains of this man who had drunk
the toast to the death of Norris six days before -- his brains were
scattered for a distance of a hundred feet on the track.
He lay in state in the auditorium of the Chamber of Commerce --
"And
great fear came upon every soul."
And the revival increased.
One of the main men in the conspiracy to run Norris out of town came
to his house at two o'clock the next morning...When he rang the bell
Mrs. Norris said, "I'd better go."
But Norris said, "No, I'll go." And there stood one of his bitterest
enemies. And he said, "Let me come in."
And there that man knelt in Norris' front room with him and God and
was gloriously saved and became one of his strongest friends and
supporters."
From p.111 of The J. Frank Norris I Have Known For 34 Years, by
Louis Entzminger
Broken Quart Bottle of Liquor With Brains of District Attorney
"It would be now in order to tell the fate of the conspirators.
Take the District Attorney who was a tool of the liquor interests.
After the conspiracy trial had come to nought -- and only a short
time afterwards -- this prosecuting attorney loaded his fine new
Cadillac car with liquor, two women and another man. They were going
across the North Main Viaduct at a terrific speed and ran head-on
into an on-coming street car. This District Attorney and the other
three in the car were killed instantly, and nobody was hurt in the
street car, only shaken up.
There was a half quart bottle of liquor broken and it was sitting
straight up on the pavement, and it had a lobe of brains in it.
This bottle was and brains was carried to Dr. Norris and he took it
to the pulpit and preached a sermon on it the next Sunday night on
the text, " The Wages of Sin is Death."
Of course it created a great sensation. Norris was severely
criticized. Some women fainted in the audience. And some men did
too. You talk about "Great Fear coming upon every soul!" It scared
me almost to death.
He fought on. He preached on."
From p.112 of The J. Frank Norris I Have Known For 34 Years, by
Louis Entzminger
Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves
Pastor Norris was a real soul winner, and he was not inhibited by a
man's fame or wealth. He went among all the businessmen in his
community witnessing and getting to be their very close friend. He
especially took an interest in the car dealers in his city. He
witnessed to them all, though most of them were Roman Catholics.
After a good number of years he had not won one car dealer to the
Lord. On a trip to Europe, Pastor Norris went around to visit the
Vatican. He bought several large expensive crucifixes and had them
personally blessed by the Pope.
Upon returning to his home town, pastor Norris went around to each
of the car dealers, and he gave them each a crucifix. He never went
back to witness to them. He said that they had made their choice.
But, the car dealers all were so impressed with Pastor Norris that
from that day onward they showered him with all sorts of gifts and
money for his church.
Pastor Norris's biblical principle was the following:
Ecclesiastes 2:26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight
wisdom,
and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to
gather and to
heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also
is vanity and vexation of spirit.
That is hard to argue with."
Attempted Murder
"At 10 A.M. Friday morning July 16, 1926 two city officers, Harry
Conner and Fred Holland, warned Dr. Norris that D.E. Chipps had made
repeated threats, and before many others, in Texas Hotel the night
before, he said, "I am going to kill J. Frank Norris."
Norris had never heard of Chipps, knew nothing about him, and
therefore could have no malice or hate towards him.
On the fateful Saturday afternoon Chipps walked up Main Street to
the Westbrook Hotel where he was staying and told many people,
"Sunday morning the Star-Telegram will have a front page headline,
D.E. Chipps Kills J. Frank Norris."
Those were the exact words in the Star-Telegram and and his prophecy
came true except their names were reversed.
At 3:30 P.M. he asked the PBX operator at the Westbrook Hotel,
"Get
J. Frank Norris on the telephone." He was impatient and cursed her
because she did not get Norris quickly enough...She later testified,
"Because of Chipp's anger and abuse I listened to the conversation.
Everybody in the hotel was afraid of him. I head him call Dr. Norris
mane vile names, and he was very profane. I heard him repeat several
time, "You blankety, blankety blank, I am coming over there and kill
you."
L.H. Nutt, a deacon in the First Baptist Church was in the office of
the pastor at that time. He was teller in the Farmer's and Mechanics
Bank, a very honorable man. After those violent threats from Chipps
ever the phone, Norris turned to Nutt and asked,
"Who is this D.E. Chipps?"
Nutt told him the reputation of Chipps, that he was a trouble-maker
and had had mane escapes with the police.
Before Norris knew it Chipps kicked the dorr open -- it was only a
block away from the Westbrook Hotel -- and announced so all could
hear, "This is D.E. Chipps you blankety, blankety blank -- I am
going to kill you."
The night watchman of the church always left his gun in a drawer in
the pastor's office safe keeping. It has always been a joke how it
has been published "Two gun Norris," "Pistol Packing' Pastor," et
cetera. He never carried a gun.
Norris sought to quiet Chipps and succeeded for a moment. Then he
saw that Chipps' anger and abuse increased -- and Nutt testified
that Chipps kept his hand on his right side, with his coat pulled
back, and kept moving it -- finally Norris said,
"There is the door and I don't wat any trouble with you."
Norris was standing with his back against his desk and had his hand
on the gun and did everything he could to avoid trouble.
Chipps went out into the hallway and the mayor of the city and some
others who had sent Chipps to Norris' office were waiting in the car
across the street in front of the First Baptist Church office
building where Norris' office was.
No doubt Chipps' mock pride got the best of him and he whirled
around and started back into Norris' office and said, so the
testimony shows, "I will kill you, you blankety, blankety blank!"
And quick as a flash it was over.
Immediately the mayor, the city manager and other henchmen were up
the stairway. Norris had gone into the larger office to phone his
wife.
The testimony showed there were two guns found on the floor in the
room and they were never presented in the trial. And why?
The testimony showed that at the morgue, the Mayor, H.C. Meacham,
said,
"Poor Chipps, I sent him to his death."
Of course Norris was quickly vindicated, and not-withstanding all
the dregs of bitterness and passion of years that entered into it.
Norris went before the congregation the next Sunday morning and
said, "It is a great sorrow, but I have no apology for what I have
done. I could not have done otherwise. I was forced to defend
myself, my wife and children," and he offered his resignation.
The church leaped to its feet and refused to accept his resignation.
Those present will never forget the first Sunday morning
afterwards."
From pp. 107-109 of The J. Frank Norris I Have Known For 34 Years,
by Louis Entzminger
Thirty Days to Leave Town
"One of the most trying experiences in all my life was when there
was a red hot local option election on in Fort Worth and Tarrant
County. The financial and liquor interests united and most preachers
were in complete silence. But not Norris.
He spoke in every school house and community throughout the county.
In the midst of this red hot campaign a hundred and sixty-five men
met in the dining room of the Metropolitan Hotel where the Chamber
of Commerce now holds its office.
They appointed a committee to wait on Norris and they came to his
office, three of them, and delivered an ultimatum and said, "We will
give you thirty days, time to wind up your affairs and leave town of
else take the consequences."
Norris thanked them for giving him thirty days and said,
"I will give you twenty-nine of them back."
Excitement was running high. You could see knots of people standing
on the sidewalk and there was but one theme.
Norris had no radio, had no paper, and the daily papers refused to
take his advertisement for pay. He struck off circulars by the tens
of thousands and published and printed the demand that he leave town
and gave the names of the men who were back of the demand at 15th
and Main Streets.
Talk about crowds! It seemed as if everybody in town was there, and
a lot more.
Norris arranged for a truck to be at this corner before sun down.
Talk about scared! I didn't want to be in it. I knew there would be
wholesale killing. But on the other hand I was not coward enough to
forsake me partner. I went.
From what I heard and understood, I think everybody was carrying his
gun that night. But Norris didn't have any.
The police tried to clear the streets, but in vain.
The fire company tried it, but in vain.
For blocks and blocks they were stacked.
Norris wore white trousers, white shirt, white tie, and was in shirt
sleeves. Didn't even have a pen knife.
He tried to force his way through that mass of packed humanity, and
one man who owned the saloon across the street -- Norris pushed up
against him and he turned and ripped out an oath and said, "What do
you want?"
Norris said, "I want to get to that corner down there where I can
speak."
He looked at him and said, "Who are you?"
"I am Frank Norris."
This big strong 225 pounder whirled around with a forty-five in his
hand and said -- and everybody heard him -- "I came out here to get
the first shot." And he turned to Norris and said, "follow me! The
first man that lays a hand on this preacher I will shoot a hole
through him you can drive that truck through."
He went through that crowd with the gun held before him, Norris
hanging on to his coat tail.
The big fellow walked up, climbed up on the truck and sat down with
that gun across his lap and said, "Frank, give 'em hell."
He stood there on that seat and said,
"I have nothing against you, and I call on the God of Elijah, the
God on my mother to lay bare His mighty arm in judgment in this
city."
And then he led the huge crowd in singing, "There's a Land that is
Fairer Than Day." And shen he had finished he said, "Good night."
Everybody quietly stole away and nobody was hurt.
The next morning this big saloon keeper came to the church office
and walked in, and I was scared again when he pulled out that long
gun and he laid it on Norris' desk and said,
"I am through. I want you to pray for me, and I want to give you
this gun as a memento." And he knelt and was gloriously saved and
Norris baptized him.
Of course he went out of the saloon business."
Pp. 91- 92 from The J. Frank Norris I have Known For 34 Years by
Louis Enzminger, D.D.